The second I saw this little buggy announced I knew I had to have one. I had the original JRX2 back in 1990, and followed it up with a JRXT as soon as they were released. I pre-ordered this little guy the day of announcement, and it arrived on my door step yesterday afternoon. I'm very happy to say that it did not disappoint.

I have a few plans for it in the near future, but I will be keeping it brushed, and true to its retro roots. Check out the pics below, and stay tuned for some running video, and a few upgrades. For those interested you can order one of three different paint schemes at Horizon here....Continue Reading

Finally finished printing my NBD Bee Vault. Body and lid are printed in Rainbow Silk and the Inserts are printed in Black Silk. There are numerous options for inserts, and I chose to go with the options for one brushed Whoop, and one brushless Whoop plus batteries, spare props etc. I love the design and the way the lid locks.

.stl files can be had here on My Mini Factory for anyone wanting to print one.

Small update to my 59mm brushless nano. Switched over to a Mob6 canopy, and plastic hardware which led to almost a 2 gram weight reduction. Also decided to try out the HQ tri blade props. Love ripping this thing around the house.

Full build details can be seen on RotorBuilds here.

Finally got everything in to finish my 2S Ion build. Really like this R3D Shifters frame. I'm currently running 0802 16,000kv motors but I have some 1102's on the way. I'll feel better knowing the motor shafts are 1.5mm instead of the 1mm shafts of the 0802 motors.

This little kwad performs very well and is probably my new favorite park flyer. Check out the pics, and stay tuned for some flight footage.

Full build details can be seen here.

I was bored of flying my HappyModel Cine8 so I started looking for a higher performance frame to transplant all of the Cine8 elecs into. I came across this AlphaRC Fi-115 frame and decided to give it a shot. I'm very happy to say that everything went together smoothly, and that this little Kwad is night and day different now than when it was a Cine8.

The only thing you will need to do this transplant aside from the elecs are two m2 standoffs to mount the vTX on top of the FC. There isn't enough room behind the AIO to mount it in the back.

On 3s with the Gemfan 65mm props this thing is a rocket compared to the Cine8 and is much more freestyle capable. Between the larger props, and the nearly 30 gram weight reduction it is a complete transformation and is a lot more fun to fly. Check out the pics and stay tuned for some flight video.

Recently received a JJRC H95 "airplane" and it inspired me to make use of an old unfinished Guillows Piper Cub 95 that I built the air frame for a few years back. It fly's but it struggles to generate enough lift with the small props I have on it.

Doing some research now for some larger props that will fit the 1mm shaft of the 8520 motors. If I can get it to generate more lift I will put a small AKK AIO camera/vTX combo in it for some FPV flights.

Used an old Boldclash B03 Pro FC in it that I had sitting on the bench, and harvested the battery bay from an old Eachine E010 frame that had the correct mounting hole in it for the FC. A little bit of hot glue later and voila!

New life for an old school Kwad.

JJRC JJPRO P175 on a diet! Removed the motor guards/landing legs. Replaced the huge stock receiver with an RX2A Pro micro receiver, changed the stock vTX antenna out for a Lollipop and replaced the old school bullnose bi-blade props with Gemfan 4032 Windancer tri-blade props. Nearly a 45 gram weight reduction so far.

Next phase is to replace the stock camera and vTX with more modern micro equivalents which should easily knock off another 30-40 grams. The weight reduction so far has already made it fly great for almost 4 minutes on 850mah Tattu 4s batteries. Almost the same flight times as the stock 1300mah 3s battery with an incredible improvement in overall performance.

Happy flying my friends!

Will update after phase 2 is complete.

Been wanting something to carry around an Insta360 for a little while now. Saw this HappyModel Cine8 and figured for the price I'd give it a shot. Build is really straight forward and super easy since there's no soldering required. The included assembly instructions leave quite a bit to be desired, but it's simple enough to figure out how it all goes together.

The flight controller arrives configured for props out, so if you assemble it with the motors with the red dots on the connectors as motors two, and three then you won't have to change motor directions in BLHeli. The Whoop feels really solid once assembly is complete. The 1202.5 8000kv motors are also quite smooth and on the included 3s Tattu battery there is plenty of power on tap.

I've only had a chance to get a couple quick flights on it so far, but I'm pretty impressed with how well it flies. It doesn't feel quite as heavy in the air as I was expecting, and I'm confident that it will be able to get some great footage with the Insta360 on it. I'll update this after I've spent more time flying it....Continue Reading

Just finished this build today. Used this frame available on Armattan. 1-2s BetaFPV F4 FC, 0802 22,000kv ball bearing motors, NewBeeDrone AZI quad blade props, and a NewBeeDrone Goober canopy with an Inductrix AIO camera mounted in it.. This thing is a little ripper and handles great! Immediately became my favorite new micro for backyard and indoor flying.

