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#Post#: 1365--------------------------------------------------
Scorpion S-Max Multi-rotor Copter
By: JohnnyMac Date: June 21, 2013, 9:59 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[html]<p>Not exactly flashlight or EDC gear but it does have
dual LEDs for night flying so here goes...</p><p><span
class="auto-style2"><strong>SCORPION S-MAX 6-Axis R/C
Helicopter</strong></span><br> *The Scorpion S-Max was provided
for review by <a
href="
(HTM) http://dx.com/p/sh-6047b-rechargeable-six-axis-4-ch-2-4ghz-radio-control-r-c-scorpion-aircraft-black-gray-187950"><br
/>DealExtreme</a></p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3795/9032508035_5921a7f4ac_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3795/9032508035_5921a7f4ac_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>Why a helicopter review? Why t
he
hell not? It's fun and DX had, at the time, a list of things
available to review and none of the few flashlights interested
me so I asked Sandy if I could check out an R/C helicopter since
this one really caught my fancy. I've had a few in the past
that didn't last long and my current Syma S107 is so easy to fly
that it's gotten boring and I hardly ever play with it. This
one looked awesome from the video on DX's site and I figured I'd
run with it. Now the big problem was how do I do a review on an
R/C copter? I've been putting off this review for sometime
because this little dilemma. Sandy has been a saint with her
patience waiting for this review. Thanks, Sandy! I finally
figured I'd just do like I do for my flashlight reviews with
some pics and my thoughts so here goes.</p><p><strong>My
experience with it</strong></p><p>The Scorpion arrived in great
shape with only a few dents in the box from shipping. Inside it
is really packaged well to withstand the slow boat form China.
Everything is locked down and the entire contents was covered by
a form fitting plastic cover to protect the goodies inside.
Everything was in great shape and I charged the included 500mAh
battery using the included wallwart and special charging box
that is able to charge two separate batteries (if you had a
spare). Once charged (less than 20 minutes) it was time to pop
in the battery and fire it up. First I loaded six AA cells into
the controller (AA cells not included) then turned it on to
check out the awesome little LCD display. Everything on the
controller is digitally controlled and is displayed on the
screen. Since my Syma S107 doesn't have such a feature I was
really impressed. A couple decades ago when I first got into R/C
something like this was unheard of unless you bought a Futaba
controller that was close to $1000. My, how times have changed!
Once I familiarized myself with the basic controls thanks to
the incredibly detailed instruction pamphlet I was ready to take
flight for the first time.</p><p>To sync the Scorpion with the
controller you first connect the battery connector on the
Scorpion then turn it on. The LEDs in the top of the craft will
light red signifying it is turned on. Then you turn down the
throttle stick and turn on the controller. The controller will
beep once it connects to the craft and the LEDs on the copter
will turn green letting you know it's go time. Trimming the
copter took the longest time. With 6 motors whirring away I had
to just take it a few inches off the ground then play with the
digital trim controls on the controller. As you adjust them,
the trim adjustment shows in bar graphs on the display panel.
After figuring out which button controls what direction and
which way to move the trim I finally got it to hover fairly
stable in one spot. Compared to the Syma and it's fantastic
gyroscopic assist it is far more difficult to fly, hence the
challenge and extra fun potential. I'm not the greatest pilot
of these things and cars are more my thing but I was able to
move it around the kitchen and torment the dog. Fear of it won
out over his initial anger of it and he decided it was best to
simply leave the room. I figured it was a good idea since he
was likely to become emotionally scarred if he hung around too
much longer. The large capacity cell (500mAh compared to the
wimpy 150mAh-200mAh cell in the Syma) provides a solid 5-6
minutes of run time and is not bad at all considering there are
6 motors providing the lift. What lift it provides, too! This
thing rocket skyward and indoors will smash into the ceiling
before you realize it if you aren't careful. Travelling speed
is far faster than that of the Syma as well. Forward and
reverse are pretty snappy and directional changes are a blast
compared to the comparatively sluggish response of the Syma
S107. If you already have a 3.5 channel gyroscopic stabilized
copter like the Syma and are bored with it's limitations, then
$50 is well spent on this
Scorpion.</p><p><strong>Durability</strong></p><p>The 6 rotors
on the Scorpion are the same type usually found on the tail
rotors of other more conventional copters. This means that they
have relatively little rotating mass which allows them to
accelerate their rotation very quickly but it also allows them
to stop very quickly as well. This is extremely handy when
smashing into walls, chair legs, radiators, people...you get the
idea. I didn't have even one break on me but if I did there are
4 spare rotors included in the kit. Replacements should be
extremely easy to find and inexpensive as they are merely tail
rotors used on the more common and popular copters like the Syma
and even Air Hogs.</p><p>The arms that extend from the main
chassis and support the motors are made from box section
stainless steel/aluminum alloy tubing and are very durable and
difficult to break let alone bend or tweak. The chassis itself
is plastic but is extremely surable and well designed and made.
