Micro Mosquito Review
 

I held off on buying one of these for some time since many people seemed to have problems with them. Well, I finally broke down and bought one after reading more mixed reviews about them. I had two RS gift cards with enough to cover the MM and a repair kit as well as batteries. So, since it didn't really cost me anything, I got one.
Straight out of the box, I was very disapointed. The heli would shoot to the ceiling then drop to the floor. I couldn't get a smooth hover no matter what I did. So, I did all of the tweaks recommended by Petter, the designer, but the heli still wouldn't behave.
On a hunch, I replaced the rotors with the ones from the repair kit. Unbelievable difference. The heli hovers like a hummingbird now and with the addition of weights to the new top rotor, the thing is stable as a rock. I put the larger tail rotor on it from the hop-up kit included with the heli, and I get good forward flight. Not nearly as fast as a weighted PicooZ, but that is actually good for indoor flying.
The thing that I've noticed about the MM is that it flies very different from the PicooZ. Once you get used to how the heli flies and how to keep it trimmed, flying it is much more precise than flying the Picoo.
I can take off from a stack of hard cover books on the coffee table, run a few circuits from the kitchen to the living room, and land back on the books with ease. The heli is very quiet and has a much more solid feel to it than the Picoo. It flies slowly and precisely once you get the hang of keeping the tail in place. The ability to pilot the heli around a room is a blast and takes alot of practice.
Run times out of the box were terrible. Only a couple of minutes of actual flying time. But, after a few cycles of the battery, I'm getting better than 10 minutes. Trim throughout the flight is important. Especially at the lower end of the battery discharge. If you use the stick to trim alot at low battery, you lose lift quickly and have to stop to recharge. But, if you trim it and use the stick only to steer, you can fly for a couple more minutes.
Another good habit is to fly about the room a bit and then reland on something specific. Let the heli sit there a minute or two so the motors can cool. Then, take off and do it again. In this way I can practice long flights, short flights, and soft determined landings. I still love my PicooZs, but they just can't do what this heli can do if trimmed out properly.
I highly recommend the MM. If you can't get yours to behave after tweaking, return it until you get a good one. They are worth it when you get one that operates as it should.

I bought my MM last month. The first one I had to bring back to Radio shack, it had a bad roter and did not charge good. The one I got now works great. I crashed it a few times and had no damage. This is one tough heli. I had a PiccoZ and after a few crashs the main roter had a cut almost all the way across and couldn't be fixed. It is a costly toy made for us big kids. LO

The more I fly this thing, the more I like it. I get an occasional glitch every now and then that causes the heli to spin, but I can usually catch it again. For the most part though, the MM flies slow and steady anywhere I want it to go. I hardly ever crash the thing anymore. Just slow lazy circuits through the house.
I'm planning on cutting alot of the excess body weight off of the heli to see if I can get more use out of the low battery. The MM will ground effect forever. Lots of wasted flight time.

Well, I was really having a ball with the MM when one of the motors died. The brushes were bent from the factory and finally gave up the ghost. I managed to fix them, but the motor is very unreliable now. It took alot of time and effort to get the MM to fly right, then after a very short time, the heli is grounded.
The MM is a blast so I'm considering getting another and using this one for parts, but I dunno. I'm beginning to wonder about how robust the thing is now.

Well, at least you had some flying time with yours.

I've currently got my 3rd MM repackaged in the box ready to go back to RS.

- 1st one was DOA, went back for exchange.
- 2nd did nothing but go into the infamous "toilet flush" spin and never flew right. This time around I had enough and just wanted a refund, but I get handed some BS about how they don't give refunds on rc planes/helis anymore because of so many returns (I suspect this is just my local store) so I had no choice but for exchange.
- 3rd one looked like it might be the charm, for about a whole 10 seconds...then it started spinning hard clockwise and no matter how much trim and counter-stick, that's ALL it does now is spin clockwise (tried doing all the different mods to fix it too).

I really REALLY wanted to like this Heli, but this is just unacceptable.

I know what you mean. The MM is amazing when it works, I really enjoyed flying it. Mine had really good hover and forward control. I could steer it all over. But, it just didn't last very long.
The motors on mine get extremely hot and I'm told this isn't normal. Could be why mine failed so soon. I dunno, I had good runtimes and everything seemed fairly free to spin.
I may try a 49mHz model and see what my luck is. I really miss being able to do pinpoint landings and nose in steady flight. I even made a small buoy out of a fishing float with a hook on top to play around with but never got to use it before the motor failed.
I may try one more time, but I'll be keeping the package for some time just in case.

