Post by Chris Reibert on Sept 30, 2012 14:30:31 GMT -4
Review: Blade Nano cp X BNF Version by Blade
Type: Electric Collective Pitch Flybarless Helicopter
Main Rotor Diameter: 7.75 in (197mm)
Tail Rotor Diameter: 1.57 in (40mm)
Gross Weight: 1.05 oz (29 g)
Length: 7.75 in (197mm)
Kit/ARF/RTF: BNF
Control System: 140 CCPM
Rotor Blade Length: 3.35 in (85mm)
Minimum Age Recommendation: 14 years
Is Assembly Required: No
Price: MSRP: BNF $149.99 RTF $189.99
Introduction
Flip, funnel or roll in any room of your house with the incredible Blade® Nano CP X. At just 29 grams it's the lightest flybarless CP helicopter in its class. At the center of its amazing abilities is the proven AS3X® (Artificial Stabilization - 3-aXis) Flybarless System that gives the Nano CP X its perfect balance of agility and stability. It's unbelievably durable too, so you can fly aggressively without worrying about costly repairs.
Opening The Box
The Nano CP X BNF comes in a much smaller box than the RTF version. When you open the box you find the Nano packed in a hard foam insert to prevent shifting during the shipping process. In the BNF version you will also find one cell lipo charger with 4 AA batteries as well as two E-flite® 1S 3.7V 150mAh 25C Li-Po batteries, Fast Flight Main Rotor Blades (Installed) and Hi-performance Main Rotor Blades. A separate bag has the manual, spare blades, spare parts, tools, and a screw driver. The RTF version comes in a bigger box housing the additional Spektrum DX4e 2.4 DSM2®/DSMX® transmitter with 4 AA batteries.
Assembly
Nothing! Everything comes preassembled. Just charge your batteries, bind your radio and you're ready to FLY!
Canopy
Blade kept true with their signature blade shaped canopy and went back to the yellow/lime green color scheme. It is easily visible when flying outside and indoors. I also purchased the extra blue/white canopy fin set.
Setup
I chose the BNF version because it allows me to use my own DSMX/DSM2 radio so I will be able to fine tune the pitch and throttle curves to suite my preferred flying style and flight characteristics. Unlike my MsrX you need to setup your computer radio to the manuals specs before you bind the radio to the helicopter. After setting up your radio settings and charging the battery it is time to bind to your model which is as easy as plugging the battery into the helicopter, turning on my radio while holding the bind button until you hear the servos glitch and then release button. The entire process takes less than a minute. Make sure all the controls are moving in the correct direction before the first flight. Consult your manual if you have any questions.
Test Flight
With the radio bound and all the controls moving in the right direction it was time for the initial test flight. Right on my desk I slowly increased the throttle and got the helicopter into a hover. For flying in a 3’ by 3’ area it hovered pretty well for being such a small micro helicopter. I couldn’t help throwing it into idle 1 to hear the little motor scream. With the initial test hover complete it was time to get outside and put the little bug throw its paces.
Flying
This little bird flies and looks like a confused bubble bee. It has double the power of the Blade MsrX with the added bonus of collective pitch and idle up. For a sub micro right out of the box it flies smoother and more aggressive than the McpX. It hovers very smooth and with normal flying you can get a 4 min flight out of the small 1S lipo. That is the equivalent of flying a 600 sized machine with a $80 battery. At $2-$8 per battery for the Nano CP X you have flight after flight without breaking the bank. If cycled properly you will get many flights out of the batteries life.
Forward Flight- It tracked straight and true right out of the box. I have had the chance to fly a few different sub micro helicopters over the last year and bar none this is the most responsive and aggressive one yet. Stable when you want a slow solid hover and right into forward flight with the push on the cyclic stick.
Cyclic Response- Cyclic response seems crisp and responds just as quickly as the MCPX. If it wasn't for the fact that it was a bit smaller and a different color scheme I would have thought I was flying the MCPX.
Collective Management- Being such a small helicopter with a 85mm disk you have to get your collective management under control. If you try to over fly the CP X you will get yourself in trouble fast and you will lose the helicopter. The size of the CP X and power house of the coreless motor makes this a great indoor 3D machine.
Tail Response- This is perhaps the biggest change from a coaxial helicopter where normally the counter rotating blades change your direction. Here the mixer board controls the speed of a driven motor. Right out of the box I was doing forward and backwards hurricanes around my game room. Tail blowouts were minimal and far less than the MCPX.
Flight Times- Flight times averaged around 3-5 minutes with the stock 150mAh battery packs. It is recommended to set your timer at 4 minutes for normal flying and 3 minutes for 3D.
Conclusion
This little helicopter comes in a small package but packs a big punch. I was impressed from the second I put her into its first hover.
Pros
- Flybarless
- Fully Assembled
- AS3X® Artificial Stabilization - 3-aXis Technology
- Batteries are inexpensive
Cons
- Some tail blow outs on hard backwards hurricanes
Cool way to pack it up and throw it on your field bag
Rubberaid all the way!
