Which Heli to go with after mCPx?

[Chris Mu]

As the title says, which one. Here are some of my concerns;

First I need to be able to walk into my hobby shop and buy parts when I break it. I dont like dealing with online retailers or companies that dont have a product available in stores. I understand that some like Synergy Gaui and a few others are great helicopters are great but I prefer to get support locally. Its not a deal breaker but its a preference.

Second, I like a company with good product support. The companies website is pretty important to me. I like to do research on their products and get parts breakdowns and manuals online. Align's website sucks.... I couldn't find crap on it

Third, Aftermarket parts being available are a must. I cant leave anything stock. It runs in my blood to "improve" stuff.

Along with a suggestion on manufacturer I'd like a recommendation on size. Where should I start after my Micro? So far on the list I have a T Rex 450Pro and a Blade 450X. Blade also has the 450 3d with a flybar. Not sure... this is why I need some help. If you think I should look at another brand I'd like information on why its a good choice please.

Thanks

[tomd27858]

Either the pro or the X will be a great choice. I would steer away from a flybarred heli because of the benefits of flybarless.

You won't regret buying either one. I personally had the Pro and had no issues.

[rhodesengr]

Since you are only open to brands in your local store, which brands do they carry?

Most local stores only carry Blade and Align. If you have other choices, it would help to know which are available.

You are right that the Align website is really lousy. However, they remain a viable alternative because despite their website they are a market leader with a large selection of models especially in the bigger sizes, reasonable quality, parts availability, and aftermarket products.

If your choices are Blade and Align at your store you have a more fundamental choice to make first: do you want to build or fly something already built. If you want to build you need to be looking at Align. If you want to fly something pre-built, Blade is where you want to look.

I think its better to fly a pre-built first and then start building. If you don't know what a properly operating heli acts like, you can run into troubles getting a kit running.

So with that, I think the choice is clear: the Blade 450X. I strongly recommend staying away from the fly bar version the 450 3D. Going from an mCPx to a 450X is a pretty big step and Blade now has some in between alternatives: the 130X which is like a larger mCPx and the 300X which is like a smaller 450X. I also strongly suggest you follow a lesson plan like the one on rchelicopterfun.com or RADD and start working the your next heli very slowly.

The Blade website is very good and they have produced videos of some of the repair operations. This site has videos for every step of the AR7200BX controller that comes with the 450X in the beastX sub-forum.

[Chris Mu]

The reason I want a larger heli is that I've heard that larger models are more stable. While they are more expensive to fix they are a better platform to learn on than the micro helis.

[bstanley72]

Originally Posted by Chris Mu

The reason I want a larger heli is that I've heard that larger models are more stable. While they are more expensive to fix they are a better platform to learn on than the micro helis.

Not sure I agree with that (coming from a guy who learned on a 500). What you give up in stability with the micro bird you make up for in durability. Yes, a larger bird is easier to hover, but if you so much as even tip it you’re paying $$ and time to fix it.

My suggestion is to stick with the MCPX. Get a simulator if you don’t have one, which in my opinion is THE best platform to learn on. After you have flying the MCPX under control then the answer to your initial question will be any heli that you want.

[rhodesengr]

Originally Posted by Chris Mu

The reason I want a larger heli is that I've heard that larger models are more stable. While they are more expensive to fix they are a better platform to learn on than the micro helis.

Chris: please post which brands your local store carries.

I went from mCPx to a Blade 3D to a Gaui X2 and then converted my 3D to FBL. Now I have those plus a TREX 550. There is no question that the 550 is more stable and more wind tolerant than a 450. However, as you move up from and mCPx, there is a substantial "pucker factor". Even the X2 is a very different experience than flying the mCPx. You can find plenty of threads where guys tried to fly a 450X too quickly and crashed within seconds. You don't want to be one of those guys.

Not sure if you said, are you already flying an mCPx? Which radio do you have? Hopefully a DX6i or better.

The big jump is from mCPx to the next level. Going from a 450 to a 550 is pretty easy.

[m1crochip]

I vote for 130 X or 300 X

[Chris Mu]

They have blade and align. I have a simulator, real flight 6. I've spent almost every waking hour flying since I got it.

[Chris Mu]

Yay! I just did my first tick tock on the sim!

[Chris Mu]

Originally Posted by rhodesengr

Chris: please post which brands your local store carries.

I went from mCPx to a Blade 3D to a Gaui X2 and then converted my 3D to FBL. Now I have those plus a TREX 550. There is no question that the 550 is more stable and more wind tolerant than a 450. However, as you move up from and mCPx, there is a substantial "pucker factor". Even the X2 is a very different experience than flying the mCPx. You can find plenty of threads where guys tried to fly a 450X too quickly and crashed within seconds. You don't want to be one of those guys.

Not sure if you said, are you already flying an mCPx? Which radio do you have? Hopefully a DX6i or better.

The big jump is from mCPx to the next level. Going from a 450 to a 550 is pretty easy.

I fly the mCPx a lot. Every day I put about an hour on the little thing. As far as pucker factor, I'd be more afraid of hurting someone at the flying field than breaking the Heli. I've become very familiar with the throttle hold switch on my DX6i. For a day after figuring out the tail in hover I took off and then hit the throttle hold instead of chopping the throttle.