I am the "keeper" of the Mosquito at my RS store.

We keep the controller put away and I do the demos because no one else has taken the time to get to know it's quirks.

I've also attached the larger rear prop for a little more speed.

I love the thing!
The only reason I don't own one is because they pay me to hang out with one anyway! :D

Our demo model does have a bad quirk though.
Very often the rear prop won't work until it's been flying for a minute or two.

Great review!

I'll keep an eye on this forum now!

Michael,

If you're a fan of the MM, then I HIGHLY recommend checking out this thread over at RCGroups:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showp...&postcount=117

It's a listing of a bunch of Mods, offered up by the original designer of the Micro Mosquito (Petter) !!

One thing off the bat, you could probably very easily fix your quirk with the tail rotor not spinning up right away...When you dismantle the Tx, you'll notice there's several pot dials that can be adjusted. One of them being for the tail rotor throttle. I'd say try adjusting it so it kicks-in at lower stick push.

Enjoy! I have not doubt these birds are a blast...When you get a good one.

Thanks for the tip!

Unfortunately it's the store's MM and not mine or I'd be tearing into it to diagnose the problem.

It's not a control throw issue but a flat out case of the thing having to run for a little bit before it starts responding at all.

My first thought on that was possibly something heat related, as expanding SMC components could bridge a gap somewhere, but it could easily be a vibration issue as well!

I just bought a new 49mHz MM today. I went to a store that was sold out the last time I went in hopes that they would have a new shipment containing the improved MMs. Fortune smiled on me and they had half a dozen of them. All were the newer production run and had the larger tail rotor already installed. This is what to look for BTW.
This MM flew perfectly right out of the box! Hovers with no glitches, great FF, and great range. I haven't had to add weights or strip anything off the back. The motors stay cool to the touch even after long flights. I don't think I need to do anything to tweak this heli except remove the throttle spring. It even has the 2-3 degree twist in the tail assembly already. I'm very pleased with this one!
Namuna, you should try one more time. Look for the newer MMs with the larger tail rotor installed. I'd go for a 49mHz model just because range on 49s always seems better. I'm keeping the box for the full warranty period anyway just in case problems creep up later. I can honestly recommend this thing again.
I already ordered two new motors for my old 27mHz model and may still repair it. But the gear mesh on the main gears is much tighter on the 27. I didn't know how much until I got this new one. So, it may not be worth fixing and may end up as a parts donor.

I don't know if my new one is so good because it's a 49mHz or because it's one of the new production run. Maybe both. All I know is that it's a night and day difference from my first one. Long runtimes, cool motors, great FF right out of the box.
I'm in Florida right now at my Daughter's house and I've been flying my skeeter all over the living room. They have a very large kitchen living room combination that makes an L shape. I have no problems taking off from a TV tray stand, flying a circuit into the kitchen and back to a soft landing on the TV tray. I can do this several times on a charge.
My first one was a 27 mHz as well, and it was so disapointing I almost didn't buy another. But, I have to say the new ones are well worth the money and work beautifully.
My son-in-law and I went to the local hobby shop and watched an indoor heli competition this morning. All the contestants had to do was take off from a piece of tape on the floor, move across the room and land on a table. Each time they successfully did this they would advance to another round where progressively smaller boxes were placed on the table for them to land on. Most people were flying Blade CXs (which are very nice BTW). But, the whole time I'm thinking, "I could win this with my MM." and, "the smallest box is huge compared to my MM."
Now my son-in law wants a skeeter of his own and we may both invest in larger helis later on. One of the store personel did a demonstration of a Blade CPpro out behind the store. Inverted flight, and unbelievable control. A real blast to watch. But, I think i'll hold off on one of those until I get some chops on these things.

My buddy recently lost a leg and asked me to bring him a cool new toy.

He's going bats over his MM.

Flew great right out of the box, and even had a large tail prop installed!

27Mhz, but no hassles with control.
His is a really smooth flyer.

Good to know that the 27mHz is as good as the 49 in the improved shipment. Sorry to hear about your freind. But, the MM is the perfect gift to keep him entertained!

