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General RC Heli Discussion Discuss general topics on rotary wing aircraft, including construction, Servo's, Gryo's and Stabilizer discussions. |
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01-09-2009, 01:39 PM | #1 |
RCC Noob
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trex 450 combo good for beginner??
Hi, I highly value you guys opinion on the matter. I'm looking to buy my first heli and this is what I've found that seems to fit my budget(it's a combo that is sold as is for 279USD). My main concern is, is it good enough to learn to hover and basic forward flight? Or am I gonna have lot's of problems and give up. (I've almost given up because of my POS axe cp...)
1.Base TREX450S GF Kit Como 2.ALIGN 35X ESC 3.ALIGN New 430L3550 Brushless Motor 4.Maxwell-MDS60HB Digital Servo 5.Maxwell-MDS60HB Digital Servo 6.Maxwell-MDS60HB Digital Servo 7.Maxwell-MDS60HB Digital Servo 8.Gaui Gyro GU210 9.Aplus 3S1P 1800mAh LiPo Battery 20C 10.RexPro Carbon Fiber325mm Blades 11.Align 325 Carbon Rotor Blade I know it's not the best. i'd like to know if it's good enough and/or worth buying. Thanks a lot Seb |
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01-09-2009, 01:48 PM | #2 |
RCC Contributor
I am: Bill G
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: windsor ontario
Radio of choice:
IX20, IX12 # of RCs: ?
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Re: trex 450 combo good for beginner??
I'm just starting out also. I have a a trex 450 Se V1, Great heli. I bought it used. Some really good deals used. It has a Futaba 401 gyro with digital servo for tail.
You should get Metal gear servos for the cyclic( crash proof). Don't use carbon blades to train with. The woodies are excellent and will cause less damage in a crash. The aluminum parts on the head and tail will last a lot longer with less slop. A fellow flyer has a blade 400 with plastic parts. It hovers as well as my Trex but he is noticing more and more slop in the links. He's already talking upgrades. Buy the best you can afford, usually cheaper in the long run. Don't hesitate buying used.
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Bill Green 18250 Sun Parlor RC Flyers |
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01-09-2009, 03:24 PM | #3 |
RCC Contributor
I am: Robert S
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Zephyr Ontario
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Re: trex 450 combo good for beginner??
The trex SA version is a great heli have someone help you set it up nice and smooth not twichy and to responsive and you will go far with this heli it will take you through to 3D if that is what you are aiming for it is alot cheaper then the all decked out ones trust me repalacing aluminum parts gets expensive and a waste of money if your not a pro if you ask me.
good luck Rob |
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01-13-2009, 12:06 PM | #5 |
RCC Contributor
I am: Wes Quist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Kelowna B.C
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Spectrum DX7s # of RCs: 10
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Re: trex 450 combo good for beginner??
IMO, I started out with old concept 30. It was easy to set up and was easy to fly. Now if your wanting to go electric The Heli-max/ARK X-400 was the first electric I flew. Again it was easy to set up and fly. The X-400 has 90 degree mechanical mixing so i found it was easer to understand the mechanic's from the swash up to the blade grips. Its one thing to fly and fix, the other is to Fly, fix and understand.
Once I got the 90 degree mixing figured out I steped it up to 120 degree mixing. Being I had the understanding of all the operations of 90 degree It was only a small step into 120 degree mixing.. Thus the Trex 450 SA/SE. I encourage you to take it slow and learn from some great resources like the RAYS HELI bible, Avaliable at most LHS. I hope this made sense. Again thats just My take on it. Good lyck |
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01-13-2009, 05:00 PM | #6 |
RCC Senior Contributor
I am: Marc P
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Manitoba, land of potatoes!
Radio of choice:
JR x9303 2.4 # of RCs: 8
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Re: trex 450 combo good for beginner??
The T-Rex 450 can be setup relatively stable in order to learn, but a good sim (ie: Phoenix RC simulator) would probably be a better investment if you don't already have one.
