Anyone got a PiccoZ micro heli?

[Kerosene]

I’ve been looking at these for a while now, and I can’t go much longer without getting one. Anyone flown one?

One of the many modified Piccozs on YouTube

[merc-blue]

i got mates who recon there sweet, i cant see the appea of 2channel choppers

[Kerosene]

i cant see the appea of 2channel choppers

The price 😀

[klims]

i have one. they are awesome! bought mine off toyeast for just under $60AUD.
i was most surprised with the maneuverability of the little suckers. considering they are 2 channel you can get them doing exactly what you want with a little practice.

the only problem i had was letting other people have a go and have both my tail props snapped…

anyway i would definitely recommend one if you have 60 bucks to waste on a toy.

[peteWah]

I only just saw them today, have they been around long ?

[klims]

i picked mine up about 4 months ago when they had just come out on toyeast.

[kevsta]

Are these the same thing or are they a clone ?

http://www.dailydeals.com.au/product_info.php?products_id=11049

[Kerosene]

Looks like a clone, but they’re probably all out of the same factory anyway.

I ended up getting a SilverLit PiccoZ and an Airlark, both are good. The Airlark is about twice the size (and half the price), and is way nicer to fly.
Airlark video

[klims]

where did you get the Airlack from? don’t really feel like shopping around. i assume you have done your homework…

[Kerosene]

Bought it on eBay, for $1 + $30 postage

[klims]

thanks for that kerosene.

just watched the vid lol. how much fly time had you had when you made that?

i got really into it with the piccoZ for a little while. i noticed that if you strategically put a piece of bluetack on the nose it makes it WAY more fun because it moves forward a lot quicker.
i know what your thinking…but then how do i got straight up!… well what you do is swing full right and up and it spins like crazy on the spot and launches straight up, but then you gotta have the skill to bring it back.

ohh they were good times! i don’t suppose anyone wants to sell me a tail rotor…

[Kerosene]

how much fly time had you had when you made that?

Video is of the first flight – can’t you tell? 😀

You can get PiccoZ tail rotors on ebay I think.

[klims]

thats for that. i’ll be back in action in no time!
i forgot all about ebay…

[klims]

so i ended up buying a Airlark anyway. cost me 99 cents and $35 shipping lol.

any tips before i get this puppy flying?

[Kerosene]

The wall charger is crap and trashes the battery after a while. I cut the micro plug off the Airlark wall charger and use my Swallow charger instead. I’m pretty sure the battery is a 370mah, 1 cell lipo.

Also, I think the cutoff isn’t very reliable, so I always stop flying soon after I notice any drop in power.

You’ll easily get $35.99 worth of fun from it. 😀

[klims]

that sounds like a good idea.
did you notice increased flight times with the swallow charger?

[klims]

it finally came!!!

awesome little product. flies well but i’m having some trouble with the forward direction. it doesn’t seem to make much difference. i kinda imagined it with a little more pull. i haven’t quite got the hang of the 3ch thing.

how does yours fly kerosene?

[betty.k]

finally saw a picooz in the flesh, it’s like an rc mozzie!

re: the 3 ch choppers, check my thread for some tips: :8ball:
http://www.ausmicro.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14121

[Kerosene]

flies well but i’m having some trouble with the forward direction.

Yeah the forwards/backwards is pretty pathetic. Apparently if you cut the ring off the tail rotor it spins a bit faster, and pitches the heli forwards more. I added some weight to the nose (plastic rod and a blob of blutack) which helped.

[murph]

Just got one of these a heap of fun….

[klims]

that sounds like a good idea with the blue tack, but them you lose reverse i guess. i have someting similar hooked up on my picooz.

as for the tail rotor mine looks like crap when it spins. it wobbles way too much even though i have tried to straighten it out many times. have you ever tried any dirfferent props? maybe i’ll try a picooz prop…

[klims]

piccoZ tail prop ROCKS!

just tested it ad it performs at least %50 better than that standard piece of sh!t. i mean it moves forward at least %50 faster.

but i guess with the extra loading the motor will wear out quicker. right?

