Walkera Rodeo 110: The Smallest Racing FPV Drone

Walkera Rodeo 110 is a compact and tiny quadcopter that is suitable for indoor flying. It can be used to race with other like-minded pilots in the indoors while also capturing some pictures with its HD camera or recording with its 5.8GHz video transmission.

However, the drone can also be flown in the outdoors, perhaps in the wilderness, but, preferably in standard temperatures because its lightweight design of less than 150g (including the battery) may not withstand strong winds, so that could be a bad flying experience for you.

Rodeo 110 underpins Walkera’s diversity in its flagships of drones. The company has produced the smallest drone that is designed solely for indoor use. As a result, start-up hobbyists can play around with this powerful tiny machine to hone their technical skills before controlling massive drones such as the Walkera F210 and Vortex 250 Pro in the outdoors because they require intensive skills.

However, this compact design of UAV can still execute amazing air acrobatics to your admiration. So, it is not widely varying from the bigger drones. Predominantly the size and the absence of GPS system differentiate it from bigger ones.

Be aware: Rodeo 110 comes in 2 versions, viz. RTF and BNF. You probably have heard about these acronyms before, but unaware of what they refer to. RTF is Ready to Fly, whereas BNF is Bind-and-Fly. The RTF model often needs minor handy actions such as charging the battery and installing the propellers for the drone to get going. And the BNF, on the other hand, requires you to bind the controller for the drone to fly. In most cases, the RTF comes with a fully compatible controller, whereas the BNF gives you an opportunity to use your old controller or purchase a compatible one. Having said this, you must be decisive that which one can be suitable for you.

In overall, the BNF may be suitable for veteran pilots who have the pre-used controllers, or are well-versed about the different grades of controllers. Nonetheless, an inexperienced pilot can also follow the user manual to purchase a compatible controller without hassles. On the other side, the RTF model is a best choice for beginners. But be aware of the price differences when this drone is released.

Once you are done with the choice of your drone version, and have followed all necessary preliminary handy actions, the drone can showcase its incredible aeromodelling and aerobatics actions. It can hover, roll, and response to all other pre-programmed actions while at the same time utilizing its camera to capture quality HD videos and images.

The interesting part about Rodeo 110 is the fact that it is crash and impact resistant as enhanced by its sturdy carbon fiber frame. Its lightweight design makes it victorious in high speed actions whenever indulging in racing indoors.

Another piece of advice: Because the BNF requires a purchase of the controller to control the drone, be sure to purchase only the compatible one. If you have an old compatible controller it will be an advantage to you. Preferably compare the controller that comes with the RTF model or simply purchase the RTF model which comes with a DEVO7 transmitter to eliminate the need to purchase a separate controller.

You are advised to be vigilant of the counterfeit drones that are sought to replicate this drone. It is undeniable that counterfeit products are ubiquitous in the industry more especially with popular products such as Rodeo 110 that are pending release. Therefore, you must only purchase from reputable and accredited retail stores either online or from local stores.

Product Specifications:

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Build Specifications

Packaging

As emphasized above, Rodeo 110 is delivered in varying versions, RTF and BNF. It appears that the main difference in their packages is the DEVO7 remote control. Find out about the other components that will be included in your debuting packaging below:

As evident from the list above, the key difference between the RTF and the BNF is the DEVO 7 transmitter. The BNF gives you an opportunity to save costs that are subtracted from the exclusion of the remote control. This is a good idea if you have a controller from other drones. Otherwise, it will be a hard work to hunt for a compatible controller.

Design & Durability

Rodeo 110, despite it being tiny in size, it is exclusively made to survive numerous collisions whenever it hits trees or walls inevitably as its obstacles. This sturdy design is made possible by its 2 mm carbon fiber frame kit. It is characterized by corrosion resistance, impact resistance and abrasion resistance.

The lightweight design also helps the drone to survive intensive crashes. Nevertheless, if any destruction happens beyond the high strength of its body, you can easily replace the parts. Meanwhile, the brushless motors and the camera are being shielded by the protective canopy from any occurrence of crashes.

