Micro Thinking about getting Nano CPX for CP trainer????

[scottwells]

I have a 250 pro dfc and at my skill level it is a little intimidating I hover it pretty good and have completed some slow circuits, even flipped a couple times by resulted in a crash, so I am thinking about getting a nano I can bash around the house to work on collective management, flips, rolls, and so on.

It looks like the nano is pretty durable and they are pretty cheap to buy but I am looking for some thoughts on people that own one.

I am not able to get to the field as often as I want to fly my 250 and I have crashed it twice which both times resulted in replacing more than one part.

I am thinking on getting something that I can fly between sim time and when i can get to a wide open place to fly the 250.

If not the nano I am open to suggestions.

Thanks

 

[Slobberdog]

personally I would go for the MCPX bl or TRex 150, but I love my 130x I think its a little more value for money than the others and there is such a strong second hand market for them in the US you should be able to pick up a bargain

 

[scottwells]

I am a little on the fence with the 130x. I have heard that they are great out of the box and I have heard that they require lots of upgrades to fly right. I have also heard the tails are very fragile to hard landings and crashes.

I have considered the Mcpx.

Somehow in both my 250 crashes the tail has survived without any damage but I think that is more lucky than anything.

I haven't really thought about the 150. I will take a look at them.

 

[EyeStation]

My experience with the 150, it doesn't like to make blade contact with inside obstacles. I have gone through 3 MSR boards just by hitting a table leg, a subwoofer cabinet, and lastly the wall when I sneezed during a piro recovery. All boards power up and only one has lost the BEC, (No servo control). None of them will chime on power up, or spin either motor.
mCPx is a great indoor and outdoor heli. The V1 brushed version does not have the spunk for 3D though.
And personally, I think you can go for just the Lynx tail servo mod and be quite happy with the 130x. It is a bit big for indoors in front of the Tele, But still works well for orientation training. ++ Flys well outside.

 

[Slobberdog]

also for the 130x get the metal gears for the tail and a solid carbon main shaft and that's it.......

 

[scottwells]

I am hesitant about spending $300 on a micro. Maybe if I can get one used for cheap. That is what appealed to me about the nano is $100 plus I can get one with 8 batteries for that price. If I outgrow it quickly it was only 1 bill.

I dont like the idea of buying something then having to drop more money to make it better out of box. That does not make sense to me. If it is $240 it should be good to hook and should not need upgrades IMO.

I have a 120sr and I have had to do a lot of work without crashing just to keep it in the air...(Lots of soldering, and burned out tail motors)

I dont fly it much anymore and am on the fence with selling it.

I dont know maybe I should just work a little harder to get to a park and fly the 250 then put $300 to a T-rex 500 or something like that.

I have a birthday coming and yesterday my wife asked if I wanted a micro heli or a little quad. That is the only reason i am considering this right now. Other wise I have hovered the 250 in my front yard and I have a old school just down the road I can fly at, I just haven't made it there much.

Decisions decisions......

Oh and thanks for all the replies I do appreciate the advice.

 

[murankar]

Firstly with the 130x, since you are just starting out with cp a lot if the upgrades won't apply to you. Members such as super bad, and gaba are at a higher level of flying and use the advantages of the upgrades. I have nit owned a 130x so I can not make any recommendations on it.

As for the align 150, I have not heard anything impressive about it. This one could be a waist of money, imo.

Mcpx brushless could be your best option. It has been on the market for some time now and can be acquired used for cheap.

Find a budget that you are comfortable with and stick to it. Keep in mind a few things. Like how often can I get to a field, how much am I willing to spend long term, what will I benefit from long term.

If you want the most out of heli for training without going broke then a brushless micro is the best option. They can handle mother nature fairly well.

I think a good condition flybared t-rex 450 pro will serve you well. Parts are cheap, accessible and still in abundance. Yes you may need a baseball field or soccer field to fly it. You can also learn how to get basic flight skills in you back yard also. It can handle wind fairly well and can upgrade to flybarless when your ready for the jump. Align also offers a t-rex 450 fbl that has just about everything in the box minus a controller, receiver and battery. It is very well supported locally and on-line.

My last recommendation is the e-flite X line of kits. They too are well supported locally and are fairly inexpensive to keep flying. Again field size and location can be an issue.

Just take some time and figure out what your willing to do to fly. Once that is solved then you can figure out what size to get. All that's left at this point is what brand and model.

It's your hobby make it fun and enjoyable.

Sent from my LG-E980 using Forum Runner

 

[scottwells]

I haven't put too much thought into it just yet, it was only brought up last night but the little I have thought about it I am thinking of just keep plugging along with my 250 pro DFC. The money she could spend on another heli can go to parts for the one I already own. They few people I know personally in this hobby are telling me that I will outgrow the 250 by the end of the year then to get a bigger heli and stay away from the micros. Plus (my 250 is down right now, parts come tomorrow) but I was getting about 8 packs a day hovering orientations in my front yard. It wasnt until I took it to the field and started doing circuits did I crash.

