I have to ask a few questions first, one big one. Has he ever flown a helicopter before? If the answer is no, then the blade 450, exi 450, HK 450, are all bad ideas for a "beginner" helicopter. These helicopters are very hard to fly, just ask my admin on here Paulster2 lol.
I would suggest a fixed pitch for a first helicopter. Something like the HoneyBee. They don't like the wind much, but they are very stable
Now, if you guys are dead set on getting a collective pitch helicopter, I would want to go with a T-Rex clone. You can get all kinds of parts for them just about anywhere. But, I don't know much about the Blade 450. I know the mSR and mCP-X are great helicopters, just a little over priced.
I hope I have givn you something to think about. Flying a CCPM helicopter is like writing cursive with both hands at the same time. And it takes a long time to pick it up for some. The key is to never give up. The quote in my signature says it all.