Trex 450 SE V2 Overview VIDEO

[fly2much]

Originally Posted by Finless

Name of the game guys!

So you know VENDORS (not Align) were calling the SE V2 on thier web sites for a LONG TIME... They did this to tell people it had all the upgrades and was not the original SE. BAD ON THEM! Align now has done a V2 officially.

Bob

So, in your opinion Bob, should I be upset or not? I feel that I was wronged but I admit I am new to the hobby so if this doesn't seem like a big deal I will let it go I keep a mental list of vendors/stores that do me wrong and of course don't shop there. I currently have helidirect on that list due to this instance should I take them off my list?

[Pinecone]

For those of you starting out, the new V2 doesn't really gain a lot over the unofficial V2. Most of the upgrades are for a more serious 3D machine. And considering that the old V2s are seling for some $100 - $150 less than the new V2, I would think long and hard before buying a new V2 even today for MOST people, including me.

Just my opinion.

Thrusted main grips - great if you are pushing well over 3K RPM head speed, doesn't do a lot for under 3K.

Frame - nice and more durable

Blades - great baldes, if you are flying CF blades, but for a beginner woodies are a better choice (cheaper and absorb a lot of the crash energy)

Tail - AFAIK the later old V2 have this.

Main gear - nice, but not a big deal

ESC - the old V2 already get this AFAIK

Motor - more power and more headspeed is nice, but again not needed for a beginner.

Dark blue coor - NIce bling, but doesn't make it fly any better.

The best news is that there will be more used SEs on teh market and maybe th eprice of teh old V2 will drop a bit more.

Servo mount - nice for running the S9650 or DS7400G.

[Finless]

Hmmm wronged? Well if you get upset because you buy a new car and the next year they come out with the same model but WAY BETTER... then wronged? Nope that is capitolism my friend!

Is the V2 better... HELL YES and sorry pinecone 3D pilot or not this is all around a better heli. Months from now when most have upgraded those that have not will desire to! Overall the upgrades on this heli are worth the extra bucks in my opinion.

NOW with that said is the SE V1 bad? HELL NO... In fact Align will keep producing the V1 as a lower cost SE and it will be thier mid priced higher end heli. If someone asked me what to buy and said they want the best I would say get the V2. If someone asked me is the V1 still a good heli, I would say YES but if you can afford $90 more you will get sooo much more in the V2 that is worth it. Does a n00b need $35 carbon blades? NOPE.... This V2 kit is for the guy that can fly already and wants a 450. The V1 SE is a good starting option for new people wanting a good heli. This is why Align will still produce it (so I am told).

All in all... the V1 is a great heli... The V2 is a better heli and comes with GREAT things which I think is well worth the price difference.... The SE V1 will now become a mid range priced heli for people that want metal and not plastic.

This is where it stands now.
The XL is end of life and will no longer be produced
The SA and S will be the cheaper plastic entry level heli
The SE V1 will drop in price and will be the mid range heli
The SE V2 will be the top end heli

If you recently bought a SE V1 well sorry to tell you but the NEW YEARS MODEL IS OUT. If that pisses you off then go buy a car this year and get PO'ed because next year the newer model is better. Sorry but it will always be this way.
Oh and DONT blame the vendor for selling you this as they had NO IDEA up until a few weeks ago that a V2 even existed! Blame Align if your PO'd not the hobby vendor!

Bob

[fly2much]

Well to say I'm pissed wouldn't be correct. I am no pissed. I consider things like this, although upsetting, part of the learning curve. I didn't know much about heli's and had just come across this site when I bought the V1 heli so live and learn. And as with any education it's not free. However; I asked a very specific question about the model of the heli and was told it's a V2 well the fact is it was a V1. I will take some of the blame becasue had I done more research and reviewed this thread BEFORE asking my question I would have asked the model number rather than the more generic question of "V2".

I do feel wronged to some extent but don't really feel the new care comparison is a good one. If I asked if the car is 2005 and was told yes only to find out later, after I bought it, the model of the car was 2004 I would be pissed and suprised.

If I bought a 2005 and a year later the 2006 came out I wouldnt' be suprised, but would probably want the features in the 2006...but in the end would have purchased what I asked for so wouldn't be upset.

Enough of this...I need to get my servo's installed and give this thing a whirl..I'm sure it will fly better than my blade...

Thanks for all the input....

[Finless]

fly2much, this I understand! VENDORS were calling the SE a V2 not the manufacturer... In fact if you asked for a V2 and they said yes then you do have something to talk to them about. Align has never condoned the use of V2 by vendors so they are in fact missleading you ESPECIALLY NOW THAT A real v2 IS OUT.

Bob

[Laurens]

Bob, this is the first vid I've downloaded and I must say that this really adds to the freak.

THANKS MAN!

[xStatiCa]

Bob, I am not sure if he knew about the latest dark blue V2 or not going by his posts but it sounds like maybe he did. If he ordered expecting to get the 'new V2' and the dealer told him that is what he was getting then that would be a problem. If you order a 2006 mustang expecting to get a 2006 and instead you get a 2005 that the dealers were calling a 2006 because the later versions of 2005 models had some of the parts of the 2006 model I would be upset too . If he didn't know about the 'new V2' before ordering then he got what he ordered which I suspect is what happened otherwise I imagine he would have returned it before opening it.

As far as governor mode... Not everyone needs to tweak the very last bit of performance out of the heli with 100% flat line throttle curve at the expense of having the headspeed all over the place. With non-gov mode your headspeed will decline by quite a bit as you go through the flight because of battery drain(voltage gets lower). WIth gov mode the ESC makes up for that by pulling more current so the headspeed stays the same throughout the flight. Some people really like that(like myself). To me it seems to make some maneuvers more consistent too because without gov mode if you overspeed and do a stunt vs just hovering and do the same stunt the heli will perform differently than if it were governed down so that every time you did it the headspeed was close to the same RPM.

