WLToys - V913 Review

**** Videos on the V913 can be found at the bottom of this page ********
Check out my YouTube channel for all my videos:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwgRmpzEKIUp5Rhou-WJNGQ



The V913 is the big brother of the V912.
I did a review on the V912 and it can be found on my blog.

The box:

 Inside the box you will find the following:

1. V913 rc helicopter (no surprise there);
2. Radio (Excluding batteries);
3. 1500maH LiPo battery;
4. Charger;
5. Spare main blades;
6. Spare tail blades;
7. User manual.

Here is the difference between the V912 and V913 box:

The V913 falls in the 400 to 450 size helicopter.

 

Right from the start you can see, feel and notice the same quality helicopter as the V912.....except it is a lot bigger!

It is build tough and durable.

Handles well and flies like a dream. 

Here is the V913 next to the Thunder Tiger Titan E325:

Size difference between V912 and V913:

V913 vs Align TRex 500:

The Radio:

The radio is a 4 channel radio. It is the same as the radio used by the V912, except for some minor differences.

You can also bind and fly the V913 with the V912 radio.

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 V913 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 V913 looks, feels and flies. Stable flight, responsive and fast. The V913 is built tough and can take multiple bad crashes without any major damage (if any damage).

Keep in mind, that the V913 is much bigger than the V912 and might at times "feel" like it takes a second longer to respond to inputs....

Lessons learned:
Don't fly this thing indoors!

The V913 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!
Move servo links to outer holes!
Do the extra servo throw hack on the radio.

Conclusion:
I will buy more of these in a heartbeat!
The V913 is lots of fun to fly.

I will upload videos as soon as I get a chance to record some.

****************** VIDEOS ******************

Here is a video on the V913 vs V912 (Part 1 of 2)

Here is Part 2 of 2 (the flying) of the V913 vs V912:

More videos to follow! Check in after the weekend!