Best RTF
- Walkera V450D03 6CH RTF
Best Overall
- Blade RC 230 S
Best Budget
- Blade Nano RC Helicopter S3 RTF
Remote-controlled helicopters are a fantastic way to pass some time – whether you have a small model that you can fly through your office on your break or a huge outdoor one that you can use to explore the forest behind your house – there is a lot of fun to be had.
A proper RC helicopter is quite the investment as well, with good models costing a pretty penny. Whatever type of RC flying experience you’re looking for – you can find a good fit on this list! We’ve taken a look at some of the many models out there and assembled the best you could find! So, whether you’re looking to expand an existing collection or find your first top-quality heli, this list will have your back!

Key Features
- Compatible with Devo (ie Devo 7e)
- Can carry a GoPro
- Flies straight out of the box
Specifications
- 6 channel helicopter
- RTF 450 size
- 73x30x20.2cm
This helicopter is one of the most affordable RTF 450’s you can get – and it doesn’t suffer when it comes to performance or capabilities either. As a 6 axis gyro, it’s comparatively easy to fly, and small mistakes won’t put a premature end to your flight. What will, however, are harsh landings – with pretty solid speeds and sharp turns, you’ll want to be careful not to land too hard, as you could end up with a loose gyro or other damages!
It also ships ready and set up, meaning you just need to switch it on, grab the included transmitter and controller, and just like that, you’re ready to fly. There are several different flight modes, with the pre-set one being mode 2. That makes it ideal as a gift or for impatient flyers, as there’s no painful set up before you can start. It’s worth noting this is a big enough helicopter that it can be dangerous to use it indoors – we recommend you take it outside to fly!
- Genuinely ready to fly out of the box
- Large and fast
- Affordable for the size
- Not for beginners
- Difficult to find replacement parts

Key Features
- Full metal case
- Capable of 3D maneuvers
- Dual Brushless ESC
Specifications
- 315g
- 400mm main rotor diameter, 71mm tail rotor diameter
- 40.8×7.2(40)x13.5cm
This is an ideal helicopter for advanced and trick flights. While it can only manage about 9 minutes of flight time (and 3 if you’re doing advanced 3D tricks) it makes for an incredible flight experience. It has lots of features such as support for multiple receiver supports and built-in flight modes. While it is suitable for both indoor and outdoor flights, a lot of tricks do require additional space, so you’re better off tricking outdoors.
You have a lot of settings for the controller when you connect one – between gyro sensitivity, rates, gain, and servo mid-point position (to name just a few) you can truly make your flight experience your own. The M2 is available in yellow, green, red, and purple, all of which have high-quality fibreglass exteriors and carbon fibre tails to go with the all-metal servo cover. It makes for a light but surprisingly sturdy helicopter that can even withstand a few bumpier landings – just don’t overdo it! One minus this model has is that it doesn’t ship RTF – you have to do your own setups before you can see it fly!
- Fantastic build quality
- Truly customisable experience
- Capable of advanced 3D maneuvres
- Not RTF
- No controller in the box

Key Features
- Self-levelling flight modes
- Panic button to avoid crashes
- Composite frame, solid build
Specifications
- 57.91 x 25.15 x 19.05 cm
- 1.81kg
- RTF
The Blade 230 S is an ideal helicopter for beginners. Not only does it have pretty solid support features in the form of a panic button that auto balances the helicopter to avoid crashes – and even if it crashes, the solidly built composite frame is relatively break-resistant, since there are no joints along the tail that would make it prone to snapping. Both the blades and
This helicopter can even do some stunts – however, that is not its main focus, so it’s probably more suited to someone who is just trying to figure things out or get into 3D flights! To this end, it also has some bank angle limits, to avoid as many crashes as possible. It is possible to turn these features off, by switching to one of the other flight modes. In Agility mode, you have full control over the helicopter and do things like barrel rolls and upside-down manoeuvres. In any of the three available modes, you have a panic button that will auto-level the helicopter so you can recover from any misadventures you may find yourself on.
- Great beginner safety features
- Good, solid build resistant to crashes
- Multiple modes for beginners all the way through to expert flyers
- Fewer flight modes and options than comparable models
- Relatively heavy

Key Features
- Integrated telemetry with compatible Spektrum transmitters
- Coreless motors
- 3 flight modes – stability, agility, stability z
Specifications
- RTF
- 20.16×25.65×9.14cm
- 6 channel mode 2 left stick throttle transmitter
This Ready to Fly helicopter is a great choice for both beginners and experienced flyers. It comes with a lot of safety features such as bank angle limits, dampened pitch control and self-levelling features… and they can be turned off by switching to different flight modes for more advanced pilots. Agility mode allows for the near limitless 3D maneuvres that this heli is capable of.
It has a panic recovery function that, when activated, auto levels the heli to prevent crashes. Even when it does crash though, it has a relatively solid and stable polymer and carbon fibre airframe. It easily assembles and disassembles, letting experienced users get to the wires and tech ‘under the hood’ with relative ease. In general, the helicopter is somewhat heavy, but it still manages some pretty admirable flight times and distances.
- RTF out of the box
- Easily accessible parts for customisation, fixes and more
- Affordable for the quality
- Heavy
- Disappointing design
That was our round-up of the best high-end RC helicopters in 2021. Have you recent;y bought a high-end RC helicopter? What sold you on it and what has your experience been with it? Let us know down below.
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