More quadcopter videos

Hey, I'm getting more videos up.  Another from a breaktime office flight, and two flying at home.  I also figured I would try out some new things.  I have started using some of the theme templates for titles, and video filters to give a Halloween feel to them.  I'll be trying different setups to see what I can do.

On the home flights, I used the phone mount from the Glimpse.  It's supposed to be used to monitor the live feed from the Glimpse camera, but since the iOS 10 update (and as of this post) the Glimpse FPV app will not connect to the quad.  And I am not the only one this happens with.  But that's for another post.  I did figure out that I can use it to hold the phone on the transmitter and still record with the main (back) camera.  This does allow me to try and follow the quad as I fly it.  Only problem is that it only works for those quads that I use my Spektrum DX6 radio with.  Well it will give us something different with the camera shots.

And now for the videos!

Blade Inductrix 9-16-2016

Blade Glimpse 9-23-2016

Blade Inductrix 9-23-2016

Happy quadding!

Another round of videos

I just uploaded another set of 3 videos.  Woohoo!  These include some dark time fights (can't really say night time as the Sun was still up outside), and one gets an obstacle.  One of them has some video filtering applied.  I'm trying to get some different looks going, especially for around Halloween.

Blade Inductrix office flight

Blade NanoQX 3D office flight

Estes Proto-X office flight

Some new quadcopter videos

Well I've been a little busy with some work projects and I haven't gotten in much flight time.  What I have been doing is trying to get some of the footage together in to mini videos and uploaded.  I have been flying mostly my micro and smaller quads.  I was flying in the warehouse, but have now moved to flying in my office on my breaktime.

For all of my r/c videos, if you did not already know I am filming and editing on my iPhone.  I would edit on my iPad, but the raw footage is getting recorded at 720p with 120 fps, which the model iPad I have cannot process.  Could this be an excuse to get a newer iPad? Probably, but I could also drop the frame rate down.  We'll see how things go.  Anyways, here are the apps that I have been using:

• ProCam 4 (I was using FiLMiC, but file names were not in standard Apple format.  But then there was an update and now ProCam 4 doesn't save file names in standard Apple format so I may go back)
• Action Movie FX (I love making my r/c's blow up! Well with digital effects that is)
• Pinnacle Studio (of all the video editing apps, this is the best that I have come across)
• Apple iMovie (not as good overall as Pinnacle, but great for making some trailers using templates)
• Exploder Cam (has some simple explosion effects, and a good teleport effect)
• LumaFX (a recent app I came across to change the look of the video)

There are a few others that I have tried in the past, but these are my "go to" apps.  There are a few others that I have downloaded but haven't tried yet.  I'll list them if and when I get to them.

Recently for music, I have been using some video game soundtracks.  I have been using music from the DOOM and Quake franchises, and also some from the DOOM 2005 movie.  I do try to make sure that I give credit to the title that the music is used from.  If I do miss any or get credit wrong, please kindly let me know so I can make corrections.

So to make a long story short (too late!), here are 3 recent uploads.

Blade Inductrix office flight on 8-29-2016

Estes Proto-X office flight on 8-30-2016

Blade NanoQX office flight 9-6-2016

Remember, I do these for fun.  They are me just flying my quads, and trying to film it.  I'm not a super skilled pilot or videographer, but hopefully I will improve.  If you have any recommendations regarding the video side, please kindly let me know.  Right now, I'm just doing whatever I think of at the time.

Have fun and fly safe!

New quadcopter!

Woohoo! I picked up a new quadcopter.  I know, big surprise.  This one is the Dromida Hovershot. Yes I know, it's not an FPV quad.  That will be coming.  This post will be just a quick little first impressions.

Well it seems that I have not been having real good luck with camera drones.  I have 3 other micro camera quads.  The Heli-max 1SQ V-cam, Dromida Kodo, and Blade Glimpse.  I will actually get into these more in other posts, but basically 2 are now discontinued models, and 1 doesn't have a functioning iOS app.

