Tornado or Blade

[1LO64]

Can some opinions please form. I'm on the fence with what I should get. I'll be using it to fly in my garage and out back on CALM days, which is friggin rare where I live. I'm not looking to 3D, just something that is durable, smooth, and low maintenance.

I've seen comments on the Blade, but nothing regarding parts replacement or durability.

Haven't seen ANYTHING on the Tornado? Does anybody have one that can comment on it? I'm leaning towards this bird, but it's no CP right?

Thanks!

[watt_the?!]

have you considered the shogun?

durable, reliable, smooth. many prefer it to the trex as it is smaller and therfore doesnt consume the power the trex does.

it flies well on the stock speed 400 that it comes with also.

alot more durable than the micro helis also...although i guess it is a micro heli still.

Tim.

[timothysplante]

tornado I have one still learning to fly so far still in tack many many crash;s little crack on one main rotor blade

[RichM]

I have three dozen, or so, flights on my Blade. Thankfully, I don't have muc hexperience with rebuilding it. Except for a pair of main rotors when running into a large box fan that my wife had moved into my "flying area" in the basement, I haven't had any crashes.

Heli flys well. Gets a little squirrelly near the end of the battery charge and the gyro could have a little more authority, but overall, I really like it.

[debhicks]

Oh man brought the dreaded wife into the reason for crashing. :) Look at the price of replacement parts. I fly the Blade. I did have a hard boom strike last weekend and tore up the tail motor but 10 bucks and it was back in business. The rotor blades were dinged up a bit but still fly. Very durable for me a very beginner. I still am learning how to pull the throttle back more slowly. Then those boom strikes will cease. We keep all the parts in stock for the Blade.

I try to see how much it is going to cost to maintain when I purchase something anymore. Like what kind of tires do you have to buy for your vehicle and how much are they going to cost when the time comes? :)

[RichM]

Ahh, Debbie, so another wife tradegy story, but causing damage to your own heli. I rest me case... :p Now, I just need to determine how my wife, who wasn't there, figured in on the wing to my plane striking the fence two weeks ago. Not sure how, but it MUST have been her fault. Besides, after 38 years, she'd be disappointed if I didnt palm it off on her. ha-ha!

You're right about controlling that throttle more gently. Get into trouble and in the excitment it is SOOO natural to chop the throttle as much and as quickly as possible. But, those helis do drop like rocks! :eek:

Hey, have you heard anything about the charging jack in the side of the transmitter? Is the circuit there so that rechargeable batteries can be inserted?

[debhicks]

No haven't asked. But I will. We'll check into it this week. Horizon is a little elusive about these radio's coming in their RTF's. But I have my suspisions.:)

[RichM]

I called Horizon today and asked a tech. if the charging circuitry is connected. He said, "yep." So there you have it. But, I HAVE known false info to be handed out by companies in the past, so I guess the only way to know for sure is to get eight AA NiCads and go for it.

[Battlemg]

I have installed 8 2500 NIMH in my Blade Trans and use a Multiplex 5014 to charge. I had to reverse the leads on the charger to match polarity. No diode that I can tell. I tried using my Double Vision charger but it would not pick up the batteries. But I have it set for Futaba. Maybe if I hit the JR switch, It will pick up the batteries. It is made by e-flight and we know they are in with JR and Hangar-9.

[jimmi]

If your not looking at 3D then do yourself a favor and get the CPblade. Its durable, low maintenance and smooth. I don't know much about the tornado and really havn't seen much on it. I would think if it was a hot item word does get around really fast around here. For 220.00 including transmitter I don't think theres a better value out there on the CP blade. And if there is I have not heard about it. The only thing you will need for your CP blade is 8 aaa batteries and a quick charge and you will be in the air in 2 hours. I still own fuel helicopters and on just one helicopter alone I have 2,500 plu$ invested. Thats about 12 CP blades at least:eek: and when I did get to fly the CP blade for the 220.00 I paid for it, I was more then happy because I have never invested so little and gotten sooooo much more back. Its usally the other way around I invest so much and get very little:( Anyways you won't be disapointed in the CP blade and maybe the tornado flys better but I don't think its in the same price range as the CP blade. I did see an add for a tornado with no radio or electronics and was alot more then 220.00. I recall. After reading alot of threads here I'm glad I didn't go for the hummingbird heli which was on my top list of first electric heli to get. And by talking to you all out there, you made me change my mind and couldn't thank you all enough. Thats why I value this forum so much because sometimes its others mistakes including mine, that makes it easier to have a change of mind/heart. Hope I said that right:rolleyes: Anyways good luck on any heli you purchase, but I highly recomend the CP blade. Just my 02 cents... Jimmi:cool:




Can some opinions please form. I'm on the fence with what I should get. I'll be using it to fly in my garage and out back on CALM days, which is friggin rare where I live. I'm not looking to 3D, just something that is durable, smooth, and low maintenance.

I've seen comments on the Blade, but nothing regarding parts replacement or durability.

Haven't seen ANYTHING on the Tornado? Does anybody have one that can comment on it? I'm leaning towards this bird, but it's no CP right?

Thanks!