Need to state that this quadcopter is a clone of the Curtis Youngblood Stingray 500. I was unaware of the Stingray when I made this video (sorry for the "unique" statement).
Quadcopter 101 Another honest review, thanks. I was really curios how this flies. Curtis really deserves royalties paid but based on your review and shaky camera view I don't think Curtis has too much to worry about. It looks like a Stingray 500 but it doesn't seem to fly like one. I was really impressed by Curtis's FPV video using the Stingray 500 that had a stable camera view and seemed a lot more refined and less "truck like". But the reference frame created for orientation from the view of the pilot is outstanding IMO.... really nice to see the horizon like that. From what I understand and recall Curtis's father was the brains behind the flight controller and it took quite a bit of work and collaboration where I'm sure years of experience winning helicopter championships laid the groundwork to get it right using collective pitch and a single motor. But this is quite a step away from the light weight quads you normally review and was glad to see it. In retrospect I think the small RC multi-copters are great news for the RC hobby as for FPV all you really need is to get the camera in the air on something fast that handles good and it seems like the hexs are worth it for the extra flight time they provide and getting a lot better. Liked your review on the X600, just wish it had an option to use a better TX which is just as important as the machine in control IMO. BTW... I went to replace the FCB in the U807 with an Spektrum compatible FCB from a NanoQX and noticed a solder point that looked cold so resoldered it and it seemed to fix it but could have been applying the heat as well so can't say I trust it yet. It has a noticeable hesitation on takeoff when cool after binding but after the first lift off the hesitation goes away and since no one else has reported that I'm am going to change tips and resolder another couple of spots and see if that helps as I might have missed the one that actually needs it and heat expansion is closing a gap, but at least I got to fly it and get a reference for how it flies which is quite good although the low resolution TX takes getting used to (yuc) and will still try the NanoQX FCB on it so I can use a good programmable TX with it. Surprisingly the NanoQX has 11ms servo timing to take advantage of a DX9/18 as well as a longer flight range RX in testing than the HH Delta Ray which uses a dual antenna. It's amazing how many other quads the little QX's FCB is being used on and think the low pitch of the U807's props should work better that others in use but feel humbled as without knowing I'd say you'll fry it's tiny footprint but it seems to survive the extra current and if its not getting warm then all should be well with resistance so I'll see for myself. Blade should come out with a programmable FCB for brushed motors since they seem to be dragging their feet on improving the 180QX I've been waiting on for the back yard. Blade seems to have dropped the ball with the Nano QX too. They should have upgraded to 7mm motors keeping sales up with the original concept when it was new and hot off the press before being copied and surpassed in many regards needing lights and better outside performance. Inside I don't think anything has really passed up it's good manners but after an hour flying inside I just wanted to take it outside and give it some space. Would like to see a review on TX's available and your impression on resolution as well as range.
Quadcopter 101, you are my first person to go to for a "Complete, informative, honest and entertaining" review of any RC device. You have the unique gift of being able to demonstrate a particular device with a captivating degree of professionalism along with a relaxed feeling of leisure..... for that I thank you very much for the information, entertainment and what you do.
I have one of these and it is a KEEPER! These fly very well and yes, I've done 3D flying with it. The control system just automagically flips everything for you when the copter is upside down so you don't have to worry about flying backwards into a mirror image! If you like mechanics and drones, THIS is THE copter for you. btw, mine was $161.05 special price in Nov., 2017. Some say this must be an example of British over-engineering. These were $688 at some websites and still online today, crazy!
I would like to thank you for all of your reviews. I'm a beginner drone flyer. I'm learning a lot from you. I hope one day I'm able to fly a drone like you. With practice I will be able to. pleased continue doing reviews.
It is probably designed to feel more like a collective pitch helicopter rather than an fpv drone so it will be less responsive and will get more time to do fast transistions/direction changes but it has a good top speed and carries it's momentum well that you have to manage your throttle and pitch to keep it in the air as it is doing it's thing..
Daniel J, that is a very good question. Can't see why not. A single little nitro motor and a large gas tank, and this thing could probably fly for quite some time. Maybe much longer than a battery could do?
Not sure if anyone else mentioned, the switch on the right is Throttle Hold (cuts power to motor) might be what you mean by Lock/Unlock. If you are familiar with regular helicopters Throttle Hold is what you hit when you are testing swash limits (binding) or right before/after you crash to minimize damage!
I know it's Easier said then done but you should focus on learning to fly rate/manual/carp mode, once you do you will never want to go back. It's far more organic feeling, not to mention the obvious advantage of massive control improvement. Self level is essentially fighting your inputs the entire time. Just a friendly recommendation. I learned to fly acro in about a month, I'm very happy I did.
