Editorial Review

While the quadcopter has proven by far the go-to configuration in the world of UAVs, a few bold manufacturers have decided to up the stakes by providing alternatives. The Walkera Scout X4 offers the standard four rotors, but allows for the installation of 4 additional rotors directly beneath the existing ones. As one would expect, the additional rotors up the lift – and, by extension, the payload – considerably. The Walkera QR X900 has a spare, modular design, which allows for the addition or removal of 2 rotor arms. And the Walkera Tali H500 is a sleek multirotor that makes no apologies to quads for its additional appendages.

MJX apparently saw the 6-rotor appeal so dominated by Walkera and came up with their Hexacopter line to get a little of their own spin in the game. And to make 6-armed monster Walkera squirm, MJX has made the X600 very affordable. The largest of 3 hexacopters made by MJX, the X600 boasts greater stability and ease of operation than its smaller kin. The 6-axis gyro flight control system combined with 6 rotors allows for excellent velocity owing to its high yaw rates. Better thrust distribution and make the X600 a strong contender in windy conditions.

The standard model X600 can spin its 6 blades for about 9 minutes before refueling, in part because it doesn’t have the extra weight of a camera package. But if you have a hankering for low cost 6-blade photography, don’t despair – the X600 FPV comes with a C4006 camera and FPV bracket module. As with the majority of consumer UAVs, FPV real-time flight can be accomplished through iOS or Android devices. The dilemma of 6 rotors is figuring out which way is forward or contending with yaw. The X600 comes with Headless mode which keeps the airbot always navigable from the controller position and one-key return to bring it home.