I second jhitsema's comment about wanting to be encouraging, not discouraging. Here's another thing I think you have to consider:
You can get a ZMR250 frame for $35 from Banggood, and by all accounts, it is an excellent frame for the money. It has some consistency issues in its manufacturing, and it lacks some features that higher end frames have (like integrated PDB), but overall, a lot of people seem to like it a lot.
My point is that if you intend to compete on cost, you are never going to beat people who are ordering 10,000 units at a time from China. They are going to beat you in both quality and cost if you are hand-cutting your pieces. So your approach should be to design something unique, that has features that make it worth the price. For example, I am really excited about the new Strider mini from RedRotor, because it has a clever arm design, and because it includes built-in OSD and voltage regulators. I would have bought a ZMR 250 before I heard about the Strider, but suddenly I am willing to pay something like $120 more for the Strider because it has a really appealing design. The challenge will be that the mini quad market is FULL of really excellent designs at almost any price point, so entering it will be challenging. It's not like back when Blackout came out with his frame and he was pretty much the only game in town.
You can get a ZMR250 frame for $35 from Banggood, and by all accounts, it is an excellent frame for the money. It has some consistency issues in its manufacturing, and it lacks some features that higher end frames have (like integrated PDB), but overall, a lot of people seem to like it a lot.
My point is that if you intend to compete on cost, you are never going to beat people who are ordering 10,000 units at a time from China. They are going to beat you in both quality and cost if you are hand-cutting your pieces. So your approach should be to design something unique, that has features that make it worth the price. For example, I am really excited about the new Strider mini from RedRotor, because it has a clever arm design, and because it includes built-in OSD and voltage regulators. I would have bought a ZMR 250 before I heard about the Strider, but suddenly I am willing to pay something like $120 more for the Strider because it has a really appealing design. The challenge will be that the mini quad market is FULL of really excellent designs at almost any price point, so entering it will be challenging. It's not like back when Blackout came out with his frame and he was pretty much the only game in town.