New toy in the house! Let's take a look at this ZD Racing Rocket S16 1/16 brushless ready to run touring/drift car.

I'll start off by saying that I'm pretty impressed with the build quality of this little car considering its $109 price tag. The RTR package can be purchased from HobbyMate here.

The car is equipped with an aluminum chassis, aluminum shock towers, and an aluminum top plate. You also get a 30A brushless ESC/receiver unit and a 2435 3300kv brushless motor. A 2.4ghz radio, a 1500mah 2s LiPo battery, and an AC charger are also included in the package. The only thing you need to add are two AA batteries for the radio. Speaking of the radio it has dual rate for the throttle channel so that top speed can be adjusted for those that are just learning to drive.

Another feature that I really like is that the car is equipped with LED underbody lights that give the car a very cool glow, especially when driving in low light situations.

I have only had the chance to get a quick run with the car out in my driveway so far, but I can say it is very peppy. I'll get it out again today and get some running video and get it posted this afternoon. In the meantime check out the pics, ask any questions you might have, and stay tuned for more info....Continue Reading

Big shout out to WeBleedFPV for the new gate and swag bag. This gate is awesome! Get yours from WeBleedFPV here. Check out the pics, and quick demo video. Flight video, and DVR footage coming soon!

WeBleedFPV LED Whoop Racing Gate Quick Demo (0 min 9 sec)

If you enjoy flying brushed whoops, then by all means grab one of these NewBeeDrone DSM Honey Pots before they're all gone. For $20 plus shipping you get everything needed to put together a complete DSMX/DSM2 BNF Whoop. You will receive a BeeBrain V2 Betaflight FC with 25mw vTX, and BeeEye camera, a Cockroach frame, a set of BDR Black Edition motors, and a set of Azi props. Just build, bind, set up Betaflight, and fly! No soldering required.

Here's a couple pics of my build. DVR footage coming soon.

Here's another Whoop build. Can never have too many Whoops! This one is a bit of a Franken Whoop. It has a Blade Inductrix FPV Plus flight controller, and camera combo mounted in a NewBeeDrone Cockroach frame and Goober canopy. Props are NBD Azi, and motors are Tiny Whoop Special Sauce.

This little Whoop is an excellent flier, and has become one of my go to Whoops for buzzing around the house and ripping around the backyard. Here's a few pics. Video, and DVR footage coming soon.

EDIT 6/23/2020 FPV Maiden Flight

BumbleWhoopDuctrix Franken Whoop Build FPV Maiden (1 min 22 sec)

Had a set of NOS Sauce motors that needed put to use so figured it was time to slap together another Whoop With this build I decided to go with an NBD Cockroach frame, and Goober canopy bundle.

I also had an older BeeCore F3 flight controller just sitting in my drawers so in it went. While I was ordering the frame and canopy I thought I might as well try out some of NBD's Azi props, and I also grabbed a few Nitro Nectar 250mah HV batts since they were on sale.

Just finished getting it set up in Betaflight, and got the batteries all charged up so now it's time to take it out for a maiden flight. Video, and DVR footage coming soon.

EDIT-6/9/2020 LOS maiden flight video

NBD NewBeeDrone Whoop Build LOS Maiden Flight (1 min 42 sec)

This post will be a running log of my adventures with the Volantex SR48 brushless boat. I will keep this thread updated with my mods, upgrades etc. as I look to improve performance, and customize the look of the boat.

This awesome little boat can be had on eBay here from MrBenMois of Mois Family Tech (MFT) for under $100 shipped to your door.

Here is a quick video of my first run with the boat in box stock form. Stay tuned for more info, pics, and vids

Volantex SR48 3s Brushless Boat First Run (1 min 44 sec)

Another quick run. The flex shaft has now been soaked in CowRC Moo-Slick. Next run will be with an upgraded prop so stay tuned.

Volantex SR48 Brushless RTR Electric Speed Boat (1 min 57 sec)

...Continue Reading

With spring right around the corner I figured it was time to put together a new backyard bird. 1S Whoops are my favorite for my small half acre backyard, and my old Beta75 has quite a few miles on it so I decided to start this spring with a fresh build.

I was hoping to put together a couple new Whoops with my current budget, so the hunt for some inexpensive parts began. I came across this frame on Amazon that included a set of props for only $5.99 so in the cart it went. RCG member KadosMicroMotors recently had a big sale on some Whoop parts, so I was able to get some new BetaFPV 0703 15000kv motors from him for quite cheap in the RCG classifieds. Control is handled by a BetaFPV F4 1-2s AIO and camera/vTX is an AKK A5 on this 3D printed mount from Thingiverse. I power all of my Whoops with GNB batteries, and this one like my other 75mm is running on these 450mah 1S batts.

Everything went together butter smooth, and last nights indoor maiden was a success! Now I just need to beat the incoming snow storm and get it outside for a real flight, and some DVR footage.

