Align Helicopters – Best Quality For The Price?Why are Align Helicopters so popular? Simple, they do everything right – from design to parts support, Align RC knows the RC helicopter business better than most and what it takes to make some of the nicest birds and support equipment out there for the price.
Align is a company based in Taiwan and only recently got into the RC side of things. Align’s main products up to that point were milling attachments for lathes & milling machines, high end vacuum cleaners, and small household appliances. Toshiba is Align’s most recognized customer and partner, along with other popular brands such as Daewoo, Hitachi, & Sanyo. In fact, I would say if there is one downside to Align Helicopters, it’s the overwhelming selection they offer, especially with the bread and butter 400 size segment. There are well over a dozen different versions of the T-Rex 450 ranging from the very basic plastic bare bones entry level 450XL(CDE) kit to the fully equipped, carbon fiber rich 450 Pro Super Combo. With sizes ranging from the tiny T-Rex 250 up to the large T-Rex 700 there is an Align Helicopter for most people. The T-Rex 250 up to the 700 are all available in electric powered versions. The T-Rex 600 & 700 are also available in nitro powered versions. Some people are even converting their T-Rex 700’s to turbine power by throwing the new Wren MW-44 two stage gas turbine heli engine between the frames. Align Helicopter kits are a pure joy to build. Whether this is your first RC helicopter build or your fiftieth, I think everyone will appreciate how well the parts are identified, how easy the kits go together, and how good the instructions are.
The first time builder will be impressed how nicely an Align helicopter kit goes together, and the more experienced RC heli builder will be amazed how quickly a T-Rex can be built with many of the fiddly parts already being pre-assembled. I have built and flown my share of RC helicopters over the years and was pretty loyal to Miniature Aircraft which still make wonderful quality kits, but they are more expensive and hobby shops that stock parts (at least here in Canada) are getting harder and harder to find. Align helicopters on the other hand are carried at almost every good hobby shop around the world with an outstanding parts support network including many aftermarket parts. I am a true fan of Align now flying two Trex 600’s. Their newest 700E 3G combo kit seems to be calling my name. Speaking of 3G... This is Align’s latest and greatest flybarless system available for all their birds from the 250 up to the 700. If you are ready to throw your flybar out the window and start enjoying the clean looks along with all the benefits a flybarless setup offers, Align’s 3G is one of the easiest to start with on your T-Rex. I to have jumped on the flybarless band wagon and honestly feel I will never purchase another mechanical flybar heli again, at least if I have the choice to get either version. The nice thing with Align’s 3G system is how easy it is to setup. I also am using a HeliCommand Rigid electronic flybarless system on my Bergen Intrepid helicopter, and it was a nightmare to setup compared to Align’s 3G. Top Align helicopters off with their line of electronic support components such as Align’s full range of helicopter specific digital and digital coreless servos, their GP750 & GP780 gyros , a full line-up of very powerful, high quality brushless motors and ESC’s that are all included in most of their “combo” kits, and you have in my opinion the best quality and performance helicopter kits for the price. Align Helicopter Recommendations With all the Align Helicopter Kits currently offered, it is impossible to recommend what is best since it depends on your needs. As I just mentioned however, all their combo kits offer the best no hassle value since most include everything other than the receiver, radio, LiPo battery for the electric versions & nitro engine/muffler for the nitro versions. These are the versions I am going to list and link to so you can read about each individual kit; but as I said, if you are the type of person who wants to source separate components for your specific bird, Align offers so many other kits for your specific needs so I encourage you to look at them to. I, like many, find the combo kits so convenient and cost effective - that’s what makes them appealing for my needs. The smallest bird in Align Helicopters fleet is their T-Rex 250. For most people this small heli doesn’t make the best first collective pitch helicopter due to the small size and twitchy nature. This is not to say you can’t learn to fly on one, but the bigger the bird, the more stable as I say so many times. Unlike so many other less expensive 300 size helicopters, Align’s T-Rex 250 stays true to the only way to accurately control the tail rotor using variable pitch over a problematic and slow responding electric tail rotor motor. The 250 is a great indoor gymnasium helicopter and that’s generally the type of environment most people fly the Rex 250 in. As I say many times, I feel the 400 size electrics are the best way and size to get into single rotor collective pitch. They are not nearly as twitchy as a smaller 250, but they cost considerably less than the larger birds (both up front and for replacement parts) making for a less stressful learning experience. 
The Align helicopter
T-Rex 450 Sport Super Combo
kit is a great value at around $500 USD including brushless motor, ECS, servos, GP750 gyro, and carbon rotor blades. You have to supply your computerized radio, receiver, 3S 2000-2200 mAh LiPo, charger, and basic heli tools. The Align helicopter
T-Rex 450 Pro Super Combo
kit is one step up in quality and comes with the same components as the sport combo kit but uses a more efficient and hassle free torque tube tail drive system over the sport’s belt drive. This pushes the price near $600.00, but a shaft driven tail is so much more efficient and you never have to worry about belt tension or static build up. The Align T-Rex 500 is a very nice size for the increase in stability & size over the 450, but the price goes up substantially. If your budget is stronger, a 500 is a good size to start on, but it really is not that much less expensive than the 550 or 600 size. Not as many folks fly the 500’s it seems since it is kind of an “in-between size” but for some, it makes the best size option for their flying environment. Want the great looks and benefits of a flybarless bird? Check out the T-Rex 500ESP 3G kit which comes will all the same items as the Superior Combo version but omits the GP780 gyro and in place includes the 3G flybarless system along with the flybarless head and components for about $970.00 USD. For those of you with 30 sized nitro helicopters and are looking at getting into electric flight with a bird roughly the same size as what you are familiar with, the T-Rex 550’s are for you. This is the size most people consider “regular” since it is what most of us “old guys” learned on when nitro was the only power option. 