The body shell is made of a thin and flexible yet durable vacuum
formed plastic just like that of high end R/C cars.</p><p>Take
my word for it, this thing took a beating until I got a better
handle on it and I'm still not great with it. other copters,
aside from the too easy to fly Syma didn't last more than a few
days in my hands.</p><p><strong>Manufacturer
Specs:</strong></p><p> </p><table style="border-collapse:
collapse; border-spacing: 0px; color: #333333; font-family:
Arial; font-size: 13px; width: 550px;" border="0"
cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr style="height:
20px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width:
250px;"><strong>Brand</strong></td><td style="margin: 0px;
padding: 0px;">SH</td></tr><tr style="height: 20px;"><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width:
250px;"><strong>Model</strong></td><td style="margin: 0px;
padding: 0px;">6047B</td></tr><tr style="height: 20px;"><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width:
250px;"><strong>Quantity</strong></td><td style="margin: 0px;
padding: 0px;">1 Piece(s)/pack</td></tr><tr style="height:
20px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width:
250px;"><strong>Color</strong></td><td style="margin: 0px;
padding: 0px;">Black gray</td></tr><tr style="height: 20px;"><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width:
250px;"><strong>Material</strong></td><td style="margin: 0px;
padding: 0px;">ABS + Stainless steel aluminum alloy</td></tr><tr
style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;
width: 250px;"><strong>Channel</strong></td><td style="margin:
0px; padding: 0px;">4 Channels</td></tr><tr style="height:
20px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width:
250px;"><strong>Channel Specification</strong></td><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Forward / Backward, Left /
Right, Up / Down, Sideward fly / Direction change with tilt
angle</td></tr><tr style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin: 0px;
padding: 0px; width: 250px;"><strong>Gyroscope</strong></td><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Yes</td></tr><tr
style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;
width: 250px;"><strong>Remote Type</strong></td><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Radio control</td></tr><tr
style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;
width: 250px;"><strong>Remote Control Frequency</strong></td><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">2.4GHz</td></tr><tr
style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;
width: 250px;"><strong>Remote Control Range</strong></td><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">50 meters</td></tr><tr
style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;
width: 250px;"><strong>Battery Capacity</strong></td><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">500 mAh</td></tr><tr
style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;
width: 250px;"><strong>Battery Type</strong></td><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Li-ion</td></tr><tr
style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;
width: 250px;"><strong>Charging Time</strong></td><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">90 minutes</td></tr><tr
style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;
width: 250px;"><strong>Working Time</strong></td><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">6 minutes</td></tr><tr
style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;
width: 250px;"><strong>Remote Control Type</strong></td><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Included</td></tr><tr
style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;
width: 250px;"><strong>Controller Battery Type</strong></td><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">AA (not
included)</td></tr><tr style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin:
0px; padding: 0px; width: 250px;"><strong>Controller Battery
Quantity</strong></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding:
0px;">6</td></tr><tr style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin:
0px; padding: 0px; width: 250px;"><strong>Suitable
Age</strong></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding:
0px;">14+</td></tr><tr style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin:
0px; padding: 0px; width: 250px;"><strong>Other
Feature</strong></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding:
0px;">Remote control with 2.2'' LCD display.</td></tr><tr
style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;
width: 250px;"><strong>Packing List</strong></td><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1 x R/C
helicopter</td></tr><tr style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin:
0px; padding: 0px; width: 250px;"><strong> </strong></td><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1 x Remote
control</td></tr><tr style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin:
0px; padding: 0px; width: 250px;"><strong> </strong></td><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">4 x Propellers</td></tr><tr
style="height: 20px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;
width: 250px;"><strong> </strong></td><td style="margin: 0px;
padding: 0px;">1 x Screw driver</td></tr><tr style="height:
20px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width:
250px;"><strong> </strong></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding:
0px;">1 x USB cable (55cm)</td></tr><tr style="height:
