darticus

Just flew the Mini XPV, Great! Really suprised by how well it handles. Like it better than Aero Ace Jet. More controllable than the Jet in speed and direction.Very Impressed!

Fisher

I messed around with other charging options and am now using Energizer AA's in the TX. Getting much more life out of the batteries and charging is fine. I really like this little flyer. Handles a light wind and does not damage easily. I highly recommend this plane to anyone looking for an inexpensive first plane.

Anyone have a suggestion on a LiPo cell that could be swapped into the TX to cut down on the number of batteries one burns through. It uses 6 AA batteries so I assume the expected voltage is 9 volts. Would it handle an 11.1 volt LiPo? Are there other charging options that would not cost over $25 to set up?

forcelite

My Feedback: (1)

Get a high Mah AA and you will be set, like 2500 or 2650 mah. Ebay has them for 1/3 the price of Radio Shack. Buy the non branded Jap brand, they are very good.

Force

Fisher

Thanks,

firesun

i just picked mine up and its fun to fly it around at the park. do the mini xpv all veer to the left at take off when u throw it up in the air with throttle on?

Fisher

firesun,

I have not had a bit of trouble with mine as far as pulling left or right. From what I have read over on RCGroups there have been mixed experiences with regard to Quality Control. I was a bit disappointed with the power and flight time on the first few flights but my plane has gotten stronger and flies longer now that I have a few dozen flights on it. I think the motors needed a little breaking in like most brushed motors do and the LiPo seems to be happier now that it has had some exercise.

I have taught several people to fly with this plane. It is very capable for a two channel under $30 model. Can even handle wind. I could not be happier with it. Unlike the AAs I have purchased in the past this thing is indestructible. The stock AA is useless in anything but calm conditions. The range on the TX (49 mhz) is great as well. I can fly it out so far that I cannot tell orientation very well. When a new pilot starts flying they are usually so worried about crashing the plane that they do not have much fun. With this thing I just tell them that crashing is no big deal as long as it is not into water or on a roof/tree. Usually they are hand launching on their own and able to return it into their own hads on one charge. That is a lot of learning for one flight session. I give this plane (if you do not get a lemon) 5 of 5 stars for value and performance.

As for my concern over charging I just quit putting loose batteries from the junk drawer into the TX and went to using new penlite batteries. I now get 10 - 20 charges per set. Thats what I get for being lazy. I put a voltage meter on the spent batteries I took out last time and they were all down to about 1.15 volts. So I think even a good set of rechargable AA's would work fine.

rudes

Dont think i am braking any rules, anyone want to post 2 xpv's to Australia these things look great.
Will check more shops in my area tomorrow, but will probably get the standard answer (a what ?)

Thanks
(Australia)

Fisher

rudes,

No rules broken. That is what these forums are for.

TRU indicates that they have stores Down Under and if you go to their web site and search for Mini XPV they show it in stock. Seems like one of the TRU stores down there could get them for you.

Post again if you still can't find one.

Cheers,

Electrolight

First off doesn't the Lipo not liked to be over charged. I'm not sure charging the battery with the AA TX is a good thing.... but whatever
works. Looks like a cool plane.
What about flight times?
Can It fly in a gym or is it to fast?
Any, "major" mods for this thing?

Anyways looks cool. My last three AA's are broken (2 jets, 1 single wing) all of them have a weak right motor. I might buy the xpv next time, seems neat.

Electrolight

Fisher

You definitely do not want to over charge a lipo or it will overheat and expand on you. But using the AA TX should not present much of a risk. I have found that using some good quality batteries in the TX gives over a dozen charges with flight times between 5 and 10 minutes. I broke down and purchased a blue Mini XPV for my son and we have been dog fighting once or twice a day with these little planes. So far we have had no luck actually hitting each other in the air so now we stand on either side of the flying area with safety glasses on and try to hit each other. Never thought I would admit to such harebrained activity but it is quite fun. My son gets longer flight times out of his newer plane and the ESC seems to be a little different as it simply cuts out on him when the battery gets low mine on the other hand starts to pulse. Not sure if it is an upgrade or simply the difference in the two radio frequencies/versions.

