When it comes to the smaller kits, anything under a 300X. There is going to be some give and take. You have to look at the risk vs reward for yourself.
I think that at your current state any collective pitch heli will fit the bill. Every micro heli will teach you more than you know. Youll learn the importance of maintenance, most micros need a lot of tlc. Youll learn pre flight checks, which on a micro can make or break your will to fly. You will also learn how to fly.
Whats up with all the microheli upgrades? For some its purely for the ability to say they have hop ups on their kits, others its for performace and lastly for some it both. Most beginners will not need any hop ups. Unless your pushing the frame to its limit you will not see any negative tendencies. That whole thing that Tony showed about the t150, good news is unless you can piro flips with hard reversals, a hard aileron loop or any hard tail maneuver you may never see an issue with the loose tail.
In the end do some homework and take into account others experiences. One may have a great outlook on a certain kit while other will be just the opposite.
In the end i think a 130X, T150, Nano or mcpx brushless will suite your needs just fine in stock mode. Then as you get better you can slowly invest in the functional hop ups.
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