I won't post any pics as I'm fairly sure you all know what a Hubsan X4 looks like, but here are a few thoughts.
First off, I was expecting a toy. Something like those little 2 channel Silverlit helis - couldn't be more wrong. It's sturdy, feels well made, and feels like it could take a bump. It's not the most impressive finish I've ever seen but that's not what this is for so doesn't bother me in the least. The controller unfortunately does feel like a toy but so far no issues with it and it's light which is great. The little LCD is a bit pants but once the quad is all set up, you don't look at it much so it's nothing to worry about.
I must comment on the manual for this, it's honestly one of the worst manuals I've ever had for anything I've ever bought. They would've done better to say "go online and google stuff, this book is for decorative purposes only". Looking past the usual spelling errors and grammatical slips, the info is about as useful as a car manual saying "use the spanner to change the tyre" in the flat tyre section.
No biggie however as there are lots of videos and guides online for this exact model.
Calibration of the controller had me stumped a bit but I soon found out that I'm using a slightly newer model than most of the online resources so once I found a resource that had the newer model it went much easier (if you'd like me to post a link, feel free to ask, I lost it but can find it again if you need).
My first flight, as you can imagine, was bumpy and filled with lots of "OH ****" moments. I took it very easy as I've also got a protective frame arriving soon and I didn't want to damage the quad.
My first impression is total and utter amazement. I was astonished to see how much lift these things generate. I was expecting it to be fairly clumsy and sluggish but even the slightest fiddle of the sticks and this baby responds faster than a house fly. You can also adjust the responsiveness on the controller so if it's all a bit fast as it was for me, you can tone it down until you get the hand of it - I thought this was an excellent feature. There is also an expert mode but I don't feel I'm qualified enough to comment on that yet but will do at some point in the future.
It gains altitude faster I could've ever imagined. Had you said to me ten years ago that this would be around someday, I'd have told you you're nuts and laughed at you. I think it's safe to say that brushless motors are one of the best things to happen to the RC hobby scene.
I haven't had a go with the camera yet but I'll be taking it to a park when the rest of the bits I've ordered arrive and I'll report back then with my results.
All in all I'm very impressed with this piece of kit. It's my first quad so have nothing to gauge it against but as a rough comparison to those aforementioned helis (the highest of which I own 4 channel) it's in a whole different league.
I would absolutely recommend this to anyone with a vague interest in RC. It's hands down one of the most fun gadgets I've bought since I bought my first RC heli a good three or four years ago.
For those interested, I bought:
The Hubsan X4 with camera: £35.89
Spare blades: £1.56
Protective ring: £5.19
5x Spare batteries: £9.04
Total: £51.68
My next purchase will most likely be a
crash pack for £15.75. I also need to sort out a case of sorts to cart it around in.
Any questions, fire away
Oh and thanks for all the advice folks, much appreciated!
