Jack Towne

The Eachine Tyro 79 is a good little 3″ FPV drone kit. Like the other Tyro models, it is a simple and affordable way to build your first drone.  Unfortunately, there aren’t many DIY cinewhoop kits out there. So I figured I’d make one. The Tyro79 makes an excellent base for building a cinewhoop. Right now the Tyro79 is on sale at Banggood as part of their 11.11 lucky sale. It is only $69. Add an inexpensive frame like the Donut for $29 and you can have yourself a whoop for less than $100.

No, it isn’t the new DJI Mavic Mini. But you can build 4 of these cinewhoops for the price of one Mavic Mini, and it can do things the Mini cannot. Learn more about how to put together a cinewhoop and how to do it for about $100.
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The Eachine Twig is an interesting 3″ FPV drone. It is a bit larger than a standard toothpick drone and is part of the growing “Twig” class. Think of the twig class as a slightly larger toothpick on steroids. Most toothpick quads are less than 50 grams and fly on 1S or 2S batteries. A twig will typically be heavier than 50 grams and can fly on a 2S-4S battery. This twig is different than most because you can get one with an HD camera. It is one of the many items that are part of Banggood’s 11.11 lucky sale. They have tons of great drones on sale from the Tello to ready-made DJI FPV drones. It’s definitely worth checking out.
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The HGLRC Parrot 120 is another twig class FPV drone. A twig is somewhere in between a toothpick and a micro FPV quad. Twigs are typically between 50 and 100 grams and can fly 2-4S batteries. This HGLRC Parrot is one of the better twig class drones I’ve flown.
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If you are new to flying FPV drones then you very well may be wondering what the heck everyone is talking about. There are cinewhoops, tiny whoops, and power whoops. There are toothpicks and twigs. A five-inch drone is clearly bigger than five inches. What are people talking about? There seem to be endless drone options. And FPV pilots rarely refer to their crafts as drones. They are quads or sometimes kwads.
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The Cinewhoop is an awesome style of drone that can capture crisp HD footage that a machine like the DJI Mavic 2 just wouldn’t be capable of producing. They are small, stable, and safer than your typical FPV drone, and you can capture some pretty amazing cinematic footage. There are some small inexpensive options out there like the Eachine Cinecan, but those little drones can’t carry a GoPro or Osmo Action camera. The best ready-made option might be the iFlight Megabee, but it is $285. I figured I could do it for less and I was right. I’ll show you how to get it done for about $150.
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The new Emax Babyhawk R Pro 4″ drone is one of a few new products Emax has been working on. The company has been busy lately producing quality drones at seemingly every niche of the FPV market. Their Tinyhawk and Tinyhawk 2S are absolutely the best indoor FPV drones you can buy. The Tinyhawk Freestyle is one of the best toothpick style drones on the market. Now they have released a 4″ capable of competing with larger 5″ quads. And just for good measure, they decided to release two new 5″ drones. Let’s take a closer look at my new favorite FPV drone, the $179 Emax Babyhawk R Pro 4″.
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The Happymodel Larva X is another fun little toothpick drone. Like most toothpick quads, it is a small but powerful little quad capable of acrobatic moves and FPV racing. It won’t compete with the big 5-inch race quads, but it can do a lot of what they can do, just on a smaller scale. I personally prefer flying these small little FPV quads to their bigger counterparts for a handful of different reasons. They are easier to pack and go, they typically withstand crashes better, and they don’t draw attention when you are flying. Let’s take a look a the Lava X and see if this quad is worth your hard-earned $97.
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The Visuo Zen K1 is a foldable drone with a 4K camera that was built to look like a DJI Mavic. It has GPS and a handful of intelligent flight modes and can be purchased starting at just $169.99. Typically drones in the sub-$200 price range have had their issues. What about this one? Is it finally the answer or is it too good to be true?
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The new Diatone GTB229 is an excellent toothpick-style drone. This is a 2s version with 2.5-inch props and was a collaboration with KababFPV, aka the inventor of the toothpick class. The carbon fiber frame is a box-style frame and is surprisingly rigid. The components inside are top-notch. This little quad is a micro FPV beast. At $129.99, is it worth it over the Emax Freestyle? Let’s take a closer look.
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The Eachine Tyro69 is a low-cost brushless toothpick-style quadcopter. It comes as kit that is fairly simple and is nearly plug-and-play. If you haven’t built a drone before, the Tyro series are probably the easiest to learn on. While the Tyro 69 is typically a low $69, right now it is on sale for just $60. Is that too good to be true?
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The new Yuneec Mantis G is a small, foldable drone with a 4K camera. It seems to be a nearly identical drone to the Mantis Q but with a few very important upgrades. The Mantis G will have a 4K camera on a two-axis gimbal that will also be stabilized electronically. Boasting a flight time of up to 33 minutes and a range of 2000 meters the Mantis G is an impressive little drone.
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The Makerfire Armor 85 HD is a brushless FPV quadcopter with an HD camera. It is sleek looking and doesn’t look anything like a typical whoop. This is not built for racing or outdoor acro, but for capturing cinematic aerial footage. It may not be capable of capturing the same quality as a GoPro or Runcam but the quality is good and it can fit in places that larger drones can’t. At $129.99 it is a lower cost option if you are looking to try out a cinewhoop drone.
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It is no secret that Skydio is getting ready to release a new drone this year. The Skydio 2 looks to be an incredibly impressive drone. Known for its ability to fly autonomously, the Skydio 2 looks to build on that with a mode that allows the pilot to fly freely in difficult situations without having to worry about crashing. The new Skydio 2 video shows the drone flying backward at full speed through various obstacles. It is an impressive video you will definitely want to check out.
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The new Fat Shark Attitude V5 FPV goggles might just be the best set you can pick up for less than $300. FPV goggles are an important investment and you want to get it right the first time. They offer a handful of important features and best of all have excellent OLED screens. Fat Shark is #1 when it comes to FPV for a reason and the new Attitude V5’s at $299 are a solid option.
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A lot of people want to know what the best drone is, but that is actually a very difficult question. My favorite drone is the Mavic 2 Zoom, but I wouldn’t recommend that drone to everyone. I don’t think the best drones of 2019 are here yet as Skydio and DJI have some drones in the works. There are still some excellent options out there, though.

