I have been enjoying the Micro's from Hubsan and think they are great for practicing in confined areas. I have larger models and have been waiting for my IRIS from 3Drobotics. But as I wait I can tell you practicing with the 6 axis micros does help to improve your understanding and use of the controls. Hubsan from my experience has made some really great products and put so much thought into the development of these micros. They fly great, take a lot of abuse and have parts available should something break.

I have become so interested in the multi-rotor and never thought they could be this much fun. I started out looking for a project or hobby that I could enjoy with my Grandchildren and this one sure hit the mark. If you are a parent or grandparent and want something that everyone can enjoy the multi-rotor copter I believe will work. Any of the micros from Hubsan would be great to start. The X4 model H107L is the lowest cost, or the H107C which now has a HD 720p camera built in or the one here the H107D with the FPV screen built into the controller.

I even put on my more advanced FPV goggles and was able to connect to the H107D which was really fun watching from the copters point of view.

I put up some videos for anyone that wants to see it flying or me talking about what I feel is important. You can check all my videos at Funtimegrandpa [...] or [...] and if these links are removed you can go to plus dot google dot com and search for Funtimegrandpa and then click on Grandpa Jake [...]

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and please stop in to my site when you have time. Take Care Grandpa Jake

I got mine today, and have gone through two battery charging cycles. I'm writing this initial review about my initial experiences while I'm waiting for the battery to charge for my third flight series.

Contrary to other reviews, I didn't have any trouble removing and inserting the battery. It's a tight fit, but manageable if you're careful.

I was dismayed at how fast the control unit batteries are depleted. I've only flown it on two drone battery charges, and already I have to replace the batteries in the control unit. I guess the video takes a lot of power! There are two jacks on the left-hand side of the control unit which don't seem to be explained in the Instruction Manual. It would be nice if one of them was for power. I'll find out.

Mode 2 controls (the default) seem natural for this device. Mode 1 must be for model airplanes or something.

I highly recommend installing the rotor shield because I've crashed it a dozen times on my first two flight sequences. Like other reviews, I agree that there is a problem with the propellers coming off, even with the rotor shield on. It's just annoying if you like to crash a lot.

I was surprised at the great video resolution. However, I'm not sure it is adequate to fly this unit totally by FPV (First Person Video) because of the relatively narrow view angle.

I've seen a half-dozen larger quad drones fly. They are about 2 feet square and cost a lot more. I wouldn't recommend flying them indoors unless you don't have anything breakable in your house. This little unit which is about 4 inches square is just fine for indoors. It's fun for now, but eventually, I might use it outdoors to inspect the gutters on my house for leaves without having to climb a 40-foot ladder. Of course, if there is an obstruction I'll still have to go up there on the ladder to clear it out.

After my second session with the unit, I can hover it within a few feet. It takes a little practice dealing with the normal air currents in a house. I can't wait for my third session when the battery is recharged. More to come:

Just finished my third session. Only crashed twice. I'm dismayed that the transmitter batteries are down to 3 out of 5 bars. I've already replaced them once. Otherwise, I'm having a great time flying this toy. Will post more after I've had more experience with the unit.

I've been playing with this thing for hours since I got it. It's really a lot of fun. However, I want to warn you that those little high-speed propellers are sharp and potentially dangerous. Even with the propeller shield on, I received two bleeding cuts on my arm when it hit me. It could have been worse. I highly recommend wearing eye protection of some sort when flying this thing. That applies to any people or pets in the vicinity also. This "toy" could easily blind someone.

And FYI, I'm on my third set of 4 AA batteries now. I think rechargeable batteries would be smarter.

I just got three sets of AA rechargeable batteries for the Transmitter, and maybe I can afford to fly this thing now.

I was surprised that one of my LEDs has gone out already. Replacing an LED is not a simple thing. You have to take the unit apart and re-solder a new LED to it. If you don't have a soldering pencil or know how to do small delicate soldering, it could be problematic.

Sometimes my Transmitter won't establish control contact with the X4 until I connect and reconnect the X4 battery. I haven't had any such problem with the video connection.

I replaced the bad LED. It is not nearly as easy as the Instruction Manual would have you believe. First you have to "dislocate" the bottom cover at each of the four arms. Next you must use a very small phillips head screw driver to remove the two small screws which hold the bottom on. Those small screws are very easy to get away from you and have a tendency to cuddle up to the motors (which are magnetic) where they are hard to see. When you remove the bottom cover, do it very carefully because there is a short cable between it and the main circuit board. (I was able to displace the bottom cover enough to access the LED solder joint on the circuit board without removing that cable.) Unless you are experienced at soldering small wires onto small circuit boards, I don't recommend trying it, lest you destroy the circuit board. I suggest having a jeweler do it for you. I hope I don't have to do that again.

This drone is not easy to fly. It seems unstable in all directions and you have to get very familiar with the controls to make it do what you want. Your responses have to be reflexive, not thought out, because by the time you notice a flight deviation and figure out which control to use in what direction, it will be too late. Chances are you will over-correct and smash the thing harder than if you had just cut the power completely at the first sign of trouble. That's my experience anyway. It takes many flights to become proficient at it. After about 20 5-minutes flights, I'm think I'm about half way there.

