Recommended 450 setup

My current 450 recommended setup

I have setup a number of 450's over the past year (2009) for myself and my students and here is the recommended setup I have that I think works pretty well for a reasonable cost. If items are not in stock or you wish to get something less or more expensive, refer to the EXI 450 buyer's guide for substitutions:

Heli : 450 SE Carbon edition.
Motor : Alpha 400
ESC : Volcano/Proton 30A
Cyclic Servos* : EXI digital 9g
Gyro** : Detrum GY48V (works well w/ the Raiden DS-016 Servo)
Tail servo :
Raiden DS-016

Radio : Better -> DX6i from Canyon Hobbies (add to cart at thier store to see the true price!)
Spektrum Radios from RC Planet
                        Dx6i Mode 2 Spektrum at BigSkyHobbies (Add an Rx)
                        DX6i from thebarnfloor (add to cart to see the real price)

    I recommend the 6110 or 6110e Rx for the 450 size helicopter
AR 6200 is better but not necessary.

Basic -> T6 radio from Xheli -> Instructions here

Batteries:
HobbyPartz has a good selection of 2200mAh 3S 20C, 25C and 30C batteries. Switch to add a Deans plug on them. You can also get Blue Lipo brand from Xheli if you want to order them with your helicopter.
Zippy/Flightmax/Turnigy batteries from Hobby City are good but you have to add your own Deans connectors.
Charger:
AC6

Optional Stainless Steel screw upgrade kit from RCSCREWS at RCPlanet.com

* A note about cyclic servos. Although the EXI digital 9g servos are very good "bang for the buck" you can also consider spending more $$ on some Hitec 65mg servos.
** A note about the gyro. While an inexpensive gyro like the GY48V performs very well in holding the tail for it's price, if you want MUCH better tail holding, less drift and much better 3D performance, I recommend a >$75 gyro like the Align GP750, Futaba GY520, Futaba GY401 or Logitech 2100. Sometimes you can find GY401 gyros used or Align GP750 gyros for less which are parted out of kits and shold on ebay or helicopter forums. Put $$ into your gyro and tail servo before upgrading to better cyclic servos.

Some general advise is that you have a multitude of other better motors and ESC's that you can get. What is described above is a pretty decent flying 450 helicopter at a reasonable price. Enough to keep the first time CP or first time Electric flyer going strong for months before feeling you need to immediatly upgrade.

You will still need tools as outlined in the Blueray setup page

If you think you are not up to the task of building your own Heli, you should consider the following other choices.
(each require you to get your own charger). Also realize that often you line up a list of parts to order then you need more stuff later. Buying the RTF versions and Rx ready versions have things already built up and you just need to do some additional setup to them and get into the air quickly without having to wait for more items to fly.

Blueray PE RTF
Blueray PE Rx ready (get the Dx6i or another Radio with this or just add another Rx to your existing CCPM ready Tx)
Bluaray SE RTF (upgrade to metal head/tail later)

Note: On the Rx ready version, unless it is on sale, your almost always better off getting the RTF version for $30 more so that you can get into the air quickly, then upgrade the Tx later.