ok. So I got a 9Vdc 500mA power adapter that I can use to charge the mosquito through the charging station without using 6 C-cell batteries. Last night I flew it around out of the box and wasnt happy, so today I wanted to fully charge it and give it a second chance.
I let the mosquito charge to full power and took it for a spin. I was hoping for better performance than it had out of the box, but no such luck.
Right now I really hate this thing. I know there is a learning curve, but it simply doesnt move forward like you’d want it to. you press forward and it nudges forward about 2 inches and then since you are now pulling more current you messed up the trim which means your helicopter is now rotating. And since its rotating it means you are not really going forward at all, you are going in circles. What’s worse is it oscillates forwards backwards left and right so much that the rotors tilt to eachother and the stupid thing comes crashing down.
Then when you start it up again you realize the gears are not in mesh and you have to fiddle with the gear to get it back into place inorder to fly. What’s the point of remote control if I have to fiddle with it every time I land (crash)?
The power must have been diminishing fast because it started to lose power then gain it again randomly. at one point it only had enough juice to hover 8inches, and actually seemed maneuverable, then it suddenly shot straight up to the ceiling and I never moved my controller.
So was pissed, I gave it a bad review. Then I gave it one last try and played with it a bit more. I wondered if something mechanical was getting in the way of it performing better. I took a look at the rotor and rotor shaft, I saw there is a small clear plastic tube that is used to lock in the top rotor. Its pretty crude. So I figured I could try to at least pull it up a bit away from the rotor, to give it some room.
I did that and tried it again, it actually helped. Now i can control the altitude and it no longer randomly changes height. I even got it to move around the room a bit.
Looking back I think it might have happened when the helicopter hit the ceiling a few times. It must have pushed that plastic bushing too far down.
So, final verdict = i guess its ok. Is the $70 price tag that bothers me. Its hard to compare with the fun and cost competitive Picoo Z havoc heli. And I really dont like how flimsy it looks and is. Every time you have a hard landing you wonder if the gears are out of whack or one of the plastic bushings is messed up.
Well if you can afford it, go for it. but if you want to have equal amount of fun for less, go for the picoo Z or havoc heli.
I take it all back. I hate this thing. it worked really well once. I then tried it a bit later and it started acting up again. It would randomly loose power, then not raise more than 10 inches. Really annoying. There has got to be a better way to manufacture it.
I thought i would keep it for parts, but I can probably buy these motors separately. I am returning mine.
See first post on this product
Replacement Parts
5 comments
2 pings
Dan says:
April 10, 2007 at 3:49 pm (UTC -4 )
If you’ve still got it, I’ve heard reports that you can make this thing semi-usably by taping about 5 pennies to the front. It will adjust the cg and keep it moving constantly forward, but should help adjust the rest of the issues with mobility. good luck!
FWT says:
August 19, 2007 at 9:41 pm (UTC -4 )
I just bought the Mosquito myself and it flies around very nicely. So much more control over the Havoc. My hobby is flying nitro heli’s so maybe I have an easier time than normal but I can fly this thing pretty precisley. I can even land it on a mouse pad again and again easy. I can get it to fly forward easily with no pennies or anything else weighing it down. I think most people who choose to fly this just need more practice. I have tried the Havoc and the Reflex by Airhogs and this Mosquito blows those two away as far as controlability goes. I love it. Going to collect a squadron of ‘em!
)
Marc says:
August 27, 2007 at 10:07 am (UTC -4 )
I agree with FWT. It just takes practice. I can steer it around the room pretty well now. I think it works great. Any helicopter pilot will tell you that it’s not like driving a car…
Wayne says:
September 25, 2007 at 12:56 am (UTC -4 )
Out of the box and 2o minutes later I am taking off
circling around the small room and landing on the glass coffee table .
I love this thing.. !!
Never tried a helicopter before but have flown some
RC planes..
I only wish the 10 minutes was longer.
Great little playtoy.
A KEEPER !!
Mike says:
February 25, 2010 at 11:51 pm (UTC -4 )
My experience was exactly the same as the reviewer’s…EXACTLY. I have had this thing for over six months and of the half dozen or so indoor flying gizmos I have owned, this one is by far the hardest to fly, and the cost was over twice that of any other flying machines I have owned. I just pulled it out to try it again and now the battery won’t hold a charge long enough for it to ever fly at all.
I think some may be defective and such is the case of mine and the one reviewed. I have heard others talk about how great it is, but I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone.
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March 5, 2007 at 8:52 pm (UTC -4 )
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