The New Durability Walkera Mini 2.4 GHZ 4#3A Radio Control Electric Helicopter RTF

Ready-To-Fly [RTF] indoor helicopters are becoming bigger than ever because of the way they appeal to beginners with their cheap price tags and ease of use. Walkera has proven to be one of the key players who are leading the way when it comes to indoor fixed- pitch helicopters. Their newest edition, the 4#3 with 2.4 GHz transmitter, appears to be a helicopter with great potential that will cater to a broad range of beginners and advanced pilots alike due t o its fixed pitch design and supposedly great indoor capabilities. Getting a helicopter to fly great right out of the box is something that manufacturers are beginning to strive for, but still proves to be a little tricky for some. How well will Walkera’s new little helicopter hold up?
 

Features:

  The 4#3 comes with a small and simple layout that’s very clean and robust. Everything flows really well, as the writing is organized and all the components are laid out with room to spare.

ROTOR BLADES: The main rotor blades are conventional plastic blades commonly found in fixed pitch designs, it is designed with a predetermined angle of attack and both blades are attached together in a single assembly. The blades also have a unique color scheme (which is breath of fresh air) and even contains a well- written warning.

COMPONENT LAYOUT: The 4#3 uses two small servos that mount to both sides of the frame with plastic tabs directly below the swash. The motor is mounted inverted, directly in front of the swash and on the frame itself. There is a designated battery tray that is mounted to the main frame which snugly holds the battery. The receiver mounts on a tray in the very front which screws to the frame.

LANDING GEAR: The one- piece landing gear consists of a very thin wire- like metal materials that runs through a small top on the bottom of the frame. It can also be disconnected from the loops in the back.

HEADBLOCK: The plastic head block a small o- ring type damping system due to the over lapping style plastic blades, and it is clamped to the main shaft. It also utilizes a swiveling fly bar that is attached with small brass inserts.

CANOPY: The plastic canopy comes pre- painted with a black windshield and a red and black color scheme. It has two slits in the bottom where the landing gear slides in, and it utilizes two grommets on the back that attach to a single plastic rod.

SWASHPLATE: The plastic swash plates is bearing supported and because of the heli’s fixed – pitch design it sits permanently in the same position. It is directly connected to only two servos with the use of plastic integrated balls. It uses a plastic anti rotation pin that slides freely in the plastic anti rotation bracket.

DESIGN: The frame is a simple, small one piece plastic design. Both the plastic battery mount and front receiver tray both to it.

DRIVE TRAIN:

MOTOR MOUNT: The motor is mounted directly in front of the main gear in an inverted position. It is bolted to the frame itself  by way of two self- tapping screws.

PINION: The pinion is made of plastic and meshes directly to the main gear.

MAIN GEAR: The black plastic main gear is retained with a very small Jesus pin and has large cutouts in order to reduce its weight.

TAIL DRIVE: The tail is a motor driven so there isn’t any use of a conventional belt drive, pulley systems, etc. However, the motor in the tail does directly spin a small gear, which in turn meshes with a gear attached to the tail blades for tail control.

“OVERALL, 4#3 PROVED TO BE A DURABLE AND RELIABLE HELICOPTER. AFTER MANY FLIGHTS AND A FAIR AMOUNT OF INDOOR CRASHES [IT’S BOUND TO HAPPEN] , THE HELI SHOWED NO SIGNS OF DAMAGE AND KEPT FLYING THE WAY IT SHOULD.”

BOOM: The carbon boom requires no boom supports because of its light weight and measures in at 105 mm in length.