Is the Blade Fusion 480/550 Still Worth Buying in 2022-23? Good Value, or are There Better Options?

[@ryanliberty2384]

I spoke to James Haley from horizon Hobby and he said there is no intention of it being discontinued! So hopefully that can help some of you rest easy.

[@ryanliberty2384]

From the conversation we had, it sounds like they are actually working on some upgrades

[@PilotDEE38]

Honest and real review appreciate this 1000% percent !!! At the 1k mark night aswell go with a more reliable stable brand vs blade !!! Absolutely correct sir! SAB here I come !!!

[@raptornest1346]

Appreciate your honesty about horizon support, It's the same on the aircraft side.

[@syndicate9974]

Nice you explained everything … I think I will try trex better .. I hate when I don’t find spare parts

[@GottiRC]

The thing with align too is, it is the most copied heli out there, you get hk250,450,500,600,700 etc, so many kits of the 450 se v2 etc, back in the day ( I was a pilot since 2004-2015) we had KDS 450SE which was an amazing model, we messed alot with align 450PRO loved taht design, also the 450 v2.. had them all man, also i started with Esky Belt CP the yellow and orange version. from there went on Align, also flew Mikado Logo and the Fusion50 by Outrage, now thoseee were the days, last heli I owned when i moved back to my homeland was the align DFC 550, even coverted it to a 700. good times, but yeah it sucks that some helis become obsol but hey, at least you can shelf it to look at hahah.

[@AnDr1LLox]

Cool video. I have a one of these. It has been a pain. I let it sit on a shelf. Made a big mistake purchasing this helicopter. I enjoy your videos and I’m a subscriber. Take care man.

[@mangzrc]

Thanks for being a subscriber, man! Why was your 480 a pain?

[@28EduardoSierra]

It all comes down to set up

[@AnDr1LLox]

@@mangzrc electronics out of the combo failed in the air multiple times. The esc constantly ran hot at 14 degrees of pitch which is were I like to have it for this model. I live in Orlando FL and we fly at 103*F and it just won’t have it. At 12 degrees is fine but the model flies like shit at 12 degrees pitch. This model also flies best at 2650, 2700 rpm or at least that’s were it felt right to me. It wants to fly at 2500 to stay in the air without failing and I just don’t like it like that. I would have to baby it so that I could fly the whole battery before it surges into safety. Always above 215F which is a lot. I’m pretty sure this problem doesn’t exist in colder environments. Temps are going down in FL so let’s see what the future brings.

[@davidblack5681]

Thanks, I was thinking of getting one , but with the age and parts availability, plus I think blade will discontinue soon, I had better stick to my 230 and 330 for now, hoping to get something larger for visibility and control. Thanks for your insight

[@glenn4452]

I have an opportunity to get one of these,but I’m not sure if I should buy it,it’s a kit,I’m just worried I won’t be able to get the parts to finish building it,any advice would be greatly appreciated thank you.

[@HeliShed]

Excellent vid - thank you - subb'd!

[@pjsantora9518]

I Think the Blade Fusion 480 is a gorgeous Helicopter Hands Down Considering I own the Blade 500 3D and paid 250 for it off of Ebay brand new from a seller who ne.eded to get rid of it Asap. I certainly don't think the 480 is worth almost $1000 and its actually smaller than my Blade 500 3D. The 480 is worth it even 3 years later just Horizon Hobby needs to bring the price down.

[@nick138]

I'm building my 480, I have a lot of blade rtf helis along with align rtf's. This is my first build. One thing I'm confused about is hooking the servos to the flb system. It says 1-3 for cyclic then rudder in slot 4. Does that mean that the cyclic servos go anywhere in the 1-3 slots? I have the FC6250HX.

[@mangzrc]

I did not see your comment until now, did you figure it out?

[@nick138]

@@mangzrc It's all good, Yeah I figured it out.

[@edgardojagr216]

How many poles does that motor have???

[@edgardojagr216]

What size gear is on the 480 motor stock??

[@glenn4452]

Wanted to know what is the best servos I can get for the 480 thank you?

[@mangzrc]

There are so many good servos you can use for the 480. Brands like MKS, KST, Theta, Torq, Spektrum, etc are all good brands. Check out the KST BLS915, they are a good bang for your buck for cyclic. If you don’t fly hard 3D and your on a budget, look at the Hitec D645MW, they would work fine, just a little slow.

[@28EduardoSierra]

Blade won't be discontinuing any helis any time soon at all you can still get parts for all older models.spoke to hh rep they mentioned not helis will be discontinued any time soon. As far as the build quality it's great.especially any fusion line up also they mentioned they will just update all kits to smart versions of the kits.

[@raptornest1346]

They do not support older discontinued models. You remember 500 x and 700X ? I sure like to know where in the world at this time I can get parts for those 2 helicopters.

[@28EduardoSierra]

@@raptornest1346 yes unfortunately legacy models are discontinued

[@28EduardoSierra]

@@raptornest1346 reason the 500 and 600 are discontinued was due to new entire design change Wich made it obsolete replaced by the fusion 480 and 550 stretch. 700 size was difficult to make possible due to political reasons.mabey in the future a 700 fusion may exist for now let's fly what's available in the 700 platform.

[@raptornest1346]

@rc_fusion Sorry we We'll have to agree to disagree. Yes technology improves., No excuse not to support products you've already put into the market. Listen to what you were saying.. You expect us to pay 500 to a $1000 for a model helicopter, then get left holding the bag when there's a change in technology. ? Are you kidding.... chee I Can still get parts for cars made in the 60s ... Market is catching on to Horizons business model.... Happy flying to all.

[@28EduardoSierra]

On another note horizon hobby looks to possibly work on a new stretch kit for the 480

[@sawyerheslep8493]

K, between these Xl power nimbus 550 Sab goblin 420 Trex 550x dominator Which would u pick for price and parts availability.

[@mangzrc]

Value wise, the T-rex. The 420 is direct drive and kinda in its own class, but if you want ballistic performance and simplicity, the Goblin. The Nimbus would be a great kit if you want to purchase your own electronics.

[@28EduardoSierra]

Parts are easily available too

[@mikedoo3]

The fusion 480 was just on sale for $370 for the kit. That was a red flag for me. Then someone pointed out that the german horizonhobby site shows it discontinued.

[@westhobbiesrc8051]

The fusion 480 is not going anywhere!

[@28EduardoSierra]

Fusion 480 won't be discontinued anytime soon

[@richardbartlett6514]

Trex vs SAB I go with the SAB my trex 470 LM and 600 nx I not liking them do to no parts and kits don't have all the parts

[@neilpro18]

Bought 12 helicopters from blade all discontinued.