REVIEW: Walkera 4G3 Helicopter

Specifications:

Length: 273 mm
Tail Motor: 0716R (Strong magnet brush motor)
Main Rotor Diameter: 302 mm
Tail Rotor Diameter: 58 mm
Drive Motor: 1225FE33 (Strong magnet brush motor)
Transmitter: WK-2601
Battery: 3.7V 400mAh Li-Po
Gyro: Built-in
Receiver: RX-2605
Servo: WK-02-1 / weight 3.18g / speed 0.12sec/60°(3.0~4.5V) / torque 0.12kgf/cm / dimension 19.2*8.3*19.7mm
All-up Weight: 68.4g (Battery included)
Price: $229 from XHeli.com

Instructions– Score: 8

The included “pilots handbook” provides some basic use instructions, full color, high quality pictures, and a diagram displaying basic flight controls. Everything is written clearly on glossy paper. The manual is definitely a step above most kit manuals, however it lacks blown up parts explosions which are very helpful if and when you need to rebuild the helicopter.

Build– Score: N/A

Out of the box, the 4G3 comes completely assembled, hence, it is labeled ready to fly out of the box. However, the electronics need some minor tuning to fly correctly. I will elaborate on this in the overall performance section.

Durability– Score: 10

Over the course of testing, this little heli faced quite a bit of abuse. It has had encounters with chairs, plants, an Avant Auroras (yes, really), walls and floors and miraculously we haven’t had to even replace the blades. Nothing has been broken. However, the landing gear is rather flimsy. It works well for its size but hand launches are made difficult because the skids can get stuck and bend on your hands.

Parts Quality– Score: 6

Being incredibly small, you can’t expect parts quality to be at the same level as performance helicopters. The swash plate has some slop in it and the plastic is not as durable as other models. Everything is very small therefore, you just have to sacrifice. However, the metal in the head seems very nice and looks as solid as what you would see in larger birds. The included brushless motor is a very nice addition compared to the stock brushed motor.

The stock blades are made out of foam and seem to flex a lot. They were able to survive many encounters with the ground, so clearly they are durable enough for a helicopter of this size. We have not pushed this chopper into the realm of 3d flight, so it is hard to say what their true performance potential is.

Overall Performance– Score: 7

The 4G3 flies well for it’s price and size. Unfortunately, it does have it’s faults. Out of the box, we had to put the gyro gain to 100%. It wouldn’t wag, but this was the only way we could get it to hold solid. We also had to adjust the two small pots on the receiver to adjust servo travel. On the stock setup, there was too little travel and the helicopter felt difficult to control. Once these adjustments were made, we saw the helicopter “come alive”.

After two minutes into the battery, the small tail motor doesn’t have enough authority to correct full pitch climb-outs. This heli would probably benefit a lot from a 2s LiPo instead of the stock 1s. The gyro is very good compared to most ready to fly helicopters, as it held through backwards flight and kept piros in check when doing piro circuits. Combined with a better tail motor, this could have been a killer combination. The stock brushless motor provides ample power for flying around, however it still seems underpowered and left us lacking the confidence to flip the heli over. Of course, this may also be due to the very small battery. In the stock form, we wouldn’t call this a 3d monster but, it does have the potential with a solid rotor head design and a few small upgrades.

The Walkera 4G3 is truely an amazing helicopter. Just a little bit larger than the famous Picoo Z, the 4G3 combines a collective pitch rotor head with a brushless motor for a fun combination. Though it has its faults, it still proves to be a fun performance heli that can test your skills in the cold winter months. Just don’t plan on bringing it out to the park when there is any air movement, as you will almost certainly loose your helicopter.

You can order yours at XHeli.com

[View with PicLens]