What I try to do when setting up my ehelis is run 100% flat line throttle in non gov mode first and then see what my headspeed is at the end of the flight. Whatever headspeed that is should be your maximum for gov mode. I usually set it just a little lower to give 50 or 100rpm extra headroom. You get slightly longer flights this way too.

[rdlohr]

Well to say I'm pissed wouldn't be correct. I am no pissed. I consider things like this, although upsetting, part of the learning curve. I didn't know much about heli's and had just come across this site when I bought the V1 heli so live and learn. And as with any education it's not free. However; I asked a very specific question about the model of the heli and was told it's a V2 well the fact is it was a V1. I will take some of the blame becasue had I done more research and reviewed this thread BEFORE asking my question I would have asked the model number rather than the more generic question of "V2".

I do feel wronged to some extent but don't really feel the new care comparison is a good one. If I asked if the car is 2005 and was told yes only to find out later, after I bought it, the model of the car was 2004 I would be pissed and suprised.

If I bought a 2005 and a year later the 2006 came out I wouldnt' be suprised, but would probably want the features in the 2006...but in the end would have purchased what I asked for so wouldn't be upset.

Enough of this...I need to get my servo's installed and give this thing a whirl..I'm sure it will fly better than my blade...

Thanks for all the input....

I like your attitude! Good luck with your new bird. You'll love it!

Rick

[Pinecone]

Originally Posted by Finless

Does a n00b need $35 carbon blades? NOPE.... This V2 kit is for the guy that can fly already and wants a 450. The V1 SE is a good starting option for new people wanting a good heli. This is why Align will still produce it (so I am told).

Bob

THAT is the point I was trying to make. For new people the V1 is an excellent starting point. For the experienced person the V2 makes a lot of sense.

At the current pricing, the price difference can be more like $150. I paid $380 for my SE back in Sept.

[xStatiCa]

Anyone know if the carbon fiber in the silver vs black 'new V2' kits is stronger than the other? I have seen rumors that the older kits the silver was not quite as strong by some amount because of additives that make it look silver or something. Anyone have any technical carbon fiber experience to comment on this?

Regardless... I just ordered a silver version early this morning.

[helibird]

Finless have you or anyone else flight tested this? When you say that the flight times are shorter, how much shorter. I was flying my 430L for 7 minutes max, what kind of flight time are you getting from the XL. Also will the 430XL be ok with the align 16C packs or is it going to need the higher C rating?

[xStatiCa]

helibird, there is some info in this thread with graphs and flight durations with amp draw graphs.

http://www.helifreak.com/viewtopic.php?t=31533

[oasis]

Hello Gent's
Check this one out. "Co-pilot flight". Your advise please..

[oasis]

I am sorry. I forgot to give you the website.
WWW.fmadirect.com

[JackPerry]

Originally Posted by Finless

If you all feel I need to cover some build things let me know and I will.

That would be greatly appreciated! You are right the whole build would probably be redundant, but if you have time perhaps a partial build or pointers for newbies like me who are getting the new V2 and are using your other Trex 450 videos as a reference.

[Finless]

My flight time dropped one full minuite. I was getting 6 minutes ont he 430L and hjad to drop to 5 on the 430XL.

Bob

[VietVet]

Originally Posted by xStatiCa2

Anyone know if the carbon fiber in the silver vs black 'new V2' kits is stronger than the other? I have seen rumors that the older kits the silver was not quite as strong by some amount because of additives that make it look silver or something. Anyone have any technical carbon fiber experience to comment on this?

Regardless... I just ordered a silver version early this morning.

At 2mm plate level

You will not be having the issue.

I saw a V2 fly today - it was so stable and had High Head Speed. It looked like a little Trex600Cf - it was Asian Jays and Finless was there too !

Asian Jay said after Finless wined and cry'ed about how these new kid's
didn't know there head speed from thier accent meter's the fix was
Take the friggen head apart - and read the manual and put all the parts
according to the MANUAL. In this case the way the head came from Taiwan the assembler put a washer on the wrong side of the thrust bearing - a quick fix by Finless and a blade balance and blade alignment
and this little 450 SE V2 looked like a 600 !

I have two SE V1's and am now coveting a real V2 ( not a partial )

There is a lot of Value in the new V2 kit Carbon fiber blades, the XL motor
The Align 22C battery, the nicer canopy and all those things 4 mm spindle
Thrust bearings like a 600 and the color change to a deeper blue..

Most parts from the first SE will work.. Minor parts are if you have a Carbon fiber boom - you might need a wrap of tape..

Cheers VietVet -

[Mavdriver]

Thats excellent can`t wait till i get mine

[Mavdriver]

Originally Posted by Finless

The 450 is thier best selling heli... why would they not continue to improve it?
This is how Align does business. If you had seen the FIRST 450 out over 2 years ago you might not even recognize it anymore......

Bob

as matter of fact i still got one 450 , but since move on to an se man here i go again i got to get the se official ve 2 :wink:

[BarnOwl]

Originally Posted by Pinecone

At the current pricing, the price difference can be more like $150. I paid $380 for my SE back in Sept.

I agree, I think the price is very steep. I am not used to that from Align. I know all the new goodies are involved, but I'd like to see a barebone kit because all experienced 450 owners will already have a Jazz, Medusa or whatever great ESC and motor.

I mean, you can buy a 600 for that amount......