After using every bit of life that the Airhog's Reflex could muster, it was time for an upgrade.  The Airhog was a fun little gadget, but it's not really an r/c helicopter.  It's more of a toy, and would be a great purchase for a young kid.  Hell, I had a blast with it, but it does leave you wanting more performance and maneuverability.  You don't really fly it, but rather watch it buzz around randomly until it smacks into something.

Blade mCX

I've been researching this for quite a while, and if you are getting into the hobby knowing that you want to progress to more advanced heli's, this is the one to get: The Blade mCX.  It's an ultra-micro sized coaxial heli that is very durable and well loved by many.  It has the same fun factor as the Airhogs, but, being a hobby-grade model, has the distinct advantages of both higher quality, and available replacement parts.  The latter is a huge factor in a heli purchase- you will need replacement parts.



I decided that I was ready to move on to a single-rotor craft.  They are harder to fly, but much more maneuverable.  They fly very similar to their full-size counterparts.  A lot of people recommended the E-Flight mSR.  This is another ultra-micro, but the mSR sports a fixed-pitch single rotor.  Alas, the mSR was not exactly what I was looking for.  The svelt mSR has a fly weight of around 28g and a 180mm (7") main rotor.  Indoors, it would be fine, but it does not have enough mass to navigate even a slight breeze outdoors.  The next step up in E-Flights line up is the SR, which is a collective pitch chopper, and not for the intermediate or novice pilot.

Finally, E-Flight released the 120 SR.  This is what I was waiting for!  A fixed pitch, single rotor craft that is, for all intensive purposes, an mSR's big brother.  It literally looks like someone scaled all of the CAD drawings for the mSR up to make the 120 SR.  At 106g with a 318mm (12.5") main rotor, the 120 is capable of handling light winds outdoors, and still small enough to fly inside.  The Bell-Hillard swashplate and head setup, when combined with a 45 degree flybar, is very stable while still allowing for nimble aerobatics.  The stock tail boom and canopy supports are all carbon fiber tube, making the 120 lighter than other sub-micro helicopters on the market.  When I found out that there is an aftermarket that supplies billet aluminum and carbon fiber components for these helis, I was sold.

My 120 SR.  Coke can for size reference (and refreshment).