Force1 F100GP Drone w/ 1080p Camera & GoPro Mount

As a preface, I already own a MJX Bugs3 which is basically what this is. I am not a pro. I bought this because DROCON was backordered and I wanted another one, like, NOW. For a little more money ForceOne offered the same drone with an extra battery, 2 extra top skins and an HD CAMERA!!! Best offer out there IMHO. These drones are awesome, very fast, very durable but you will need to learn to actually fly it. There are no automatic features on this drone, except for the flips and level, but once you learn it, look out! Herein lies the CHALLENGE! AND TONS of FUN!! First, ditch the blade guards as they will do more damage to your props than the soft grass. Buy a couple sets of extra blades, you'll need them. Just watch your fingers!!! If you take off from a perfectly level surface the drone will remember this and you will not need to use so much trim once airborne. I usually trim just a bit for breezes but that all changes once you get up above the trees. The Drone is very responsive and the controls are a little touchy as other reviewers have noted. I suggest the slower (1beep ) speed when starting out. The yaw control is robotic and very precise which is cool for those 360 degree panoramic vids at extreme heights!! The remote will beep slowly when the batt is at 20% and the trick feature will be disabled. This means "fly me home!" It will beep rapidly if you lose communication (out of range) or if the drone is dangerously low on power I started out just getting the thing to hover in front of me at about eye level. Swooping back and forth and side to side and throwing in a flip here & there got me pretty familiar with the sensitivity of the controls. Then I started walking it around the yard, through the trees and other obstacles at about head height and with the drone facing away from me. (There is no "headless" mode. . . . more on that later) The throttle stays where you put it and you'll find the 'hover button' position where the drone stays at a pretty steady altitude. Once I got that down I started flying it higher and higher and learning how it behaved. There are 2 speed settings and it is pretty squirrelly on the higher speed so choose the one you are most comfortable with at first. The biggest challenge for me was flying "dyslexic" as I call it. When the drone is facing away from you it responds to the stick commands exactly like any video game. When it is facing you (headlight) you have to remember that 'left is right, forward is backward" and control it like any R/C car, helo, or plane. This is where I start crashing into stuff. I'm 63 so New stuff is hard to learn sometimes. What I did learn early on is that these drones are nearly bullet-proof. During one dyslexic flight, I lost control and the drone came down like a stone and crashed into my high pitched roof, sliding down and landing props down on my deck. I leveled the props and checked it out. No damage. With the tall landing gear attached the tips of the props should be about 5-1/4 inches high off a level surface. this is important I found out to keep proper balance between the props/motors and for stable low noise flights. My ADHD is getting better since I have to pay attention every second while I'm flying. The camera is VERY cool also. I can't afford a "GoPro" so the camera I already have is an AKASO 4K ultraHD. A budget cam for sure but durable and works at least as well as the more expensive ones. The included camera is not quite as richly featured as the AKASO, but it works well and is a bit lighter in weight. Even with the extra load of the camera on board, it takes off like a rocket when you pork the throttle!! Careful! It will soar like an eagle and nearly disappear in a quick second! Overall I give this thing 5 stars b/c it is a great value for the money and is easy to maintain and an absolute joy to fly. Several friends have the more expensive stuff and yeah it's cool but they can't fly this one w/o a good deal of practice. The only one who could was a smarty 11yo who I believe was born with a video game controller surgically attached to his hands. Flight time is about 15 min without the cam and about 12min with. Always rest the battery 10 min before you recharge and NEVER leave it on the charger unattended. Unplug from charger as soon as indicator iight shows fully charged. Hints: (1) A few tiny droplets of a good clock oil on the bearings of the motors and some slow hand rotations of the props will make for longer lasting motor. The brushless 1800kv DC motors are smooth and very powerful. (2) Never store your batteries fully charged. After charging, place the battery in the drone and initialize it. Run the props at idle for a bit. Number the batteries so you can keep track of them, and take notes as to the amount of flight time you get from each battery. Not good to let batteries fall too far below 20% (Shortens their life) (3) With tall landing gear attached, level the props by measuring from the tips to a flat level surface. 5-1/4 inches is correct. Bend gently near the hub to adjust. Replace the props when they get tore up as the motor has to work harder to spin a boffed up propeller. Minor damage can be repaired by smoothing tips with a knife edge and/or dressing with a nail file. Finally, SERVICE. . .The good people at Force1 are ready to help. I have exchanged emails with them and they are always polite and informative. Spare parts are in stock and reasonably priced which is nice to know when you are just getting started flying your Force1 actioncam/sport drone. Enjoy!!! Brettski