Today, I experimented with the video. When I plugged the X4 Transmitter directly into my Windows 7 computer via the USB port, I was NOT able to see the memory card at all. I removed the memory card and plugged it directly into a Mac computer and was able to see the .AVI files and was able to play them, however the video was stretched horizontally. Aside from that, the video was good quality. One problem at a time.

Today the wind was calm and I felt comfortable enough flying the X4 around my house to take it outdoors. I made several 100-foot test flights with no problems. Then I decided to make a flight with the video recorder on, hoping to get video of my house and a good panoramic view of the surrounding area. The X4 zoomed to over 200 feet before I realized it...it really climbs! I did a rotation to get a panoramic view of the entire area. At that altitude, a strong wind at the higher altitude started taking my X4 over an adjacent wooded area. Unfortunately, it was so small that I could not see which way it was pointed and didn't head back in the right direction, and I was so concerned about altitude that I didn't use the transmitter video effectively. Then the X4 drifted out of video range, but I still had control. I was worried about losing the control signal too, so I cut it's throttle at about 40 feet and hoped for the best. To make a long story short, it dropped into heavy brush, and I'm still looking for it.

I have so much invested in accessories such as batteries and spare parts, that I ordered another X4, sans transmitter, off of eBay immediately.

The next time I take the X4 on an outdoor flight, I will attach a very small and light LoCATor transmitter from Communications Specialists, Inc. which I used to use to keep track of my cats.

The video I got from the last flight of my first X4 was really impressive. Unfortunately, it dropped out of signal range before i could get video of it crashing all the way to the ground...which would have helped me locate it trememdously.

If I were going to suggest one really good improvement, it would be for the X4 to have an altitude hold capability so it could be flown from the controller video without having to visually control the altitude at the same time. Also, it would be good if the transmitter display gave an indication of low-battery, because there is no way you can see those blinking LEDs during the day at any significant distance. Sure, I know these things are available on larger, more expensive, quadcopters/drones, but I really like the smaller ones. "Larger" has been done; "smaller" is still cutting edge.

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It's been a couple of weeks since my last update. I'm on my second one of these toys. I never found the first one after it flew away into some heavy brush a hundred yards away. I mounted a tracking device on the second one and it flew away too, but I was able to track it down to a neighbor's front lawn about 400 yards away...across two streets. I'm not sure I want to fly it outside anymore because it is just too small to fly visually at a distance, and the FPV doesn't give you enough visual cues to navigate it accurately. To fly this thing, you must be on top of it all the time. As soon as you lose detailed sight of it, you will also lose control of it's altitude and direction of flight.

I'm enjoying flying this thing indoors and can precisely pilot it all around my house as long as I keep it in sight. I cannot fly it indoors by FPV because even indoors the FPV doesn't give you enough information to maintain control. So IMO, the FPV is not useful for flight control which makes it practically useless for me because I can take pictures of the inside of my house in other ways. I look at it as an inexpensive investment for learning the controls of my next larger quadcopter with GPS stabilization, etc.

I'm glad I got this device just for the practice. Now I feel more confident that when I get a larger and more expensive quadcopter, I won't quickly lose my investment.

I didn't ever think I would need the flip maneuver, but I found a use for it today. I was flying outdoors at about 200 feet when a strong gust of wind caught my copter and I had to put it into an emergency descent to keep it from going out of range. It landed about 40 feet up in a large tree and wouldn't move no matter how I moved the controls. Finally, I went into expert mode and commanded a dozen flips in all directions. It finally jiggled itself loose and fell to the ground. Thank goodness for the flip maneuver, so now I don't have to buy a third one...This is my second one after losing the first one in heavy brush.

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Okay, this will probably be my last input to this review. I've been flying my X4 indoors and outdoors for over a month. As I said before, I had to replace the first one because it got lost in heavy brush. So far, I've replaced one LED, and one motor (If you run the motor too long when a propeller is stuck, the motor will overheat and burn out.) Now, for no apparent reason, the live FPV video has stopped working...no crash was involved. I'll probably keep flying it without the FPV until something happens to it. It's good practice for when I get a real drone in the next few months. I have never been able to fly the drone completely by FPV, and as a commercial pilot (with instrument rating) I believe that this X4 cannot be safely flown by FPV alone for more than a few seconds. The only time I found the FPV really useful is when I was flying the device so high that I could not see which way it was oriented. The FPV at attitude was very useful in telling me which way it was pointed. I'm considering the DJI Phantom 2 for my next drone. So it was a good learning experience overall.

This thing is really fun! Durable too! I bought spare parts for it and haven't needed them even after dozens of crashes. Really great drone for anyone looking to get into fpv drones. It's sensitive when flying, but it makes you that much better at reacting. The video signal isn't so great on the controller at a distance indoors, but I can see clearly when I use my fatsharks. Now I'm flying a tiny whoop and enjoying it even more.

PROs
Durable, steady flight, very accurate control. Awesome FPV, although I rarely look at the screen. Not worth investing into for the video, you will be disappointed with the return on investment. Either get the x4 for under $100 or get a phantom.

CONs
Record quality IS AWFUL. If you're buying it for the video, it is 2/10 at best.

Product came as advertised. Don't listen to the bad reviews. They did not read the instructions or watch reviews before using. Use the blade protector. You will crash. Just make sure you place the propellers back on the correct wing. They are labeled A and B. If they are not on properly the copter will not lift off ground. I've only had it for a few days and I have extra batteries and charger. Flies awesome. First but not my last drone. Got everything I needed for under $100