Oh yeah! This one should be lots of fun! The L6082 Air Genius 3 in 1 Tiny Whoop Drone, Whoover, Glider is a complete ready to run package that gives you the option of flying a quadcopter, driving a mini hovercraft, or piloting a micro airplane.

The package includes everything you need to get flying, or hovering except 4 AA batteries for the transmitter. They even include 2 flight batteries to keep the fun going longer, with less down time.

One very nice surprise for me was to see that they also include 4 wings. As someone that already owns a bunch of Whoops, and Drones my biggest interest in this model was the idea of having a plane that I could fly around in the house. Extra wings gives me the confidence to push the limits a bit without worry of being grounded due to a hard crash.

Check out the pics, and first glider mode flight video. More info and videos coming soon.

These currently on sale on Amazon here for only $19.99 with free 2 day shipping for Prime members.

L6082 Air Genius 3 In 1 Tiny Whoop Whoover Glider First Flight (1 min 26 sec)

Edit-1/17/2020

Quick outdoor flight in glider mode.

L6802 Air Genius 3 In 1 Glider Mode Outdoor Flight (2 min 41 sec)

...Continue Reading

If you're like me and you're flying FPV with some older Fat Shark goggles, and would like a quick, easy, affordable way to add a DVR to record your flights with, then check out the Makerfire Mini DVR. This little DVR has a built in battery, so there is no need to connect it to an external power source. This makes it perfect for attaching to FPV goggles that don't already have a DVR.

The problem I have seen some people have with these DVRs is that they aren't out of the box compatible with Fat Shark goggles, or other brands of goggles that use a standard A/V 3.5mm plug configuration. Why they manufactured it like this is beyond me, however, it is a very easy fix.

In the images below you will see that the signal order of the cable included with the DVR has the ground, and video lines reversed when compared to the plug configuration needed for our Fat Shark goggles.

The fix is to simply cut the included cable in half (or shorter like I did). Since you will be splicing the cable back together anyway now is a good time to adjust the length to fit your needs.

Now that you have the ends of your cable open you will need to strip the 4 individual wires inside enough to allow you to solder (or crimp if you prefer) them back together. This time however you will reverse the red, and black wires, and connect them red to black, and black to red. This will put the ground, and video signal wires in the correct order on the plug for proper communication when plugged into your...Continue Reading

The idea for this build was to create something that resembled the ever popular Stormtroopers, and be a build that would be great for flying through my tight basement Whoop course. Since I already have a couple brushless, and 716 powered Whoops, I figured for this one I'd go a slightly different route and do a 615 build.

This is the end result, and I like to call it the Stormwhooper With the 17500kv motors, and the NBD Venom bi-blade props it's just about the perfect speed for the size of my course.

My camera arrived DOA so I'm waiting on the replacement to get here from Amazon. I'll update with a couple pics once it is here and installed.

The Stormtrooper (if you can call it that) helmet canopy is just some bits of 3M vinyl I cut and stuck on there

The Kwad is built on the RakonHeli 64mm Frame. Control is handled by a BetaFPV Silverware FC. Power comes from CrazePony 615 17,500kv motors, and NewBeeDrone Venom bi-blade props. The canopy is just a basic BetaFPV canopy, and it will be housing a TurboWing Cyclops 25mw AIO Cam/VTX. I mount the camera and VTX in my Whoop builds using these 3D printed mounts.

Here are some pics. I will get some flight video and DVR footage as soon as I can. Happy Flying!!...Continue Reading

I recently slapped together a 716 powered 65mm brushed Whoop running Silverware firmware for buzzing around my house/basement Whoop course this winter. Figured I'd share the build for anyone looking to do something similar. Santa filled my stocking with all sorts of Whoop related goodies this Christmas, so I'll have a couple more Whoop builds coming soon. They will all be running Silverware, but will have different frames, motors, and props, in order to keep their flying characteristics a bit different from one another.

The little Kwad is built on a BetaFPV Evil Sleek Frame, and Canopy combo. It is running a BetaFPV Silverware Flight Controller, Tiny Whoop Bald Eagle Sauce 19,100kv 7x16mm motors, and Gemfan 31mm props. For camera/VTX duties it is running the BetaFPV Z02 AIO camera and M01 25mw VTX with OSD.

Don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have. Here are some pics.

Edit-1/2/2020 Here is some DVR footage of a quick maiden flight. I still need to make a few settings changes in the DVR. I just got this Makerfire Mini DVR modified to work with my Fat Shark Predator V2 goggles.

716 BetaFPV Silverware Whoop Maiden Flight (2 min 13 sec)

Some more DVR footage of my first flight in high rates, angle mode with the Bald Eagle Sauce Motors.

BetaFPV Silverware Angle Mode Tiny Whoop 716 Bald Eagle Sauce Motors (1 min 55 sec)

...Continue Reading