Blade mSR RTF

This is a great trainer and a good step up from a coaxial type helicopter. Hovering is easy with this model if you are a beginner and then you can move on to more demanding moves such as nose in and pirouettes to advance your flying skills. It's hobby grade repairable so get some spare parts as crashing is sure to happen as you start learning new skills. I find that it is easier to fly than the MSRX which doesn't have a fly bar and is more demanding to control. I would start with the MSR first and move on to the MSRX as a next step in the learning process. This helicopter performs well in calm conditions and indoors.

Started with a syma, then bought a mcpx and now have this one. The syma got boring after a week, the mcpx was difficult and very fast. I could hold a stable hover for maybe 15 sec, then the bird would take off in some random direction and I'd be fighting to avoid crashing it.. The msr was a good step backward for me. It will help in the transition from a 3 ch to a 4 ch bird (rudder moves to left stick) and is slow enough to learn nose in hovers and landings. I've had this bird for 2 weeks now and haven't broken a part yet, despite collisions with walls, a lawn mower and many hard landings. Like all helis, your panic mode should be killing the throttle - if plan on getting into cp helis later get in the habit of using the Throttle Hold switch now.Pros:- Durable - Blade did their homework in designing their birds so that either parts pop off, or the cheap parts break first.- Very controllable indoors, not too fast. People complain about this being fast, but compared to a mcpx or nano, this is SLOW- Comes complete with a charger, 1 LIPO battery, transmitter and 8 AA batteries (hint: order more LIPOs and a charger wall wart)- Bindable to a Spektrum transmitterCons:- The manual is worthless (= 4 star), it doesn't even explain how to use the included rotor alignment tool.- Indoors only - won't fly outdoors with any wind (a rare day in Oklahoma)- The rtf transmitter ruins the msr experience - use a spektrum dx6i- Pendulum effect is there as others have complained, though gentle stick movements minimize this (learning opportunity)- Heater/AC currents will make for a less controllable flight - It still is more controllable than a coax helicopter- Heading gyro drifts and needs 1-2 clicks trim from flight to flight, sometimes can't get totally trimmed without some drift - a minor annoyanceTips:- Get rotors spinning to point without generating too much lift, then hit throttle to pop out of the ground effect zone- On right stick, if you give an input, gently release stick instead of letting it pop to neutral to minimize pendulum efffect- Download older BNF Msr manual from a rc heli blog website (but the ch 5 function mentioned in older manual doesn'twork in the current version.Spektrum settings:Heli modelNo channels are reversed100% throws on everythingthrottle curve - 0, 25, 50, 75, 100no pitch curveD/R settings: 30% to start, move towards 100% as you get comfortable, then move to longer ball joints on swash plateExpo settings: I don't like positive settings on any heli, it seems to make inputs lag, so you end up chasing the heli - use INHTimer: 5 minBinding:Turn on heli, wait for rapidly flashing blue lightwhile holding bind switch on radio, turn on radiorelease bind switch after 2 secwait for heli to stop flashingUpdate jan 2014So 6 months have passed. The mcpx turned out to be a good outdoor bird and I now have a nano and a trex 450 FBL. The next step up from the msr, for indoor flight, is the Blade Nano Cpx - it is awesome. The msr still is great for relaxed indoor flying. I managed to bend the anti rotation collar on the msr, but have been able to bend it back for now. When the battery gets low, after 4 min of flying, stopping the motor kicks in the LVC when it restarts - the motor is about worn out. I stand by the original review, the only change being is that I now use negative Expo settings on the right stick to make it more sensitive at the center. Reliability and durability are good - I recommend this highly.

BEWARE of old information! I am new to this hobby and I did a great deal of research before making my decision on buying this helicopter in this specific Blade MSR RTF kit. There are 4 ways to buy this helicopter from 20 places including two better versions known as the MSR X and the MSR-2. Today I recommend them over this one. The flybarless design of the mSR X is less hassle to fly. There are also several reviews on the internet and I watched and read many of them. I chose this version in this specific Blade MSR RTF package and gave up the better versions because EVERY REVIEW, EVERY UNBOXING VIDEO, EVERY LISTING I saw everywhere up to now said this RTF kit came with a Celectra 4-Port 1S 3.7V 0.3A DC Li-Po Charger as part of the package. Check for yourself. There is no review anywhere that I have found that doesn't mention it. That made it a better buy to me than getting a slightly better helicopter when I plan on moving to collective pitch soon anyway.The one and only selling point of this kit for me was that specific accessory. I even planned a few other purchases around it while waiting for it to arrive. It is no longer in the kit. Everyone is now acting as if it was never in the kit and they don't know what I am talking about. . . I feel let down as someone who was trying to do responsible product research before buying it.Followup:As for the helicopter, it flew very nicely and lived up to the positives and negatives listed in other reviews. A week later, though, it had a board malfunction and my local hobby shop is handling the warranty repair. It had gotten really sluggish and not gained altitude very well. Then it started acting crazy. . the servos were misfiring somehow.

A good product but technology has moved on - get the V911 for a fraction of the price, or better yet, get a Nano QX