It is stable enough for you to (once it is trimmed in) to let your hands off of the sticks and it will stay put in the air for a short time.  This makes it perfect for you if you are learning orientation and forward flight.

You can pick up this bird for about $95 for BNF and $130 for RTF.

Features:

• Every package of Blade 120 SR contains one RC helicopter, one cell 3.7 volts 500 mAh LiPo flight battery, and a variable rate DC LiPo charger Celectra 1S 3.7 volts. This also comes with a AC to 6 Volts DC 1.5 amps wall power supply, a charger to battery connection wire, a couple of spare parts, screwdriver, and an instruction manual.
• The rotor span of Blade 120 SR is approximately 12.5 inches and weighs around 3.75 oz. only. It has an overall length of 12.5 inches and a height of five inches.
• The Blade 120 SR is a fixed pitch type RC helicopter using a JR 11X DSM 2.4GHz 11CH transmitter.
• This also features a five in one 2.4 GHz on board control (gyro, receiver, mixer, main motor ECS, and fully proportional servos) with 180 brushed motor type.
• Sleek modern body design with dual coaxial blades

The Bind N Fly Blade 120 SR requires pilots to have their own transmitter that is DSM2 compatible to bind the 120 SR RC helicopter. There are different DSM2 transmitters that can be utilized to fly Blade 120 SR and this includes, Spektrum DX5e, Blade MLP4DSM, and Blade LP5DSM. Spektrum DX6i to Spektrum DX8 are also compatible as well as JR X9303, JR X9503, JR 11X and JR 12X among others. On the other hand, any transmitters that are fitted with Spektrum DSM2 transmission module can be utilized to fly the Blade 120 SR BNF.

Conclusion:

Compared to RTF (ready to fly) Blade models, the Blade 120 SR BNF is designed for serious hobbyists. Flying the 120 SR can be quite tricky and for beginners who want to use this model, it may require flying outdoors or in a bigger room in order to master the flying technique. The Blade 120 SR is more aggressive and it will certainly push your control limits as you try to improve your flying skills. This micro sized RC helicopter has a fixed pitch and it can be comfortably flown indoors or outdoors during calm conditions. Size wise, the Blade 120 SR is somewhere in the middle between a bigger and heavier SR and a smaller Blade mSR.

Flying the Blade 120 SR BNF is very easy especially if you have experience flying Blade mSR and other Blade SR models. However, it will depend on the user what type of transmitter to use to bind their Blade 120 although there are lots of compatible transmitters that can be used to fly this RC helicopter. The instruction manual contains a full instruction on how to bind this copter and it will not be difficult to master the controls once you get a hang of it.

I would recommend this for intermediate to advanced pilots. It is 300 sized.

The new V2 version sports a 2.4Ghz radio which I had issues with the 72mhz one. Radio drop outs and interference should be minimal now. The V2 also has much sturdier landing gear and several other features that make it a much better choice than it’s older brother.

• It uses 2 servos at 90 degrees
• 370 motor for the main rotor
• 3– in—mixer that does the esc, gyro and receiver duties
• The new version uses a lipo battery for better power conversion and longer flight times
• Cool-looking green, white and black canopy and tail standard

My average repair cost on a crash was $7-15. The V2 version is available on Amazon for around $290 as of 2/20/2014 and a good bit cheaper (but out of stock) on Xheli.com and Nitroplanes.com.

I eagerly opened the box and laid out the bags while reading the rules. It is pretty cool that all of the helicopter fits in such a small box. The instruction manual was an easy read and the build went pretty flawlessly minus dropping and losing a couple of screws.

Follow the directions and you will be ready to go. Use a pitch gauge to set up the blades properly and a swashplate leveler for best results. This is a full collective pitch helicopter an requires some experience with helicopters before attempting to fly, or get pretty good with this model on the simulator first.

With a good radio this is a joy to fly. It is small enough to fly in a average-sized backyard. So you can get a lot of fly time in by just walking out the back door! It is pretty quiet and with some expo programmed into the transmitter you should be able to start off with this being a pretty docile helicopter for learning forward flight and sport flying.

