Best Review on S108G Infrared Controlled Marine Helicopter
This is my third indoor RC helicopter, all purchased within a month of each other and finally submitting to the urge to own one. I received my BS in Aerospace Engineering almost 20 years ago which included a technical elective in helicopter aerodynamics and design so I have always loved helicopters and been hesitant to jump into an RC one for the reason that the only ones with reasonable levels of control were prohibitively expensive. That has changed. My first two were an Airhogs Twin Vortex (fun but still too little control I found) and a U809 Cobra (very similar to the SYMAS108G but launches missiles). The SYMA S108G wins for pure flyability. This thing rocks and while not as fast as the U809 is far easier to control and much quieter. The detail of the airframe is also impressive.
Like most of the counter-rotating coaxial helos out there this one has no ability to move side to side. You control power for altitude, Yaw (turn left/right) and a small vertically mounted tail rotor pitches the helo forward or back causing it to move in that direction. That is not the mechanism used to control a real Cobra but it is plenty for this RC aircraft and to include that level of control would add significantly to the complexity and cost.
I was shocked at how little tuning this needed out of the box. A little power and it hung there in front of me almost perfectly still. This is a light helo though and any breeze is going to be an issue. Even getting into a tight space may result in the blast from the rotors coming back to buffet your helo. Another important thing to understand is GROUND EFFECT!!! When close to the ground the air moving off the rotor blasts directly off the ground significantly increasing the effective force. This has two notable effects:
1. Close to the ground you can continue to hover with less power, especially when the battery is almost dead.
2. A slight bit of forward or backwards pitch will send this helo flying easily 5x faster than when higher off the ground. The acceleration is sudden and impressive. To avoid crashing and breaking just kill the power and you should harmlessly plop to the ground from the couple inches you were in the air. Regaining control at that speed and altitude without dropping is not easy!
Another big plus over the U809 is the rapid availability of spare parts! Until you get the touch down to controlling this you will find yourself pinning it to the ceiling before it drops uncontrollably to the ground and has something break off. Small drops and bumps isn't a problem but this is not a toy you set an 8 year old loose with.
I purchased a 110 converter/charger for this helo for $5 and love it. I find my self swapping from one helo to the other while charging.
If I could change one thing it would be the power control lever on the controller. It is spring loaded to drop to zero power. I may open the controller and remove the spring. This will allow one to hover without fighting the spring in the stick.
EDIT: In reading the many negative reviews for this helicopter they all seem to go right back to the fact that this is NOT A TOY FOR CHILDREN. Seriously, you need to have very fine motor control skills. The majority of kids and a fair share of ham fisted adults jam the throttle all the way, crashing into the ceiling, then floor, or bounce it off other objects in their household. If it no longer flies right after having flown fine it is BECAUSE YOU CRASHED IT. Look at the rotor linkages to see if they have broken or separated. Spares are available. Kids today are raised on video game controllers where lack of finesse results in restarting their level. That doesn't apply here. If the helo is very unstable or you notice the blades flopping about rather than spinning smoothly odds are you did something to cause it.
I'm a helicopter mechanic by trade (prior US Army, worked on AH-64 Apaches), and bought this because many of my coworkers overseas had them to pass the time in the hangar in our downtime. Long story short, this is a fairly accurate replica of an AH-1W SuperCobra, ridiculously easy to fly (for me), is exceptionally durable, and a great value overall. Keep in mind that it is VERY vulnerable to air currents, so avoid fans/AC ducts, and stay indoors. Recharges in about 30-40 mins via USB, with about 7-10 mins flight time. Stable in flight, can fly up/down/fwd/back/left/right, and is a good starter aircraft for R/C novices.
BalasHapusThis was my first mini RC heli and probably the BEST performing followed U806 Ultra Stable Mini 3.5 Channel Army Military Indoor RC Helicopter with Built-in Gyro Gyroscope -- NEW 2011 Model! and then the Syma S107/S107G R/C Helicopter - BLUE as third best, IMO, though many consider the 107G as the staple-starter heli - I like this one more.
BalasHapusThis heli has an all plastic exterior which makes it light in weight and nimble to control and robust enough to withstand reasonable crashes - if this is your first RC copter there will be many crashes. The rotor blades are long and this provides stability and superior hover-ability; plus it is the quieter than most other mini helis. The only drawback to this little model is that it is IR controlled, so line of sight and sunlight are issues. Whether or not you find the spring-loaded elevator control on the remote a blessing or a curse is up to you, I'm used to it but all the "big boy" controls are not.
This heli is fast and responsive, more than my 107G models, and is super stable in both in flight and hovering - I can easily fly this heli around objects and under tables and through "tight spaces" with ease - the controls are precise and for an IR controlled rc, it is really responsive. Forward-pitched takes offs with this heli take me back to military films and file footage of actual helis in battle situations - and proper use of forward/reverse with coordinated throttle (elevator) get this heli flying fast - it's really neat to operate - and letting off of the forward/reverse control allows it to pretty much hover in place without excessive trim or counter direction control.