Wow ... what a behemoth! Might get a back ache just picking it up ;-) Kind of a pain having to "dis-robe" it every time you want to fly it. Not sure I like all those shafts and belts either, but, as you say, it IS different. I'm sure it's very acrobatic ... in the right hands. The learning curve might be pretty steep. Anyway, enjoyed the review as usual ... great to see new things like this. Cheers.
Funny you mention the V383 fly's like a truck. If you think about it it is kind of like a truck. Remember the old international 800-A Scout. it had full posi front and rear in four wheel drive. Which is pretty much what your flying. full posi on all four props.
I've seen this before. Would make a good 3D quad for my RC club. It will have to wait. I'm focusing on the sailplanes. Have my eye on the Hubsan H301S.
Here's a link to a video of this particular quadcopter (WLToys V383) being pushed to some extremes.... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qTaW2MBcIxs.html The way it flies seems unreal, almost as if it shouldn't be able to do what it's doing......
so which one would you recommend?? this V383 or a walkera runner 250...i will be buying one or the other...i love the acrobatics...but that runner 250 with FPV would be awesome also
Looks cool,interesting design and probably good for windy days, but because of all the mechanical complication, I think I'd rather just fly a helicopter
Hi, great review. I have purchased one of these from Banggood and unfortunately had a crash and the arms are now bent. Great machine but not for beginners. I was wondering if you had any idea where I could find spare parts so I can fix it? Banggood don't seem to sell parts, just the machine.
the switch on the right is throttle hold if it works like the nano 3d qx it stops the motor from spinning you need that for some manuevers i "think" i crashed it more then flew it in 3d so i stopped trying haha
I don't think those are swash plates, as I don't think you control the cyclic of each rotor. Although I haven't seen one up close yet, I am pretty sure you are ONLY controlling the pitch of each of the props individually, and not the cyclic, so there for not a swash plate.
Not sure what exactly you are asking. But the control would be just pitch, changing the pitch of the props, the pitch will be the same through the full 360 degree rotation of the prop. Whereas cyclic control allows for pitch to change but at a different rate throughout the 360 degrees. Not sure if that makes sense, hope it helps.
Austin, I got the 808 #16 V3 with D lens camera here www.banggood.com/808-NO_16-HD-120-Degree-Mini-Camera-Module-7g-p-82197.html?p=RB0922217402201307U3
that is not the way you test the flight time of a $330 quadcopter. you should fly for about 3 minutes, land and use a battery tester on the balance plug to see what the voltage per cell is. you don't want to fly the battery below 3.7 volts per cell or you will destroy the battery, copter, or both.
Total clone of the stingray except the stingray's bands do not move at all in the wind. those look to need to be tighter. Not a beginner's quad at all, full 3D functions and is huge, insurance worthy huge!!!!
Not from me. I don't have the skill for that. It would be in pieces my first try. But here's the man that can ;-) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XCMsJKoTyHQ.html
Hey I recently got interested in quad copters and I enjoy them a lot, I'm a beginner and I want to buy a quad that I can use indoors any recommendations, I had a jjrc H8 mini that i truly adore but I broke it, should I buy another jjrc h8 mini?
Minecraft360stuff Here's a micro that I really like for flying both indoors and outdoors ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nJcuuqMYol0.html
Minecraft360stuff But if you want to stay in the nano sized, this one is the best flier ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5gpwRHj-eDo.html
I know it has the same shape and its legs can move up and down. But other than that, nothing really impressive about it. Not sure that I will review it.
do you really think cp quads are for newbies. these are for experts who fly extremely fast quads because collective pitch quads are extremely fast and very twitchy to deal with
Mojave Desert near Ridgecrest California. This particular site is the Ridgecrest RC Flying Field flyingsocal.com/flying-fields/kern-county/ridgecrest-rc-flying-field/
Quadcopter 101 When you said lets go to high speed, I haven't really done high speed yet. I wasn't sure if previously you simply didn't give it full forward pitch or if there was a third rate of speed. Thanks for clearing that up. By the way, you're bringing back viewers who think they've already graduated from mini quads. With the amount of viewers you have; might as well expand, I think it's great. Thank you.
+Quadcopter 101 could you recommend from ones you tested that would be the best under 500 that I go throw a gimbal and gopro on . I do still photography as it is now looking to try dramatic video that these can capture I am from NYC region.
mike ricky and since your from NYC, please please please don't be this guy. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_U8iHn_2l0U.html If you're new to this hobby, learn to fly first with something cheaper, lighter, safer, such as Syma X5C ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-y93vzA-KRlM.html
thx for the review-vid.. to get an idea of center of view, - is this product a free product with the promise if s sharesale link, or have you put 400 dollars of own money.. Hence the fact ' I doubt that anybody would put 400dollars behind a 1-motored-quadcopter if it aint was the (collective pitch) 3d-factor that was center of stage.. one motor setup on these CP-quads, got there pro and cons ' but kudos for the approach, of "lets see what this button does", but then again on a very fragile 400 bucks collective pitch machine, where theres close too no parts atm, it will very fast be 400 bucks out the drain and useless quad on the wall. if its a free-china-gift from Gearbest, with a sharesalelink in mind, it make sense the loose approach, but if its 400 of your own money, be carefull, and perhaps test the 3D factor on a high-grassy field, or a mark where there some buffer to help with the impact ' if you literally floor it, thats quite common for new 3d pilots, ref the negative feature..