The first time I did a loop and flew inverted was in my 250 so it is easy to change it from docile sport flyer to a decent 3D machine. Also, because of the cost of the parts for this one, the ‘nervous thumb syndrome’ is a lot less. I have chatted with a bunch of people who have other 200 and 250 sized helis and they all mention that they wished they had just bought the align one.

My first 250 (not an ‘SE”) was stolen during a robbery and I went out and bought another one right after I got the insurance check. . A word of advice, I have found that it is a little better to build one out of a kit vs. buying one built by someone else who ‘says’ that they built it ‘expertly’

This is a fantastic helicopter and one I highly recommend. The SE version has some upgrades like bigger screws in some places that just make a good heli better!

Where to Buy?

Unfortunately, the Align Trex 250se has been discontinued but you can get the PRO version for the 250 from Amazon (RTF).
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Here is my Blade 400 which I actually didn’t buy fully.  My boss said ‘lets go get this $400 helicopter, you learn to fly it and teach me.  We will both own it this way”.  Well I did learn but it was rather expensive.  This was my first collective-pitch helicopter and really the one that got me going ‘on track’ with what is quality and what I had been playing around with.  It was what I really learned on how to hover.  It is not flawless but you do get a Spektrum Dx6i with it which makes this a real bargain in a fully equipped 450-sized helicopter.  When I got this the big selling point ( and still is) is that you get a really good radio with it.

This is a compromise on the part of Horizon Hobby to create a full collective pitch 450-sized helicopter fully Ready-To-Fly for under $500.  The main compromise is the servos.  The cyclic servos need to be chunked just as soon as you get it.  The plastic gears just can’t hold up under the strain of even casual ‘sport flying’ very well.  They do sell gear sets for these servos, however, once you have replaced them a couple of times you will have wished you had just bit the bullet and replaced the cyclic servos.  I used the JR 285 MG (mg is for ‘metal gears’) digital servos.  They are a little pricey at about $47 each but OMG do they shore up and tighten up the controls on this bird.  You’ll need 3 for all three cyclic motions so you will be out about $150 If you go that route.  There are some cheaper analog servo’s out there but the positioning and response isn’t nearly as good.  If you go with either Hitec, Futaba or JR servo’s you should be fine but get the metal gear versions otherwise you will be replacing gears/servos more often than you want to.

Ok that was the major drawback of this heli. The gyro is OK but not the best but it does an adequate job for sport flying and learning basic flight with a collective pitch.  Being 450 sized it handles wind up to about 11mph reasonably well without sending a beginner into panic mode too much.  Speaking of beginners, I was a rank beginner when I got my hands on this and crashed a lot!  If you are a newbie and you are learning on this like I was you will need to stock up on feathering shafts (which bend at the slightest provocation) main shafts and main gears w/ one-way bearings. Semi-minor crashes will evoke the need to replace all 3 of these.   The Blade 400 can be a bit of a parts pig when you are learning.  You will be out at least $15-20/crash. The best part about it is the FULLY programmable radio.  If you are new you can add exponential to the cyclic curves and really soften up the handling around center stick. I used 30% and it helped a lot.  Some people go as high as 40% when starting out because their thumbs are shaky due to lack of experience.  This heli is very twitchy with less expo and can be quite a handful for a novice.

The Blade 400 can sing through the air once you have tamed it (and replaced the cyclic servos, have I mentioned that?).  I would replace the stock wooden blades with carbon fiber ones before I started getting too adventurous on trying 3D with this one.  My boss has the original and I went and bought a replacement BNF that I did some other upgrades on.  A word of advice, be careful when buying on e-bay used helicopters and ask lots of questions!.  My current fleet has a hopped up blade 400 with CNC head, a Futaba 401 gyro, JR 287MG servos and a JR290 tail servo.  This makes this heli fly smooth as glass.  I took it to the school near me and was flipping it and rolling it all over the place, no issues.  This is a good one to get if for no other reason you get a great radio that you can use for 9 other helicopters. I like the Blade even though  it doesn’t get taken out all that much because of the others I have.

The Blade 400 bible is here.  This will tell you all you need to know on how to fix your blade 400. Plus loads of other info on CCPM helicopters and lots that I have left out here.

On Helifreak.com you can get the Blade 400 for Dummies section with all kinds of tips and tricks!

If you decide to get a Blade 400 of these you can order 3rd party from Amazon (RTF). 