The fuselage wheelbase is 110 mm and the overall weight of this drone, excluding the battery, is 101 g. If adding the battery, it will amount to 147 g. It can also be flown in the darkness due to the integration of its foresight light. Furthermore, on the design, Rodeo 110 makes use of the PCB circuit with integrated PDB, transmitters, receivers, flight controller and other essential components in its compact design.

The board is sized at 33 mm x 68 mm which is tiny enough to leave sufficient spacing in the drone yet fully functional. Additionally, the drone’s modular design is closed and integrates the video transmitters and ESCs which can be detachable for maintenance or repair purposes.

Camera

Camera-wise, Rodeo 110 has no advanced camera compared to other sophisticated outdoor drones. Nevertheless, it can still capture HD images and records HD videos in close range in the indoors. It is also capable of capturing incredible aerial images outdoors in the absence of strong winds which could adversely and abruptly affect its flight time.

The drone comes with an integrated 600 TVL HD camera which is adjustable in an angle range of 0 to 45 degrees. It can also be adjusted in accordance with its speed to continue taking stable and clear images. The foresight light makes it possible to also take clear images when you fly this drone at night. Meanwhile the drone’s real-time image transmission supports image transmission power of 25mW/200mW.

Battery & Flight time

Rodeo 110 comes with an 850mAh Lipo battery which is powerful enough to keep in the sky for a maximum of 6 minutes in the absence of harsh temperatures that could reduce its flight time. The battery’s power is combined with the drone’s efficiency power system to keep relatively longer in the sky compared to other drones of the same size and performance.

Note that the flight time of Rodeo 110 can be affected detrimentally by the outside environment. Check this video to see how snow conditions have affected this drone. Strong winds can lead to a reduced flight time due to the tiny size of the drone. It is thus recommended that you fly it in stable environments like the indoors.

Controller

As already highlighted, Rodeo 110 comes in two models, RTF and BNF. They all come with F3 flight controller, which has been proven to be powerful in drone racing. The flight controller is responsible for functions such as stabilized flight and responsive maneuvers. It also enables pilots to fly the drone in varying modes such as a manual mode, self-stabilized mode and semi self-stabilized mode.

This drone can respond well to various manipulations with the transmitter. The RTF model comes with the DEVO 7 remote control to unfold the incredible performance of this drone in racing, whereas the BNF requires you to use a separate transmitter. That being said, the performance of the BNF model depends on the transmitter used. The drone’s remote control frequency is 2.4GHz and its control range is 1000m.

The only drawback with this drone is that you have to control it only in your visible sight due to the lack of the GPS system. As thus, it doesn’t support auto-landing or auto-take-off like other sophisticated models produced by Walkera. But this is understood because of the primary purpose and usage.

Flight Performance

Rodeo 110 is well described by its high speed mini brushless motors. These coreless motors perform excellently in indoors racing drones due to their light weight. There are furthermore cost-effective even though durability is a bit of concern.

This drone combines high speed mini motors and a powerful battery to ace the air acrobatics that similar models may not achieve. It can roll, hover and turn in any desired direction as long as you are in full control of the remote control.

Value for money & guarantee

Rodeo 110’s standard price is $159, which is incredibly cheaper for a powerful FPV racing drone. The price can vary according to the version purchased. As already indicated, it comes as BNF or RTF whereby the BNF comes without the DEVO 7 transmitter. Having noted that, you should count in the price of the remote control to be purchased separately unless you already own one.

The other costs may be the purchase of a replacement battery, although it’s not mandatory to incur additional costs but recommended due to the limited flight time of 6 minutes. We have not seen any announcement about the guarantee given with this drone.

Let’s wait and see after it has been released. But surely the retailers will gladly replace the drone in case it has been delivered with factory faults. Just inquire more with the seller prior to making a purchase.

Unique Features

This drone is made unique by its F3 flight controller for the support of self-stabilization mode, semi self-stabilization mode and manual mode. It provides a high degree of versatility for racing enthusiasts. In addition, it is made to be victorious by its light weight of 147g that include the battery, which made it to outsmart other FPV racing drones.

Pilots also have options to either buy an RTF or a BNF drone with a key difference being the provision of the DEVO 7 transmitter. Other drones of such dimensions only provide a single version RTF/ARF/BNF.