So enter the Hovershot.  Before I actually clicked the purchase button, I verified the motor connection.  The motors have connectors, and are not soldered to the main board like the Dromida Kodo and Verso.  In the manual it actually states to unplug the motors in the sections for changing motors and changing main board.  This is a very big plus for me, and as you may have caught from earlier posts that I am not big on soldering.  So once I verified that, I ordered it.  I received it this past Friday, but it was my anniversary so that took priority.

On Saturday after doing some errands, I unboxed it, charged it, and took it for a quickie.  I was able to connect to the app, and able to record some video and take pictures.  This will now become my main micro camera quad out of the ones that I have.

My first impression is that this is a good micro/beginner camera quad.  You get everything in a nice box that even has a carry handle.  It flies good and everything works.  That's all I will say for right now.  Once I can get in more flight time with it, I'll post up my thoughts.  And last item, here is one of the unboxing pictures.

Happy droning!

Pro-line Racing Ambush

Another thought-time brought to you by, me!  This one is on my Pro-line Racing Ambush 4x4 1:25 Electric Mini Scale Crawler RTR.

Another recent micro crawler to hit the market.  Woohoo!  This is Pro-line's 4 kit offering.  And it has 3 great features going for it:

1. Leaf spring suspension
2. Adjustable speed setting
3. Detailed interior

Well it's not a full interior setup like you would find with a 1/10 RC4WD kit.  It's more like what Axial racing has done with some of their SCX10 bodies like the Wrangler Unlimited, Dingo, and Deadbolt.  And it even has a driver figure molded in.  Very nice.

Instead of a 4-link setup, they went with leaf springs.  While not big on articulation, it still gets over objects very well.  This also helps give it more scale looks.  It definitely shows that small scale crawlers can have a variety of setups.

The adjustable speed setting is done with a switch on the Tx.  It basically seems to limit the throttle end point to 3 specific settings.  With a full battery charge, it emulates having a 3 speed transmission, a little.  You don't get the torque difference with actual gear shifting, but it does give you another setting to change on the fly to help you conquer those obstacles and get around your course.

Jumping back to the scale features.  It has a lot for an r/c truck this size.  The tires are Pro-line's scaled down Flat Irons mounted on Denali wheels.  It would have been nice for them to be actual beadlocks, but that is no reason to turn down this crawler.  It has a nice looking skid plate for the transmission.  The bumpers are simple and clean.  Give me that "no frills" feel.  And everything is mounted to a steel ladder frame chassis.

The electronics are pretty good for an RTR so far.  The Tx isn't too small like the ECX 1/24 Temper and RC4WD 1/18 Gelande II, but it isn't as big as your standard pistol grip Tx either.  It uses a combo ESC and Rx unit.  I'm not usually fond of combo units, but for small scale it make better use of the limited room.  The Rx unit has a spot for another standard servo connetion, and the Tx does have a 3rd channel button.  Would be useful for a light kit to turn off and on.  The battery is a 7.4v 25C 350mAh with a hard case.  It has a proprietary connection (or maybe it is one used somewhere else), but either way you need to use the included USB charger.  The steering is handled by a Pro-line branded micro servo, but no details yet on if it is metal gear and what the actual performance specs are.  But since it is a standard 3-wire servo, this can be swapped out for the micro servo of your choice.  The motor is a Pro-line branded micro torque brushed motor, and again no specs on the motor itself at this time.

The body is a generic SUV in the style of their old CGR bodies, and looks nice.  A very good choice for this little truck.  In the box they did include some alternate color scheme stickers so we do get to customize a little right out of the box,  The body is mounted using Velcro.  I personally like this choice as I don't have to mess with tiny body clips.  And it helps give the body a cleaner look.

The axles are worm gears.  Great for keeping the truck still when on an incline.  Though not scale, they do have a scale feature.  The axles have diff covers.

Another item included in the package is a nice little scale terrain piece.  This is actually nice.  It gives you an obstacle to start out with.  And it doubles for a nice picture set.

