KiiToys Mini Drone Quadcopter X10 - The Smallest Dones in The World, Micro Nano Size RC Helicopter

*** UPDATE ***Two weeks later and both of the drones we bought are not functional. In each case, one of the motors stopped spinning up to full speed and the drone couldn't get off the ground. We cleaned them meticulously, making sure nothing was inhibiting their movement, but that was not the problem. What was the problem? Not sure, really. Low manufacturing standards, I suspect.When they did fly, these were always terribly difficult to control. Even with the controls zeroed, they would drift this way and that. I think that's what got us into trouble on the first day. They just didn't behave like you would expect. Perhaps the motors were faulty right out of the box.In any case, these turned out to be a pretty big disappointment. Looks like $50 (for two) wasted. The kids are pretty bummed out...*** ORIGINAL REVIEW ***OK, these are POTENTIALLY fun, but there are some very important things to understand about them.First, they are not exactly EASY to fly. The controls are clean enough, but some skill and practice is definitely required. Until you get good at it (which we're not yet), they will crash often, and they crash hard.Second, when they crash, the propellers are very fragile. If they were made from a little softer plastic they would bend more and probably last longer. But within a couple of hours we had broken and replaced four propellers across two copters. That's using half of the replacement propellers provided -- in a single day! They won't last long at that rate.Third, the instructions are machine-translated. They are decipherable, but we've yet to figure out some of the more interesting tricks. Even so, READ THEM! Without doing so, you probably will never just stumble on to the connection and startup sequence. (1. Throttle -- left joystick on controller -- to low. 2. Power on copter on a flat surface. 3. Power on controller. Two beeps. 4. Throttle to high. One beep. 5. Throttle to low. Ready to go. 6. Ease throttle up to take off.)Fourth, though these are supposedly recommended for indoor use, they are not quite accurate enough for that. They drift right away, and unless you have a fairly large space (say a very large family room with minimal furniture or obstacles such as lamps or bookshelves), they will be crashing often on takeoff.Fifth, the controls have variable sensitivity, which is great, except that even on the least sensitive setting they are still VERY sensitive. A slight push on the throttle and they will fly up to the ceiling in an instant.Sixth, even a tiny hair caught in or around a motor shaft will cause them to malfunction. We thought one was broken completely, but a close inspection revealed a very tiny hair caught in one of the rotors. After surgery with a tweezers, it came to life again.Seventh, when using multiple copters, you must start each one separately. In other words, get the first one connected and flying before turning on the second one. The flip side of this is that if you start two copters at the same time, you can connect and fly them both with the same controller. That's kind of fun.Eighth, you don't have a color choice, which is a bummer. We ordered two, for two boys, and got two pinks. Not really a big deal, but it meant that we had some complaints about the color from the boys, and had to use a Sharpie to mark them so we can tell who's is who's.Ninth, as mentioned, the propellers are fragile. You get four replacements per copter, but we have gone through ours pretty quickly. I will begin the search tomorrow for a way to buy a big batch of replacements so that we don't have to worry quite as much about them breaking.Tenth, because of their size, they can crash in some pretty weird places. We have fished them out from behind radiators, from under doorways, from behind furniture -- all in one day.Finally, they are FUN! But some care is required if you want them to survive for very long.A couple of little details:- You will need two AAA batteries for each controller.- The copter batteries charge via USB. I connected the provided cable to my phone's plug-in adapter, which worked perfectly. Instructions say you can't use an iPhone adapter, however.- They charge pretty quickly, and run for about 15 minutes on a charge.- Each copter has two blue lights and two red ones. My kids tell me that the two blue ones represent the front of the copter, which is important to know when trying to steer.- The propellers sting if you touch them while they are rotating. Kids should keep fingers clear from these at all times.- When flying, they sort of resemble a drunk hummingbird.- Parents should expect to supervise and be ready to make repairs (including just popping propellers off to get rid of little hairs or dust). Have a pliers ready, but use it with great care.As such, I consider this to be a very high maintenance toy...

This is a fun toy. The technology packed into the small form is amazing and all functions on the accompanying literature perform as described.I am disappointed however with what appears to be a design flaw.After perhaps 20 flights or so and probably 20 crash landings where I expected damage to the rotors (I bought a 10-pack of additional rotors), one of the rotors would start slowly rotating and increasing speed while the copter was in the OFF position.When plugged in to charge this particular rotor would increase RPM dramatically for a second or two and then stop altogether. Battery would charge and a flight could be performed.This rotating issue in the OFF position deteriorated further and in only a matter of a few more charges stopped working altogether. I figured there is a short somewhere and proceeded to disassemble the copter for further inspection. I found that one of the conductors to that particular rotor motor had a crack in its insulation that may have been intermittently touching the metal casing of the motor. However, that still does not explain how power was getting to the motor while in the OFF position.I decided I would get another copter as I wasn't quite 'done' playing with this toy in my effort to become a more experienced pilot!! The second copter arrived and to make a long story short the whole scenario as just described happened again. I decided not to dissect this unit but to try and return it for another, I guess!Arguably, you might say that's what happens when you crash a toy and perhaps it is. To the toys' defense, it is very light, well built and damage of the rotors should be expected. What I describe above, to me, feels more like a design flaw, But I am not qualified to make judgement.Regardless, this toy is well worth the money for some great fun and for me, an eye-opener to the advances in technology of remote control flight.I did see somewhere that a plastic 'roll-bar' cage to protect the copter is available but it didn't appear readily available. Purchase this in conjunction with the copter or get the 10-pack of rotors. NOTE: when changing out the rotors replace them one at a time and match 'like for like' when doing so. Rotors are unique to their motor.I just found that the 'bad' motor in question had completely melted the plastic copter casing securing it to the device and actually dropped out of it placement. This is a cause of concern as lithium batteries can be dangerous. Can I return it? Who knows!!