REVELL X-SPY

£99 inc VAT • revell.de/en

Quadcopters are a new line for Revell, which is best-known for its plastic model kits. The X-Spy, however, requires no assembly whatsoever, unless you count installing four AA batteries in the remote and installing the Revell Control app on your iPhone or Android smartphone.

The drone is tiny, measuring just 148x148x45mm, and has its camera mounted underneath. In the box is a spare set of rotors, and you’ll probably need these fairly quickly: the propeller guards are flimsy and don’t offer much protection when the quadcopter hits solid objects.

We tried the Android app on a Moto G: the clamp on the remote wasn’t big enough to accommodate an iPhone 6 Plus in Apple’s leather case. The app allows you to see live video from the drone once you connect to the X-Spy’s Wi-Fi network.

The order in which you power everything determines how you control the copter. The craft itself must always be powered on first. If you then turn on the controller, you can use the physical sticks. However, if you leave it turned off and connect the app to the X-Spy’s Wi-Fi, you can then control it using on-screen joysticks – or by tilting the smartphone. Ultimately, we preferred the physical controls, using the phone purely for video. The app also lets you begin and end video recording, as well as take photos. Video is recorded directly to the smartphone: there’s no microSD slot on the drone, nor on the remote.

Somewhat disappointingly, given the ‘HD’ claims, video resolution is a paltry 320x280, so you’re not going to proudly post stunning aerial vistas on YouTube.

Build Features Performance

Value

Overall

VERDICT: As long as you have an Android phone or an iPhone, the X-Spy is a good-value drone with FPV. However, if you can live without live video (or without a camera at all) there are cheaper options.