For some reason there is a part of my brain that thinks I will be able to fly the smaller heli easier than the 250... I am now thinking that is not true and I should just keep learning with what I have.

The learning curve is steep and I need to learn in steps.

Still another heli would be great

 

[murankar]

The bigger the frame the more stable in flight. When I was looking into cp for the first time I looked into a 250 myself.

After a few posts on here I was directed to a 450. I am glad I did. A 250 platform is more for someone who knows how to fly.

Keep your eyes on a 450 to 500 or 550 class. You will have more fun with those and can be reconfigured easier.

As for out growing your 250, that's up to you to decide. You will know when its time to upgrade. I would start the planning now so when your ready It will be easier. Plus you can start piecing together the parts now. This can reduce the sticker shock in the end. Well that's how I did it anyways. Piece here piece there, next thing I knew I had the whole kit ready to go. Took me about 3 months to complete the build.

Sent from my LG-E980 using Forum Runner

 

[scottwells]

Maybe that is what I should do with the money my wife was going to spend on me. Put some off to the side for spare parts when i crash the 250 and start piecing together a bigger bird. I wasnt going to get a 250 but a guy made me a great trade deal, heli, parts, real flight 6.5 with TX, and case for a nitro truck I had. Everyone I talked to said the 250 is not for beginners but I couldnt turn down that trade. So that is how I ended up where I am now.....

All I know is I want to fly all the time, I put sim time in everyday and I have been playing pretty smart (I think). I flew the sim for almost a month before I spooled up the 250 for the first time.

- - - Updated - - -

The only reason they have said I will outgrow the 250 is that I started flying in Dec 2013. They said they have seen guys take a lot longer than me to get the hang of it and that I am learning fast...

 

[heli-maniac]

Just my smaller helis are harder to fly than bigger helis
I have own the Nano cpx and a Mcpx v2 I dont like them I just dont like the feel of the tail motor helis
the nano is ok for practicing orientations in the house It dose not flip well same goes for the MCPX in the house its ok out side if there is no wind Ya Righ
As fare as a 130x a all stock one will fly great if its set up right

 

[murankar]

Tbh, the 250 can be a good teaching tool. It's not a total loss at all. The best part is learning how to react to unwanted movement. It also allows you to get real life stick time.

Once you go bigger you may not want to go back to the 250.

I still look at 250s myself. One day (If they are still sold) I just might get one for s and g.

If my protos wasn't in such bad shape I would sell it to you, but it's a rekit as it sits so no point. I also love the kit, just costs a bit more to keep flying. One day it will be flying again.

Sent from my LG-E980 using Forum Runner

 

[pvolcko]

I have a bit of bias, I learned CP hovering and slow manuevering inside my house with a nCPx last winter. I subsequently bought a mCPX-BL used off someone here on the forum.

That said: I'd recommend the nCPx over the mCPX-BL for indoor flight, unless you have a lot of room and nothing important around to crash into. Both will slice into brittle leather and mar finishes on furniture, but the nCPx is much more forgiving in this regard. The mCPX-BL has a considerable amount of power and headspeed and you really need a gymnasium or warehouse or other large open space with high ceilings to do flips, rolls, etc. with it. Especially while learning. Once you're good with it, you can get away with smaller spaces. But it take a lot of practice to get that good with these micros.

Both the nCPX and mCPX-BL will fly well outdoors in light wind (under 5mph). nCPX will struggle a bit into the wind, but it can do it and this makes for good practice for moving up to larger helis in higher winds.

And there is the biggest obstacle in the room, the pilot. Maybe it's just me, but I have a tendency to fly into myself if I fly inside my house. If it is going toward something important behind me, my hand is sacrificed. Speaking from experience, the nCPx hurts a bit, but it isn't going to so much a bruise you in most cases. mCPX-BL... I filleted my pinky with it, cutting a fairly deep flap of flesh almost totally off my second knuckle area, about the size of a dime. I haven't flown it inside my house since.

Just my two cents.

 

[Imzzaudae]

A good used MCPX is a far better trainer than Nano. Nano is just to spooky. Although I own one I'm not a fan and rarely fly it.

MCPX-BL would be my 2nd choice tamed down and I suggest lots of simulator time first! I'd consider at least a DX6i transmitter mandatory for any of the above helicopters.

just my .02

 

[Riley Jack]

I am a beginner... I would recommend the Nano... When I first started out I got this advice: 1st heli - mcpx (co-axial), 2nd heli - 120 sr, 3rd heli - Nano CPX (he told me not to go to the Nano until I was real confident flying the SR.. Did I take his advice? NO.. Big mistake.. I got cocky with the mcpx and thought I could skip to the Nano. So I bought one.. After figuring out I couldn't fly it, I put it back in the box and got the 120 SR and eventually the MSR... I flew these for several months (many crashes and repairs) and eventually got pretty good with these FP birds... Then to the Nano again... After much struggle I have finally got this thing in the air and able to hover. Pretty exciting for me. Looking to do more than hover, but I have learned to take it slow and not get ahead of myself... I recommend the Nano because you can learn to fly a CP heli and not spend too much on the repairs because its so small.... Just my thoughts... Hope it helps... i can't wait to get a 400 size bird!!

