WLToys - V912 Review

***Videos of me flying the V912 are at the bottom of this page and also on my YouTube channel***
Check out my YouTube channel for all my videos:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwgRmpzEKIUp5Rhou-WJNGQ


 

My lovely wife bought me the WLToys V912 RC helicopter as a gift. I loved it so much that I later bought 2 more V912's.

I opened the packaging and found a nice sized RC helicopter. It is what is called a 250 size helicopter.




Inside the box:

1. V912 RC Helicopter;
2. 4 Channel radio ( 4 AA batteries not included);
3. Charger;
4. LiPo battery (7.4V 850maH);
5. Spare main blades;
6. Spare tail blades;
7. User manual.

The helicopter - V912:

At first glance I could see that this helicopter was built to take a beating. Don't be bothered by the people telling you that this is a toy grade and not hobby grade....blah blah blah blah...... I now own several helicopters including 450, 500 and 700 size, 6 channel, collective pitch helicopters. The V912 looks and feels like a hobby grade helicopter! It also flies very good and with a little tweaking, very fast forward flight!

Here is a video of my first flight with the V912:

The V912 is a straight forward 4 channel rc helicopter, which means it is good for a beginner and fun for any rc helicopter pilot. As you can see, I have 3 x V912 helicopters. The orange one is the V913.

4 Channels gives you the following movements:

1. Up and down (the more throttle you give the higher you go - due to the fixed pitch of the blades);
2. Bank left and bank right (not turn left and turn right);
3. Forward and backwards;
4. Turn left and turn right (by using the rudder *rear rotor*).

The charger and LiPo battery:
I took out the charger and battery and plugged it in to charge while I read through the user manual. The user manual was understandable although the English seemed to be from a very first version of Google Translate directly from Chinese into English. This however, did manage to get me smiling a couple of times! 

There are 2 LED's on the charger. A GREEN one for power and a RED one for charging.

When you plug the charger in with no battery attached to it, the power LED (green LED) will light up.

When you connect the LiPo battery to the charger a second LED will light up (a red LED *charging*).

The red (charging) LED will turn off when the LiPo battery is fully charged.

LiPo safety is a whole book on it's own, on what to do and what not to do....
As this is a review and not a complete "how to" article, I will list a couple of rules that I feel are important. Please do your research on Google, Wikipedia, etc.


If you are a first time RC or new to RC then simply follow these rules:

1. When LiPo batteries are charging, they should not get warm. If they do, unplug them immediately. They are done for and cannot be used anymore;
2. Never charge a LiPo that is still warm from flying, racing, working. Allow at least 15 minutes for the battery to rest and to cool down completely, before recharging;
3. Never drop a LiPo battery;
4. After a crash (counts as a drop), unplug the LiPo immediately. Allow to rest for 15 minutes and inspect. Start at point 1;
5. LiPo batteries can catch fire and explode, ALWAYS keep an eye on them!;
6. Never drain a LiPo more than 80%;
7. After charging a LiPo, there is no need to let it rest. You can plug it in immediately and fly;
8. Never store a fully charged LiPo.

The radio:

A main difference between these helicopters and the other rc helicopters is that you need to FIRST switch on your helicopter and THEN your radio.

After binding (a tone can be heard, but for the hearing impaired there is also a red LED on the helicopter that will stop flickering once binding is complete), the helicopter is ready to fly.

A very nice feature the radio has:
Mode 1 (throttle on the right) and mode 2 (throttle on the left) can switch by flipping a switch.

This radio also allows for 100 to 150 meter range. I fly my V912's on a rugby field and bigger areas with no problems.

The general rule is that you need to see your helicopter while flying......

First impressions:
I was very impressed with the way that the V912 looks, feels and flies. Stable flight, responsive and fast. The V912 is built tough and can take multiple bad crashes without any major damage (if any damage).

Lessons learned:
Although you *can* fly the V912 indoors, don't fly it inside your house. Things usually scratch, bend or break when you fly into them with the V912.

The V912 can build up a lot of speed in no time at all, keep that in mind when flying in a small backyard, at low altitude, in close proximity to people, etc.

Always fly on High mode.
Do the extra servo throw hack on the radio.

Conclusion:
Owning 3 of the V912 helicopters, should tell you all you need to know about how I feel about this awesome 4 channel rc helicopter!



                                                       ********* VIDEOS ********
Video 1: This was my first time flying the V912.

Video 2: Here I am flying the V912 and crash it multiple times. This video also shows how durable, well build and tough the V912 is.

Video 3: Epic flying, very fast, high, low passes, awesome flight!