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| E-Flite Blade 400 |
Average Rating: 7.75 |
Jun 3, 2008
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Reviewed By: xyzzy288
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Join Date: Jun 3, 2008
Location:
Total Reviews: 1
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Rating: 8 out of 10
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The Blade 400 is a great heli out of the box, and I've actually purchased two of these. Being fairly new and big fan of RTF (especially until I learn more), I was impressed the features of the radio, and it was a big portion of my buying decision to have a radio that will last me for some time through future purchases of helis and planes.
One thing it did not have, which I would consider essential since this is an RTF (which by nature, is oriented toward those newer to the sport), was an A/C adapter for the charger that comes with the heli (the charger can be charged from a D/C battery source which most high-end helis are, and comes with the necessary cable with alligator clips for this). Most helis in its class require assembly, purchasing most of the components separately (including the battery and charger) soldering the battery ends with a Deans Ultra-connect or similar, and configuring the radio. Overall the experience can be quite daunting for a newcomer, and with an RTF kit these things can be learned incrementally.
My biggest challenge was learning to put it back together after crashes, since I hadn't built it from scratch - www.repairblade400.com is a good resource for this, and I recommend reviewing it before repairing your heli - it would have saved me a lot of time & grief had I done so.
On both of my 400s I broke gears on the E-Flite servos after a crash or two - I was disappointed that they broke so easily. On one of the helis I've replaced them with Hitec HS65-HB servos, a JR DS285MG servo for the tail servo, and a Futaba GY-401 gyro, and the handling and response really is amazing - I plan on doing the same on the second when I have the money to do so. After replacing the gyro and servos, I had to reverse some of them, and the manual is a good resource for verifying the operation of each of the controls and making necessary changes.
The most common parts I've personally had to replace are blades (this has been reduced dramatically after I learned to tape the ends of the blades, so blade strikes don't typically destroy the blades), the flybar, the spindle / feathering shaft (probably the 2nd most fragile part on the heli after the servos, and often backordered at my LHS [local hobby store] and online hobby stores), the tail shaft, blade grips, main shaft, and tail boom.
Overall, I really like this heli, and look forward to growing my skillset and confidence to be able to fully realize its 3d potential. |
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• Complete RTF kit, with only an A/C adapter required
• Great radio, heli replacement parts availability is excellent
• Did I mention this is an RTF, for a 'real' heli?
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• E-flite servo (and possibly gyro) quality is disappointing, most owners will want to upgrade
• Manual needs additional parts views and reassembly instructions
• Lack of digital servo for tail
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Dec 8, 2009
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Reviewed By: xf100t
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Join Date: Dec 8, 2009
Location:
Total Reviews: 1
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Rating: 3 out of 10
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Unfortunately, the amount of positive reviews for this heli are probably going to convince other newbies to buy this helicopter, but this helicopter is a piece of crap. I had two, and I struggled to control it with any degree of precision. For the price the Blade 400 seems like a good deal, but E flight parts are over priced, and the quality is seriously lacking.
I was just about to give up on helis, but I decided to double down and buy a Trex 450 pro. Wow, now that's an experience. Do yourself a favor and buy a Trex 450 sport or something like unto it if you're a first timer. It will save you so much grief. |
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• Comes with a radio that can be used on other electric helis
• Cheap to crash
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• It's not really RTF, to get it running correctly requires a lot of adjustment
• The motor, ESC, Servos, and gyro are all seriously lacking. Don't expect to do anything more than hover and do forward flight with a stock setup
• You get what you pay for, this heli is cheap to crash, but it doesn't fly that well either.
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