Review: Syma X5C-1 (Pic Heavy)

This review is published by grainde in Laserpointerforums.com. Original thread: http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/review-syma-x5c-1-pic-heavy-92680.html

Product link: http://www.tinydeal.com/syma-x5c-lcd...-px2ngm0-p-126482.html

Well something new for you guys today. After seeing a few of Thing's multirotor threads and getting an offer to review any item from Tinydeal.com, I decided to have a shot at testing a Syma X5C-1. 


Specifications

Brand: SYMA
Material: Plastic + Alloy
Channel: 4
DIY: Yes
Gyro: Six-axis
Control Type: Radio Control
Function: Up/Down, Turning Left/Right, Forward/Backward ,Side Flying
Control Range: 100m
Frequency: 2.4GHz
Flying Time: 6-9min
Charging Time: 100min
Battery: 3.7V 500mAh Li-Po
Transmitter Battery: 4 x AA(not included)
Light: Yes
Camera: 2 million pixels
Suitable Age: 14+
Suitable Situation: Outdoor
Gross Weight: 762g/ 26.88 oz
Color: White as shown in the picture
Size: 415 x 305 x 90 mm / 16.34 x 12.01 x 3.54 inch 

Introduction

I have to admit at this point I had only ever flown a couple of small helis and had very little experience with multirotors. I discussed this with Leo from TinyDeal and he managed to persuade his manager to send out an example for review.  Please note that even though it is listed as an X5C, the model I was sent (and the model linked above in the title) are both X5C-1s, this means the newer upgraded model. 



The shipping took just over a week, which is exceptionally good. The package was actually shipped from the Netherlands and so it looks like they may drop ship from there to Europe. 



The box was not particularly well wrapped, or otherwise protected, so I was happy to see that it had arrived in one piece.

Inside there is the quad-copter ready to fly with the blades and battery installed. You'll need 4 x AA batteries for the controller though and these are not included. If you are a beginner like me, it is highly recommended to attach the four prop guards before attempting to fly!



Under the transmitter there are; the screws for the prop-guards, a screwdriver, the charging cable (std USB charger) and a small micro-SD card reader. It was also a pleasant surprise to find a 4 GB card preinstalled in the camera. 



There are also four replacement blades included, but these are taped to the back of the white plastic container, so please check and remove these before disposing of the packaging. 
The batteries were around 3.6-3.7 V which is perfect for storage, but it did mean they had to be charged before use. Typically the recharging time is around 90 mins.