Shown next to the Blade 130x and 300x
Type: Electric Collective Pitch Flybarless Helicopter
Main Rotor Diameter: 7.75 in (197mm)
Tail Rotor Diameter: 1.57 in (40mm)
Gross Weight: 1.05 oz (29 g)
Length: 7.75 in (197mm)
Kit/ARF/RTF: BNF
Control System: 140 CCPM
Rotor Blade Length: 3.35 in (85mm)
Minimum Age Recommendation: 14 years
Is Assembly Required: No
Price: MSRP: BNF $149.99 RTF $189.99
Introduction
Flip, funnel or roll in any room of your house with the incredible Blade® Nano CP X. At just 29 grams it's the lightest flybarless CP helicopter in its class. At the center of its amazing abilities is the proven AS3X® (Artificial Stabilization - 3-aXis) Flybarless System that gives the Nano CP X its perfect balance of agility and stability. It's unbelievably durable too, so you can fly aggressively without worrying about costly repairs.
Opening The Box
The Nano CP X BNF comes in a much smaller box than the RTF version. When you open the box you find the Nano packed in a hard foam insert to prevent shifting during the shipping process. In the BNF version you will also find one cell lipo charger with 4 AA batteries as well as two E-flite® 1S 3.7V 150mAh 25C Li-Po batteries, Fast Flight Main Rotor Blades (Installed) and Hi-performance Main Rotor Blades. A separate bag has the manual, spare blades, spare parts, tools, and a screw driver. The RTF version comes in a bigger box housing the additional Spektrum DX4e 2.4 DSM2®/DSMX® transmitter with 4 AA batteries.
Assembly
Nothing! Everything comes preassembled. Just charge your batteries, bind your radio and you're ready to FLY!
Canopy
Blade kept true with their signature blade shaped canopy and went back to the yellow/lime green color scheme. It is easily visible when flying outside and indoors. I also purchased the extra blue/white canopy fin set.
Setup
I chose the BNF version because it allows me to use my own DSMX/DSM2 radio so I will be able to fine tune the pitch and throttle curves to suite my preferred flying style and flight characteristics. Unlike my MsrX you need to setup your computer radio to the manuals specs before you bind the radio to the helicopter. After setting up your radio settings and charging the battery it is time to bind to your model which is as easy as plugging the battery into the helicopter, turning on my radio while holding the bind button until you hear the servos glitch and then release button. The entire process takes less than a minute. Make sure all the controls are moving in the correct direction before the first flight. Consult your manual if you have any questions.
Test Flight
With the radio bound and all the controls moving in the right direction it was time for the initial test flight. Right on my desk I slowly increased the throttle and got the helicopter into a hover. For flying in a 3’ by 3’ area it hovered pretty well for being such a small micro helicopter. I couldn’t help throwing it into idle 1 to hear the little motor scream. With the initial test hover complete it was time to get outside and put the little bug throw its paces.
Flying
This little bird flies and looks like a confused bubble bee. It has double the power of the Blade MsrX with the added bonus of collective pitch and idle up. For a sub micro right out of the box it flies smoother and more aggressive than the McpX. It hovers very smooth and with normal flying you can get a 4 min flight out of the small 1S lipo. That is the equivalent of flying a 600 sized machine with a $80 battery. At $2-$8 per battery for the Nano CP X you have flight after flight without breaking the bank. If cycled properly you will get many flights out of the batteries life.
Forward Flight- It tracked straight and true right out of the box. I have had the chance to fly a few different sub micro helicopters over the last year and bar none this is the most responsive and aggressive one yet. Stable when you want a slow solid hover and right into forward flight with the push on the cyclic stick.
Cyclic Response- Cyclic response seems crisp and responds just as quickly as the MCPX. If it wasn't for the fact that it was a bit smaller and a different color scheme I would have thought I was flying the MCPX.
Collective Management- Being such a small helicopter with a 85mm disk you have to get your collective management under control. If you try to over fly the CP X you will get yourself in trouble fast and you will lose the helicopter. The size of the CP X and power house of the coreless motor makes this a great indoor 3D machine.
Tail Response- This is perhaps the biggest change from a coaxial helicopter where normally the counter rotating blades change your direction. Here the mixer board controls the speed of a driven motor. Right out of the box I was doing forward and backwards hurricanes around my game room. Tail blowouts were minimal and far less than the MCPX.
Flight Times- Flight times averaged around 3-5 minutes with the stock 150mAh battery packs. It is recommended to set your timer at 4 minutes for normal flying and 3 minutes for 3D.
Conclusion
This little helicopter comes in a small package but packs a big punch. I was impressed from the second I put her into its first hover.
Pros
- Flybarless
- Fully Assembled
- AS3X® Artificial Stabilization - 3-aXis Technology
- Batteries are inexpensive
Cons
- Some tail blow outs on hard backwards hurricanes
Cool way to pack it up and throw it on your field bag
Rubberaid all the way!
Shown next to the Blade 130x and 300x