Tandem Z1 Chinook Minicopter Flying (and Crashing) on Video

My new Tandem Z1 Chinook finally arrived. And guess what? Two rotors and proper six-way control actually does equal twice the crashes. At least while starting out, anyway— just like a real helicopter these things are a bugger to learn to control. Balancing throttle, forward, backwards, turning and the trimming controls felt like it needed about three extra hands. So, I had crashes. A lot. But, eventually, I got the hang of it, as the video shows.

Once my crash factor had reduced, it’s the most fun toy I’ve ever played with. I even felt bold enough to take off the extra plastic vane at the front—something the instructions say to do only once “you obtained certain control skills.” Then there was renewed whirling and high-speed encounters with floor, ceiling, curtains and wife (sorry!), but I eventually got the hang of this maneuverable mode too.

Alas, the attempt to carry a Legoman hanging from its payload hooks totally failed, as you can see from the crash compilation video. There was lots of footage to choose from.

The Tandem Z1 charges from the remote control, just like other Picoo Z choppers, though this controller has an extra trim adjuster for forwards/backwards. The four-way steering joystick comes with a plug-in limiter so you can get the hang of things while starting out. The attention to detail on the model is great: it’s even got undercarriage and a switchable nose searchlight. Despite the extra complexity of the design, the styrofoam seems pretty resilient, and has survived a hundred crashes with only a few dents.

Overall verdict: awesome, flyable, crashable fun.