If you are looking for a fantastic first helicopter, look no further.  This is it.  I just can’t say enough about how fantastic this indoor heli is.  It comes in both a RTF (Ready to fly) and BNF (Bind & Fly) versions.  The little 4-channel controller that comes with this works very well and has dual rates.  The default is very docile and if you think it flys too slow click the stick and you are in hi-rate mode where it zips around the room quite effectively.  The original mCX was the best beginner heli and now that they have the mCX2 it is just a great heli made better! Compared to its predecessor, the new Blade MCX2 offers some updated features with an added power, speed, longer flight time, and a fully detailed modern body design.

This is a coaxial design so you don’t have to worry too much about stability and flying difficulty.  The counter-rotating blades auto-stabilize the helicopter so that you can just concentrate on orientation, spot landings and general fun control of the helicopter.  It comes with batteries and a charger in both versions. The mCX2 has cool flashing lights and in a darker (not dark)  room it looks just awesome.  The heli is very lightweight and because of that very durable.  So long as you don’t continually smack it in to walls and furniture at full speed you should be fine.  Mine has endured 20 crashes without a scratch and probably 80 flights between me and my son.  It does cost more than a Wal-Mart Air Hogs toy but you get so much more helicopter and, more importantly, it will last.  Replacement parts are cheap and readily available, although you probably won’t need them. In my mCX I eventually had to replace the motors simply because I wore them out.

You can find this little darling at most local hobby stores for about $70-100 Also additional batteries for about $9-10 which you will want to get because once you fly it you won’t want to stop.  This helicopter is for beginners but intermediate and experienced pilots will enjoy it too!

The only real drawback from this helicopter is that there is no timer function available on the transmitter (it is a beginner heli after all).  Since the battery is a LiPo you have a tendency to over run-down the battery and therefore shorten the battery life. So set a timer on your wristwatch to about 15-30 seconds before it starts to blink and you should get more flights out of a battery,  It is very light so indoors is about the only place to fly it.

• Main Rotor Diameter: 7.5 in (190mm)
• Gross Weight: 1.0 oz (28g)  (with battery)
• Length: 7.9 in (200mm); Height: 4.7 in (120mm)
• Flight Times: 6-8 min depending on flying habits

Buy direct from Amazon here for the RTF ($100) and BNF ($70).

Features:

The Blade MCX2 comes in a one hundred percent factory assembled packaging and you can virtually fly it out right from the box. All models are test flown before packing which is an additional guarantee that every MCX2 will really fly.  There are also other improvements that have been introduced with MCX2 and most of these enhancements enabled the RC helicopter to fly better in all aspects including improved stability and flight balance.

However, the main highlights of MCX2 include:

• This RC helicopter also comes with precision made swash plate and a user selectable control setting.
• MCX2 RTF (ready to fly) is equipped with a five in one control unit (gyro, Spektrum 2.4GHz DSM2 compatible receiver, mixer, main motor ECS, and fully proportional servos.
• Sleek modern body design with integrated LED flashing lights.
• Double coaxial blades with counter rotation rotor head design
• Highly efficient double mini coreless motors powered by 120mAh 14C single-cell 3.7V lithium polymer (LiPo) battery pack.
• 4-channel transmitter MLP4DSM outfitted with Spektrum 2.4GHz DSM2
  technology
• Digital trims
• Replacement parts available

Conclusion:

Just like the first Blade MCX RTF, the MCX2 is very easy to fly and it is also small enough to fly inside a confined space. Even beginners can easily fly this RC helicopter with ease. The MCX2 still has the same counter rotation rotor head design and coaxial blades as the previous Blade MCX but the difference is very noticeable with its user selectable swash plate sensitivity. The LED flashing lights that are integrated in the body also adds extra appeal on the overall look of the micro helicopter making it more fun to fly.

The good thing about this model is that you can easily change the control programs to your preferred setting so you can make it fly faster at higher speeds. The default setting is set at low speeds so beginners will not be challenged in operating the helicopter. Slower speeds mean more stability and flight balance making it a lot easier for beginners to master the control in just a short period of time. With its head lock like performance, you can enjoy maximum control of the helicopter even when you push its powerful motors to its limits.

