The WLToys Q202 has got to be one of the most bizarre toy quadcopters of 2015. At first glance, the Q202 looks like it was inspired by Marvel’s SHIELD Helicarrier with two runways on its deck and four large rotors at each corner. I’ve seen quadcopters that come in the form of eggs, some take the shape of fighter jets but this is the first time I’ve come across one that appears like an aircraft carrier. Clearly, the Q202 is one quadcopter that was designed to defy aesthetic conventions.
The Q202 not only flies like a conventional quadcopter, it is also triphibious and can cruise on water and land thanks to its waterproof body which is made mostly of compressed foam. The motor arms have some degree of waterproofing with the two rear arms (which can swivel forward) being covered with rubber boots for extra protection against moisture.
Sensitive electronic components are all sealed inside the Q202’s foam body and a small battery compartment can be found at the top which houses a 7.4V 1200mAh battery with a JST connector. The compartment itself has limited space and was designed rather crudely with a removable cover that fits snugly to help keep moisture out. Although the Q202 appears to be moisture proof, I doubt it was designed to be fully submerged in water. This is, after all, a $130 RC toy so limiting its exposure to moisture is probably a good idea.
The first thing that struck me about the Q202 soon after unboxing it was its sheer size and imposing presence. As it stood on the floor, I realized this is no Syma X5C-style toy quadcopter. The Q202’s diagonal motor distance itself is a whopping 345mm which puts it in Phantom 3 territory where diagonal size is concerned.
When it comes to overall size, the Q202 is pretty massive for a toy quadcopter — measuring 630mm X 450mm X 135mm which means it is nearly as large as a Yuneec Q500 where overall size is concerned. For this reason the Q202 is shipped in a very large box that is about the size of a two year old child so don’t be surprised to see the delivery guy standing at your doorstep with a really large package should you decide to purchase one online.
However, despite having a diagonal size of 345mm, the Q202 is equipped with 5.5 inch 3-blade propellers which are significantly shorter than the 9 inch props that come with quads such as the Phantom 3. Shorter props were probably chosen to allow the Q202 to have its distinctive aircraft carrier shape.
Due to the shorter props, the Q202 generates less propulsion. In order to compensate for this lack of propulsion, the entire body is made out of compressed foam to keep the quad as light as possible. The result is a body that, although light, is rather fragile and flimsy, particularly the built-in prop guards. Care should be taken when handling the prop guards since they’re terribly fragile and can break very easily. The fuselage, on the other hand, feels a lot more solid and durable. Should you break any of the foam parts, they can be repaired or reattached using the right thermoplastic glue.
Specifications
- Dimensions: 630 x 450 x 135mm
- Diagonal motor distance: 345mm
- Motor size: N/A
- Weight: Approx 334g (with battery)
- Flight time: 8 to 10 minutes
- Battery: 7.4V 1200mAh Li Po
- Charging time: 90 minutes
- Control distance: approximately 150m
- Transmitter power: 6 x 1.5V AA batteries (not included)
Flight Performance
Being a triphibious quadcopter, the Q202 can both fly in the air like a conventional quadcopter and cruise on water and land. The left shoulder button on the transmitter allows you to toggle between air and water/land modes.
In “air” mode, the Q202’s motors point upwards as in a conventional quadcopter while in “water mode” the two rear motors swivel forward to allow the Q202 to cruise on water without tilting forward.
The Q202 can also slide on land or over hard surfaces although I wouldn’t recommend to do this very often as this would probably create a lot of wear and tear at the bottom of the fuselage. After all, the Q202 is made out of compressed foam — a material that is not known to be very durable, especially against knocks and scrapes against hard or rough surfaces.
As a quadcopter, the Q202 does not fly very well. It feels highly erratic and unstable in the air. This is mainly due to under-powered propulsion and a body design that tends to catch a lot of wind. This means the Q202 is very vulnerable to wind and struggles to fly when things get windy. At first glance, the Q202 may look aerodynamic with a sleek profile but once you get it flying in the air, you’ll realize its flight performance isn’t something to shout about.
