Tech Tools review: Revell Control Nano Quadcopter

The Revell Control Nano Quadcopter with Camera may look a little familiar. Remember Hubsan’s Q4 Nano Copter that claimed to be the world’s smallest flying quadcopter? It reminds me a little of that.

It should: the Revell Control was engineered by Hubsan, so it’s not surprising there are a few similarities.

When you take it out of the box, the first thing you notice about it is that it is on the minuscule side. In fact it’s positively minute. It sits in the palm of your hand easily; the remote control for the copter isn’t much bigger.

Let’s be upfront about one thing. My flying skills, when it comes to drones, are questionable. The 3DR that flipped over on its back. The Parrot AR Drone that I banked too hard I’m now a little afraid to touch in case I snap an expensive bit off it. The Star Wars RC drone that is supposed to do elegant flips but in my hands performed a move that was more reminiscent of a belly flop.

It’s not pretty, and one broken propeller is probably getting away lightly. Sturdy drones are preferable, because anything less is likely to meet a sad end.

The Revell quadcopter does not look like a sturdy drone. It looks like it would break if I sneezed in its general direction. Getting it set up was not quite the easy task I thought it would be, because the instructions are less than illuminating. So after five minutes of pointing, considering and then finally turning everything the right way up, the copter was ready to go.

The controller needs two AAA batteries (not supplied) and the copter itself is rechargeable via a USB cable – proprietary connector of course. You get about five minutes out of a full charge, so use your time wisely – once you figure out how to plug it in of course.

You can record footage via a built-in camera that saves to a Micro SD card (which is included in the box, a 4GB one at that) in 720×480 resolution and AVI format. No sound though, and at that resolution, you shouldn’t expect too much. The resulting footage of my many (many) crashes was a bit on the blurry side, but when I finally got the hang of the copter, it steadied up a bit.

One thing I should clear up: the Revell quadcopter may look fragile, but it’s not. Predictably, I flipped the copter within minutes of getting started, but although a rotor popped off, it didn’t actually break. Ditto when I accidentally slammed it into a wall. The Revell bounced back – literally. Besides, the manufacturers have included a spare set of rotors in the box, so if disaster strikes, you can easily replace one.

If there is one thing that you can complain about, it’s that flying it is an acquired skill – more so than bigger, heavier drones. Sure, you have less to lose if it falls out of the sky in terms of expensive parts to replace, but the lack of weight also makes it very easy to get taken by a stiff breeze. Although the listing says it is suitable for use indoors and outdoors, I was actually afraid to take it outside on anything more than a slight wind, so you can try it at your own risk.

The quadcopter is supposed to perform a 360 degree flip, but it’s hard to get the hang of it. Perhaps there will be a special buzz of achievement when I finally manage to pull it off without slamming the copter into the ground; for now, it’s like watching a mildly horrifying crash.

The good:

This copter, clearly, is just for fun. It’s a good way to get started and cut your UAV teeth, so to speak. But it’s made of stronger stuff than you think.

The not so good:

It needs better instructions. It was by sheer luck that I didn’t jam the micro SD card into another part of the copter’s rig, because not only are the instructions a little on the fluid side, they’re also a bit rubbish. Also, a small frame means a small battery, so don’t plan on any long flights.

The rest:

The box includes a 4GB SD card so you can get started straight away – if you have AAA batteries to hand. Don’t expect much from the camera footage, but it will let you get a new perspective on things.

The verdict: ***

This may not be a toy, but it certainly feels like one. Once you get over the frustrating battery life, it’s actually quite fun – until someone breaks a rotor or two.

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