Silverlit Picoo Z Review

ele-copter rating:

Introduction
I got a Silverlit Picoo Z for christmas - (like many people judging by the 'out of stock' signs on all the websites!). I thought I'd have more flying time indoors than out at this time of year...
When I first opened the box I was disappointed I have to say. On first inspection the Picoo Z looks very crude, especially if all you've seen is blurry YouTube footage.
The main body is made from expanded polystyrene with a stick tail. A sticker wraps over the tail boom to give the rear 'fuselage'. The slot in the body where the drive sprocket sticks out is covered by a clear plastic bubble each side - presumably to keep the crud out.


Flying
My initial impressions soon went away after it was charged up and flying around the room - or rather ricocheting off the furniture. Helicopters are not easy to fly - and this is no exception. Weighing in at only 10 grams any slight draft (including that made by the Picoo Z itself) is enough to send it off on a little sorty of it's own - usually into a lamp or chair... but once mastered the Picoo Z really is an amazing piece of technology - no wonder it has picked up a world record!
It is controlled via infra red rather than true radio control. Three IR LEDs in the transmitter throw out a wide angle beam that is picked up through the fuselage by an internal sensor. A lithium polymer battery located in the nose powers two electric motors - one for the main rotors and a tiny one for the tail rotor.
Everything about this helicopter is tiny and light weight which takes a bit of getting used to. Three foil stickers are provided to trim for forward flight and also a spare tail rotor. I've already lost one tail rotor and another set are in the post just in case...
I've flown two of these helicopters out of the box and they have both been different, so trimming depends on each individual model. Two trim buttons are provided on the transmitter for fine tuning - they are used to cancel out the rotation and seem to work pretty well.

Conclusion
If you find the winter weather curtailing your outdoor flying opportunities I recommend investing in one of these dinky flying machines. They're not expensive and once you've mastered spot landings on the dining room table you can investigate the growing number of remodelling projects that are appearing on the 'net. All in all an amazing machine and highly recommended! A variant of the Picoo Z is available from Red Rocket Hobby Shop.