Overall, this is an excellent micro crawler.  The only down side that I have with it is the suspension.  While the leaf springs certainly give it scale performance, having 4-link would be nice.  But again that is just my opinion, and not a deal breaker by any means.  The only other item (and not really a down side) is on the reference to its scale.  They call it 1/25, but it appears bigger than the Losi Micro 1/24 Trail Trekker.  But whatever the actual scale is, it still looks great.

Of all of the micro crawlers that I have that are still available, I recommended this one.  It is a little pricey, but is the best overall with the Losi Micro crawlers are no longer available.  There are a few other micro crawlers out there, but I haven't picked up them so I can't really give any useful thoughts on them.

I do hope that this becomes a big hit.  I would love Pro-line and other companies to release accessories, upgrades, and optional parts and bodies for this truck.  Make it the SCX10 of the micro size.  Let's do this, people!

Happy crawling!

RC4WD Gelande II 1/18

Thought-time again!  This time on my RC4WD 1/18 Gelande II RTR with D90 body set.

This is my first RC4WD (I pronounce it r/c four wheel drive) kit.  These guys are known for some high scale looking kits with a bit of a price to match.  The bodies are hard plastic, so they tend to be very damage susceptible.  This is a bit of an odd one as the body is 1/18, but the chassis is 1/24 scale.

When it was announced, I knew I would be picking it up.  I am a sucker for small scale, especially crawlers.  I was lucky enough to get an early one that included the LiPo alarm module.  The body is only available in black, but I believe it is paintable.  It has a metal frame, beadlock wheels, and very scale axles: front is off-set and rear is center.  This is something that I have wanted Axial Racing to do with their scale crawlers, and wish that more scale crawler kits had this.  Another feature it has is that instead of a typical transmission, the transmission is actually a transfer case with the motor mounted to it.  It is different, and is another item that sets this kit apart from other small scale crawlers.

Performance wise, it does decent.  For having a lot of metal, it is a little under powered.  Also it doesn't have drag break or worm gear axles.  Something that is sorely needed.  But with having a 1/18 scale body, that does give you some room to work with on upgrading the electronics.  I would love to find a micro sized speed control with drag break, and a stronger motor.  Otherwise to get over some obstacles, you need to back up and get a run at it and just use speed to get you through it.  Just on the performance that it does have I would recommend this over the ECX 1/24 Temper.

Some weekend ago I let a couple of my nephews drive it.  It did take a beating.  The only damage was one of the side mirrors got bent, and ended up breaking off.  So this truck can handle a bit of a beating.  But since I say I am an r/c basher, no worries.  If it isn't breaking, you aren't bashing.  Ha ha!

If it wasn't for 2 other small scale crawlers being recently released, I would be planning on picking up another.  I do hope they keep this one around for a long time, as I would like to get another.

Happy crawling out there!

Orlandoo Hunter

It's thought-time on the Orlandoo Hunter 1/35 trail crawler kit.

That's right.  A 1/35 scale r/c crawler kit.  I had seen postings of this when it was first teased, and have wanted to get it ever since.  I finally decided to pick it a few months back, and went with the electronics combo package.  The only thing I needed to supply is the Tx/Rx and battery charger, which I already had.

This is more of an r/c model.  To get it to look really good you need to take your time, and also paint/detail it up, much like a static model.  I don't do models, and yet this was mostly a joy to assemble.  The only real pain was mounting the ball studs for the upper links to the chassis.  And I couldn't find any full/complete assembly videos.  I did find one set of assembly videos, but as luck would have it they left this step out.  I can't remember who it was, but I was not happy with them.  The video had them assembling the links, and then the next shot they were mounted to the chassis.  And I was like "What the hell, dude!"  I guess I can't complain too loudly as I didn't video my assembly of that step either (or any of the assembly).  But how I got them mounted was definitely NOT the right way (it involved some CA glue).

