IIVII said:
Have ya guys seen this 425mm shell ?
it sure looks interesting specially for those who want to keep the stock look , but with slower motors / bigger props and batt .. which means more payload and longer flight time .. i wonder if the plastic used for molding is as durable as the original DJI shell .
http://youtu.be/oOJoNA8o1iA
more info:
http://www.infinity-hobby.com/main/prod ... s_id=11015
I bought one of these from China (advertised on Ebay in the UK). I'm about half way through the build. I would have finished it yesterday but ran out of bullet connectors for the motors. I'm away from home on business right now but extra bullet connectors are already in the mail so with a bit of luck I'll get it finished next weekend.
A few observations :
- the plastic is of noticeably inferior quality to the DJI Phantom bodies. I've never crashed either of my Phantoms heavily (so far) but so far as the 425 is concerned I doubt that it would survive a drop from height without possibly irreparable damage to the body.
- it has slightly pinkish colour to it when held up to the light - which I don't particularly like;
- it's heavier than the standard DJI body - maybe 100 gr or so. But not as much as you'd think because it is a thinner moulding;
- don't think for one minute that you can just take your Phantom components and a screwdriver and build a bigger Phantom. There are quite a few differences between the 425 and either the Phantom 1 or 2 bodies. The Phantom ESCs can't easily be fitted. The mountings and fuselage apertures are completely different. I'm using a set of 30 amp ESCs flashed with SimonK firmware which I had lying around;
- inside the body there is a power distribution board upon which you can mount your Naza, receiver, etc. It is actually quite a neat installation and there is a lot more room inside for all the wiring. You could also accommodate additional components such as an FPV transmitter, data link, etc quite easily.
If the above seems a bit negative its not meant to be. I'm actually quite excited about getting the 425 flying - having cannibalised my Phantom 2 bodied "spare parts special" to build it. I'm particularly keen to see how much more stable it will be in flight given the greater "wingspan". And I'll be trying out some bigger batteries (and maybe a 4S one too - if the Anti-gravity motors will take the higher current).
I'll report back on progress in due course.