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 small print it’s worthwhile to 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 shall be reviewing the DJI O3 model right here.
Get the HGLRC Talon 2-inch cinewhoop from AliExpress: https://s.click on.aliexpress.com/e/_DFaotzd
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)
- Beneficial 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 glossy, high-quality building, jogs my memory of the GEPRC Cinebot25 I reviewed final week. Each are great-looking cinewhoops with unbelievable, user-friendly design options.
Out of the field, you will discover the drone has stickers in varied locations, providing vital info to new customers.
Construct High quality and Design
The Talon is a mix of injected molded plastic, steel, and carbon fiber. This body building not solely makes the Talon sturdy but additionally permits for straightforward restore in case you crash and injury the body.
The drone has brilliant LED lights on the edges of the prop guard that change from crimson when the drone will not be armed to brilliant 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 digicam, including to its versatility.
Weight and Energy System
At underneath 250 grams (241g with a 4S 850mAh battery), it’s preferrred for complying with drone laws in lots of international locations. Nevertheless, 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 kind of substantial.
Left: HGLRC Talon; Proper: BetaFPV Pavo20
In all probability because of the heavier weight, HGLRC opted for 5-blade propellers to extend its energy. This design selection appears acceptable, however if you would like longer flight occasions, it’s most likely 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 elimination of the battery strap, which generally is a trouble for frequent changes or repairs. The digicam mount gives very restricted adjustability for the digicam angle (round 15-25 levels), which might be a deal breaker for pilots preferring excessive digicam 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 go away a spare UART for GPS.
FPV System
Underneath the O3 digicam, there’s a entrance bumper providing additional 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 perhaps a disadvantage for some pilots. Nevertheless, switching to Extensive can remove this challenge. I personally by no means use Extremely Extensive anyway, as Extensive or Regular modes are wanted to document gyro information for Gyroflow stabilization.
Notice that the HGLRC Talon doesn’t have tender mounting for the DJI O3 digicam, it’s hard-mounted contained in the body. In my testing, I didn’t discover any jello or vibration due to the first rate PID tune and filter settings, so even with out digicam tender mounting, it nonetheless produces nice picture high quality.
Not like many different 2″ cinewhoops that target light-weight builds (they change 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.
Easy accessibility to the O3’s USB-C port and SD card slot via the rubber cowl.
Flight Efficiency
The Talon makes use of a “rest room tank” battery mounting fashion. I examined the drone with the really helpful 4S 850mAh batteries, offering shut to five minutes of flight time. Nevertheless, as a result of it’s significantly heavier than another 2-inch cinewhoops, the Talon is noticeably noisier, particularly whenever you change 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 pace is nice for exploration however requires cautious management, particularly in areas with obstacles or folks.
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 circumstances. This is a bonus over the Pavo20 due to 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 seeking to get into FPV flying, in addition to skilled pilots wanting a extra sturdy cinewhoop for exploration. For individuals who choose a lighter, extra nimble micro drone, the Pavo20 or Flylens85 is perhaps higher selections. However for individuals who choose extra safety for the DJI O3 digicam 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 strong design, flight efficiency, and construct high quality make it a powerful contender within the FPV drone market.
