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.

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 R/C 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.

Picco Z Mini RC Helicopter Flight Video - DSL/Cable

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

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 3in1 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.