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Picco Z Mini RC Helicopter Review
A review of the PiccoZ "Ready To Fly" Micro Electric Radio Control Helicopter including pictures, video clips, & tuning tips.

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Picco Z Mini RTF RC Helicopter
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In keeping with a long time running holiday tradition, my father has always given both my brother and I (we're now in our late 20's) some kind of children's toy, often a remote controlled device, along with his other more practical grown up gifts.

Most years, we pop in the batteries (always included ), drive, jump and crash that year's toy for a short while, then give them away to the children of other family or friends.

This year my father bought a 3 pack of the Picco Z Mini RTF RC Electric Helicopter, which has been one of the hot, hard to find, must have toys, of the 2006 holiday season.

For only a little bit over $30 at Radio Shack and other online or brick & mortar retailers, this fun little R/C helicopter is a great value. A three pack of PiccoZ helis (three separate radio frequencies represented by colors - red, yellow, blue) will cost about $100-$120.

Update - Now the best budget R/C helicopter is the Syma S107 or S107G.



 
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Picco Z Mini Heli Charging
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Picco Z Infrared Remote Transmitter
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6 AA Battery Compartment

As soon as I tore off the gift wrapping from the Picco Z RTF XRotor Electric RC Helicopter box, I knew that this year I would not be giving away this present for my inner child. 

When I was younger, I had always been interested in remote controlled toys.

Throughout my childhood years I had owned, and ultimately destroyed, more than a few remote control cars or trucks of varying sizes and even one highly prized "Nitro" gas powered Traxxas stadium truck with a top speed of over 40mph.

But I had never been able to play with R/C scale model planes or helicopters because of the degree of advanced skill required, the prohibitively high cost of entry, and the unforgiving nature of crashing these delicate "big boy toys" that would lead to hours of repairs and hundreds of dollars in parts.

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Picco Z Mini RC Helicopter Package
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"Micro Xcopter" Retail Box
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Now with the advancement in miniature electronics, manufacturers are able to create inexpensive yet highly advanced remote control "toys" such as this Picco Z Mini "Ready To Fly" R/C Helicopter.

The PiccoZ is 6 inches long, weighs only about 10 grams, and yet it contains a 2 channel receiver system, rechargeable Lithium Polymer Battery system, main rotor motor, tail rotor motor, and a flight time of 8 to 12 minutes.

The body seems fragile since it is constructed of expanded polypropylene foam (EPP) but the Picco Z easily bounces back from crashes with ease.

I'm not sure which version Picco Z I have but it seems that there have been 3 updates in 2006 & 2007 with Version 1, Version 2, and Version 3. There also seems to be a lot of clones or similar RC helicopters that have sprung up in this toy genre.

A lot of companies seem to be claiming that there RC heli is the smallest, lightest, most mini or micro in existence. Some of the other brand or product names include Hot Rod, Mini Bumblebee, Hughes 300, AeroAce, Piccolo, Blade Runner I & II, Spin Blade, Pixelito, Pixels, Nanoflyer, Silverlit Gyrorotor X-Rotor, Beast Mini RC, and the R/C Electric 3.

In my short amount of research into mini RC helicopters, it seems that most people prefer the Picco Z and the Silverlit Gyrorotor or XRotor (that appear to be the same product). I've also noticed lots of confusion with the Picco Z name being incorrectly spelled in several variations such as PicooZ, Pico Z, and Piccoo Z.


 

Click on the two links below to watch movie clips of the Picco Z Mini R/C RTF Electric Helicopter in flight!

Picco Z Mini RC Helicopter Flight Video - DSL/Cable

Picco Z Mini RC Helicopter Flight Video - 56K/ISDN


Picco Z Mini RC Helicopter Tuning & Flight Tips

If your Picco Z is not performing as you well as you expected, try some of these tips that I read on RC hobby message boards and forums.

To get a Picco Z to trim properly so that it won't just spin in circles, try tweaking the tail so that it aligns as straight as possible with the center line of the helicopter. Also check for any lint or hair on the tail or main rotor shaft with a magnifying glass and tweezers.

Are your Picco Z flight times very short such as just a few minutes? Try applying a very tiny amount of ultra light 3-In-One oil to the main rotor motor shaft. Some hobbyists insist that the helicopter should be split open for effective oiling, while others have just dripped it down from the top opening in the expanded Polypropylene foam (EPP) body. This should allow the main rotor motor to spin much more freely increasing your flying times up to 8-12 minutes or more.

After a few practice flights of mostly hovering with your PiccoZ you are probably ready to try out some forward flight. This can be achieved by pushing a thumb tack or tiny metal screw into the front nose of the RC helicopter. Alternatively, you could attach a bead or affix the included aluminum weights to the heli's nose. Be careful if you choose to use a thumb tack as it is possible to pierce the Lithium Polymer battery and damage your helicopter.
 

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