All in all, the Blade MCX2 is certainly the most suitable option for beginners although advanced users can still have an exciting time playing with the helicopter because of its unrivaled stability and flight balance, easy control features, and great durability that can withstand any crash and bump while flying

This helicopter is perfect for transitioning out of a coaxial or just as a rank beginner heli.  The RTF controller has dual rates that really will make it very tame, or open it up a bit on the sensitivity.  You will get better results, however, if you upgrade to a nicer radio.  I bound mine to the radio that came with my CX2, the LP5DSM and it really works great!.  This is a very small heli so it is pretty much an indoor flyer only.  This heli still gets pulled out several times a month to zip around the living room.  In a nutshell this is one to buy.  It is 90% as stable as a co-axial yet you can really fly it a lot more aggressive than a co-axial. Unless you are playing ’kamikaze’ with it, your repair costs should be very low, mostly replacement batteries.  It is just plain fun to fly, whether you are a beginner or an experienced pilot.

Light, cheap and easy to fly, you should be able to get this for fairly cheap on eBay since this model is no longer sold.

• Main Rotor Diameter: 7.0 in (180mm)
• Gross Weight: 0.95 oz (27g) with battery
• Length: 7.5 in (190mm)

When I got this I was pretty green with regard to my flying skills.  I could do some forward flight but still really having some issues with hovering and keeping it in one place. It comes RTF (ready to fly) with just a need of a charge of batteries and you are good to go.  Mine was more smother and a tad bit less touchy than the Blade 400 to fly. The controller is pre-programmed and although you have some tweaking I quickly changed out the Rx for a Spektrum one for my Dx6i.  The gyro that came with mine was a bit wonky and didn’t hold the tail as well as the one that came with the Blade.  I bought the hop-ups (metal head) that were for it and didn’t see that much improvement over the plastic parts. I did fly this one for about 6 months off and on, getting better at my skills.  I did replace the gyro with a Heli-Max heading hold gyro which helped the tail some.  I haven’t flown a V2 and my experience with the V1 wasn’t really all that bad.  For the price it is quite a package.  But there is just something ‘missing’ that I can’t put my finger on that makes it a little less polished or refined maybe over a Align product.

If you are on a budget and want a 450 class heli already pre-assembled, this is really not a bad gig. The V2 has new frame, new head, new design, new electronics & new gyro.  It should be quite a bit better than the v1 and it just looks cooler now.  Check out the vid below for more info

I sold my Belt CP to help fund the Cypher 3D which was a loads better heli but alas not RTF.

This heli is VERY durable. I must have somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 flights on this. I crashed and my son crashed and I ran into furniture and my son shot it up to about 200 feet an then let it just fall from the sky in a panic. I have had to replace the landing gear twice, some screws, the tail section once, the main shaft twice and blades at least 8 times. Yet it still will fly although it does have an odd noise so it sits in retirement near my TV. I would have no qualms in recommending this as a first or second helicopter for someone.

There are people who sell hop-ups for this heli. I got a full set of aluminum head pieces and after installing and flying with them for about a month I took them all off and re-installed the original plastic pieces. This one just flew better with the original stuff. What I got out of the hop-ups was that the heli started to become unstable and difficult to fly. It did go faster but that really didn’t help when the heli was sliding around out of your control.

A lot of this comes from a thread on Helifreak.com which you can read here.

First thing that took me in is that this bird just looks cool! The canopy is big enough for the battery and everything in the nose and it slips on/off very easily much easier than any other heli I have owned.

The instructions are in full color and easy to follow for the assembly process. Weird to me was the fact that you had to remove the main gear and main shaft (which were already assembled in the heli in the box) in order to install the elevator servo. Also the wires weren’t color coded on the motor but believe it or not I got it right on the first try as my blades were going the correct way when the motor was started up!

The Head is mostly CNC and everything on the head seems to be ‘one step tougher’ than either the Belt-CP or Blade 400 (When I got this those were my only two CCPM helicopter examples that I had experience with)  The main shaft is solid 5mm and a little shorter than most of the ones I have experience with. I have noticed a lot of folks that have commented on the head having a little slop but the one I got was actually a little too tight and was binding slightly. A very slight twisting of the head and smoothing 0.02 mm off of the main shaft diameter near the top stopped the binding but kept everything still very tight. (I noticed that the main shaft was about 0.02-0.03 mm ‘fatter’ in a small area where the binding was taking place.)