Even in calm weather conditions, the Q202 does not fare very well. It feels touchy and nervous, even at 40% speed mode. At 100% speed mode, it gets terribly unwieldy and flies about in very aggressive flying angles which can sometimes be quite disconcerting.
WLToys have chosen to leave automated flips out of the Q202’s spec sheet and this, I believe, was a wise decision. Who would want to flip such a large toy quadcopter with underpowered motors anyway? Even if it could do flips, the Q202 would struggle to recover.
However, all’s not lost with the Q202 as it performs fairly well on water where things can get quite interesting. To cruise on water, the Q202’s rear motors swivel forward to allow the quad to maintain a more level position when moving forward. This can be done by pressing the left shoulder button on the transmitter. The swiveling rear motors gives the Q202 a very “James Bond” feel.
Q would have been proud of this one.
In “water” mode the throttle stick is used to control forward movement, allowing the Q202 to easily slide across water. Bear in mind that in this mode, pushing the throttle to its maximum will not lift the quad off from the water. To fly off the water surface, you need to switch back to “air” mode.
To direct the Q202 on water, the right control stick is used to turn the quad left or right very much like how the throttle stick is used to control yaw movements while in the air. Yaw control on the throttle stick is disabled so pushing the throttle stick left or right doesn’t do anything. The Q202 can only move forwards in water and not backwards. The same “water” mode can also be used when you need to drift over land.
After “flying” the Q202 several times in “water” mode, I’m glad to say that water-proofing on this quad works quite well with one exception — the battery compartment isn’t sealed well enough and water tends to seep into it after several hard splashes when cruising on water.
This can be dangerous because moisture can cause a short circuit in the battery and may cause it to explode or catch fire. With a capacity of 1200mAh, the Q202 battery is large enough to create a spectacular blast similar to a large firecracker should it explode so proper care must be taken when cruising over water.
What I do every few minutes of cruising is to check the battery compartment for water seepage and wipe it dry with a cloth. This can be quite a hassle. After several flights, I decided to seal off the edges with electrician’s tape which does a great job in keeping the compartment dry even after several hard splashes. This eliminates the need to regularly check the battery compartment for water seepage.
Transmitter
The Q202 comes with the same 4-channel transmitter that is shipped with other WLToys models such as the V272 and V636. It is not exactly the most good looking transmitter nor is it the most well built but it gets the job done well enough.
A blue LCD screen at the bottom of the transmitter displays important information such as transmitter battery level, speed mode, throttle level, trims and so on. A number of buttons are available for various features. There is a total of 4 dedicated buttons that allow you to toggle between the 4 different speed modes. There is also a button that allows you to turn the quad’s LED lights on or off and another button that turns on the headless mode.
Conclusion
The WLToys Q202 is essentially three RC toys bundled into one. In “air” mode, the Q202 flies like any other conventional quadcopter. However, flight performance isn’t impressive and the Q202 feels like an unwieldy sledgehammer in the air. Those who have grown familiar with the precise and stable flying performance of other toy quads such as the Syma X5C-1 or the XK X260 may find its sloppy flying characteristics a bit of a letdown.
The main problem lies in the Q202’s under-powered propulsion and large body that has poor aerodynamics — a combination that results in highly unstable flight and poor stability in windy conditions. The body itself, made of compressed foam, is rather fragile with prop guards that may break easily.
The Q202’s under-powered propulsion in the air makes it highly unsuited to beginners as flying it requires some decent skills and experience. For this reason, beginners may find the Q202 quite frustrating to handle in the air.
On water (and on land), the Q202 fares much better. It is a lot of fun to fly in the air and then start cruising on water within seconds. On water, the Q202 operates like a RC boat and one can easily mistaken it for one. Care should be taken when cruising on water since the battery compartment is prone to water seepage. Sealing off the battery compartment with electrician’s tape is a cheap way of solving the problem. Other parts of the Q202 have decent water-proofing and I have yet to encounter any problems with water in these parts after several occasions cruising on water.
The Q202 is one unconventional quadcopter for those seeking an unconventional experience in RC toys. Priced at approximately $130, it stands in a class with few rivals. The only other RC toy currently available with similar features is the KiiToys Giant Aircraft Carrier Drone.