The brand new HGLRC Talon is a 2-inch cinewhoop that guarantees to be a strong and sturdy possibility for each inexperienced persons and seasoned pilots. This evaluate will cowl my private experiences, insights, and opinions on the Talon, offering you with all the main points you should know earlier than making a purchase order.
New to cinewhoops? Take a look at our purchaser’s information: https://oscarliang.com/cinewhoop/
The place to Purchase?
There are two FPV system choices: DJI O3 and Analog. I will probably be reviewing the DJI O3 model right here.
Get the HGLRC Talon 2-inch cinewhoop from:
Specs
- Flight Controller: SPECTER F411 15A AIO
- Flight Management Firmware: HGLRC F4EVO
- ESC Steady Present: 15A
- ESC Firmware: Bluejay 0.19
- FPV System: DJI O3
- Motor: SPECTER 1303.5 5500KV
- Propeller: Gemfan 2020-5-D51 (2-inch 5-blade)
- Really useful Battery: 4S 650mAh or 850mAh LiPo (XT30 connector)
- Weight: 146g (with out battery)
- Weight: 241g (with 4S 850mAh)
Nearer Take a look at the Talon
First Impressions
The HGLRC Talon impresses proper out of the field with its modern, high-quality development, jogs my memory of the GEPRC Cinebot25 I reviewed final week. Each are great-looking cinewhoops with implausible, user-friendly design options.
Out of the field, you can find the drone has stickers in varied locations, providing essential data to new customers.
Construct High quality and Design
The Talon is a mix of injected molded plastic, steel, and carbon fiber. This body development not solely makes the Talon sturdy but in addition permits for simple restore in case you crash and harm the body.
The drone has shiny LED lights on the edges of the prop guard that change from pink when the drone is just not armed to shiny inexperienced when armed. This characteristic provides to the general aesthetics and makes it simpler for inexperienced persons to find out the drone’s standing at a look.
It additionally comes with a 3D-printed mount for an exterior HD digital camera, including to its versatility.
Weight and Energy System
At below 250 grams (241g with a 4S 850mAh battery), it’s very best for complying with drone rules in lots of nations. Nonetheless, it’s not thought-about a light-weight cinewhoop within the 2-inch class on account of its give attention to sturdiness and safety. For comparability, the BetaFPV Pavo20 weighs 94g (with out battery) whereas the Talon weighs 146g (with out battery). The distinction in weight is sort of substantial.
Left: HGLRC Talon; Proper: BetaFPV Pavo20
In all probability as a result of heavier weight, HGLRC opted for 5-blade propellers to extend its energy. This design selection appears applicable, however in order for you longer flight occasions, it’s in all probability higher to make use of 3-blade propellers.
Drawbacks
Regardless of its many strengths, the Talon has notable downsides. Entry to the flight controller is considerably restricted, requiring removing of the battery strap, which could be a problem for frequent changes or repairs. The digital camera mount gives very restricted adjustability for the digital camera angle (round 15-25 levels), which might be a deal breaker for pilots preferring excessive digital camera angle for aggressive flying.
The flight controller makes use of the dependable MPU6000 gyro, but it surely solely has two UARTs—one for the receiver and the opposite for the DJI O3—so it doesn’t depart a spare UART for GPS.
FPV System
Underneath the O3 digital camera, there’s a entrance bumper providing further safety, a characteristic lacking in most different micro cinewhoops. In ultra-wide video mode, this bumper could also be seen within the footage, which is likely to be a downside for some pilots. Nonetheless, switching to Broad can eradicate this challenge. I personally by no means use Extremely Broad anyway, as Broad or Regular modes are wanted to document gyro information for Gyroflow stabilization.
Observe that the HGLRC Talon doesn’t have comfortable mounting for the DJI O3 digital camera, it’s hard-mounted contained in the body. In my testing, I didn’t discover any jello or vibration because of the respectable PID tune and filter settings, so even with out digital camera comfortable mounting, it nonetheless produces nice picture high quality.
Not like many different 2″ cinewhoops that concentrate on light-weight builds (they substitute the unique O3 antenna with smaller dipole antennas), the Talon makes use of the unique O3 antenna, which is heavier however gives higher video sign and sturdiness in crashes.
There’s heatsink on the underside for cooling the O3.
Quick access to the O3’s USB-C port and SD card slot by the rubber cowl.
Flight Efficiency
The Talon makes use of a “rest room tank” battery mounting model. I examined the drone with the really helpful 4S 850mAh batteries, offering shut to five minutes of flight time. Nonetheless, as a result of it’s significantly heavier than another 2-inch cinewhoops, the Talon is noticeably noisier, particularly if you swap from 5-blade to 3-blade propellers, which will increase the RPM.
The batteries I used had been the BetaFPV Lava 4S 850mAh, which I examined right here: https://oscarliang.com/whoop-toothpick-lipo-battery/#4S-LiPOLiHV
The HGLRC Talon is surprisingly quick and agile for a heavy 2-inch cinewhoop. Its 1303.5 5500KV motors ship spectacular energy, making it extra zippy than I initially anticipated. This velocity is nice for exploration however requires cautious management, particularly in areas with obstacles or individuals.
It confirmed some propwash when doing sharp turns and recovering from dives, which is frequent in heavier cinewhoops. However it’s extremely responsive and handles properly, even in windy situations. This is a bonus over the Pavo20 because of the heavier weight and extra highly effective motors. The drone feels locked in and in management, which is essential for capturing clean cinematic footage.
Conclusion
The HGLRC Talon is a powerful 2-inch cinewhoop that’s well-suited for inexperienced persons trying to get into FPV flying, in addition to skilled pilots wanting a extra sturdy cinewhoop for exploration. For many who want a lighter, extra nimble micro drone, the Pavo20 or Flylens85 is likely to be higher decisions. However for many who want extra safety for the DJI O3 digital camera and higher video hyperlink, the Talon is a compelling possibility.
Get the HGLRC Talon 2-inch cinewhoop from AliExpress: https://s.click on.aliexpress.com/e/_DFaotzd
Whereas the Talon has a couple of minor drawbacks, its sturdy design, flight efficiency, and construct high quality make it a robust contender within the FPV drone market.