[Kerosene]

You put the main PiccoZ blade on the tail of the Airlark?
Let us know how many flights you get out of it before the motor dies 😀

[klims]

no no no. i must not have explained myself properly.

i put the tiny little tail rotor (smaller than th standard air lark) from the picco Z onto the tail rotor of the Air Lark.

[jamiekulhanek]

I’ve had a picooZ for a few months now.

Wonderful little machine, well worth the $50 or so I paid for it. It can be flown by any idiot, but yet is still stacks of fun to play with.

But it wasn’t long before the modding bug hit, so I installed a carbon fibre mainshaft, teeny weeny little 3mmx1mmx1mm ball bearings (have to be seen to be believed), a 60 mah lipo (weighs the same as the original and has higher discharge voltage), lightened and customised airframe, lightened pcb (desoldered excess solder), removed all stickers and gear covers and anything not needed, balanced the main and tail rotors, and gave both motors a good oiling.

[Dangerous Dave]

onya jamie – but did it make any difference?!!

[rcs2die4]

Word of warning guys !!!

Dont buy any of the knock off versions of the Picoo Z !! I know there half the price but they are the biggest load of crap !!!

I got one called a Pocket Heli from ebay (didn’t know it was a knock off at the time 👿 ) looks the same as the Silverlit
Picoo Z but thats about it !!!

It flew well for about the frist two chargers but then it started having alot of issues, which I wont get it to now ( us less you
wish to know ?)

So once it wouldn’t fly anymore, I started to do a little research to discover that this was infact a clone of Silverlit’s Picoo Z,
which I had never heard of before… I normally do alot of research before I buy anything but it was an impulse buy… saw it,
brought it, bad move… :gatlin:

Now after much research I know that the only one to get is the real deal as everyone that has tried the 15+ different makes
of the “same thing” there is none that work or work for very long !!!

And none of them have the control of the Real Silverlit Picoo Z !!

I’ve just purchased a true Picco Z from ebay and also the upgrade Carbon shaft and bearing kit !! all up $75 delivered !! not to bad !!

So lesson learnt and hopfully this post will help others to not make the same misstake I did !!! The only useable part from the clone
is the liPo battery as it seems to work well.

Heres a link to the seller selling the real deal and also the upgrade kit.
http://stores.ebay.com.au/RC-Guys-Australia

[Dangerous Dave]

I got a pair of Airlarks.

work well, but extremely slow forwards, and no backwards.

Did the “cat killer” mod to the tail rotor, marginal improvement.

Might have to try a PiccoZ clone rear rotor..

Still great fun for the $$

[rcs2die4]

Guys, Get yourself a genuine Silverlit Picoo Z…. They are awesome !!!!

I cant beleave how well the fly !!!

[Aaron]

Got one on the weekend, $30 from a bloke in Parklea Markets… (PiccoZ clone that is)

Great fun, sure not the most controllable thing about but great proof of concept! (Chopper flying in the house)

A.

--
Site Owner Guy.

[rcs2die4]

Yeah there great fun hay..

Aaron get yourself a genuine one you will love it ! They may be twice as dear but there 100 times better, Makes you feel like your a pro ! HEHE !!!

[kevsta]

Someone from work bought two clones and I tried flying it but couldn’t. The thing would not steer left or right but went randomly up and down. Do the originals let you steer properly ?

[rcs2die4]

They sure do !!! 😉

They fly with excellent control.. once you set the trim they just sit and hover! If you turn left,
left it go’s and the same for the right !!

I can fly mine around my dining room for the full battery with no crashes and this was possible
straight out of the box !!! I can fly to something, land on it then takeoff and fly away !!!
I cant fly my “normal” heli’s to save my life !!!

I have added the little weights that come with the heli (little alloy stickers) for a little more forward flight speed…

I paid $57 delivered (without the upgrade kit) and it’s worth every sent, they even have a voltage cut
off for the liPo battery in the heli itself and when the charging finishes on the TX and you forget about it,
the TX turns itself off after a few minutes…

They are just awesome, I cant stop flying it…

Don’t let the clone dishearten you !! I spent $30 on the clone that was rubbish so I threw it in the
bin and got a real Picoo Z which cost me $75 with the upgrade kit (which I have not installed yet). so
thats $105 you may as well say and let me tell you, I’m as happy as a pig in —- ! 😀

If you get a real silverlit picoo Z you will not be disappointed !!

