PERFORMANCE: I find it more fun to fly the Syma S107 than the smoother and more mellifluous Blade MCX2. In this sense the Syma S107 hews to a less is more principle: i.e. it delivers more with less. But here is the irony of the whole situation: the Syma S107's ragged performance edge actually connects with you better than the ultra-smooth Blade MCX2. It's almost like the difference between stick shift and automatic transmission. The S107's controls just feel more tactile than those of the Blade MCX2. (I am not trying to knock the Blade MCX 2 which is a great little heli in its own right. I am just trying to make a comparison on matters of price, build and performance.)
UPLIFTING LIFT: There is nothing like the sound of the Syma S107 blades when you turn it on. The rush of sound from its four independently articulated blades sound like no other heli I have flown. There is something breezily uplifting about that sound - something elevating about the way it elevates and stays aloft with truly amazing balance.
BUILD & DURABILITY: The detail and solid feel of the Syma S107 leaves the Blade MCX2 in the dust. The trim metal body and snug plastic hood fits way better than the loosey-goosey hood on the Blade MCX2. And after many trial crashes the Syma S107 has not shown much damage with the possible exception of a little whirring sound from the tail blade assembly and some herky-jerky movement when I am trying to turn the heli left or right. (I have oiled it a little but all to no avail.) The Blade MCX2 flew well for a couple of months until it would not take off after one unspectacular crash. (I am not making this up.) When I took it into Hobbytown USA in Fremont CA for one of their RC technician to look at, he found out that one of the central plastic gears was not engaging because the engine moving it had been pocked out of position inspite of being "protected" by the plastic hood. My suspicion is that it was probably poked out of position by some protruding prong during that last crash. I was mortified by the prospect of junking something I had paid $150 for only 2 months prior. But to Hobbytown USA's credit, they replaced the unit without fuss or muss. I was so thankful that they will probably have me as a customer for life.
NAVIGATION LIGHT: Finally nobody places the navigational-bling-bling lights better than Syma. That blinking light in the helicopter's nose makes it look positively sentient when it is hovering in front of you.
I love this little heli and wish I had more time to fly it. A higher capacity/quick charge battery would go a long way towards realizing this goal. The current heli only gives 10 minutes of flight time on top of about 45 minutes charge time. But in all fairness this seems to be the case with most RC helis in this category. However the battery's tendency to lose capacity when overcharged or re-charged without requisite cooling between flights (15 to 30 minutes)really needs to be fixed. Until that time, SYMA should make instructions to that effect front and center of its operating manual. IC circuitry (smart battery tech) would go a long way towards solving problems in this area.
INDISPENSABLE ADVICE: In that connection, here is an indispensable advice for people who wanna get more frustration-free enjoyment out of their Syma S107 purchase:
1. Buy 2 or 4 helis for starters as that will give you between 20 to 40 minutes of flying time, total.
2. When your heli's power gets depleted, do not charge it immediately as the engine assembly is all "hot and bothered". Let it cool down for about 20 minutes before hooking it up to the charging port.
3. DO NOT OVERCHARGE THE HELI. It will not give you any more power if you do. Au contraire you will end up depleting the charging capacity of your battery because of the dumb circuitry they put in there.
4. For every heli you got, keep a spare battery which sells on Amazon for about $5 each. Installing it is as easy as removing two screws attaching the hood, cutting the old battery off and leaving enough lead wire, stripping corresponding ends of the red and black leads, connecting them then wrapping them with electrical tape. After that you just put the battery back onto its sticky pad and then put the hood back on. (Google "installing a Syma S107 battery." Chances are you will find a a pictorial guide and or a Youtube video that will show you exactly how to do it.)
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