MakerFire TinyWhoop Review and Giveaway

Alex -

The world of micro brushed FPV quadcopters is getting better and better with so many new product releases, however, is the CrazePony Micro FPV worth buying with so much competition on the market? The short answer is yes. This FPV quadcopter has great indoor flight performance (thanks to the upgraded motors), looks good, and is reasonably priced.

Two Versions

There are currently two variations currently available,

  • RTF Kit (based off the Eachine E010 quadcopter) which includes a small little controller making it ideal for beginners who want to get a fell for FPV without any complications of setup.
  • Bind and Fly Kit that runs betaflight on and F3 flight controller. This is aimed at more experienced pilots who want the options to fine tune and customise the flight performance using the betaflight GUI. The flight controller itself has a built-in Spektrum receiver, but if you want you can always add your own micro receiver to use it with Frsky/Flysky radios (But this just adds extra weight so is not recommended)
In this guide, I have reviewed the Spektrum Bind and Fly kit.

Whats in the box

You do not get many extra parts with your MakerFire TinyWhoop, as you just get the prebuilt Quadcopter frame a battery and a USB charger, so just the bare essentials.

Giveaway

We are giving away the unit we used to review to one of our readers! The only thing to bear in mind is that if you are not based in the EU, we will not be able to send any batteries to you due to shipping restrictions.

TinyWhoop Giveaway

The Good

  • Small 90mm size ideal for flying indoors
  • Propellers are protected by frame so you can bounce off walls
  • Flight controller protected by the plastic enclosure
  • FPV camera tilted upwards slightly if you plan to fly faster without looking down at the ground
  • Easy to access bind button and USB connector
  • Built-in Spectrum compatible receiver (supports all Spectrum protocols)
  • Secure, but detachable FPV camera mount
  • Nice foam battery mount, no need to fiddle with any velcro.
  • Our version used an F3 controller with BetaFlight firmware.
  • No soldering required to replace parts
  • Upgraded 17500Kv motors (more powerful than standard E010 motors)

The Bad

  • No instructions provided at all, not even a link to an online manual (but not to worry as you can find the manual here)
  • Small battery so flight time is limited to about 3-4 Minutes. This is not all that bad, as the QX70 has a 600Mah battery but it flies like a brick, this tinyWhoop is much more agile.
  • FPV Transmitter has a linear polarized antenna (so range is not quite as good), but this is a minor issue, as I found the range to be good enough. (I struggled to find many bad points)
  • No options for other built-in receivers, there is an option for a Frsky compatible receiver, but this is a separate extra receiver that you need to add on.

Why you should get it

Overall this is a great looking micro brushed quadcopter that also flies well. It does not solve the short flight time problem (as is with all micro quads), but it is hard to overcome this without compromising on flight performance, given current battery technology.

If you are a beginner or want to get a friend addicted to FPV, then the ready to fly kit is a great way to get started since you only need to add some FPV goggles. The build quality is great and the quadcopter itself is robust enough to handle most crashes indoors. The design was also well thought out as the motors and camera all use connectors, so replacing them is just a matter of plugging in a new one. As mentioned there is also an option for the F3 controller version, so if being able to fine tune your quadcopter this is a must this is the version to go for.

BNF Version Runs BetaFlight

If you already have a Spektrum radio then its a good idea to get yourself the bind and fly version as it runs an F3 flight controller with betaflight, so you can always update the firmware easily to use tune the quad to your preferences and use the latest features betaflight has to offer! Furthermore, the USB connector is conveniently located on the bottom of the frame so its easy to hook up to your PC. If you do not want to use Spektrum (DSM2/DSMX), there is always the option to add your own micro receiver, but this adds more weight, further reducing the flight time.

It Can Handle Most Crashes

The lightweight plastic frame and prop guards on this Tiny Whoop mean that it can literally bounce off walls! Have a look at the video below for some slow motion footage of the little quadcopter crashing into a brick wall a few times, and each time it just bounced off. The worst damage I was able to inflict was the FPV camera falling off. But then I just clipped it back in and it was good to go (after a battery charge).

Easy to Repair

Due to the way the frame and electronics are designed if it comes to repairing something, you will not need to do any soldering since the motors, and camera all have dedicated connectors. So when you replace a motor, you just need to unplug the old one and plug the new on in its place. The only annoying thing is that it seems that no shop seems to sell all the spare parts in a single place, so below is a list of the cheapest spare parts I could find from various shops on the internet.

CrazePony/MakerFire Tiny Whoop Spare Parts List:

Where to Buy

If you do not have any FPV goggles already, then the FuryBee FPV Goggles are a great unit to order along with your TinyWhoop.

So there you have it, overall its a great take on the TinyWhoop in a neat package that flies well. Anyone who gets this will have loads of fun flying indoors and its a great way to get started with FPV flying. If you have any suggestions, questions or comments add them below!