You can fly it in a gym after a little practice and dog fighting is quite fun. QAQC is not much better than any other inexpensive plane so make sure your new plane flies well right out of the box before you toss the receipt. Both of mine have been fine but others have posted that they had to go through a couple before finding one that was really ready to fly.

beanie1

Anyone know of anywhere in the UK selling this plane?

Thanks, Beanie1

Fisher

Amazon was the only place I found that you could order it from the UK.

http://www.amazon.com/XPV-Mini-Radio.../dp/B000N4ZLWK

Shipping would probably kill you though.

darticus

You can buy them right in Toys R Us.

Fisher

darticus,

Does TRU ship to the UK or Australia?

darticus

I sorry I don't know but you can try to order online and see. I like the mini! Ron

firesun

i am having fun with my mini xpv. it is for sure fun to play with. i bought the xpv v2, and it was hard for me to fly, i broke it when landing cuz i let off the throttle to fast and nose dived. ;( so i'll just keep playing with the mini xpv and fly that for now.

Fisher

Well over 100 flights with the Mini XPV and still loving it. Everyone needs one of these.

Djstinger

Fisher is right on the money, this thing 'ROCKS' and is still my favorite with the star screamer coming in a close second. I installed a micro deans plug to the battery and use my Accu-Cycle battery charger exclusively. Now I get a full charge everytime (4.17v @ 130mAh) vs. 3.9v with stock or AA charger. On average I get 15 to 18 min. flight times.

Fisher

Djstinger,

Wow! Over 15 minutes of flight time on the stock setup. Great! Do you have a photo or two of your charging mod. Do you think a slightly larger battery would work OK? What are your charger settings. I assume you would have to charge at 0.14 amps or lower. Great info!

Thanks for chiming in.

darticus

Need some advice and help.
Bought an XPV IN Walmart $2.00 It says FlyWheelS RTF but it was without controller, battery and charger.Usually they sell for 59.95. Will a conroller from a mini XPV work if its 27 MHz the same as the new XPV and what to do on a battery. Will the new Bigger XPV that comes with the battery and charger work with this fly wheels XPV plane? Maybe I bought parts only. Can someone get me running???

Fisher

darticus,

Not likely that the controller from an XPV mini would work with the original XPV since the Mini is a two channel and the full size XPV is a 3 channel. The original XPV sold without a battery so you should be able to find some XPV batteries on the self at a TRU, Walmart or Target. As for the TX I cannot help much there. I assume that the RX has markings to indicate frequency and channel so you might be able to find someone who has shredded their plane and is willing to part with the controller for a small sum.

It is likely however that a TX from the newer XPV would work with the old one if you match up channels. For the most part you did just buy a bunch of parts for your money but if you keep your eyes open you may find the the rest of the gear at a good price.

darticus

The mini XPV tx does work with it and I was assuming it was 2 channel like an Areo ace. Left controller pushes forward for speed and right control lever goes left or right for either motor. What else is it to do? I thought this would fly like the mini as it does the same thing with the controls. What does the 3rd channel do in this XPV, if it uses a 3rd channel??? This is the Fly Wheels Version of the XPV. What does the 3rd channel do in the Larger XPV they sell??? Didn't get to fly this yet maybe later. Thanks Ron

darticus

Maybe you were right, with it being 3 channels, this thing is nuts. I have speed forward and right and left but this thing goes nuts and crashes.Runs as a car but when I toss it it spirals sideways and crashes. Anyone have the manual I can look at?
Thanks Ron

Fisher

My son and I got a chance to fly our XPV Minis inside a medium sized gym the other day. What a hoot. This is the first plane I have owned that could be easily flown inside a gym. Between the two of us we covered most of the air space, let several other people learn to fly and then chased each other around for a while, all on a single charge.

You have to grab one of these planes next time they go on sale for under $20! Even at the regular price around $30 they are a real good deal.

Cheers!

sonicjet

Take a look at amazon there having a jakks sale....9.99 for the new mxpv 2.0 (2007) model.....25 for xpv 2.0....27 for rad.
[link=http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Green-Black-27-MHz/dp/B000QX52KE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1197117717&sr=1-5]amazon-mxpv[/link]