Actually, I made the mistake of getting a Kyosho Nexus 30 Standard Type S (I still have yet to find what the "S" stands for in "Type S"... maybe it means "Standard" again?) as opposed to the Raptor 30, mainly because Tower Hobbies was selling the Nexus 30 in an "ultimate combo" (a combo that contains everything that you need to get started), and I couldn't resist such an incredibly good deal. But, as are most things, this proved to be one of those "you get what you pay for" deals. Don't get me wrong... I mean the Nexus is a fine machine, but let's face it, it's almost as antiquated as its' Concept counterpart. The avatar (the picture that you see to the left) is my way of making myself feel better (in a small way) for making such an incredible mistake.

In any event, I agree: the training gear is definitely a very good thing to have on the helicopter when you're first starting out. I had mine on there for the first... I dunno... couple dozen flights? Eventually though, I realized that I wasn't going to run it into the ground, flip it over, or what have you, so I took off the training gear, and let 'er rip. Can't say that I regret my decision to take off the gear, either. It was holding me back, dag nabbit! Anyway, the breeze looks manageable out there, so I think I'm going to go out, and hope for the best. Let's just hope that all that practice over the winter in RealFlight actually comes out to something, hm?

*Crosses fingers, toes, and all other crossable appendages.*