+Jakob H. As shown in the beginning of the video, it is a "courtesy" quadcopter from GearBest.com (meaning free sample for review purposes). But have been practicing 3D flying in baby steps with my Walkera Runner, and plan to do the same with this. But your point is very valid. This by no means is a quadcopter for new pilots. And even experienced pilots should approach flying 3D mode with caution.
Curtis Youngblood & Co. should get one of these, analyze the controller board electronics, and RE-reverse engineer the controller's code to see how blatant they were when they stole his work. Not that he'd be able to do anything about it other than MAYBE getting its importation banned although their cost in getting that done probably isn't worth it based upon the probable level of sales of their Stingray 500. Just for the irony, they should use a China-based service: www.break-ic.com/ Everything they make, We can break! World first mcu hack company Reversed tens of thousands of chips Copied thousands of pcbs
Here, let's watch the Godfather of quadcopters show us how it's done (this takes a lot of skill and practice) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GdOgFEZvizY.html
hi there you could also mention that the machine is cheaply build, which is an aspect of flight safeness. One motor for 4 propellers is already a challenge. And WLTOYS Weili is very well known to save money on all components. The belts & connectors and the motor ( which is quickly overheating ) are a joke for such an aggressive machine. The RTF radio is set to fail already. It is so miserably made and has already a history of failures. Look WLTOYS Weili radio teardowns and you will believe me as a foreign designer living in China for a very long time. Luckily you are flying in a desert area and not in urban structures. The real domestic competitor for the WEILI 伟力 aka WLTOYS is the 3DQ-S1 from 艾锐泰 aka AERITECH www.aeritech-uav.com / here are the Youku videos for you to compare: 1. v.youku.com/v_show?id?XODczODcyNjQ4.html?from=s1.8-1-1.2 2. v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTMzMjUzMjczNg==.html?from=y1.7-1.2#paction 3. v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTIODA2MDk1Ng==.hmtl?from=y1.7-1.2 the machine is actually better build then the WEILI. WEILI always tend to be cheapishly cheap builds and knockoffs from domestic and international builds - you can see their radios / gruesome !!!. AERITECH distributes 2 versions of 3DQ-S1 machine. The Sport version is more powerful. It is locally more expensive, cause they try also to establish and mark up an 'own' flight controller ( which is actually also a copy of a well known OPEN SOURCE flight controller ) :-( It is a also a joker company when u see that they write ' copyright ... ' on the controller housing. So finally my suggestion: dump them and support only OPEN SOURCE & OPEN INFO and of course any originals like the STINGRAY. Nothing against making some bucks with affiliate share link sales, but also need to know with whom you are finally doing business and support their distribution. In my eyes the wrong guys. Herri ALL CREDITS go to Curtis Youngblood who is an awesome pilot, sportsman and creator. Hatsup.
Morning, very impressive. I saw the Youngblood demonstrated on FlightTest (WOW) here is the link if anyone want to see the aerobatics that it can do. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TnGhEInTXYc.html Glad to see that you are reviewing different styles and types of multi rotors. Thanks for the video and have fun with that.
sadly I'm trying to have GearBest deal with handling a return but they want to charge more to return shipping and then use the remaining funds to purchase another but not honor the price I purchased at of $99 so the experience of this fun little toy- is costing more and more- curently $126 gearbest- #gearbest crap for customer service
Alexander Gao Yeah, a couple years back Hubsan got so mad at the WLToys clone of their H107L (WLToys V252), that there was a period there that they'd refuse to supply any vendor which sold the V252. The V252's ended up on eBay and AliExpress sold by these same vendors under different names ;-)
I thought, that the V383, was fast??? Stingray 500 That's a racing quadcopter for about 380.00 dollars, yes... A few spec's... Flight time: 6-810 minutes Charging time: 60-80 minutes Control distance: 200-500m
+BIGGBULLxxx No. Not at all. This would be dangerous in the hands of a new flier. I always recommend the Syma X5C for beginner fliers, due to its excellent stability, durability, and ease of flying. And it even has a camera too. Use it to learn the basics of flight with. Let this cheap quadcopter take the inevitable crashes and bangs of a beginner flier. And if you break it, every part on it is cheap, widely available, and easily replaceable. Later as your flying skills improve and you're not crashing as much, then consider something better/more expensive. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-y93vzA-KRlM.html