FT Versacopter vs ZMR250

[AndrewTran]

Hello World! I've been following the RC community for a very long time and only recently physically jumped into the RC world. Through training on a flight simulator and with the Blade Inductrix, I have become decently proficient in piloting quadcopters. It's all muscle memory now. I am looking to build my first 250 size quadcopter however, I am now faced with a new problem: deciding between Flite Test's amazing Versacopter and the highly popular ZMR250. As I am only 15.66 years old/young money is a big factor in deciding but I've narrowed it down to these two. The copter will be flying with a Xiaomi Yi on a 3S settup. I'm planning on buying either the Versacopter bundled with the FT racing quad electronics or the Multirotor Mania ZMR 250 bundle found here: http://www.multirotormania.com/multirotor-packages/488-100-carbon-fiber-mini-quad-bundle-wdys.html

What are your guy's thoughts? Any input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Andrew Tran

 

[Ethanator10000]

I am comparing those too, but as for the camera I think you might have trouble flying off of the Xiaomi because of the latency. Chances are you will need a board camera in order to fly good FPV, or else you will have severe latency. Don't take my word for it, I don't own anything yet but this is what I've heard. Although, I am looking at the RunCam HD2, since it has the lowest latency of every recording cam I've seen. Look for the Rcmodelreviews video review of it on YouTube, but other people are still saying I should get a board camera so I might ditch the Runcam and get the Xiaomi and a board cam instead.

 

[pilot1]

the vesacopter will be more upgradable over time. If you are ever interested in AP you will be able to take the vesacopter plates and make a completely different copter. Also, the FT powerpack comes with 2204 motors. These are more powerful than the 1806 motors that the other kit has

 

[Avaviel]

There are a ton of products and upgrades that will come out for the versa. I've seen some neat upgrades already with 3d printers.

 

[AndrewTran]

I am definitely getting a board camera after seeing the GoPro vs Board Camera episode by Flitetest.

 

[Ethanator10000]

I am definitely getting a board camera after seeing the GoPro vs Board Camera episode by Flitetest.

Yep, sounds like a better idea.

 

[Cluteeaye712]

I have built both, and I think it really falls down to the look you like best. You can find the ZRM250 frame for around $18 online, and replacement arms and parts for when you crash (Not if....) for very reasonable prices at tons of online stores. You can also modify the frame and fly it in different ways depending on what you want to do. The PDB and shell I got for mine are awesome, and really protect the guts. The PDB I bought for $8 has 12v and 5v regulators built in, so I can use 3 or 4S LiPos. There is a huge following for ZMR stuff as well. The Versacopter also has many of these benefits too, its relatively inexpensive to get into one, parts and all, plus they can ship you the exact products they build in their videos. It comes with a nice PDB with options to add voltage regulators and stuff. The replacement arms for the Versacopter are pretty cheap too, and FliteTests shipping has been excellent for me thus far, plus they are a great community to help you through the build process and share the tips and tricks they've learned. I'm no expert at RC stuff, and theres probably some gurus that would tell you different, but I have and have built both. I think the FliteTest Versacopter is the best all-in-one package for the money, but if you're thrifty and willing to shop around you might be able to build the ZMR frame for less money at the end of the day. Let us know what you end up building, and post some pics!