I wouldn't consider the T450 a good beginner helicopter unless you are very disciplined and spend a fair amount of time on the sim. That being said, do you already have a CCPM capable transmitter? I would definately consider getting metal gear servos (ie: Hitec HS-65MG). They cost a bit more and are heavier but at least when you crash, you probably won't have to replace servos gears everytime, and have to redo the head setup. Same goes for the metal head vs plastic head. Sure the up front cost is much more with a full metal head (ie: the SE V2) but you will save yourself time from not having to rebuild it completely every time. The time my buddy with the plastic head spends rebuilding, I spend flying and getting better. If you are on a tight budget, I would suggest the E-Flite Blade 400, just replace their 3 swash plate servos with HXT-900 from hobbycity (and buy extra gear sets). I know these aren't metal but for the cost they are hard to beat. Then use whats left over (compared to buying a TRex 450 SE V2) to buy a sim. ================ Sims: I use Clearview RC sim on a daily basis. It's USD 40 with free upgrades. A USB cable for a Spektrum transmitter is about $10-15 on ebay. Another good option for helicopters is Phoenix RC simulator, it comes with a JR/Spektrum compatible cable. Like Clearview, you need a transmitter. I've tried ReaFlight G3.5 and G4.5. I just don't find the helicopters to fly realistically, at least I couldn't tune any of them to fly close to the real thing. You also have to spend $200 every few years for upgrades. ================ You probably don't want carbon main and tail blades to start, they are just more expensive to replace and besides you won't need the high head speed for hovering and basic forward flight. That gyro is a little bit of an unknown, I've never seen it on any RC helicopter. As for batteries, something around 2100 to 2200mah, between 150 and 180 grams is preferred for flight time and balance. 3 or 4 is a good starting point, Hobbycity.com have some viable options in this department. Don't forget to budget for a good lipo charger and power supply. Most likely a good lipo charger will outlive all the rest of your equipment. ============= Another alternative is the CopterX 450 SE. This knock-off of the T-Rex can be had, all metal head/tail/frame, with no motor/ESC for about $150-200. The metal frame / metal head flies fine, with a little bit of fine tuning (ie: some frame holes have to be enlarged in order to make the gear meashings fit just right). So far, most parts I've seen on this heli are Align T-Rex compatible. Don't forget to budget for spare parts... most crashes cost between $25 and $50, assuming you cut the throttle prior to hitting the ground. |
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01-14-2009, 07:32 AM | #7 |
RCC Noob
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Re: trex 450 combo good for beginner??
Thanks marcham,
I already have a realFlight G4 and have been praticing for a year on it and on my AXE CP. I also just bought a DX6I which is in my AXE right now. Just finished setting it up haven't had time to try it out yet. I've been burned enough with my AXE I want something stable now and not second hand or clones. But being on a thight budget i am willing to compromise on plastic parts and/or electronics and seeking something for around 400$ that's got everything to fly minus receiver and charger. Thanks |
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01-14-2009, 08:52 AM | #8 | |
RCC Senior Contributor
I am: Marc P
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Manitoba, land of potatoes!
Radio of choice:
JR x9303 2.4 # of RCs: 8
Feedback: 0 / 0%
Posts: 726
Total Props: 1
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Re: trex 450 combo good for beginner??
Quote:
This is pretty close to what you describe: https://www.rccanada.ca/rccforum/showthread.php?t=82751 Otherwise: http://cgi.ebay.ca/CopterX-450SE-V2-...3A1|240%3A1318 kit: $245 logictech 2100 gyro + tail Futaba S9257/3154 tail servo: $180-200 3x hs-65mg: $120 or 3x hxt-900: $18 motor / ESC: $84 ( http://www.allerc.com/product_info.p...oducts_id=3502 ) total: CAD634 or 534 That's about as cheap as it gets with a metal frame / metal head. The stock gyro + servos in the Blade 400 are not very good, so you should count at least 150-200 to upgrade those components if you go with the Blade 400 PNP. Keep the blue side up... Last edited by marcham; 01-14-2009 at 06:27 PM. |
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01-27-2009, 06:27 AM | #9 |
RCC Noob
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Re: trex 450 combo good for beginner??
Thanks for all the replies here's what i'll be ordering in the next few days from Flying-hobby:
Trex450 SE GF Base Kit Align BL35X Speed Control Align 430X 3550KV Brushless Motor Align 325 Pro Rotor Blades Align 2100mAh 20C 11.1V 3S1P LiPo Battery 5.1V Two-way Step-down Voltage Regulator Hitec HS-65MG Servo Hitec HS-65MG Servo Hitec HS-65MG Servo Futaba Gyro 401 Head Lock Gyro Futaba S9257 Digital Rudder Servo Market Price: USD$803 Combo Price : USD$499 |
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