Hi i have flown 4 channel coaxials and single blade ones for two years. Recently, i have decided to migrate to the 450 class. As a beginner i will mainly practise hovering, and frequent crashes are expected. Do i need an expensive Align copter? Or are Align clones good enough for me?

Do you know anyone that's familiar with RC helis? If you do, then a clone would be no problem as he can spot anything wrong with it. Like missing screws or ill fitting parts. When i put mine together the mainshaft wouldn't go into the main gear and i didn't know if i was doing it wrong, the missing screws were atleast easier to spot.

Generally tho, watching a clone nosedive into the ground is less heartbreaking than a goblin. And even with the parts i needed to replace, it still came down to half the price of an Align.

A tip. Figure out the maximum amount you're willing to spend on this hobby. And then cut that in half. That's the price of your first heli. The other half will go to maintenance tools and spare parts.

I have had a lot of luck with clones, but would not want to start on them again. All my helis are part clone, and I've discarded the $10 gyro, $10 ESC, $3 cyclic servos, $0.01 flybar head, $0.01 tail.

Good v2/pro clone parts to now: EXI carbon fiber frame sides, HK CF tail boom, battery plate, base plate, skid assembly, and maybe the main and tail bearing holders. The HK bearings are iffy, but I can't resist at four for a buck. They don't go bad all that often.

Good luck!

I'll generally second what Hajile said...if you have a knowledgeable friend willing to help you out, a clone will likely be fine. There will be issues with a clone that come up from defective/poorly made parts, and a new builder simply won't find them until it breaks mid-flight and corkscrews into the ground. Luckily, clone crashes usually only cost a few bucks to fix. Buy spares when you buy the heli. Better yet, just by TWO clone kits, that way you have 2 of everything that can possibly go wrong.

The other way a clone works out: If you're a perfectionist mechanical engineer type (like myself) and are willing to spend hours and hours building, tinkering, and learning how all this stuff works before you fly it.

If neither of these situations apply to you, and you just want to pull it out of a box and fly, then you need a $400 Align combo. You'll save yourself a bunch of time and maybe even some money.

Originally Posted by eagle777

I have had a lot of luck with clones, but would not want to start on them again. All my helis are part clone, and I've discarded the $10 gyro, $10 ESC, $3 cyclic servos, $0.01 flybar head, $0.01 tail.

Good v2/pro clone parts to now: EXI carbon fiber frame sides, HK CF tail boom, battery plate, base plate, skid assembly, and maybe the main and tail bearing holders. The HK bearings are iffy, but I can't resist at four for a buck. They don't go bad all that often.

Good luck!

+ 1....If i were to do it all over again, I would not touch a clone.

I wouldn't, because this was my maiden flight.

Helicopter Maiden Flight and Crash (2 min 37 sec)

A stupid rookie mistake (#1 don't stand under a tree and #2 don't fly in wind)

And a flybarless Align heli is atleast $500.00 over here. Not something you'd want to crater.

Originally Posted by Hajile

I wouldn't, because this was my maiden flight.


A stupid rookie mistake (#1 don't stand under a tree and #2 don't fly in wind)

And a flybarless Align heli is atleast $500.00 over here. Not something you'd want to crater.

Ha ha, it's funny because it isn't me this time!

I think I crashed twice in my first 5 flights. And this was after countless hours of sim time. I'm really glad I had a $30 clone from hobbyking, instead of a "real" helicopter. I ended up just buying a complete second kit (plus lots of spares) and combined the 2 kits to make one good heli. Plus, I now have spares for the next several crashes...all for less than $100 (not including electronics).

If I started off as a "good" heli pilot, I would absolutely say don't mess with a clone, just get a name brand. But that ignores the fact that when you're starting, you are NOT a good pilot, and any crashes are going to be fault of my dumb thumbs, and no amount of money will fix that. So I'd absolutely do it the same way again... buy some crappy clones that don't fly that great (but still fly), crash them, and then upgrade later.

If you have spare money, you'll definitely be happier with the real deal. For me, that wasn't an option

You can find some good deals in the classifieds here on RCG as well
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show....php?t=1813861

Coming from a cheapskate who has several clones and RTF's. DON'T BOTHER. I now know what to fix, but they never fly, I have smashed 3 CP helis so far. I don't know what these people who build and fly their first heli are smoking or what gags they are trying to pull on youtube, but it just don't work. Honestly I don't know what to tell you. At this point, I should have got a 450x. It would have been cheaper and I would be flying something other than micros.

Now, I have an Align super sport 450 combo, but I am afraid to build and crash it until I know I can fly them, but I think I am doing this backwards.

Align.

Unless you can get a good deal on a clone that someone knowledgeable put together (and spent too much money on anyway to get it to fly right). Their loss, your gain. But make sure they are trustworthy with a decent reputation.

If you go with a clone, look at Tarot. At least they're one of the nicer clones, but not the same quality as align regardless of what you might hear.

Otherwise go with an align or a micro cp heli. I agree with the guys thatsay they went the clone route and I would never do it again. Too many things for a noob to worry about. I'd rather fly than tinker with stuff and be frustrated. Especially when you're new to 450's or collective pitch helis, in getting a clone to fly right, when something goes wrong, you're going to wonder is there something wrong with the heli or am I doing something wrong. You want something decent.

Where are you out of?

I've got an HK450 pro V2 kit on the way, pretty excited being that it is my first kit. Just got my good buddy into the Hausler 450 yesterday, did a bit of tuning and tweaking and it flies like a dream. I guess it's just luck of the draw. I've not had a problem so far.

I highly suggest a micro CP like the blade nano or the mcpx is a deal right now.

Originally Posted by shahram72

I highly suggest a micro CP like the blade nano or the mcpx is a deal right now.

I heard they are good micro's but dang...I see them for sale on here classifieds all the time. Why if they are as good as people say they are?

IMO the mcpx kinda sucks, at least the tail does. I might get a nano one day, it'd be nice if they went on sale.

You see all sorts of different helis in the classifieds here, good and bad. I wouldn't use that to measure quality.

For learning to fly they are adequate, for hard 3d, those motorized tails sometimes blow out I hear.