Your purpose and budget are two hugely important factors when looking for a drone. If your goal is to have fun, then I would recommend one of the inexpensive drones on my list. If aerial photography is your focus, then the best beginner drone has been the DJI Spark, but it isn’t one I’d recommend to professional or semi-professional pilots. I’ll take a look at the entry-level competition as well as some of the higher-performing birds, like the Mavic 2 Pro.

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We have flown a handful of different cinewhoop style drones. The Eachine Cinecam stands apart from the Beta85x HD, Mobula  HD, and the iFlight Cinebee. It uses a similarly small and compact form but packs both a 4K camera and a dedicated FPV camera. It is most definitely the top dog when it comes to tiny little cinematic whoop style drones.
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Emax makes some of the best FPV drones on the market today. The Emax Tinyhawk Freestyle is no exception. It is a smaller, toothpick style drone with some serious power. If you are looking for a fun drone to practice freestyle or racing skills but don’t like the crowds that show up when you break out the big and loud standard 5″ quad then you should take a look at the Emax Tinyhawk Freestyle.
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If you have seen drone racing on tv it was likely the DRL. The Drone Racing League (DRL) is the premier racing league for FPV pilots and now they are looking to release the same drone that the pros fly to the public. The drone these professional pilots fly can hit 90 mph in a split second. This beast of a drone could be yours if the Kickstarter campaign they started is funded by October 5th.

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The Eachine Tyro 129 is a low-cost, do it yourself GPS drone kit. This 7″ quadcopter is easy to put together and ideal for anyone that is looking to try their hand at drone building. The Tyro 129 is $129 and comes with all the components you need to put it together. You’ll have to add a battery, receiver, and use your remote to get it off the ground. I found it to be a smooth flyer and swapped out the camera for a RunCam Split 3 to capture smooth HD video.
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The Eachine Red Devil is a fun drone for beginners and experts alike. It is a toothpick style drone which is gaining popularity quickly. They are small, ultra-lightweight drones that fly a lot like a full-blown 5″ freestyle quad. You can do flips and rolls with a toothpick like the Red Devil but because it is smaller and quieter it won’t draw a crowd. If you are looking for a fun drone that won’t break the bank then you will want to take a look at the $93 Eachine Red Devil.
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Fat Shark wasn’t about to be outdone by DJI. Fat Shark has announced on their Facebook page that they will be releasing a similar HD FPV system in the near future. This Fat Shark system dubbed Byte Frost will transmit clear 720p video to your existing Fat Shark goggles.
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