Helizone Firebird Micro Helicopter

I am a big fan of micro RCs. I especially like micro helicopters — they are so much fun to fly. After flying micro helis such as the Air Hogs Havoc Heli and the Sharpshooter I found that toy-grade helis of this kind aren't very stable and tend to wobble side to side while hovering. The Helizone Firebird is very stable and does more than hover and turn left and right. This is no ordinary toy RC helicopter.

The Firebird micro RC helicopter is a 3 channel, IR controlled RC helicopter with an all metal alloy chassis. Recommended for ages 8 and up. The Firebird also has three different bands A, B, C which allows for three Firebirds to be flown at once.

When you first open the box you will get:

• Controller/Transmitter (requires 6 AA which are not included)
• Helizone Firebird
• USB port charging cable
• Instruction manual
• Spare tail prop

Stability and Design

The Firebird from Helizone RC has great stability in all directions (up, down, left, right, forwards, backwards) due to the coaxial blade design and a built-in gyroscope circuit. This gyroscope keeps the heading of the Firebird true and stable making it easier to maneuver, hover and land.

When you move the right control stick left or right the Firebird turns either direction with precision instead of floating around out of control like the lesser toy-grade micro helicopters.

On the controller:

• Right stick up/down controls forward (up) and backwards (down) movement
• Right stick left/right controls the direction (heading)
• Left stick up/down controls ascending (up) and descending (down) movement
• Holding the left stick at about half throttle will let the Firebird hover

In my experience, the Firebird's movement and stability is impressive. Yes, in case you haven't gotten the point by now, it is a very stable heli. I even took the Firebird out in my backyard to see if it could possibly be flown outside. Sure enough, the Firebird has no problems with outdoor flight. I only suggest outdoor flight if the wind is minimal (I'm talking about a small breeze).

To help with your heading you have red and blue flashing LEDs on the front. After a couple of flights outdoors I was even more impressed with the Firebird because there was no loss in its stability.

Aside from coming in 3 different channels (A, B, C), the Firebird's rigid, lightweight plastic body, tail pieces and upper, lower blades also come in three different colors and flame graphics. Those three choices are black with silver flames, red with yellow flames and blue with black flames. With this type of graphics painted on (no stickers here), the Firebird stands out nicely from the rest of the micro helis of its type and size.

Charging and Runtime

There are three ways to charge the Firebird.

1. Built-in Charging Cable
   The first way is through the traditional charging cable in a concealed compartment on the back of the transmitter.

2. USB Port Charging Cable
   The second way is through the included USB port charging cable. I thought the USB cable was really cool because when using a USB port (laptop or PC device) you wouldn't have to be too concerned about running down the batteries in your transmitter in order to charge the heli. Charging time for the Firebird is anywhere from 30-45 minutes for a full charge. Although right out of the box I was able to fly the Firebird around my studio for about 5-10 minutes before having to charge it for the first time which was kind of nice (no wait time). With a fully charged battery I was able to get about 10-15 minutes of flight time in before charging it again. When you charge it from the USB cable the LED inside the connector housing is off in the charging state and turns red to signify that charging is done. When you charge the Firebird from the transmitter the transmitter is set to the on position. The power LED will turn from green to red to let you know the Firebird is charging. The power LED will then go from red to green to signify that charging is done.

3. AC Outlet Wall Charger (purchased separately)
   The third and final way to charge the Firebird is through an AC outlet wall charger which can be purchased from the spare parts section of Helizone RC.

The Firebird is tough and solid thanks to the all-metal alloy chassis. You would think that this micro helicopter would weigh a lot but looks are deceiving. Even with its hard plastic body pieces it is still very light weight. What made it hard for me to think of this micro rc helicopter as toy-grade was the fact that almost everything on the Firebird is replaceable. From small things such as battery, electronic circuits to motors, and blades. Even the landing skids (which are also metal) are replaceable through the online spare parts department.

Pricing and Spare Parts

The Firebird sells for around $50.00 USD. I would definitely pay that amount. (See purchasing options at the end of this review.) The replacement parts are very affordable, ranging from mostly $4.00, to $12.00 for the main electronic board (the brain) of the Firebird.

Tips and Tricks

While I was surfing through Youtube for some insight on the Firebird I came across an interesting video. It talks about a small modification you could do to the transmitter to give you a little more control over the throttle response. It is very simple:

1. Remove the six small screws on the back of the transmitter. Inside is a small spring that keeps the throttle control at the zero throttle position.
2. Remove the screw holding the spring in place. Viola! You have a free moving throttle control stick.

Watch Firebird Helis Flight Review at Indoor Obstacle Course. About 4:20 - 5:12 in this video clip he talks about being a 3 channel RC helicopter pro and what he did to get the Firebird to hover on its own.

Now I don't recommend you do this if you are a beginner. Heading into a crash landing and letting off the throttle keeps your Firebird's blades from being damaged. If you don't have the spring in place you might forget to throttle back and stop the blades and really mess up your RC. Only remove the spring if you are a seasoned veteran at flying RC helicopters.

With all the features that the Firebird comes with it's very hard to say that this is a toy helicopter. Just the thought of being able to replace just about everything that makes up the Firebird makes it borderline hobby-grade. Helizone RC has a real winner here in the micro helicopter market with their Firebird line up. Go to the Helizone RC Website for a neat and interesting story about the Firebird and how it came to be. I can see myself eventually purchasing all three of them so my friends and I can have some fun flying around the backyard and in my studio.

Buy the Helizone Firebird Micro RC Helicopter

• Helizone RC Firebird - Blue (Compare Prices or Buy Direct from Manufacturer)
• Helizone RC Firebird - Red (Compare Prices or Buy Direct from Manufacturer)
• Helizone RC Firebird - Black (Compare Prices or Buy Direct from Manufacturer)

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.