I know the sim isnt a real heli and you dont have that holy crap feeling, but I'm getting really good. Inverted flight is no problem. I can hover nose in, I can tick tock now, and am very comfortable with turn stalls. Forgive my terminology if its wrong.

Tonight I figured out why my mCPx was a bit twitchy. The tail rotor was twisted down a bit and wasnt at a 90º angle to the main shaft. I straightened it and now it'll almost hands off hover. It was a bit of a handful prior to me noticing that. I'm not sure how long its been that way either.

Also I'm not opposed to buying something off the internet. I prefer product support at my local hobby store though. If the consensus is that I would be better off with a Gaui or Synergy then so be it. I dont like buying something twice, I'd rather spend a few hundred more on a quality item than buy several of a lesser item or worse have to spend money fixing a corner that got cut by a company in the hopes to increase profit margins.

Friday I'm ordering all the hop up parts for the mCPx from Rakon Heli. I like their silver aluminum stuff so will be ordering everything they have for it. Looks like tomorrow I'll be getting the 2mm carbon rod for the tail boom mod!

[rhodesengr]

So you are set with a decent radio. Your store carries Balde and Align. So everything i said in my first post pretty much applies. You have to decide if you want to buy a pre-built or build a kit. I think it makes sense to first learn to fly with a pre-built and then learn to build. Flying is one set of skills but building and set-up from scratch is another. I could be daunting to take on both skill sets at once.

Both Blade and Align fit your criteria for available upgrades. Once you have a heli, you are looking at things like servos, different FBL controllers, blades, ESC's, BEC's etc which are more less universal to all helicopters.

Gaui is known to make good to great kits but the availability of both kits and parts is spotty. I was debating an X5 or a T550E and went with the T550E because of the availability issue. There are more choices when you get above the 450 size.

Bottom line: I'd say get a 450X unless you want to try a 130X or 300X in between. But get yourself to a 450X and then learn to build. If you learn the setup for the AR7200BX that comes with the 450X you can get the same controller for bigger helis.

[Chris Mu]

Thanks again for the responses. Building is part of the fun for me in the RC hobby. Every car I've raced has been a build up from a kit. I've been a mechanic for almost 20 years also. Tools are my friends. Its the only reason I threw the Align stuff in the mix. Otherwise I would have steered clear of em. I want quality.

I took a look at the 300x and it looked good. I'm looking for the same kind of control I have over the Synergy Heli in Real Flight 6, and yes I know that its a sim and real life is not similar.

On a different note, I hovered inverted today for around 3 seconds and then crashed and burned! Poor mCP X took several hard shots to the dirt before I accomplished getting it inverted. Its truly a testament to the sturdiness of the little bird. Being able to hover inverted in a week was one of the goals I had when I first bought this guy.

[rhodesengr]

sounds like you are doing great. I find the sim harder than the real thing.

Also, the mCPx is great for what it is. I am a big fan. However, it does have limitations that start to become apparent when you start flipping it: tail blow out and FBL sophistication. A 300X, 450X, or anything running an AR7200BX will be MUCH easier to fly and flip than the mCPx. AR7200BX compensates for the wind. The controller in the mCPx does not. Just try a simple piro in some wind. The mCPx will take off on you as soon as you turn it while anything running BeastX can more or less piro with little or no cyclic control.

I think Align mechanical quality is fine. Some will argue other brands are better and they probably are. How good is good enough? Align electronics is perhaps the bigger issue but Blade is not much better. Goode enough to get started but room for improvement. The servos Blades uses are pretty delicate. With Align FBL, many people don't like the 3GX controller. I've never tried it. So far I have only used the AR7200BX. I am now looking at HC3-SX because it has a bail-out feature.

The DS610 serovs Align sells with the bigger kits are widely regarded as very good. I did replace my DS620 tail servo with something better. Many people put the DS410's in their 450X or the savox equivalents.

There are many choices and many paths and since you like messing around, you'll have endless opportunities.

[Nologic]

B450X

[Drev]

Just got the 300x a couple days ago.
Flies awesome stock(with the wood blades it comes with) but even better with the CF blades.Flies much bigger than the MCPx.
The main weakness is the main shafts, keep some in stock.
If you consider the price of the AR7200 Rx the heli itself comes pretty cheap.
After you outgrow the heli the Rx can be used on any other bird. My $0.02.
Drev.

[txheli15]

Here's my suggestion....If you can afford it, skip the 450 class, you'll thank yourself for it later. I wish I'd skipped the 450 and went straight to the 550.

The 550 is a lot bigger, which makes it a lot easier to work on. But more importantly, the size makes it so much more visible in the air, which makes it so much easier for orientation purposes. Those are really nice advantages, especially being relatively new to the hobby...and I haven't even talked about the performance difference, that's equally huge. I really just don't enjoy flying my 450 after flying the 550, I've only put 4 flights on the 450 since getting the 550 flying.

Another plus for the 550 is that it uses the same batteries as a 700, except the 700 uses 2 rather than 1 for the 550. That gives me an upgrade path, at least when I move to the 700, I'll already have batteries and charging gear. And when the 700 is broke, I'll have batteries for the 550.

...just a thought.

[ruben.rc]

I had the nine eagles solo pro 125 for 4 months when i bought a trex 450 pro v2. Its a. Use great heli and there are a lot of aftermarket and clone parts. I use a tarot zyx fbl system and its just great. It's really stable. I think u will be fine handling a 450 heli. it fly's quite mcpx like.