[Dangerous Dave]

AIrlarks or Piccos?

The AL’s steer too well haha.

But barely a crawl forwards – which is not so bad in confined spaces..

[mini-g]

we have the vespid 2 at work, same as the piccoz but only $49.95
they are fun to fly once you have got the hang of them. and we have spare main blades and tail rotors.
call barclay’s hobbies on 4721 0331.

[kevsta]

I’ve heard that toys’r’us have original picooz’s for $39.95 on sale at the moment.

[rcs2die4]

Hmmmm off to T’R’U I go then !!!! I need another one !!! I can’t leave these things alone 😀

I did some mods to my first one !!! :smiley16:

[TallduDe]

i just bought one and all i have done is put a bit of ape at the front and it is very controlable.

ive posted some pics of my “mod” it dont look pretty but it works.:beer:

very cool

[merc-blue]

I have just received a micro moquito in the mail will let you guy know how she flys compared to the piccoZ
MM has 3 chan (everything except strafe)
Which is a fair effort for its size,

[Dangerous Dave]

my new Airlark is much better for forwards/backwards than the first one..

luck of the draw I guess.

$36 posted for a 3ch heli is pretty good I reckon 🙂

[klims]

yeah? have you tried a picooz tail prop on your airlark? did wonders for mine.

[Dangerous Dave]

not yet – gotta find a place with the rotors available..

[rcs2die4]

Ebay !! heaps of them !!!

[Aaron]

Well my clone was doing pretty damn good, until the cats chewed it up. OK So yes the Bengals had been fascinated by it…. And yes I was dumb enough to leave it un attended on the coffeee table.

Will have to got o T’r’U and get a real Picco 🙂

Bearings and shaft will have to happen 😉

A.

--
Site Owner Guy.

[rcs2die4]

be carefull doing the BB and shaft mod !!
I got the bearing and sthaft mod for mine and it made my true Picoo not fly very well at all !!! after I installed it I wish I never did !!!

That was till I got some info about it !!

If ya going to do this mod use 1mm carbon tube not 1mm carbon rod !!! the 1mm carbon rod has to much play in the bearings, gear and rotor !! you even have to build up the thickness of the rod so that everything fits nug !!! If ya use 1mm carbon tube eveything fit snug straight up..
I got my tube and new bearings from Homefly ( http://www.homefly.com ) good pricing, good quality carbon, great service and superfast over seas delivery !!! I also got a few other thickness carbon rods so I could make some more custom landing gear and so on !!!

My new version that will be finished in the next few days will be far better then the one in the pic I did first up!!

[ph2t]

I heard the clearance for the bearing in the frame is bugger all….

[rcs2die4]

yeah your right !! there isn’t much plastic left once you bore the hole out to 3mm so you have to be very carefull !!!

[peteWah]

I now have 1 too.

heads up guys
The Picco Z is now available at BIG W for $38, now what are you guys talking about in a sence of upgrade kits being available or coming with the Z kit itself and Jammie WTF ! thats nuts

rcs2die4,
mate can you or do you know of any modding sites popping up for these babbies just to save on search time, Im just being lazy…

Post for all of AUS to see please.

[rcs2die4]

Are the ones at Big W genuine Silverlit Picoo Z’s or are they copy picco Z’s ?

The upgrade kit I got was from ebay but dont buy it as it uses carbon rod and the rod is to thin you need to use carbon tube as it fits the bearings perfect !! you can buy the bearings and tube from the site I listed in the earlier post !!

I’ll post the links soon !! the site seems to be down at the moment !!!

[peteWah]

Yes they are the real deal….

Im having trouble trimming at full charge using 2300mah nimh
Would you suggest nicds… ?

power supply aside, Ive tried putting those weight tabs/stickers in different places and a screw in the nose of the thing which has seemed to help a little.

What do you guys think.

[TallduDe]

dude try this link

http://www.piccoztoolbox.no-ip.com/

i did the clear plastic front wing mod flys niceeeeeee:beer:

[rcs2die4]

They are a little crazy for the first minute or so on a good full charge !! it’s just the way they are !!!! after a little practice it becomes much easier to handle the craziness then they settle for a good steady flight !!!