The drone supports PPM/SBUS radio as integrated in its flight control. But other radio brands such as Futaba can also be installed to function well with the drone. There’s a key to switch the use of these radios.

The other unique features with this drone are its 2mm carbon fibers that are made sturdy to survive collisions. They are also resistant to corrosion to enhance durability of this quadcopter. Furthermore, the drone’s compact and simple design comes second to none because other drones come with complicated wire connections and components that could be confusing to beginner pilots.

With a PCB circuit board that integrates essential components such as the F3 flight controller, 5.8GHz video transmitters and receivers, the drone has enough space and it is not complicated to understand. Watch this video to inspect this quadcopter at first glance before making any purchase.

Similar models

Walkera F150 Rodeo Quadcopter

This is a similar model to Rodeo 110 but a bit advanced in terms of, among others, flight time. It takes 8 minutes of flight time to fly this drone for up to 800 meters. The drone is capable of a wide variety of acrobatics such as 3D rollover. It supports 40 channels compared to the 6 channels supported by Rodeo 110. But both models come with DEVO 7 transmitter and 600 VTL camera capable of capturing excellent view.

Walkera F150 Rodeo is versatile in that it can be flown both outdoors and indoors for racing adventures. Rodeo 110, on the other hand, due to its relatively light weight, it is most suitable to be flown indoors. The drones modular designs are all enclosed to extend durability and protect them against impacts. Watch this video to get an overview of Walkera F150 quadcopter drone.

Walkera F210

Walkera F210 is also another Walkera flagship of racing drones. It is relatively larger in size to Rodeo 110 and they both command F3 flight controller and a DEVO7 transmitter, except the BNF model of Rodeo. But the F210, because of its larger size, it comes with a more powerful battery and an extended flight time of 9 minutes compared to the 6 minutes of Rodeo 110.

Unfortunately, it comes with no battery and charger. This means you have to purchase a compatible battery and a charger first, which can be quite troubling for an inexperienced pilot. Nonetheless, the user manual is always helpful.

Watch this video to relate well to the components and performance of this quadcopter. The drone also comes with 700TVL compared to the 600TVL of the 110 model. But the F210 is expensive at about $370.

Vortex 250 Pro

Now here’s a fierce competitor that is powerful in drone racing. Two brands, Blade® and ImmersionRC have merged to produce a Vortex 250 Pro designed for racing as an upgrade from the Vortex 250 ARF model. Now the Pro model comes as a BNF where the experienced pilots can install a transmitter and get going. The drone is empowered by Spektrum technology and a Fusion F3 flight controller. This certainly puts it at the forefront of competition and sophistication compared to the Rodeo 110.

Vortex 250 Pro is certainly a great drone when you have mastered the control of Rodeo 110. Beginner pilots can find it challenging to control this drone at first attempt more especially because of its agile and robust movements dedicated to FPV racing.

Furthermore, it comes with a cutting-edge 32-bit processing power and a programmable LED system. It is fully customizable for its advanced On Screen Display. The battery used is either 3s or 4s Li-Po, and it provides an extended period of time for you to outsmart other pilots in drone racing.

The other unique feature is its Blackbox recorder and a CleanFlight firmware that is future-proof for updates through its USB port. All these features justify the price tag of about $500 for this quadcopter. You can get an overview of this Pro racing drone by watching this video.

Overview

Rodeo 110 was specifically designed for pilots who are not fond of outdoor drone racing, or those that are still new to drone racing. It can be used as a step towards mastering other drones (quadcopters and hexacopters). The overall weight of this drone is 101g which makes it portable to be used indoors, perhaps in the garage for racing.

But to attain a higher altitude you have to use it outdoors in a stable environment with minimal winds because heavy winds might affect its flight time. The drone can be a great deal for beginners due to its versatility of RTF and BNF versions.

Unlike the ARF versions that require technical skills, the RTF and BNF models need only minimum handy actions. Between the RTF and BNF, we would recommend the RTF model because it is fully assembled. It comes with everything you need, so no need to purchase additional components.

Let’s see a short review of Walkera Rodeo 110

If you are looking for a quadcopter to indulge in indoor racing, Rodeo 110 is the best choice. It is also a great option for you to develop some expertise in drone controlling if you are a newbie in this hobby.