RC Helicopters

tarot are made in the same factory as align
thats what quality you can expect although its a vid of the older flybared tarot 450

http://www.oomodel.com/tarot-450-pro-v2-fbl-flybarless-rc-heli-tl20006-super-combo-p-61832.html
$236.99
with everything apart from the radio gear

or you can get the align version with everything apart from the radio gear
http://www.heliguy.com/Electric-RC-Helicopters/Trex-450/KX015080-T-REX-450-PRO-V2-3GX-Super-Combo/
£385.00


btw that guy has a full build guide 18 parts in his videos for the tarot 450

hes also got one for the trex 500 incase you think hes some cheap arse who doesnt have a clue how good proper align stuff is.
 
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I am very new to all this and am getting a bit confused by all the discussions about 'genuine' and 'clone' 450's.

Presumably this (http://www.rchelicopterselect.com/c...4_a_7c1205_a_7c4068_a_7cCopterX_d_450AE_d_Kit) is one of the later, but is it even worth considering, as it does look rather cheap?

doesnt come with any electronics and is one of the lesser clone brands its also based on an older align trex model.

you want a V2
[original]
align
[clones]
tarot > ALRCZ > hobbyking > everyone else
 
Thanks for the clarification arknor.

I have see most of those names mentioned before, but not 'ALRCZ'... who sells those in the UK?
 
probably no one like most clones.

i think all you see in the uk are copter x and flasher which is why most people buy from a hongkong website
 
phoenix is easy.

you need to turn some wind on and turn the downwash effect on for the model.

there all basicly in noob mode until you alter the settings for each heli and silly easy which is good for learning the controls but not good for getting you ready for the real thing.
 
Good stuff RB, I'm sure you'll love it :)

Phoenix is by no means "easy". Yes its drummed down a bit to start off with, but thats what it's all about. It makes beginners flyers more "at home" starting out and easier for the basics to be dialled. You then turn things on like wind, sim speed etc to make it fly like the real thing.
As for "not good ... for the real thing"; I don't agree :) Quite the opposite I find, I put enough time into the Sim and played about with the settings enough so that when I took the 450 out I found it no problem at all hovering and gentle circuits. Based on my experience it was perfect for getting me ready for the real thing :)
 
phoenix is easy.

you need to turn some wind on and turn the downwash effect on for the model.

there all basicly in noob mode until you alter the settings for each heli and silly easy which is good for learning the controls but not good for getting you ready for the real thing.

I'd imagine it is when you are used to it. As for someone who has never flown something more than an up/down and left/right cheap infrared model, I'm sure it will be taxing at first.
 
well its easy to hover when theres no wind and no downwash from your rotorblades
actually flying around is hard for a few minutes but you quickly learn how to fly in circles.

you can edit the helis and change the gyro on them.

Headlocking gyro = the gyro keeps the heli pointing the way its facing and you have to manually rotate it and keep the heli pointing the right way when doing circles etc
RATEMODE = the heli will behave much like a plane and the tail will follow the direction the helicopter is travelling towards so if your flying sideways the tail will slowly rotate around until the heli is facing the way its travelling.

rate mode makes for easy circles , figure of 8s etc and its great for learning orientation and getting used to forward flight..

headlock mode is hard as hell because you have to constantly adjust the direction the tail is pointing yourself when you are flying around and it makes doing anything but flying in a straight line really difficult but obviously gives you a lot more agility.

so learn basic forward flight with the gyro set to rate mode in phoenix and then set to headlocking when you stop crashing every few minutes
 
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Actually Arknor thanks a lot!
That's probably the best explanation of the 2 gyro mode's I've read and makes things a lot more clearer for me :) Cheers!
Think I better try RateMode next :D I learnt to fly in HL mode... :rolleyes:
 
Charge the battery, and whilst it's doing that Install Phoenix and FULLY update it :)

One of the best site's I've used that is, excellent service and range of products!
 
@&£) me, I know it's only my first play and to be honest, the radio may not be setup 100%, but it's bloody hard! I'm fine hovering until I want to move it.

I will be spending plenty of time on here and may get a novice indoor heli before even considering a larger model.
 
@&£) me, I know it's only my first play and to be honest, the radio may not be setup 100%, but it's bloody hard! I'm fine hovering until I want to move it.
Hovering is the hardest! Hovering dead still anyway!
Whilst hovering keep the heli pointing away from you (nose forward), that's the easiest way to start practicing. Then try "nose-in", nose closest to you, tail pointing away.
You can also try whilst hovering, move forward a little, stop (hover), move back (backwards until you can hover nose-in), stop, and repeat. Then sideways.

Gently does it. ;). I've found that if you treat the Sim Heli as a "real" one and not just accept that a crash is ok the learning curve won't be as steep. Discipline the right word?

Good luck mate and ask questions if you have any :)
 
I must get back into learning my heli. Bought a DX7s for the Belt CP after learning the basics and it flew loads better than with the stock transmitter. I had moved to figure of 8s but the Belt CP is really bad build quality and the rotors would go out of alignment all the time because of the cheap dampers that just shred.

I gave up a couple of months ago as the parts are expensive in NZ and when you crash a heli (especially one that's made of cheap parts like the Belt CP) then stuff breaks and it's demoralising to wait a week for parts :(

Align parts are more plentiful and cheaper here! Wish I had bought a Trex 450 to learn on as the build quality would be better and I wouldn't be cursing the cheap gyro that worked one flight and then the next starts drifting for no reason and the heli crashes as I over compensate!

I have Phoenix flight sim and actually find the real thing easier to fly, but I'm rubbish in both and eventually crash after a few good flights when I get cocky!
 
i think for me it's going to be practise practise and more practise. to be fair, it was my first attempt with no guidance. I spent most of the 2 hours last night getting it set up correctly. Once setup, it was then learning the controls and how they made the models react.

I fully agree with you on the quality aspects. I know some on here are going down the clone route, but I would be questioning whether its the standard of model or me which was causing bad flights. At least I know with a well setup align, it's going to be me which is bad flying than the model.

the bank balance will be getting another dent this week.....going to get a case for my DX7 and maybe invest in an indoor learner.
 
I take it from that that you enjoyed it RB ? :D

Enjoyed may not be the right way to describe it. My first thought was 'what have I got myself into' but it's just a challenge. People on here considering building some monster cp model who have never flown before, really need to have a go in a sim or with a tiny model to realise its really not easy. I for one disregarded the 'toy' sized helis as I immediately wanted a bigger model. Mistake number one made but not too late.

I will be getting what many may feel is too basic a model to start as hovering and performing laps is harder than you think.

Try taking off with that 450 model on a sim and see how long you last. I went about 10 seconds before smashing the head, blades and skids. Mmm, 30-50 quid a crash or press reset. I know what I will be doing for a while.
 
my dx and phoenix sim have been delivered. More reading before setting up and playing/learning/crashing on the sim begins! ;-)

got it from here in the end. ... http://www.align-trex.co.uk/

can't speak highly enough of the site. Ordered yesterday at around 4pm, delivered today at 12!

yea ive ordered a few spares from them and they always arrived very fast.

i think kings lynn model shop was cheaper for radio gear though by a fair chunk (its owned by the parents or some rc heli pilot thats well known afaik)

btw rhysduck it was me on the rcheli forums :P
 
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