Awesomeness Maximage - 3D Heli for £200 or less.

[PaulC]

Cheap, yes, plastic, crap and obscure no. Align TRex 450 SE V2? Not quite, but as close as you can get it.

I seen MikeysRC videos and thought it would take a lot more research and fiddling around to get those prices here in the UK. I mean a real TRrex 450 Super Combo with the electronics, still requiring servos Rx, Tx and battery is like £300-400. Add the servos and Tx/Rx and you are looking at £600-700, so about $1000-$1200. Not an option unless you KNOW you can fly it and will enjoy it for years. If not, then you would think more for a Blade mSR or Blade CP first. No?

Then someone pointed me to "www.HobbyKing.com". Yes, yes, yes it's Hong Kong based, so your stuff won't arrive over night... might take 2 weeks actually. However the prices are insanely low.

The HobbyKing HK450, which is a TRex clone is only like $40. The electronics, motor and gyro about another $100. Rx and Tx $50. 2 Batteries $35. Shipping it all to the UK, $50

It's do above to get your Heli built and flying from nothing in around $250.

Check out:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=976255

People who have flown real TRex 450s have very few bad things to say and considering the price everyone seems happy that's got one.

Worst you can do to it, is smash it in face first and totally right it off. If you can even save the Rx the total replacement barebones value is around $160. The actual "Heli kit" is $40 FFS!

If you want to spend just a little bit more the Copter X full metal Trex 450 Clone is only $70 for HobbySon.

At that price, you could afford to throw a few into the scenery while learning!

I'm very, very tempted. I have the shopping carts ready and I'm hovering over the Pay now buttons.

Paul

 

[Racer 1966]

Do it Paul! Be the guinea pig for us and let us know how it turns out :yes:

 

[Rolex]

It sounds like a cheap way to get into it, but only if you want to custom build your own heli.
One of my helis started out as the Copter X full metal Trex 450 Clone, for $59, and now it has a 4 blade flybarless rotor CF blades and fiberglass fuselage with strobe lights and retractable gear, along with a 60A ESC and Spektrum 7ch.
$1000 heli.
If I bought RTF, I'd be stuck with a gyro I wouldn't trust as well as underpowered battery, motor, servos etc, and a transmitter I would throw away.
You get what you pay for, but the bare naked frames are well worth what they cost. Everything else is up to you.

 

[PaulC]

Okay, yea, well. I agree only worth it if you want a complete custom build. However as you then say, if you go RTF you don't get a choice.

I went ahead and ordered one. £147. Complete RTF after build/setup including shipping. $235, more or less. Should be here anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks from now! Kinda nervous to be honest. No more hiding behind the dream to own and fly a RC Heli, I will have one and if I can't fly it... anyway.

I selected, on the best of my info, from lots of sources, what was the least costly that met the required spec. Remember ordering from Hong Kong is usually a lot cheaper anyway. I don't expect much documentation or any support, but thats what the internet is for

I've researched and read and watched for the last 2 weeks about these heli's the fact I will be owning one is kind scary, but I've done the theory classes, I intend on taking the build slowly and by the time I fly it, I will fully understand it. Not a prequisite to be able to fly, nor will it help all that much, but... it will help me get it set up the way I 'can' fly it. Probably a scale like set up at first. Slow, heavy and gentle. Just enough agility to get you into trouble and just enough to get you back out.


I don't expect to be flying it for quite a while after it arrives. Lots of stuff to do in the evenings and weekends when it arrives though

What I ordered:

Turnigy Typhoon 450H 2215H Heli Motor
Hextronik MG-14 14g/2.2kg/0.11sec Main servos (3 +1 spare)
GWS Park HPX Servo 19g/.05sec/3.6k (Tail servo)
Hobby King 2.4Ghz 6Ch Tx & Rx (Mode 2) (will be replaced with a DX7 soon)
Hobby King 2.4Ghz 6Ch Tx USB Cable (to program above)
TowerPro H40A Brushless Speed Controller
Hobby King 401B AVCS Digital Heading Hold Gyro (claimed to be a copy of the JR top of the range one)
HK-450 CCPM 3D Helicopter Kit
325mm Fibreglass Main Blade (2 sets. No wood blades in stock).
Turnigy 2200mAh 3S 20C Lipo Pack , 2 of.

There are a few odds and ends to get like motor pinion, but nothing the LHS / HS won't sort out.

Paul

EDIT: Just to add, even if this never flies, though I'll damn make sure it does, it will fullfill at least half the objective.... an engineering project. The Nitro car is 'okay' for that, but it's rather simple, sorry but you know what I mean, compared to a heli. I trust I can set one of these babies up, heres the test.

 

[PaulC]

Well folks, it arrived on Tuesday. All in good order.

Started putting it together and it's not that difficult. The vast majority of screws are (supposed to be) 1.5mm Hex heads, but they aren't a secure fit on the wrench/driver and strip as quick as you look at them. I'm going to try a 1/16" driver on the stripped ones, been told it should work.

The most involved bit so far was dismantling the servo's to get them through the slots in the frame, but they are in now.

Still have to:

• Attach the tail servo and linkage
• Solder up the motor and ESC
• Setup the head/transmittor CCPM stuff (plenty of vids online)
• Setup the Gyro
• Tidy up the wiring
• Paint the canopy
• Crash it.... erm. I mean fly it.

I delibrately didn't order a motor pinion in an attempt to force myself to take it slowly and not rush it. I have 11T, 12T and 13T pinions arriving Monday, should be done by then.

Stay tuned.

 

[volcanix]

man for 27.99$ I'm considering buying one... helis at my lhs for 3d flight capable I'm looking at over $500 and large scale up and down helis for 299...

 

[PaulC]

Just a teaser, I'll post more when I sort them.