Our store MM suffered a spit rotor on one blade on sat.

I simply used a piece of scotch tape, making sure to put a matching piece on the opposite blade to keep it balanced.

Has anyone come up with a way to cancel what I call "The Death Spiral"?

This occurs when my store's heating system kicks on and the MM is caught in the drafts from the vents, also at my friend's house.

I'm sure you guys know what I mean.

These things are very sensitive to air currents. You can "steer" out of the spiral in the opposite direction. If you are far enough from the floor, it will get you out in time. Try this while adjusting throttle as well, it works most of the time. It's most effective right at the beginning of the spiral, if the MM gets to far into the wide spirals, it's going down.

Thanks!

My only other solution is really just to get it down as fast as possible. (and turn off the AC/heat!!) :D

The MM's larger sibling the "Extreme Rescue Helicopter" is also prone to that condition, but with no tail prop it's even harder to counteract.

When I sell 'em I make sure I let folks know what to expect.

(still really tempted to do the throttle spring mod on the store demo, you don't know!)

Yeah, all of the dual rotor designs suffer fom this. Even the ones that cost a couple hundred dollars. They are all very sensative to any breeze no matter how small.
I flew my MM past my daughters aquarium hood which has a tiny computer cooling fan in it. The MM wasn't even near the fan but over the center of the hood and it got a serious case of the wobblies.
That's what to look for by the way. The "toilet bowl spiral" is immediately proceeded by the heli beginning to wobble side to side. As soon as you see the wobblies coming on, give it a little throttle and turn in the opposite direction. It really helps me to control the MM. I know some people prefer to feel the tension on the stick, but removing it helps me keep the imputs small and precise. Of course, you have to remember to power down instead of just releasing the throttle as usual.

I had to pack up my store's original MM today after a couple months of hard demoing. :(

I had to because it wouldn't trim anymore, even after I replaced the blades and did a disassembly/inspection on the main rotor shaft. (Much wear in that area too)
Even with the sick hard over it would still spin slightly.

The new one I took out to demo was perfect right out of the box, however I'm not sure if the charger is working properly. :confused:

This new one is probably the least noisy I've experienced too.

While these things are still really cool, it doesn't seem like they are truly built to last, nor is quality control terribly consistent.

For a toy it's great. As a hobby item I would say it's at best a novelty.

Yeah, I'd agree with that 100%. The MM does offer one of the coolest and controllable micro flight expereinces out there right now. But, QC and robustness are major issues. I think $70.00 should deliver more in those departments, but I'm an old fart and that's a lot of money for a toy to me, lol.
I would hope Petter (the designer) would push for even better micro models like the MM. If they can get QC consistent and add a few features, like a gyro for yaw, I think people would go $100.00 or more for one. That's assuming more robust motors and gears can be used as well. There should be motor and main shaft replacement kits offered and they should come with bearings installed on the main rotor shaft as well as the lower gear.
I think the problem is that the folks that decide what to make for the mass markets consider anything under a certain size as just a toy and design it accordingly. The Micron line of helis show that adults will indeed buy micro machines that are well above toys in quality and price. Hopefully, this market will expand and allow for even smaller machines that more serious hobbiests can afford and would buy.

on my 3rd mm
 

first one was a 27mhz.....death sprial..then dead stick (throttle)
2nd one lasted 10seconds at xmas time for my dad...how disapointing to give a gift that works for 10 seconds..packed it up...call interactive toys in Canada...wow...are they useless and unforgiving....went back to the store i bought it at...they said sorry...we dont take returns on flying toys. so i called RS Corp. phone number i searched on google for...talked with "Cindy"...she straightened out the store for me and upon my arrival at "said store" the manager asked me if i wanted to give it one more try as he had just recieved a fresh shipment of MM's...i looked at the freq- and it was a 49...then looked at the tail rotor...it seemed larger that the prev. one had...so im giving it a 3rd chance...then...we will see whats up...if it fails thou...this is the last time im going thru this...at $73 plus change...and $15 in hi-end disposable batteries im not gonna do it again..im going to Tower hobbies and go Hi-End EP copter searching. does anyone here own a copter thats indoor oriented...like a Venom..or a Shogun Midget?

