RC helicopter question

[Maverick]

My step son has gotten the idea that he absolutely needs to buy one of these things. The nice part about it is that I get to play with it too if he does get one.

He doesn't want to get the tiny ones in wallyworld and is pretty much set on a brand / model called the Break CX2. It's a 5 channel RTF all in one box system and looks pretty nice. We saw a demo in a hobby store locally and were very impressed with the stability and apparent ease of control. I tried a computer sim of that same heli and had a stable hover in less than 2 minutes.

Has anyone used this kind of heli and was it, in your opinion, a decent buy. It's barely under $200.00 so it's not a throw away thing IMO. I just want to see if it's a decent heli and worth the $.

[lasersailor184]

Originally posted by Maverick
He doesn't want to get the tiny ones in wallyworld and is pretty much set on a brand / model called the Break CX2. It's a 5 channel RTF all in one box system and looks pretty nice. We saw a demo in a hobby store locally and were very impressed with the stability and apparent ease of control. I tried a computer sim of that same heli and had a stable hover in less than 2 minutes.

[straffo]

Less costly ,less stable but disposable : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picoo_Z

[Fulmar]

Do you mean the Blade CX2?  As in this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=002&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=120125014113&rd=1&rd=1

The only downside I can see is the battery.  As I'm finishing up my graphic design degree I work part time at Batteries Plus to pay the bills.  After a couple years there I've seen almost every type of battery you can even imagine.  I've had a few fellows stop in the store looking for replacement batteries for a similar helicopter.  A Lithium Polymer battery, which yours uses.  You'll find these batteries a lot in cell phones and electronics where weight is key because Li-Poly has the best weight to power ratio available for mass production.  However, there are some downsides to it.  It offers a few less cycles per life of the battery than lithium ion (around 300-500 on the average) so expect a relative life span of 2-3 years on the average.  Remember no matter how little you use the battery time is also a factor as the chemicals inside break down even after nominal use.  So don't expect to use it a dozen times and come 4-5 years later expect it to work at 98%.
Lithium polymer, like most battery chemistries can be explosive.  It can be considered more prone to exploding (still a very smal percentage, remember they are legal to the public) than lithium ion, nimh, and nicd.  I've talked to a few RC car racers that say they've witnessed RC car crashes which involved a lithium polymer battery exploding.  I have not witnessed such an event but it can happen if a impact ruptures the battery.

The other main point I want to make is battery availability.  Most of these manufacturers make a unique battery pack for their product and few if any aftermarket companies work to copy the design.  If you plan on owning this for several years, make sure the company has spare batteries and they will be readily available in the future.

I've tried to aid customers in finding a Li-Poly battery for helicopters before but could not find an exact match.  Either the battery was too big or too small (would not allow enough flight time).  Also the larger/smaller battery throws the balanced weight off on the copter.

[Cougar68]

If he's never flown copters before don't discount the Wally World ones.  My son got me an Air Hogs Reflex heli for father's day and they're great to learn on.  Fairly easy to fly and darn near unbreakable.  I was flying mine up the staircase when I clipped the banister and it fell 12 feet to the hardwood floor.  Set the rotors back and took off again.   I taught him how to fly it yesterday and he was zipping around the room in just a few minutes.

[Wolfala]

Originally posted by straffo
Less costly ,less stable but disposable : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picoo_Z

I bought my wife one. I bought my dad one. And I have 2, the first of which the tail rotor went TU. They are only $20 a pop at Walmart. I'd start out with these, they are so much fun to fly around indoors.

[Wolfala]

Originally posted by Maverick
My step son has gotten the idea that he absolutely needs to buy one of these things. The nice part about it is that I get to play with it too if he does get one.

He doesn't want to get the tiny ones in wallyworld and is pretty much set on a brand / model called the Break CX2. It's a 5 channel RTF all in one box system and looks pretty nice. We saw a demo in a hobby store locally and were very impressed with the stability and apparent ease of control. I tried a computer sim of that same heli and had a stable hover in less than 2 minutes.

Has anyone used this kind of heli and was it, in your opinion, a decent buy. It's barely under $200.00 so it's not a throw away thing IMO. I just want to see if it's a decent heli and worth the $.

I also have a Blade CX. It is a very good helicopter but it does require maintenance. I would start him out on something small but cheap that you and him can have fun with. The Airhogs (Picoz) Havoc is very fun to fly around indoors - charges in 20 minutes and flies for 6.

Have him cut his teeth on that before dropping $200, which will increase as he hits walls with the coax rotors.

This is a video of the one I am flying in my living room:

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=2016211826

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=2016196335



Wolf

[Maniac]

Im getting this one : http://www.teknikmagasinet.se/nydb/db.pl?template_file=link_product.html&link=Produktsok&artnr=510155

[Maverick]

Maniac,

It's a bit dificult to read the info on that web site.    Also the 699 kr sounds steep!!! What is that in dollars????

[Maniac]

699 Kronor = 99 Dollars! (aprox)

Well it uses the same tech as the PicoZ but its larger (38 Centimeters long), havent found any inflight videos of it yet tough. It flies for 10 minutes then it needs an hour to recharge (this could be the sucky part but imho i think the looks and size of it should be worth it.)

[SmokinGunz]

If your going to spend that kind of money on a RC Helo.... I would also spend the money on a good sim like realflight g2 with the addons for that particular model. I cant tell you what a difference it made in helping me to fly the real thing not to mention if the bug for planes hit you'll also be able to have them at your fingertips. I would also recommend spending a few dollars more to get the Blade CP (collective pitch) and the training gear for it. Although its a bit harder to fly the CP, it will offer you more options i.e. upgradable motor, batteries, blades, heads, flybars and easier transition to 3-d flight if the desire should hit you.

I'd also like to mention that the CP is only 20 dollars more than the model you mentioned and you can EASILY get replacement parts at most hobby stores.

I have the blade cp pro (a cp with LiPo batteries, main and tail motor heatsinks, Bell Hiller CP,  and symetrical main blades) and I highly recommend it! Great flying little helo!

P.S. If you buy the CP from Hobby Zone for a limited time they will throw in the training gear for free not to mention they offer free shipping on orders over $150.00
Hobby Zone Special