 

[HeliDinoRC]

I have a Nano and play around with it indoors. It's a twitchy little thing and faaaaasssssttttt! It shoots across the room before you know which way it went. That being said I tame it down with my Tx settings and use it for indoor hovering practice. I have a sim but I like to practice on a live bird sometimes. It takes a beating, believe me. My blade edges are notched up. The tail rotor has come off quite a few times and it slams into the wall almost every other flight.......as I said it's twitchy! I like it though. It's easy and cheap to rebuild, batteries are cheap, parts are easy to get, and it's durable. Again, I mostly use it for hovering and orientation practice. Also, I fly mine box stock. I feel if I am going to upgrade something, I will put the money into my bigger birds.

+1 on bigger birds being more stable.....not necessarily easier to fly though. There is definitely a learning curve with CP helis no matter the size. I have a bunch of micros but really only fly the Nano. Since going to CP I enjoy the stability and flight characteristics of the bigger birds. I have yet to maiden my Goblin 630 and I can't wait to get it in the air.

 

[scottwells]

I got the nano on Saturday on a spontaneous purchase. I have 37 flights with it and I love it. The tail wagged a little until I had about 20 flights or so on it. I feel comfortable hovering with it and doing small circuits in the backyard. I have tried to flip it and roll it a couple times and failed, those are my only crashes with it. I think this is what I was looking for, something to fly in the house or around the yard until I can get to a field to fly the 250. I have much more confidence with the nano than the 250. Not sure why.

 

[Riley Jack]

I have a Nano and play around with it indoors. It's a twitchy little thing and faaaaasssssttttt! It shoots across the room before you know which way it went. That being said I tame it down with my Tx settings and use it for indoor hovering practice. I have a sim but I like to practice on a live bird sometimes. It takes a beating, believe me. My blade edges are notched up. The tail rotor has come off quite a few times and it slams into the wall almost every other flight.......as I said it's twitchy! I like it though. It's easy and cheap to rebuild, batteries are cheap, parts are easy to get, and it's durable. Again, I mostly use it for hovering and orientation practice. Also, I fly mine box stock. I feel if I am going to upgrade something, I will put the money into my bigger birds.

+1 on bigger birds being more stable.....not necessarily easier to fly though. There is definitely a learning curve with CP helis no matter the size. I have a bunch of micros but really only fly the Nano. Since going to CP I enjoy the stability and flight characteristics of the bigger birds. I have yet to maiden my Goblin 630 and I can't wait to get it in the air.

"bigger birds being more stable......not necessarily easier to fly though"... : I hear all the time that the bigger the better... You are the first I heard say that its not necessarily so... Nano is my first CP.. Those big birds make me nervous.. I guess I am chicken... I bought a 400 3d on ebay before I advanced up to get the Nano in the air. When I got the 400 in the mail I was like "Wow, this thing is big and awesome!"... I sent it to Horizon and told them to check it out for me before I tried to fly it. They sent it back saying they couldn't work on it because it had been upgraded with non-Blade parts.... Anyway, I bought some training gear and a new batt and powered it up im my garage to see if i could hover it. Didn't work out, but that mother was loud and powerfu!l... It spun around and wouldn't trim out... I ain't ready for it anyway... My LHS said they would take a look at it when I am ready...

 

[HeliDinoRC]

I agree, bigger birds are definitely powerful and intimidating!

Because of their size and weight it takes a lot to get them moving and they are less susceptible to outside forces. However, they still react to stick input and once all of that weight gets moving it is hard to stop it. Starting out it's about stick time and learning on something you are comfortable with will result in more stick time. We fly what we like and have fun with. Enjoying the hobby is the bottom line. I started on a coaxial and moved to a fixed pitch. I then tried the Nano but it it didn't click for me until I started flying the bigger birds; however, I still had to learn the flight characteristics and how a collective pitch heli operates and reacts to the stick inputs and outside forces. My first big bird was a Blade 450 3D and I agree, after checking the setup I spooled it up and my heart started racing and my knees started knocking……..wow, what a rush! Now that I am more comfortable with the 450 and 500 and the way a collective pitch heli works, it was easier for me to come back to the Nano, which I now practice with all the time indoors.

 

[scottwells]

I would have to say that stick time and having fun are key to advancing. In 2 days I have almost 50 flights on my nano and in a month I have only about 25 flights on the 250.. Everytime the 250 has done anything but land safely I have had to order parts so that is part of the lack of 250 flying time..

The nano is letting me feel real comfortable with hover orientations so I am thinking the next time I take the 250 out I should see improvements right away.. ??