Good luck with it! I'm still flying my MM with no problems yet. I'm actually surprised at how well this one is doing. I haven't even needed to replace any rotors yet. My first was a 27mHz as well and it was total junk. I still have it for parts, but haven't needed any yet.
I still think the MM is the best living room heli out there, but I hear ya on the quality issues. It's a shame such a great design is out there and the manufacturers are killing it.

Massive returns
 

Massive returns on this item at this point.

Shoddy. Just shoddy. I am heartbroken.

3rd one also failed...arrrgh
 

well...it seemed to good to be true upon purchase, that an indoor heli could be had for that price ( affordable..haha).

this 3rd one suffered the toilet bowl spin and could never trim it out for stability...ill be damned if ill crack the back of the radio off and tweak a pot or two like my friend tried....just wont do...so i took it back...and got a real rash from the lady behind the counter. She felt she needed to test it out before refunding my CASH...so it was entertaining atleast..thank god i didnt have anything to do for the next 20imnutes...but did have to prod her for the cash after awhile. I told her : " look miss...you obviously havent read the directions or even flown one before due to the fact you turned on the MM on before the radio...which you have to hold the throttle stick to the MAX to make the green lite go steady..." once i said that...she dipped into the register and handed me my $73.48.....geezus....some chicks....

now what do i buy that will definately work for low buck?...any sugg out there
friends?

Man, I hate it when employees that wear the company on their sleeves act like it's THEIR money that's being returned. See, a decade or so back, I woulda told you to just not go back to that store. But, that's pretty much moot as RS turns over employees faster than McD's can turn a burger. So, chances are, if you go back in a month or so, there will be yet another smiling face there, freshly pumped from the orientation videos, asking about your cell phone service plan. I pretty much avoid RS all the time. Only two products have enticed me past their threshhold and Zips are gone, and the MMs are a crap shoot with the odds against you.That's a tough one. PicooZ is all that comes to mind. There are a couple of other 3 channel micro helis out there, but they seem to have as many problems as the MM. Airlark MiniHybrid, or BR ripoff, has had alot of bandwidth over at RCG, but it seems they either work great and break easily, or don't work at all. Then, there's the Airhogs Helix. Decent functionality as I understand it, but problems with input delay and side thruster effectiveness. And, the body MUST be removed as it's ugly as sin.
To be honest, I'd wait for a few months. I think many companies will see the size of the micro heli market and offer better products. The demand is there, they just need to address the quality control issues to avoid massive returns. Any suit in the toy industry worth his blackberry knows that by now.

thanks for the tip..
 

I agree with you on the demand and how its definately on the rise. I just want to fly indoors real bad and having purchased the Micro-Heli Mag at the Barnes N Nobles recently it just confuses me greatly on which one to get now. I really like the HeliMax in the Tower Hobbys ad. Have you heard negitive things on that one? Seems afordable and has 3 channels . Plus..it looks like a helicopter as it has a rear rotor and not a the double fanned look of the MM..its just Bigger...and thats the bummer side..

Haven't seen that one. I'll have to look it upI hear ya there. The thing I like the mosty about the MM is it's functionality and size. It's just plain tiny and that's cool as can be for me. I looked at 4channel helis that are promoted as indoor, but they are just to big to suit me. There is the Micron heli's, but they are a bit pricey.
I flew my MM last night after a few days of sitting on the shelf. It flies great still. An MM with better quality control and a micro gyro would be the perfect indoor flyer. A three channel PicooZ would be a great indoor heli too. That's why I think a few months will provide more choice.

I've got a couple of questions.

Does the charger have an ac adapter?

Do you still think it's worth the $70?

How does it compare to some of the $40 dollar helis, like the mini dragonfly and minihybrid?

Yes.Yes, provided you get a good one and that's the bugger of it all.I haven't owned either of those two, but from what I can gather, they all fly pretty much the same. The Hybrid is similar in size to the MM (slightly larger rotors) but seems to be very brittle and prone to breakage, particularly the landing gear and tail boom. The dragonfly is slightly larger than an MM and I think it an all around decent flyer from what I've read. Both seem to be prone to having lemons, and niether has the tinyness of the MM (though the Hybrid has a very tiny body). I've considered buying a Dragonfly, because it seems to be the best all around bet for performance and robustness. But, I just wish it was slightly smaller. I just like the fact that the Picoo and the MM (to a certain extent) look to scale sitting next to my Zips and on my track which has a heli pad.