I am getting more and more interested in getting a quadcopter/drone to play around with. Does anyone have a recommendation?
I thought about one of the ones from FT, GB or BG but I’m not sure if any of the micro-quads are even decent.
I thought about this quadcopter from Traxxas. I’ve owned TMAXXes, EMAXXes, Revos and mini Revos and Traxxas makes pretty good stuff.
Not really interested in the multi-thousand dollar quads - I’m not spying on my neighbors! 
CK does…he is doing some CRAZY awesome things with his…designing flight circuits and all that
Also since I am poking around on thingverse…check these out
apparently this thing is VERY popular!
many observers believe that those copters are a fashion. fun stuff,popular at the moment,booming even,but shrunk within 3 yrs.
if they're still booming after 3 yrs, i'll take the plunge
I was planning to get one of those quadcopter but now there is a new regulation from government that i need to registered my quad before use it :Sp
So could you get a 6-rotor copter and not register it? What about a regular single-rotor R/C helicopter?
JohnnyMac has used one here for beam shots.
So are quadcopters legal in Germany?
I know, I know, everything is illegal in Germany, but there’s illegal that no one cares about and illegal-do-not-pass-go-go-straight-to-jail illegal.
I have a DJI phantom 3 advance. In the past years I spent quite a lot on cheap toys quad copters, which ended up failing after some weeks of use. I do not recommend spending money on any quadcopter under $800 as they would be toys.
No problem so far with my DJI and the support is really excellent. There is still the language barrier but their staff really try their best to help.
But the DJI is not a “fun” quadcopter, it is designed mainly to be used for photography rather than quick maneuvering. It does however come with a very advanced downlink system that can send HD live video footage from more than a mile away, of course this is in open areas, in the city I have reached 800 meters. Still pretty impressive considering just 2 years ago that same system alone would’ve cost $1200.
I have the Phantom 3 pro, and it is great for taking pictures in 4K res.
I also have 2 hex’s, also powered by Dji motors and flight controllers.
Not a cheap hobby, I have spent around $7000 on the 3 drones.
:cowboy_hat_face: checks to make sure wife is not looking.
Well, at $800 I’m out. I’m not going to drop that kind of money on a hobby initially unless it involves 2 wheels.
I was just looking for something to buzz around the office and/or backyard. Plus I doubt that Traxxas would only last a few weeks, at least if it’s up to the quality standards of the Revo that I bought. If I ever got serious about quadcopters I think that $800 would be the minimum I’d spend, however.
The WLToys V686G is a great first FPV quadcopter to start, very easy to fly, cheap, so light that it’s unlikely to break anything when crashing, available and very cheap spare parts.
I bought this one, which is almost a clone of the Traxxas you linked, as my first ever quad and it has been great. First I bounced it around the walls a bit, but after a short learning period, it’s really easy to fly and it flyes beautifully…
Since buying it, I got spare batteries, propeller blades, bumper frame and other stuff for it. Spares are quite cheap, as is the whole thing and especially spareblades you WILL need! 
I recommend the Hubsan X4.
It’s a great cheap little toy to play around - I think that is, what you are searching for.
Spare Parts are in every China-Store.
I also recommend to buy yourself some batteries - turnigy nanotech 260mah 35-70C give this little thing a heavy boost.
Tete, L4M4,
Thank you! That’s pretty much what I was looking for - entry level but not so cheap as to be not fun at all. I was trying to put together a Hobby King Talon quad, but I was already up to $180 with just the frame, ESCs, rotors, and motors. Too much for something I might do a few times then forget.
I also have a DJI Phantom. I bought the original Phantom about 3 years ago. This is before they came with a factory mounted camera. Mine is made to carry a GoPro camera so it was only $500 US. I already had a GoPro so it made sense. I really enjoy flying it, even if I’m not using it for photography. You have the option to disengage all the flight assists so you can have total control. This allows you to do all the same tricks and maneuvers that the other quads do. I’m not familiar with DJI current lineup, but if they still offer the phantom without the camera it will be cheaper and in my opinion will worth it. And that’s my 2 cents.
Any feedback on the
Walkera Voyager 3 ?
Or y6 configurations?
I bought a discounted LS–124 from on gearbest some time ago. And it has the best fun to $$$ ratio ever. I don’t remember ever having so much fun for under 20$. So if somebody wants to try out the hobby it can be done quite cheap. You don’t need a big heavy DJI Phantom to have fun. That’s for photography. Just do a little bit of research, get a responsive quad with fast yaw rate and start having fun. Get some extra propellers and a few extra batteries and you’re all set.
I have not jet managed to kill mine. I have crashed a million times and even managed to crash land and submerge into kids swimming pool. And the thing just keeps on going. I don’t know how it managed to survive the water. I have only changed propellers and fixed the protective guard. I have really had some terrible crashes and the gentle protective body is pretty banged up. So I have used light tape to fix it up again and again. So don’t but a expensive quad, if you are a beginner:)
Interesting thread, been thinking about getting into UAV’s myself for some time!
I was wondering if there is something that both is rather affordable or even budget and still can have 30 minutes of continuous flights time+video?
30 minutes no go, max 15-20.