Syma S102G 3.5 Channel RC Helicopter with Gyro

I've always been a huge R/C lover with a small budget. I loved nothing more than getting an R/C car or helicopter when I was a little kid, and would play with it for weeks on end. After rediscovering my interest in all things R/C again, I decided to take the plunge and start with Syma. This may just be the greatest $20 I've ever spent in my life, there's nothing bad about this product, at all. I couldn't think of one even if I was paid to do so. First of all, the packaging was top-notch. Upon receiving it, you're really not sure if you've just purchased a budget R/C toy or some hobby enthusiast's prized possession. Everything's strapped in tight, yet easy to remove when it comes down to it. It even comes with a smaller propeller as a replacement (As I remember I had quite a few issues in the past with the smaller rotors being damaged). Talking about replacements, on the manual you can find an extremely handy replacement parts list for everything on the helicopter and controller. Say goodbye to searching Google for hours on end, it couldn't be handier for that one bump too many! THe helicopter itself is the prize here. There's two rotors and a gyroscope that helps make this helicopter feel like a premium product. The main rotor controls the central blades to provide lift, and the smaller one at the back provides the forward/backward movement. The gyroscopes helps the helicopter to turn left and right extremely smoothly. It's hard to tell the difference between this model and a real helicopter with how smoothly it flies. There's no awkward finger movements to try and counter rugged and sudden movement, it can hover very happily, turn very smoothly or fly forwards in a very straight line. The controller feels comfortable in your hands, the controls are fine tuned and there's no dead zones, and best of all, with the USB cable provided, you don't need the controller to charge up the helicopter, just plug it into any kind of USB socket! It's a lifesaver for those AA batteries in the controller. It's very durable, it flies great, it has a pretty great flying time (I've gotten around 10 minutes flying time on 45-60 minute charges), looks superb and at this price, it's a steal.

Bought this for a 15 year old boy. After just a few minutes of playing with it...he was flying it around like an expert. It's a really easy to learn helicopter. It's pretty sturdy and can handle a few crashes well, but you have to be careful with it. There are some pretty funny warnings on the blades that were not translated correctly: "If blade damage, don't be fly. otherwise it will create the human body or blame damage." I am not making this up. It was funny to us too! Beside the aweful "warning" translation and terrible grammar and vocabulary use (it was worth the laugh)....this is a great buy for hours of fun. Oh...the battery life to the helicopter is very short...about 15 minutes. Charging takes 40 mins. Still...it's worth the money.

I have always wanted an RC helicopter since I first saw these being flown in malls. So my girlfriend decided to let me try her RC helicopter by another maker and loved playing with it. So I decided to search for one online and Syma kept popping up with pretty good reviews so decided to buy the S102G model. Looked great out of the box. After charging, it flew amazingly. It was very easy to control; it was stable. I've had it for a couple of days now and still love it. The battery life on it is pretty decent for it's size; it lasts about 5-7mins and charging may take 30-45mins. One issue I have had with it is I have crashed it a few times and lost a wheel, and can't seem to find it so I can glue it back because without it the helicopter doesn't take off straight vertical. It drifts to the side without the wheel. But once airborne there is no problem. The company may want to improve on the sturdiness of the wheel. Otherwise, the helicopter can take a beating when it crashes but it's rare since it's very easy to fly.

The $18 was worth the lousy translation on the blades, reproduced here accurately: "WARNING: If blade damage,don't be fly, otherwise it will create the human body or blame damage." Also, "ARMY FORCE" on the side. Clearly an American made product. The instruction/setup manual is also pretty funny. Engrish aside, this is a great product. They obviously cut the translation budget to focus on engineering and design which is surprisingly high quality. It's smaller than I thought, the controller is bigger than the helicopter. It's easy to get started flying, the USB and controller charging options are nice (although the USB cable inserts 'upside down' and is a little suspect). The controller is of good quality. My only complaint this far is battery life (can't help that much due to size) and the battery cover for the controller requires a Phillips screw driver (as opposed to snap in place). Flying is easy. Just increase throttle (left stick) until it takes off. Use the right stick to turn and move longitudinally. You can turn and move forward at the same time, in addition to the throttle (hence, 3.5 channel). If the chopper rotates, just adjust the trim. Mine required only a small amount of trim. Keep an eye on the altitude, even the slightest drafts or pressure variances move the chopper. It requires active throttle management. The Gyro keeps it relatively stable, I can't imagine trying to hover without it. Range is very good, but due to the IR, requires line-of-sight. Office mates were very impressed. Next one will be the Chinook, the mini or medium sized one. Hoping to lift empty aluminum cans with it, but I have my doubts...