For just over $200 you get:
Transmitter
heli (completely assembled!)
battery
charger
and all you need is 8 AA batteries for the transmitter.
You get collective pitch control from -10 to +10 degrees and with a $30 upgrade kit you can fly inverted (ok, so I forgot to mention many many hours of practice)
I got it 3 feet off the ground twice on the first day. The first time I rolled it and it fell sideways and bent the spindle to which the main rotor blades attach. After that, it shimmied at low speeds but I got it back up and into the irises.
That was only 2 feet off the ground. Finally I got it back up again but the bent spindle caused a rotor blade to catch the tail boom when I was slowing up to try and hover... it then fell like a stone. 
Just think, last December I was looking for a gas helo kit and was ready to spend the $700-800 to get it flying. Last week I got a job at a hobby shop and have been eyeballing it since it came in stock. $200 retail is a steal!