Once everything was assembled and I powered it on and it came to life without a hitch!

The Cypher 3D is heaver than the Blade400 and the Cypher feels much more solidly built. I have flown the tar out of this heli and I am very impressed. It’s lower profile than a Trex or the Blade 400 makes it more stable in light winds. This is an important consideration here in Oklahoma.  I was skeptical about the low price on this bad boy but it seems so far to be a dream ticket! I got the heli and typical replacement parts from Hobby People for a total of like 180 or something. The heli was only $139! For the price this is one wowzer of a heli to me. If you pay attention it seems that this heli will occasionally go on sale for as low as $99 sometimes.

Minor crashes tend to grind up the main gear and sometimes bend the tail boom.  The feathering shaft is pretty sturdy and I have replaced a lot more main shafts than feathering shafts.  The best blades that I have ever flown on this are the Mavrikk E-Series 325 Carbon Fiber.  Not only do the color schemes match but the Cypher flies like it is on glass with these blades. I just wish they weren’t so durn expensive.    The only major flaw in this heli is the ESC that comes with it.  If you fly this one long enough it will fail in it’s stock configuration.  It gets super hot.  I changed mine out for a scorpion one and it still gets pretty warm but it hasn’t failed me on over a year.

In a nutshell – I highly recommend this one!  In fact of my fleet of heli’s this one is still my favorite of all!

My Setup

• 3x JR – DS285MG on cyclic
• 1x Futaba S9650 on the rudder
• Futaba GY401 for the gyro
• FlightPower 2170 battery or 2550 works also
• Dx7 Tx & Spektrum 6100 reciever
• Scorpion 45amp ESC (the original burned up)
• Align or Maverikk main blades

I have no doubt that in the hands of an expert that it could be that.  On the simulator I was badass with this heli.  In real life, not so much.  I didn’t have very much experience when I got this one and that might have something to do with my disposition towards this helicopter. However, after searching the forums on Helifreak.com, I found out that I was not alone in my opinions. I had 2 times where the heli just quit working while flying.  One time it just decided to do a half-roll and dive for the ground and there was nothing I could do about it. After contacting Heli-max they sent me a new 3in1 so I really can’t complain about the customer service

Its engineering is a bit different than most.  The swashplate moves downward when throttling up, which is a bit odd, but original.  This heli is one that uses a motor to drive the tail so the tail, while holding reasonably well, doesn’t hold nearly as well as a belt driven or torque tube. Parts for this thing are way more expensive than parts for other helicopters near it class.  The hop-up parts I thought were really overpriced but that is just my opinion and I bought them anyway just to see what it would give me.  I did find out that the balls on the swashplate were prone to breaking in a crash so if you do get one of these it would probably behoove you to spring for the all CNC swashplate. I mentioned before that the Axe CP v3 was great to fly until you crashed it, and that is absolutely true.  Now maybe I just really never had the skills to work on it like I do now but I could never get either one of the ones that I had to fly right after a serious crash.  They would do ‘weird’ things sort of randomly. They would also just be a bit more unstable in one axis or the other after  encounter with the ground.  It was like once you crashed one of these there was a demon on board that refused to be exorcised. I wound up selling one and the other as parts just to get rid of the headache.  At the time this was the only 300 sized collective-pitch game in town.  Now with the Blade SR available I couldn’t in all good conscious recommend this heli  as a stepping stone any longer.  All three LHS in my area have basically stopped carrying this heli over the last year. Most likely due to some of the frustrations in this design.

The helicopter is a complete RTF package.  Just charge and go I really liked that it came with a DVD to watch and training gear!!!  After flying the Axe I felt that it was a bit overpriced  (my LHS had them for around 210 when I got mine, They are much more reasonably priced now) but I really did enjoy it when it was flying well.

At the lower price you might consider the Axe to be an OK buy and it can be a good addition to your fleet.  I just wouldn’t make it my ‘transition helicopter’ into CCPM flight. I would wait until I was fairly decent at sport flying with other collective pitch helicopters before trying this one.  Also be ready with your pocket book as the parts for this are not super cheap. You can currently snag the HeliMax Axe 100 CP on Amazon for around $80.