The Align helicopter
T-Rex 550E Combo
is about a hundred bucks more than the smaller 500ESP but for the extra size and full size servos, the value in my opinion is much better at around $890.00. The 550E uses the same 600M motor that is used in the larger T-Rex 600ESP giving it the high power to weight ratio that 3D pilots crave. If overpowered 3D flight is what you dream of – the 550E may be the bird you’re after.Click Here to take advantage of Red Rocket Hobby's FREE SHIPPING on the T-Rex 550E Combo for only $888.99 Then there is the
550E 3G Combo
for the flybarless crowd. At around $1070.00, the value once again for the size is better than the 500 3G combo and without that flybar sucking up some of the already insane amounts of power, the 550E 3G may seem more like a fixed wing pylon racer than a helicopter. Ah yes, the good old 600’s – my personal favorite. The Trex 600’s both in electric and nitro versions are next to the 450’s, Align’s top sellers at most hobby shops. This has so much to do with the size and the price. The 600’s (same size as a 50 size nitro) are such a nice size. They are easy to fly, easy to work on, easy to see in the air, and relatively easy on the wallet. The key word I am using here is “EASY” and every person who contacts me with a T-Rex 600 story says the same thing – insanely smooth, stable, predictable, and simply a joy to pilot! True, an electric 6S (22.2 volt) powered 50 size heli may be somewhat underpowered for the super high performance 3D crowd - even with the new more powerful 600M motor, but for the average flier up to enthusiastic sport pilot, there is more than enough power. Keeping the costs lower by not requiring a much more expensive 8S or even 10S LiPo pack makes economical sense for most folks who put budget before insane performance - myself included. The 600ESP is not yet available in a 3G combo version but I am sure it is not far off. The 600ESP, like all of the Align helicopters, flies so nice with the 3G flybarless system. 
On the nitro side of things there is the
T-Rex 600 Nitro Limited Edition
that comes with all the electronic goodies (less throttle servo) plus Align’s easy to setup RCE G-600 governor. For those who enjoy the sound, smell, and fuel & go nature of nitro flight and have about $900.00 beans burning a hole in their pocket, the value is hard to beat. Once you fly a nitro bird using a governor – you will never fly without one again.Click Here to take advantage of Red Rocket Hobby's FREE SHIPPING on the T-Rex 600 Nitro Limited Edition for only $899.99 Finally in the 3G flybarless version there is the
T-Rex 600 Nitro 3G Combo
kit swapping out the gyro for the 3G system and flybarless head - pricing is around $1070.00 USD. What can I say, these are big birds. The nitro version using a 90 size engine and the electric version using 2 6S 5000 mAh LiPo’s wired in series (12S = 44.4 volts) are both power hungry machines. The really nice thing about this electric version is for those of us with the 600ESP using 6S 5000-5800 mAh LiPo’s, the Rex 700E won’t require a new large investment in LiPo’s. We can use 2 of our 6S packs wired in series saving considerable amounts of money. 
There are two nitro combos available. The
T-Rex 700 Nitro Limited Edition
priced at about $1120.00 USD. The flyblarless
T-Rex 700 Nitro 3G Combo
is about $1290.00 USD. Both come with all the electronic goodies (less throttle servo) including the RCE G-600 governor, but don’t come with the 90 size engine or muffler.Both versions are available at Red Rocket Hobby and include shipping. Special Offer I am including 3 of my e-books (Setup & Tips, Swash Setup & Levelling, & How To Build RC Helicopter Training Gear) at no charge if you purchase any of these Align Helicopters from Red Rocket Hobbies using the links from my site (phone or E-Bay orders don't qualify). Just contact me with your Red Rocket Order Number after you purchase your new bird so I can confirm the order and I will send you the links to download your 3 e-books. Final Thoughts Once again, I encourage you to look through Align’s site just to see what other kits are available. On the nitro side of things there are nitro kits available as engine combo kits that include Align’s brand of engine but no servos or gyro. For most people (at least by the comments I get in e-mails), the electronic combos offer less hassle and are the most popular. Lastly, what would an Align Helicopter write-up be without a video of Alan putting one through the paces. Here is the T-Rex 550E being "worked" & showing off some of its potential - Turn up the volume and enjoy!
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The full kits come with everything needed – new flybarless head & components along with the 3G control unit and sensor. Align has also started offering a number of their helicopter combo kits in 3G versions out of the box offering outstanding value.
