Read First Before Buy Syma S023G Apache Military Helicopter
I loved this heli ... because of all the pretty blinking lights ... unfortunately it would not fly. The printed circuit board was defective, and would not make contact with the transmitter.
I really hated to return it, but if it did work and I'm sure it is capable of working, I would say it's a good heli. The only problem with this size heli is you get one of the 27Mhz transmitter and it is constantly losing the signal with the heli, where it will drop from the sky, it would be a 5 star heli, if not for that, and the fact I was unlucky in receiving a defective model.
I may give this another try, because I really like how it looked ... I can modify the transmitter and give it more voltage, which will help with the signal cutting ... it won't solve the problem but it will help. If you don't mind tinkering this will be a good heli as long as will work.
Sometimes we get lemons ... but the S023G is capable of being a good heli with the right modifications.
UPDATE 15 FEB 2013
I decided to try again ... I was a bit apprehensive at first because I read all of the bad reviews and a few said they got a bad one the second time around. Well sir I'm happy to say I got a good one this time!:) It flies just fine. I wasn't really happy with the S113G as a replacement even though it is just like the S023G in appearance but, it is so much smaller. Also the S113G will lose the signal at times, but not the S023G, and the S113G doesn't have the pretty blinky lights like the S023G. I have a modified transmitter with a 9 volt battery to help reduce signal lost, and the S023G works well with it.
THIS HELICOPTER IS NOT FOR A NEWBIE!!! If this is your first purchase of a RC heli don't get the S023G you have to have some experience with 3 channel helis in order to fly it. Each time you first start off you have to gun the throttle to get it into the air and back off enough in time so you don't hit the ceiling. If you don't give it enough throttle it will simply go to the side. You have to be on the stick right away because it has a tendency to go backwards when it first takes off. You have to know how to get it under control so you can adjust the trim. If not you will only keep crashing. Once the trim is set it flies beautifully. I don't leave the antenna wound up ... I let it hang free for good contact with the transmitter.
If you are a tinker then you may want to modify the tail rotor blade. It doesn't seem to be big enough to give good forward speed. If you got a bad one before like me, but really like the model ... then give it another try, you can luck out and get one of the good ones. It's worth it.
This was the best gift for my son. He loves this helicopter and fly all over the house. Excellent price and excellent delivery time. I managed to get it before his birthday! Thank you for your service!!!!!
BalasHapusFun, fabulous flying as I've come to expect from Syma. This larger 'outdoor' sized copter is impressive. Nicely modeled, pretty darn big, performs GREAT. Flies stable and well. Definitely NOT a good candidate for indoor flying like the minis, unless you have a very large space indeed (large great room with vaulted ceiling, gym, etc.)... I have flown it indoors in a large living room, and it's plenty controllable to do so - just not much fun as you're really just trying to avoid hitting the walls or ceiling in that small a space.
BalasHapuslike all outdoor heli's I've experienced, this one tolerates virtually no wind at all. You need a really still day. But given that, it flies extremely well. Plenty of range, can easily go higher than I want to fly it, lots of power. It would easily blast away the first-fallen leaves off my trees.
It does have a much more noticeable "ground effect" than the minis (as do real helicopters). Within about a foot of the ground, the 'blowback' will A) affect your rate of ascent/descent and B) cause a bit of side-slip. Nothing abnormal our out of control... You just quickly learn to take off and land 'promptly' to get out of the ground-effects zone.
flew great right out of the box Highly recommended for the beginner or for the medium experience r c pilots
BalasHapusThis Apache Helicopter is just as described. It is very sturdy and can with stand the crashes without breaking while you learn how to fly and land it. It was safely packaged and arrived safely.
BalasHapusGreat chopper for the price($55). Beginner mode and master mode are great. it' an outdoor chopper although you need zero wind. I got mine up to 30 feet high. one hour charge for about 7 min. flight time. I don't like the antenna haning down 12 inches from the bottom of chopper.
BalasHapusgreat helicopter,looks amazing and handles great.could not believe how great it looked.was very surprised on how large it was.amazed on how it operates.
BalasHapus
BalasHapusI BOUGHT MY S023 WHILE I WAS STATIONED IN BASARH IRAQ 2011. IT WAS THE BEST AND MOST POWERFUL 3 CHANNEL. THE CONTROLS WORKED FINE. YOU JUST HAVE TO BE EASY ON THE THROTTLE. NOT A BEGINNER HELI DUE TO THE FACT IT IS VERY POWERFUL AND HEAVY. SMOOTH TO FLY FOR SOMEONE THAT HAS HAD EXPERIENCE. OTHER APACHES DID NOT HAVE THE HOVER, STABILITY, CONTROL OR POWER OF MINE. I FLEW RINGS AROUND THE OTHERS. THE DURABILITY IS GREAT. DUE TO THE AGE OF MY HELI THE REAR TAIL VIBRATES ALOT ON TAKEOFF BUT SMOOTHS OUT ONCE IT GETS GOING. THE GOOD THING IS THE FLIGHT TIME IS STILL 8-10 MINUTES EVEN AFTER 4 MONTHS ON THE SAME BATTERY. I HAVE NOT DONE A THING TO IT AND IT IS STILL RUNNING SMOOTH. SAME BLADES VERY DURABLE JUST STAY AWAY FROM THE WALLS. I ONLY FLY IN INDOORS. AFTER MY GRANDSON GOT GOOD AT FLYING THE S107 I GOT HIM HE CAN NOW FLY MY S023 LIKE A PRO. OVERALL THE SYMA S023 IS IN MY OPION IS THE BEST ONE OF THE SYMA LOT. I GOT MY MONEYS WORTH AND SOME. I GOT MINE FOR $49.95 THROUGH AMAZON. ALL THE OTHER REVIEWS POSTED PRIOR TO THIS. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO TELL YOU.
BalasHapusI own all the Syma Mini Military helicopters. Here is my review for all 5.
BalasHapus1. S108G Cobra. By Far the fastest and the most aggressive of the helicopters. This one takes a little bit of time to get used to and is for the more experienced flyer. Its super fast and super durable.
2. S109G Apache. Another good helicopter from Syma. Runs the same as the Cobra. Fast and swift.
3. S026G Chinook. A good beginner helicopter. Very stable in flight. It can be fast if you want it to be or it can be slow. This is one of my favorites out of the series.
4. S102G Black Hawk. My brother has the S107G and this flies just like it. This is probably the best helicopter that syma makes. Extremely stable and can take a serious beating. (But so can all the others.) It will fly at the speed you want it to from slow to fast and takeoffs and landings are extremely smooth.
5. S111G Coast Guard Rescue. This too is a fine product from syma. Super smooth flyer and very stable when hovering. And yes, this one wins in the looks battle. It works just like the S102G Black Hawk.
6. And last but not least, the S023G Big Apache. This is a massive outdoor version of the S109G Apache. But this one is meant to be used outdoors. This one is not infrared like the little ones but is a 27mhz radio control helicopter. This guy has some serious power to it and boy does it fly. Very fast and extremely stable are how I would describe it. It is also very easy to control.
All in all, Syma gets a 20 out of 10 stars on their helicopters for the price. And when you do buy one from them, MAKE SURE IT HAS A G AFTER THE NUMBERS. LIKE S109-G-. The G stands for Gyro. The Gyro makes it twice as easy to fly.