20px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width:
250px;"><strong> </strong></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding:
0px;">1 x Charger</td></tr><tr style="height: 20px;"><td
style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 250px;"><strong>
</strong></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1 x English
user manual</td></tr></tbody></table><p><iframe
src="
(HTM) http://www.youtube.com/embed/Za6h0A7mafM"
frameborder="0"
width="425" height="350"></iframe></p><p>Here is how the
Scorpion was packaged. Large, dense, closed cell foam caps
protect the control sticks from any unfortunate impacts during
shipping. All spare parts, charger, charge controller, and
cables are each in their own compartments.</p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3729/9032502037_008f8e6301_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3729/9032502037_008f8e6301_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5467/9034725750_474a577f43_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5467/9034725750_474a577f43_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>I can see why they named this t
he
"Scorpion". It really does look like one and looks just as
aggressive, too.</p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3743/9034723978_5e65495023_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3743/9034723978_5e65495023_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>Pretty sweet looking little
gadget!</p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7317/9032491337_246dd0c64a_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7317/9032491337_246dd0c64a_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>Here is the underside showing t
he
battery compartment at the base of the chassis for a lowered
center of gravity. More than ample thrust provided by the six
little rotors allows the larger, heavier battery to provide
great run time and not hinder it's maneuverability and response
time.</p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7342/9032488683_f65b33c3de_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7342/9032488683_f65b33c3de_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>THe insede of the body shell.
you can see the clear bubbles that the LEDs shine
through.</p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/9034676710_2a3d670e8c_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/9034676710_2a3d670e8c_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>A look at the component side.
Everything is wired in with individual connectors for easy
replacement and upgrades if that's your thing. Very
professional looking touch compared to most cheap toy
helicopters.</p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5509/9034692628_592a10bca8_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5509/9034692628_592a10bca8_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>A look inside the empty battery
compartment. Most of the main body is battery with the control
board sitting on top.</p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7326/9034678902_39dcab7ef5_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7326/9034678902_39dcab7ef5_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>The 500mAh 3.7v cell</p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7384/9034685990_c47e9ba03c_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7384/9034685990_c47e9ba03c_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>The controller powered
off.</p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3827/9032486557_0308688a31_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3827/9032486557_0308688a31_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>Powered on the display shows tr
im
percentages in both numbers and bar graph for easy reading at a
glance. Custom settings can be seen and configured here as
well. Controller battery voltage is also displayed.</p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5518/9034709692_56d83f22a6_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5518/9034709692_56d83f22a6_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>A look at the battery compartme
nt
with 6 AA cells inserted.</p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7369/9032469107_b0347cf09b_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7369/9032469107_b0347cf09b_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>This is the charger circuit. T
he
wall wart merely provides the input juice and the charger box
monitors the cells and stops charging once it has reached
4.2v.</p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2875/9034697658_034558853a_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2875/9034697658_034558853a_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>Separate charging circuits and
jacks on either side of the box allow for charging up to two
spare cells while you fly the Scorpion on a third cell.</p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7448/9034702958_6012428805_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7448/9034702958_6012428805_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>here is the entire charging
circuit in action. The charging cable lights to show that power
is coming from the wall wart. this end of the cable has a
standard USB connector and allows you to bypass the wall wart
and plug the charger into your USB port on a computer or laptop.
The other end of the cable plugs into the input port of the
charger box and the cell plugs into either of the cell ports.
