Please recommend a SCALE beginner helicopter

[dai phan]

Hi ,

I would like to venture into the world of scale helicopter. Is it possible to mention "beginner and scale"? Thanks Dai

[PawPaw]

Oh, it’s certainly possible. I kinda did the same thing but have now backpedaled a bit. You can always buy a scale kit then just learn on the mechanics first & add the fuselage later. That’s the short version. Lotsa folks recommend simulator time first, and I would go with their advice. I first flew helis in the mid ‘80’s before simulators & FBL so have no simulator experience at all. I’m now refreshing my lost skills, after a long absence, with a 450 size scale Huey. My current bench project is a Roban 600 size MD-600E scale fuselage but I’ve prepped the Phoenixtech 600 ESP mechanics that will eventually mount in the MD for flight as-is. As you will see, replacement fiberglass fuselage parts are nearly impossible to source so I personally wouldn’t recommend trying to learn with a mounted fuselage!

[dai phan]

Oh, it’s certainly possible. I kinda did the same thing but have now backpedaled a bit. You can always buy a scale kit then just learn on the mechanics first & add the fuselage later. That’s the short version. Lotsa folks recommend simulator time first, and I would go with their advice. I first flew helis in the mid ‘80’s before simulators & FBL so have no simulator experience at all. I’m now refreshing my lost skills, after a long absence, with a 450 size scale Huey. My current bench project is a Roban 600 size MD-600E scale fuselage but I’ve prepped the Phoenixtech 600 ESP mechanics that will eventually mount in the MD for flight as-is. As you will see, replacement fiberglass fuselage parts are nearly impossible to source so I personally wouldn’t recommend trying to learn with a mounted fuselage!

What do you recommend? Dai

[F106DeltaDart]

To me, the XK helicopters (XK123 and 124) fall nicely in the scale and affordable beginner range. You could go bigger, but I’d recommend a lot of simulator time before that. You could also get a Blade 230S V2, and learn on it as a trainer, than add a scale fuselage later down the line. As long as you are handy building and painting, there are a few fuselages out there for it.

[PawPaw]

Now that’s a different story entirely, Dai. Helicopters are just not as simple as airplanes in that regard. None are really labeled as a “trainer” the way a Das Ugly Stick would be in airplane. That’s because even tiny & cheap XK K124 helis use the exact same flybarless (FBL) control as expensive 800 size ones. In helis, the best training platform should be the one that has the best availability of spare parts. Something will break. None are more “stable” than others, such as you see in the Ugly Stick vs an F-4 Phantom. That’s not to say easy-to-fly contra-rotating blade or fixed pitch toy isn’t a helicopter...they’re just not trainers for CCPM. In helis, there is a sharp learning curve just in the setup phase that absolutely must be understood for ANY helicopter to perform. I would recommend J. Salt’s “RC Helicopter Fun” website as a good place to get started.

[tony#1]

To me, the XK helicopters (XK123 and 124) fall nicely in the scale and affordable beginner range. You could go bigger, but I’d recommend a lot of simulator time before that. You could also get a Blade 230S V2, and learn on it as a trainer, than add a scale fuselage later down thhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KhbglD9fIMe line. As long as you are handy building and painting, there are a few fuselages out there for it.

Thanks for the suggestion. This brand is new to me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVhgjAvYK20
and this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KhbglD9fIM

[Protos]

Hi .

If you're new to helicopters get a pod and boom to learn on , it is possible to learn without crashing but its not very often it happens.
when I was starting out mine was in the repair shop every week🤣