Walkera Scout X4 Quadcopter Review – One Of The Best Quadcopters
The Walkera Scout X4 quadcopter it’s still keeping its promise in bringing new life to aerial photography, it is around for quite some time and it’s still keeping up with all the new and demanding drones. Quadcopter companies release new drone models as fast as they can fly. For example, the DJI Phantom which shook the multirotor market a few years back is now losing ground because newer models push further in drone sophistication.
But the Walkera Scout X4 is still an exception. It comes with multiple features like long battery life, GPS mapping track, a mini octocopter because of extra motors and it can be set to follow its owner via a smartphone app, again with the help of GPS. With so many features, pilots can take amazing aerial images and it helps the drone keeping up with the demands and face the newer drone models.
Specifications
- Dimension: 335 x 335 x 275 mm (13.2 x 13.2 x 10.8 inches)
- Wingspan: 233 mm (9.2 inches)
- Weight: 1770 grams (3.9 pounds)
- Battery: 22V 5400mAh Li-Po
- Flight time: 25 minutes
- Payload Capacity: 500 grams (1.1 pounds)
- Maximum Speed: 60 km/h (37 mph)
- Operating Range: 1500 meters (4921 feet)
- Controller Frequency: 2.4 GHz
The Walkera Scout X4 quadcopter it is an attractive option for those who want a drone that can be upgraded to an octocopter. The answer is in Scout’s X8 upgrade kit which transforms the Scout X4 into a compact octocopter.
An upgrade kit is an attractive option for those who want to increase the capacity of Walkera Scout X4 quadcopter. The feature enables double rotor count and the lifting capacity is twice better than as a standard Walkera Scout X4 quadcopter. The Scout X8 kit for the standard Scout X4 needs to be bought separately and it comes with all the tools required for an upgrade to an octocopter. However, because of the extra motors, the battery will be drain faster and the flight time will be shortened.
The conversion kit contains:
- 4 x brushless motors
- 4 x dual brushless ESCs
- 4 x motor mount accessory
- 4 x motor heat shield
- 2 pairs x lower propellers
- 2 x skid landing mounting pipe
The Walkera Scout X4 quadcopter is a great alternative for expensive high-end drones and is keeping the demands of the multirotor market with these flight features:
- RTF Drone
- Bind and Fly
- GPS Compatible
- Altitude Hold
- Position Hold
- Flight Planning
- Autonomous Flight
- Follow Me feature
- Automatic Landing
- Return to Home
There is a possibility to buy this quad with a stylish aluminum case. On the other hand, this depends on the seller and the package’s content should be checked, in order to see if the seller provides with everything you want before purchase.
Usually, the quadcopter comes with the following:
- 1 x Scout X4 Drone
- The DEVO F12E 2.4 GHz transmitter (it has a 5-inch monitor for FPV)
- 1 x Walkera iLook + camera
- 1 x Battery charger
- 1 x power supply for the charger
- 1 x Walkera G-3D 3-axis gimbal
- 1 x Walkera ground control station module
- 4 x propellers
- Cable for the USB connection
- Cables for the iLook camera and for the battery
- Manual
Once you receive the delivery, you can take the drone out of the package, place the gimbal, the camera, charge the battery and read the manual. Some say that the manual is too difficult to understand but you can access YouTube or Facebook for more information.
Design
The Walkera Scout X4 quadcopter is small and easy to fly with. The dimensions are 334 x 335 x 275 mm (13.2 x 13.2 x 10.8 inches) and it has a 4 500 kV motors which it’s pretty powerful.
This drone has incredible horsepower and the materials used on the body and rotors are strong and lightweight made of plastic and carbon fiber.
The quadcopter also had a retractable landing gear. If you want to choose another gimbal, the long legs allow for plenty of space. However, you should watch out for the landing and be easy on them, the legs are pretty fragile.
Many pilots claim that the Walker Scout X4 quadcopter is very durable and the drone stays stable even after losing a prop of a motor. The drone is available in black, white and gray.
Battery
The 5400mAh battery is a powerful one and it will give to the Walkera Scout X4 about 25 minutes of flight time.
However, the flight time will shorten if you add a heavier camera. This is not a specific product problem and it happens to every drone out there. In addition to its built-in components, the Scout X4 can carry 500 grams, which means that you can easily add an average GoPro action camera.
Flight Performance
The Walker Scout X4 quadcopter is a little bit faster than an average drone with a speed of 60 km/h (37 mph). Of course, stronger winds can affect the speed. The Walkera Scout X4 has an operating range of 1,500 meters (4,921 feet) this being further than the average of 1,400 meters (4,593 feet).
The Scout X4 has several flight features like:
- Position Hold: the drone can maintain a fixed hover over the defined GPS coordinates. The flight control system will work to keep the drone as steady as possible.
