RC Helicopters

[Bigpops]

Excellent.
Would you rate the honeybee king 3 as a good post sim heli?
Tempted to snap this one up as its close if so.

No no no no no


Did I say no? Stay miles away from any esky helicopter. The only on worth considering is the honey bee 2 fixed pitch, and only then would I recommend it if you have somewhere indoors to learn to fly it. Spares have been a pain to get for about 18 months or more now, and their models are out of date compared to their competitors (eg, walkera).

If you're serious about getting into the hobby, then I'd go for the dx7s and Phoenix bundle for about £215. The radio is much better built and more feature rich than the dx6i. It comes with a receiver too which you should get £40 minimum for if you don't want to keep it for a future model.

The other option I'd go for is an mcpx and a dx6i, but that's only because flying a real model is much more satisfying than flying the simulator. The mcpx is a fairly resilient helicopter to a crash if down over grass.

 

[Reality Bites]

I bought the dx7s and Phoenix bundle from raj at align-Trex.co.uk. Great service! But, 215 is bigger than his budget right now.

60-70 gets a brand new dx6. 40-50 gets phoenix leaving around 90 odd for a model. 110 will get a new mcxp but plenty going second hand with spares for 60-70. Or, Msrx is only 60 new.

 

[dfarrall]

That's a no then? Thanks cleared that up!

I can stretch my budget a bit if it's going to make a significant difference.
Any suggestions for the reputable/cheap retailers?

 

[Reality Bites]

That's a no then? Thanks cleared that up!

I can stretch my budget a bit if it's going to make a significant difference.
Any suggestions for the reputable/cheap retailers?

I bought much of my kit from www.align-Trex.co.uk. Service is xcellent. Ive also used fastlads and ALS hobbies.

 

[Nick1881]

I have a DX6i and MCPX for sale if your interested, drop me an email in trust.

 

[Bigpops]

I can recommend Raj at align-trex.co.uk too. I've had excellent service from him when things haven't gone according to plan, and his prices are normally the best you'll find.

Fast-Lads and Midland Helicopters are good too, but normally more expensive. For Spektrum and eflight stuff I've also used Al's Hobbies and Phil Greeno models on eBay.

 

[dfarrall]

I have a DX6i and MCPX for sale if your interested, drop me an email in trust.

Sent.

Tempted by the DX7S & Phoenix bundle, but will hold out for the moment

Edit: Held out for an hour, now got the DX7S & Phoenix arriving tuesday

 

[Reality Bites]

Sent.

Tempted by the DX7S & Phoenix bundle, but will hold out for the moment

Edit: Held out for an hour, now got the DX7S & Phoenix arriving tuesday

Did you get that from raj? That's the same bundle I got, you won't be disappointed!

Spend some time on Phoenix, you may want to skip the baby models and go for a 450/500 etc. good luck

 

[Totality]

I agree about Esky models. My first CP was Belt CP v2. The parts are so cheaply made I spent more time adjusting it than flying it! Had to trim it each time and the rubber rotor dampners last only a few flights before you have to replace them or the blade pitch starts going off.

Starting out with a kit is great as you can see how it all goes together whilst learning but I wish I had gone with a Trex 450. You don't want to have to be fiddling with the trim and cheapy parts whilst learning. I also didn't find esky parts that much cheaper compared to the quality align ones!

 

[dfarrall]

Did you get that from raj? That's the same bundle I got, you won't be disappointed!

Spend some time on Phoenix, you may want to skip the baby models and go for a 450/500 etc. good luck

Certainly did! I may just go for the 450 but would like to play with something smaller in real life before I do, so will probably pick up something small even of its just cheap second hand.

 

[Reality Bites]

Certainly did! I may just go for the 450 but would like to play with something smaller in real life before I do, so will probably pick up something small even of its just cheap second hand.

If your going to go small first, fine, but afterwards, go for a 500/550 as your firt big heli. The 500 is small enough to fly in an empty part, but big enough to be stable in the wind. Stick to flybarless too, it will cost you more in the long run but will be better for you also.

 

[dfarrall]

It's arrived

Just whacking the sim on now, quite daunting at the mo!

 

[rhysduck]

Take a little time to setup the Sim and Tx before you start flying.

It'll help you learn the correct controls for when the real flying starts

 

[Reality Bites]

As above, also, stick with 600 and above size models on the sim. It will help orientation and are more stable. Try not to make it very easy on there, add a little wind but not too much. Shout If you need help

 

[Totality]

Maybe we should have an OCUK sim night? We can meet up on Phoenix multiplayer for a fly!

 

[dfarrall]

Maybe we should have an OCUK sim night? We can meet up on Phoenix multiplayer for a fly!

Yes please!

This is a lot harder than i imagined! I can't even hover, i either stay on the ground or instantly rocket into the air!

 

[rhysduck]

I've asked plenty of times but no-one is ever interested!

Count me in though

 

[dfarrall]

Actually i restarted the sim, and it seems to be totally different, can hover just fine. i did reclibrate a few times so cant think why

 

[Narj]

Not solely confined to helicopters (sorry!) but I've been watching loads of FPV youtube videos and really fancy this... would a grand get me a decent setup, and how would I become competent enough to not crash the whole thing on the first go?

 

[Totality]

If you are only after FPV I would go the quadcopter route. Wouldn't be cheaper than a cheap helicopter but would get you better results almost straight away and would be a hell of a lot easier to set up and repair, etc! Helicopters need blade balancing, pitch sorting, setting up correctly and if you hit the ground its a lot of repairing! Quadcopters almost fly themselves. Check out the YouTube vids of DJI F450 FPV.