The charging light turns from red to green once the cell is at
full capacity.</p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2813/9034672820_235e304e55_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2813/9034672820_235e304e55_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>The manual is extremely
comprehensive and more than a little intimidating when you first
look at it!</p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5441/9032444809_fd78e4057a_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5441/9032444809_fd78e4057a_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a> <a
href="
(HTM) http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5506/9034669750_c283bdb38d_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5506/9034669750_c283bdb38d_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a> <br> <img
src="
(HTM) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7368/9034668116_74176009a9_n.jpg"><br
/><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/9032440511_e1f9d74c97_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/9032440511_e1f9d74c97_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3758/9032438875_16175b6475_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3758/9032438875_16175b6475_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a> <a
href="
(HTM) http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5443/9032437485_cf6240a013_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5443/9032437485_cf6240a013_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>Conclusion</p><p>If you like fu
n
toys and gadgets or are already an R/C helicopter fan, the new
multi-rotor copters are the next step in copter evolution. For
just $50 the Scorpion is a great way to step up your game from
the boring old school dual rotor copters like the Syma S107.
This is one toy even a grown man can appreciate without being
ashamed to have folks see him playing with it. Very
competitively priced and better built than most toy copters, I
highly recommend it!</p><p><a
href="
(HTM) http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5447/9034721670_09866f17a0_b.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
(HTM) http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5447/9034721670_09866f17a0_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>[/html]
#Post#: 1367--------------------------------------------------
Re: Scorpion S-Max Multi-rotor Copter
By: jacktheclipper Date: June 21, 2013, 10:25 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for the great review , JohnnyMac .
8)
#Post#: 1371--------------------------------------------------
Re: Scorpion S-Max Multi-rotor Copter
By: Spasmod Date: June 22, 2013, 12:58 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Thank Johnny, it's always interesting to read a real life
evaluation on any of these copters. This one seems to shift
pretty quickly too :)
Probably not suitable to fly in the house with pets, kids and
the wife's Ming vases then ?
#Post#: 1376--------------------------------------------------
Re: Scorpion S-Max Multi-rotor Copter
By: gords1001 Date: June 22, 2013, 1:24 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
cheers for the review johnny, I too like my rc toys, might have
to take another look soon, my last toy was a 120mph multiplex
twin jet, I could do with something to play with around the
house.
#Post#: 1396--------------------------------------------------
Re: Scorpion S-Max Multi-rotor Copter
By: Spasmod Date: June 24, 2013, 4:24 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=gords1001 link=topic=338.msg1376#msg1376
date=1371925448]
cheers for the review johnny, I too like my rc toys, might have
to take another look soon, my last toy was a 120mph multiplex
twin jet, I could do with something to play with around the
house.
[/quote]
Sounds like an awesome jet Graham, you should put a camera on
there and do some high speed flybys :)
#Post#: 1397--------------------------------------------------
Re: Scorpion S-Max Multi-rotor Copter
By: MRsDNF Date: June 25, 2013, 6:01 am
---------------------------------------------------------
JM. The man off many talents. If you let me loose with this
thing the fun would be over before it started. Thanks for the
review.
#Post#: 1416--------------------------------------------------
Re: Scorpion S-Max Multi-rotor Copter
By: blacklight Date: June 25, 2013, 10:25 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Cool little copter. Too bad the lipo pack doesn't come with it.
I'm tempted, but I already have two planes waiting for their
first flight. ::)
#Post#: 1422--------------------------------------------------
Re: Scorpion S-Max Multi-rotor Copter
By: JohnnyMac Date: June 25, 2013, 11:47 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=blacklight link=topic=338.msg1416#msg1416
date=1372217143]
Cool little copter. Too bad the lipo pack doesn't come with it.
I'm tempted, but I already have two planes waiting for their
first flight. ::)
[/quote]What do you mean? The lipo pack comes with it.
#Post#: 1431--------------------------------------------------
Re: Scorpion S-Max Multi-rotor Copter
By: blacklight Date: June 27, 2013, 2:29 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Unless I'm getting blind, the DX page made no mention of it -
didn't even show a pic.
(HTM) http://dx.com/p/sh-6047b-rechargeable-six-axis-4-ch-2-4ghz-radio-control-r-c-scorpion-aircraft-black-gray-187950
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