The link above is good !! heres another link with about 100 pagers of reading !!!
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=556227

and heres another good link to just the mods and upgrades !!! it’s part way down the page
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6133290&postcount=1

[peteWah]

Thanks for that Guys, now to get reading and modding…

[TallduDe]

anyone know how to change the main rotoar blade off this thing?

pics would be great.

[rcs2die4]

The best way I have found is to use two sets of long nosed pliers !!

put one set right above the main gear and hold them tight on the shaft then use the other in between the first set and the bottom of the main rotor and lever them up !! Only go a little at a time so not to bend the shaft !! if ya replacing it with a carbon shaft then I suppose it doesn’t matter as much !! if ya still need a pic let us know …. :topstuff:

[merc-blue]

would just like to say the micro mosquito is flipping unreal,
its a similar size to a piccoZ but with fwd/back control im in love with it,
also found it flys really well sadly they have quality control issues so some a great and some are rubbish
Cat hates it though!

[Dangerous Dave]

Micro Mosquito looks like a smaller version of the Airlark, same 3 ch design.

Big PROPS (love those puns..) to klims for the picco z tail rotor mod. Works really well.

Another mod I tried with success is adding a tail fin to dampen the yaw (rudder) rate, I needed to add weight to the tail so I figured it should be useful 🙂

[Aaron]

Still haven’t replaced my Picco – instead having fun with a Dragon Fly (as in flappy winged thing) that Kitty got me for my B’Day….

It’s not an indoor thing, but quite amazing to fly outdoors..

A.

--
Site Owner Guy.

[PandaBear]

Found a Picoo-Z at TRU in Adelaide whilst there over Easter… unfortunately
was DOA as the tail rotor motor refused to spin = unflyable.
(desperate bored! I still tried… hehe)

As was last one on shelf, drove like an hr south to the next TRU… and they
too had only 1 left on shelf… but hey, this thing flies!

Big-W sells ’em now eh? might have to give them a try.

my little yellow mozzie has cracked a main blade, now taped together.

[Dangerous Dave]

Aaron

I’ve been looking at those “flappy winged things” as a present for my daughter’s birthday.
Are they reasonably controllable?
How robust?

Cheers
Dave

[PandaBear]

saw the dragongly thing at the distributor flapping away … didn’t look too controllable… more like a missile when not flapping as seems to have insufficient wing area to glide

[icebreaka]

Hey guys!

Long time no post. but anyway, I got one of these PICOO Z’s today.

and just a HEADS UP. I got it at Target for $33.99 ! 15% off storewide this weekend only! I might grab a few more on Sunday! These things are awesome!

[PandaBear]

@icebreaka 225860 wrote:

Hey guys!

Long time no post. but anyway, I got one of these PICOO Z’s today.

and just a HEADS UP. I got it at Target for $33.99 ! 15% off storewide this weekend only! I might grab a few more on Sunday! These things are awesome!

thought the storewide was Thurs-Sat… was in on Wed, found no stock 🙁

[peteWah]

I to saw this dragonfly thingy on a add in the morning on tv and from what i saw you could fly them in or outdoors and they did fly.

Q.price…
I heard they are $90aus which is a little to much i think.
How much have you seen them for or got them for ?

[z-beam]

sorry for the thread necromancy but i bought a little chopper myself today. i saw the pico-z at a toys r us up in townsville but passed up the oppurtunity of buying it due to zero experience or knowledge on the little chopper.

on the way to pick up some medical supplies (this flu is a killer 5 dead allready 😛 ) the local jaycar shop here in noosa caught my attention and the tiny infra red controlled heli-q was on display and one out for me to muck around with.

after 5 minites i got the hang of it enough to hover and then got a little to confident and nearly collided with some old guy customer in the store. i was sold. unfortunatly its only got rudder control and throttle and cost $50.

im hooked on flying now. wish i checked out this thread earlier though! i must find an affordable indoor chopper with full control now.

its about time i enjoyed my r/c’s again.

[PandaBear]

should have saved yourself $10 by getting the real thing @ TRU 😀

[Author]

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