The included USB charging cable connects solidly to the copter body and the plug lights up to let you know it is done charging - I use an iPhone USB power adapter to charge but a computer or laptop work too. The on/off switch on the heli body is tiny seems delicate. There is an option to charge off the controller but I'd rather not shorten the batteries in the controller. From dead empty (won't lift) to fully charged is at least 30 minutes, but with careful control and keeping the light off I can get almost 10 minutes of flight time.
Overall I really LOVE this mini rc heli, so much I bought another one and a few sets of extra rotor blades. For anyone just starting out with RC mini helis, I consider this the BET one and a great trainer for aspiring rc heli pilots - not to mention it is lots of fun to fly and easy to charge.
Buy several: these are durable, responsive, fast and overall a GREAT indoor mini rc helicopter.
Althought I'm a big RC nut, I have very little helicopter experience. A couple of years ago I asked around and tried the Mosquito sold by Radio Shack, which several friends liked. The first unit was unstable in flight and died quickly. A replacement kept working, but it always "circled the drain" while in the air. Plus, you had to trim it almost constantly as the battery drained. Not a fun experience at all.
BalasHapusFor half the price, I wanted a Syma (S107G, S108G, and S109G all looked good). The S108G arrived yesterday and has been shockingly fun. Worlds apart from the Mosquito. Despite numerous crashes, it still works great. Very precise flight, and super easy to handle. My one and only complaint was the spring-loaded altitude control (other reviewers said there was no spring, but mine had one). Took all of two minutes to open up the control box, remove the spring, and close it back up. Now I can set the hover and put the controller down. I haven't had to trim the copter even once, and the flight characteristics only change slightly right at the end of the battery's charge, also unlike the Mosquito.
And being able to charge it via USB, rather than depleting the controller's batteries, is brilliant!
I'd recommend this copter at $40 or $50 easily. At under $25 it's a no-brainer.
This is my first one of these little syma choppers. Awesome little beasts. I've crashed this thing no less than 50 times and its still alive. Every adult should own one. The handling of these things has come a long way from when they were first introduced. Just watch the pricing -- I bought this one a week or two ago for $19 and change, and now they jacked the prices to over $25. The metal versions were $21 and change, and now they're selling them for $29. Great Christmas spirit there you greedy sellers. Things are supposed to go on SALE for Christmas, not be increased in price.
BalasHapusI have the S107's (2 of them) also a DH-1(basically a S107 by another manufacturer) They are both very easy to fly, right out of the box, after trimming the S108G, I think it may even be a little easier to fly. The gyro in this heli will hold a straight line. With the 107's they tend to crab a little to one side or the other. The S108G was good right out of the box, but needed a litte fine tuning. That took all of about 20-30 seconds, and flies even better. For the price, this helicopter cannot be beat ($35.00) even if it was more expensive, it would still be worth the price!!!!
BalasHapusSO FUNNY. I bought it for my son but the only person playing with this is me. I am sorry for him lol. Anyways, I will buy one more for him, hahaha.
BalasHapusI bought this based on other reviews I read stating that his brand was better than the others. I have only used it once but it was easy enough for a first time RC helicopter buyer like myself. I practiced at first near the floor only allowing it to hover about an inch off the ground. It would drift around more than I liked and I thought I had some settings wrong, the manual is minimal at best, but when I took it a foot or two above the ground it hovered great in one spot. When it started rotating a little to the right I just adjusted the setting knob on the remote and it leveled off great.
BalasHapusWhen I plugged it up with the included charger into my laptop it was fully charged in about 30 minutes. I can see where I may need spare parts later if I hit it hard into anything. I bounced it fairly hard on our hardwood floor from about 5 feet when I thought I was going too high too fast and nothing broke.
I have only played around with it once last night so take this for what it's worth. But I had fun. ;)
When I got this chopper, I was pretty happy. This was my first RC helicopter, and I'm happy with it! It's really stable, easy to control, and it's currently on its first charge. It can apparently take a good beating. Thank you A-XHeli and Syma!! Plus, I read that if you place the bottom rotors on the top bracket and the top rotors on the bottom bracket, it will fly UPSIDE-DOWN!! Cool!
BalasHapusThe helicopter I bought is the best I've ever had although I haven't had many. It flies perfectly and is very stable. It took a couple of tries to get it down but now it is very easy. Probably the best part about this helicopter is its durability. I have crashed this helicopter countless amounts of times and it is still holding strong! The battery time is about 10 minutes (which is actually pretty good for this size helicopter). It is just about perfect and highly advised!
BalasHapus