The 50 comes with different (better) control geometry. All you'll need to make a 30 out of it is a clutch pinion, blades, and engine mount. The stock EVO 30 woodies are dirt cheap, and surprisingly usable. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Yeah, glass or composite blades fly "better". Trust me, it will be quite some time before you're able to notice the difference...

To upgrade a 30 to a 50, you'll need the same components (engine mount, blades, clutch pinion) PLUS all the push-pull goodies for the better control system. Unless you buy the following parts as well, you will not have the driven tail nor the much better tail blades that come with the 50. The utility of a driven tail for "normal" sport flying is questionable; but the composite tail blades provided with the 50 are a great improvement over those hokey blue plastic tail blades in the 30; IMO.

I haven't done the math, but it appears to me that making a 30 into a 50 is more expensive than the the other way round. Don't really know, so you might want to do some research.

I suggested the 30 simply in case you were real tight on money.

.

Super! Thanks for the info, Steve.

Sceadu 30 or 50??

Hey Maller,
Just letting you know what I did when I came to the same decision as you. I went for the Sceadu 30 before the Evo came out so mine is the original Sceadu. I put a TT .39 with Century muff., and use Fut. 9202 all around, Futaba 240 Gyro and everything else is stock. It flies great with this combo and I think by staying with a 30 you don't put alot of stress on the heli in my opinion parts don't wear out as fast. No, I can't do all the fancy moves but it's plenty for the average pilot and I like the fuel economy of a 30, I can fly for awhile before I need to bring it in and top off fuel supply. Yes, it will make a great trainer with this combo. The heli and engine have not giving me one problem and I have several dozen flights on it so far.
Now to try an Evo. kit. Maybe Santa will bring me one.

Good luck Maller.!!!!

D. Lee.....t.Born again.t.....

Thanks, D. That's great!

Still trying to decide about the 30 vs 50. But, it seems like either would be a good choice.

maller,
i would definitly go with the 50. i know you want to same money, but you really wont be saving that much. if you were to upgrade later, it would cost more, and you would have to deal with upgrading it. just because its a 50 doesnt mean its only for 3d, it flies identical to the 30 in a hover, or even FF for that matter. you wont notice the difference intil you start stick banging. just buy it, you wont be sorry you did.

I think you should go with the 30. It will make you a better pilot in the long run. The 30 requires some power managment skills when doing 3D. But for just starting out, save the money for fuel and crash parts. And just stick with the stock wood blades. Having too much power for a beginner can be intimidating. I have a 90 and a 30. I still enjoy flying my 30. Going straight into a 50 with all that power would be like going to a ferrari for your first car. I think it is over kill for a beginner. Or buy the 50 and get the parts for a 30. A friend of mine has all the part for a 30 because he converted his to a 50. I can talk with him if you are interested.

Clark

Thanks for the opinions. I appreciate it!

maller,

If you can afford buy and fly a 50, go for it. In my humble opinion, the 50 is easier to fly. As Invrtd said, the 30 requires more collective management. The last thing a beginner would need (or any pilot for that matter) are things to be more complicated than they have to be. The crash parts difference for the EVO 30 & 50 are not that significant since they share almost the same parts. The additional power would certainly be helpful when you start doing loops and rolls (basic aerobatics). I just got a EVO 50 a month ago and it flies like a 60 (very powerful and stable). Looking back, I could have learned much quicker if I didn't have to struggle with an underpowered machine. Get the 50 and keep it as stock as possible.

Just my 2 cents....

i agree with nap_tan. also the .50s are easier to learn autos on because they have more blade length(more weight to retain the energy)

Right on swatace23!

50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 yes a tiny bit more pricey.. but you save by going that way instead of haveing to upgrade... i almost got the 30.. but i ended up with the 50 and i know that i will not have to do anything to it.. other than the shiny bits later on.

nap_tan you might win that one

OK! Thanks, everyone. I'll let you know what I decide. It won't be for a little while yet, so please keep posting your opinions!

swatace23, I hope to win with the most helis (not crashes)

Maller,

What do you plan to do with your heli flying & how many heli's do you see in your hanger (down the road)? If you plan to learn to fly and then become a stick banging 3D pilot, I would go with the Sceadu 50. Very soon, you'll become a power hungry monster who never gets enough power. The 50 fits the bill nicely. If, on the other hand, you want to learn to fly and then become a sport pilot who does a fair amount of aerobatics, but doesn't fly solely for the stick banging stunts, I'd give a strong look at the Sceadu 30. Most sport pilots I know always have a 30 size heli in their hanger. Soooooo, here's the case for the 30 (everyone else has already given you the case for the 50 size).

1. If you'll always want a 30 size heli in your hanger anyway, why not the Sceadu EVO 30, and why not learn to fly with it? It's cheaper.
2. The legendary OS 32 power is NOT underpowered, costs less than a 50, and sips fuel allowing 40 - 45 min flights with the stock EVO tank.
3. You can fly a 30 size heli just fine with the standard servos & battery which come with the radios. (not true with a 50)
4. The 30 size EVO costs less up front.
5. 30 size heli's with 550 woodies autorotate just fine! I learned to auto on RealFlight G2 & then tried it with my 30 size heli. Success the first try. It was EASY! Granted, my Predator is even easier to autorotate, but I've never had heli damage due to practicing autorotations, and I've done WAY more autorotations with my 30 size machine & 550 woodies than with a larger machine. If you can't auto a 30, something is wrong with your technique or setup.
6. The 30 can be upgraded to a 50 (I sure wouldn't buy a 50 and modify it to accept a 30, If you want a 50, buy a 50, set it up and be done with it.)
7. 30 size heli's cost less to crash & repair. Even if you total the thing, the 30 size was cheaper to start with.

So there you have it. These are the reasons I would consider a 30 if I were starting out again. The 30 is a cheap fun flying heli. If I want more performance, I got a 60/70 size which I fly.

If you ultimately plan to be flying 3D 90 ship, I'd definetly get a Sceadu 50. It'll meet your 3D training needs quite well, and you might as well get the gear for the power you'll demand.

Good luck!

Great post, Kaos2. Thanks! Ideally, I'd like to have just one bird. I'd like to do as much with it as possible. So, maybe the 50 would be the best all-around one.

You say just one bird. You havn't caught the feaver yet. Most people start with one and then two and it only get worse as time goes on. It's an addiction.

Clark

One bird is expensive enough...

That's what we all said when we started