Heyo! Newbie from down under looking for some help

[MkJAS]

Hullo everyone, I've been meaning to get into a quad-copter build for sometime and after seeing a video with the Flite Test guys in it I've found my way here. I've been look at the versacopter kit and it seems like a good place for me to start, but I'm not entirely sure how to start if that makes sense.
First off I'm an engineering student so soldering and circuits and electronics are things I'm fairly competent in. I've watched the tutorial video for the versacopter build and it all seemed fairly simple to me.
I'm just not sure what bundle to buy and whether or not I should start somewhere else. I'm really interested in starting my own build as opposed to simply buying a drone.
Any response is gratefully appreciated.

 

[cranialrectosis]

Do you have a radio and lipo charger?

The radio will dictate the brand of receiver you put on your copter. The charger will dictate how many lipos you can charge at one time. Don't go cheap on these items (or goggles if you go FPV) because these will impact every model you build.

Go to Youtube and search for 'lipo fire'. Learn the proper respect for lipos and plan your charging station accordingly.

After that you need a frame, ESCs, motors, wire, a flight controller, receiver and lipo batteries.

I have built frames from wood, PLA (3d printed), G10 and carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is the most expensive but the most crash tolerant.

ESCs are key to performance. BlHeli and KISS are the cutting edge. I like the new Aikons.

Motors are also important. eMax red bottoms are very popular as are Cobra and SunnySky. The length of the props and the lipo you use dictate the amp ratings you need for ESCs and motors. 4S lipos give great performance with 2204 or 2205 2300kv motors running 5" props with 24+ Amp ESCs.

F1 flight controllers like the Naze32 acro are old and simple. F3 and F4 boards offer more features are more expensive and more work to configure.

Learn to fly before you add FPV video equipment. Learn on small lipos 1300mAh or so. 2200mAh lipos weigh more and will cause more damage when you crash. Mind the lipo C rating. Don't go lower than 45C on your lipo or you will take a performance hit and your lipos won't last as long.

Get used to crashing and breaking stuff. Buy at least 5 sets of props to learn on. It takes most folks 2-3 weeks to learn to fly. Learn before you add expensive video cameras and heavy lipos.

Film your maiden with a hat cam so if things go wrong, we can help troubleshoot. If things go right we will all cheer with you.

Welcome to the FliteTest forums!