- Follow Me mode: you can set the Scout X4 to follow you where you go, the drone will capture you automatically on camera. This feature allows the pilots not to lose their drone.
- Bind and Fly: as long as there is a connection set, you can use one transmitter for multiple drones, but you can’t fly multiple drones at once.
- GPS compatible: the Scout X4 is connected to a GPS system, the system will help you know all the time its location, as long as the drone is within the operating range.
- Altitude Hold: if controls are released the quad will remain at the same altitude.
- Flight planning: you can pre-plan your drone’s flight path and it will follow the route you created, once it is in the air.
- Autonomous flight: the flight planning allows you to create a route for the drone. The Autonomous mode will set some waypoints for the drone to land.
- Return to Home: the drone will return to the location where it originally took it off with the press of a button. Even after the radio contact is lost, the drone will automatically attempt to return to the home point.
- Automatic landing: the drone will land by a press of a button.
Flight Controller
The Walkera Scout X4 quadcopter uses the DEVO F12E controller, it is a versatile open-source APM fight controller by ArduPilot. It is an upgrade version of Walkera DEVO 12S RC controller and it has a new design and a 5-inch FPV LCD screen. You can simply connect the flight controller to a computer via a USB cable to configure it and start flying around. The controller has a 3000mAh Li-Po battery.
The DEVO F12E controller has some interesting features like:
- 5-inch FPV monitor
- 12 channels
- Supports 15 models
- Supports multirotor, airplane and helicopter
- 4 stick modes
- Controller range around 1000 meters
- 8G video images receiver ( 32 channels)
- RF adjustable transmitter power
- Auto-ID binding and fixed ID
- The possibility to update the firmware online
- GPS data, distance, altitude, voltage, temperature etc.
You can navigate by using Google Maps, all you have to do is to download a free Mission Planner software. A total of 128 waypoints can be used in a single mission with different parameters, such as altitude.
The high-quality controls of auto-level and auto altitude allow you to fly level and straight. You can also use the “simple flight” mode, which makes the Walkera Scout X4 quadcopter one of the easiest drones to fly.
One great thing about this controller is that no programming is required. You can use an easy desktop utility to load the software with one click. This way you can set up the controller with quick visual displays, a point-click mission planner, and a full ground station. You can also do all the mission planning’s via a wireless connection.
Camera
The Walkera Scout X4 features a Walkera’s G-3D and iLook+ camera and gimbal system. This camera can give some pretty nice videos and photographs out of the box. The drone can be flown in first-person-view (FPV) due to a built-in video transmitter that provides a video feed to the Devo F12E.
The iLook+ is a dedicated video camera. It cannot be used as a standalone action camera like a GoPro Hero. Power is drawn from the battery and the image quality from the iLook+ is not as good. However, it comes pretty close to a GoPro and with the addition of a micro SD card allows the recording of video or photographs.
The Walkera Scout X4 quadcopter is also available in a GoPro kit for pilots that want a better video performance and it comes with a TX5803 5.8 GHz video transmitter. The G-3D gimbal is compatible with a GoPro Hero 3 as well with GoPro Hero 4 because the iLook+ camera was designed to have the same dimensions and buttons as a GoPro. All you need is to attach your GoPro to the G-3D gimbal and attach a video transmitter to it.
The included G-3D gimbal features a pitch control range of -130° to +90° plus a roll range of approx. 45° and the overall controller accuracy is 0.02°. It also supports stick position and rate modes. The camera can be manually moved or it can work autonomously to help keep the camera in the same direction even if wind turbulence causes the drone’s position to fluctuate.
If you want a better and heavier camera the Scout X8 kit can solve the problem. In X8 configuration, the drone is capable of doubling its capacity to about 750 grams and it had a Sony RX100 gimbal with HMI converter. This means you can carry a heavier and better camera and gimbal system as long as it is within the supported capacity.
Walkera Scout X4 quadcopter unique features
The Walkera Scout X4 has a lot of incredible and unique features that make one of the best quadcopters to buy. Some of its features are:
- If you purchase the X8 kit, you can transform the Scout X4 into an octocopter
- It can return to its home location or hold a position
- A 5400mAh Li-Po battery will give 25 minutes of flight time
- The Scout X4 can follow a transmitter or circle around a waypoint
- Available in three colors: black, white, grey
- The drone has a retractable landing gear
- Pilots can plan a number of waypoints so the Scout X4 will follow
- DEVO F12E transmitter has a 5 inch LCD monitor for FPV
Summary
The Walkera Scout X4 quadcopter is a capable drone that can be upgraded from four rotors to eight rotors. No other quadcopter have this unique feature. This makes the Scout X4 a versatile model and a drone for photographers because they can choose a larger and heavier camera. The FPC feature is amazing for those that want photographs and videos. Also, the Walkera X4 has a long battery life, powerful motors and it’s easy to navigate it. The drone is also highly resistant.