I finally got it all assembled and electronics mounted.  Guess what I used for the Tx/Rx?  My Spektrum DX6 and 6-channel receiver.  Let me tell you that is major radio overkill for this tiny little truck.  It is assembled, but I have not detailed it.  I think I am just going to leave it as is for a *basher* version.  If not for my difficult time mounting the upper links to the chassis, I would be ordering another combo kit to try and detail up.  I may still do it, but we shall see.  There are other crawlers and quads that I want to pick up too.

Driving it is fun.  The combo package I picked up had the higher turn brushed motor.  This means that it drives slow.  Very slow.  The other challenge is that with it being so small, you really need to think about what obstacles to put in it's way.  And even with these items (and assembly challenge) I would still recommend this over the ECX 1/24 Temper to any r/c hobbyist.

I just recently learned that they have released a new crawler: Orlandoo 1/35 EP Scale Crawler Assembly Kit w/ Wrangler Body #OH35A01-KIT.  It has a ladder frame, which appears to be easier assembly.  So I will definitely be picking this one up.  Maybe a little holiday gift for myself?  Ha ha.

Happy crawling!

ECX Temper 1/24

Oh boy.  Here we go with these thoughts.  I don't like to talk negative about products too much, but here it is.

When I first heard that ECX was releasing the 1/24 Temper, I was very excited.  My first thought was "Cool! They're bringing back their version of the Losi McRC!"  My second thought was "Awesome looking body!  I finally have another body choice for my McRC!"

Turns out I wrong, and semi-right.

At first glance (and for the price), it sees like this would be a low budget McRC replacement.

It isn't.

Looking closer, the first difference is that the links of the 4-link suspension are not setup the same.  The lower links are reverse triangulated when compared to the McRC.  The Temper is narrow at the axles and wide at the transmission.  Looking at my other crawlers (SCX10, Venom Creeper, Trail Trekker, McRC), they are all wide on the axles and narrow at the transmission.  Because of this, they have better articulation.  To fix this, you could pick up a front/rear axle setup from the Losi McRC or Micro Trail Trekker.  If you can find them that is, as both of the rigs have been discontinued.  And either an McRC transmission mount, or attempt to mount the transmission side of the lower links in more.

The next problem with the Temper is that.  It.  Is.  Slow.  I mean really slow.  Slower than the McRC stock.  Slower than the Pro-line Racing Ambush on low speed. The transmissions look similar comparing the McRC and Temper exploded views.  So I'm guessing the transmission gearing is different, it could be the gearing in the axles, or it could be a combination of both.  I really don't feel like doing a tear down just to confirm this.

The third problem is that the radio is NOT Spektrum compatible.  Since both ECX and Spektrum are under the Horizon Hobby umbrella, I feel this is a big miss on their part.  I personally feel that all Horizon Hobby brands that use 2.4 GHz should be Spektrum compatible.  Otherwise why do you have a decent 2.4 GHz radio brand that you choose to NOT put in your r/c models?  Us hobbyists love having options.

As for the body.  It can be used on the McRC, but new holes are needed.  Apparently ECX didn't want to make the body mounts with the same spacing.  I may still try to pick one up and see what happens anyways.

The one good thing about this is that it does have a slightly longer wheel base, which should give it better stability over the stock McRC.  My McRC is not stock on electronics and a few other items so I cannot make a fair assessment on this.

My overall assessment is that this is good for a first time crawler for, like, the first battery run.  After that, it becomes apparent that this has very limited crawling ability.  Poor articulation, really slow speed, and non Spektrum compatibility for those that have a favorite surface Spektrum radio.  I don't fully regret getting it, as I will still drive it occasionally.  And I can let my younger nephews have fun with it.  That is until they see the ones that I drive.  You can try to make this a capable micro crawler, but I recommend picking up the RC4WD Gelande II 1/18 or Pro-line Racing Ambush instead.  They do cost more than twice as much, but they are more fun and a lot more capable.  I even recommend the Orlandoo Hunter over the ECX Temper 1/24.

Happy crawling!