What Helicopter Next ?????

[LYKA]

I need some help on what Helicopter to buy next. I have flown the MSRX and then the Blade 120 SR , now I need to progress on to collective pitch. I am not sure to go for the Blade SR or the Blade 130X. I know it will not be easy to fly collective pitch ,I like the look of the Blade 130X but would that be to much for me at the moment and would I be better of with the Blade SR which looks a bit more stable to fly

[Welshboy]

Have you considered the mcpx? Seems to be quite popular as a first collective trainer when programmed to low rates.

[WolstonFlyer]

I would avoid the Blade SR, it is now a very old design and has lots of problems with servos and electric tail motor.

The Blade 130x is very nice, if you have room to fly the 120 SR the 130 is just about the same size.

The MCPX or Nano CPx will be more crash resistant than the 130 and can be flown in a living room.

The Nano CPx is about the same size as the MSRx but is actually easier to fly because it does not have the crazy problem with rudder turns that the MSRx has.

Personally my heli path was:

MSR
120SR
MSRx (waste of money)
MCPX
Trex 450pro (still have training gear on it)
Nano CPx - great for buzzing about in the house and meeting room at work!

[colin watson]

the Blade sr is a perfect next step unlike the msr and 120 sr you will need to refit your training u/c and learn to fly a heli these are far better then the mcpx ect to learn on. i still use mine indoors and it taught me to fly without all the aids used in the other blade helis. as to servo problems in our club maybe 10 + of these great helis i have never witnessed a single servo failure. they also take a knock and you can source cheap blades from hong kong for £1 each. the tail motor if set up do last a long time but they are an item that has a shelf life if you adjust the esc and gyro to reduce tail wag they last a long time but are easily replaced if nescessary. the reason the other person has his training gear on his trex is the route he has used is flying ultra stable helis that fly themselves the stick inputs upset the stable hover learn to fly and it will pay off later.

my path was

MSR

BLADE SR /CP PRO 2 (EARLIER VERSION)

TREX 250 SE (NOW CONVERTED TO DFC FBL WITH AR7200BX)

TREX 450 SPORT

TREX 500 ESP (CONVERTED TO DFC FBL ALIGN3G)

TREX450 V2 SPORT (CONVERTED TO DFC FBL AR7200BX)

BLADE MCPX V1 &V2 both sold

BLADE 130X GREAT FOR LEARNING 3D BUT NOT FOR LEARING TO FLY

i hope this helps any help i can offer please ask as the 120 sr to the blade sr route has helped so many in our club

Edited By colin watson on 24/11/2012 23:27:21

[WolstonFlyer]

Oh the reason why I have training gear on the Trex is because I have only had chance to fly it about 4 times indoors and was testing and setting up the AR7200BX that I have put on it, along with DFC head.

Yes I am still learning but I have seen three people with Blade SR's at our indoor meetings and they have all had problems with them (just my personal observation of this heli), I guess other people get on with it fine.

Most people I know seem to be flying Blade 130x and Blade 300x heli's, usually along with an MCPX for bouncing off the floor, ceiling and walls.

Edited By WolstonFlyer on 25/11/2012 00:27:32

[Dave Bran]

Background....10 years flying Helis, have run a School Club training 11-17 year olds for 6 years. I own from tiny Nano through four differing 50's, a 600 scale, through to 91 competition power.

I suggest your next move is the 130x. its amazingly stable even in wind for its size and the spares when you need any are not too prohibitive. Not too small for orientation or nervousness to be an issue. Do NOT buy the 120, it is way below where you should be heading!!

Also, do NOT assume collective is that difficult, it isn't if correctly set up, ideally by someone that isn't going to show off or miss the point and give you a 3D setup monster, but if you follow the manual for a gentle setup it'll be fine.

Good Luck.......................

PS, anyone who says the McPX is flyable in a home environment is just not trying!!

Edited By Dave Bran on 25/11/2012 08:44:04

[colin watson]

chris you don't mention which transmitter you are using, are you using the handsets supplied with the helis or have you upgraded to something better. this will give you more programming options. i normally programme the pitch and throttle curves different for beginners to make the heli much more relaxed usually with the hover around mid stick and the pitch and throttle curves maybe 5% more at the top end that way you aren't fighting a model thats heading for the clouds these are then upped gradually as your experience moves on also then moving to 0 deg pitch at mid stick when and if you wish to fly 3d.

i agree with Dave the mcpx is not flyable in the house in a basket ball ct size i had people trying to keep up with it while watching great fun flying round the walls. the 130 is far better but the blade sr is more robust. we put them all through the Rick test if they survive Ricks flying buy it

Edited By colin watson on 25/11/2012 10:38:07

[LYKA]

Thanks everyone .I have been flying my MSRX and Blade 120SR on my DX 6i .still not sure , the SR or the Blade 130X. The 130X is the new boy on the block and it has the AS3X so that looks the better one.The 130x manual has the setting for the DX6i so I might go for the 130X

Edited By Chris Wise on 25/11/2012 13:57:42

[james nicholson]

I'm gonna vote for the mcpX. I love my 130x and it is the better heli...... but if the tail touches anything the gears will strip & they are fiddly and relatively expensive to replace.

If you crash the mcpX usually all that will need doing is the main gear clicking back in to place. Then you're good to go.

Avoid the SR like the plague. I haven't had one ... mainly because it is almost impossible to find a good review of it. It's far too big for a direct drive motor tail ... conseqently it doesn't hold and the motor burns out frequently.

[boggy]

Hi Chris

I would go with the blade 130 (if you can find one instock anywhere ). they are slightly too large to fly in a standard size living room but not too large to practice hovering or orientations.The mcpx i would side step,its ok but not great and to make it fly properly needs the tail boom extending by around 10/12 mm,an easy enough mod but considering the blade nano is £15 cheaper and does not need mods its a far better helicopter.(this little heli is ideal to fly in your living room if your an acomplished pilot but is very quick and for a learner again and is better in a larger area.) with both these heli's (130/nano) throttle hold is your friend,click it fast enough and they will withstand crashes amazingly well, the nano in particular. both will fly outdoors in calm conditions and even handle a slight breeze well.

slightly larger is the blade 300,this has not proved to be a popular size but may interest you,its ok in a large hall/gym type room but just to big for home use.a medium size garden would be usefull.

loads of info and help can be found here, although I must admit this is probably one of the best results to a helicopter question ive seen on this forum,its usually tumble weed

[Frank Skilbeck]

I have a 300x went to it from a cheap 400 which I never really got to fly well, the 300x on standard settings is too much, but add some expo and run at 75% rates and it really is nice to fly and very locked in. (see review I did in the reviews section)

Having said that, while I have flown it at an indoor session (1 basketball court size) it was quite intimidating indoors.

For outside the 300x is great and it does seem quite robust, for indoors the 130x is probably better. (BTW Martin Briggs in Ledbury had two in stock yesterday and are doing a spare battery as part of the package)