by John Salt December 2024
For those that follow my YouTube channel, you know I'm huge fan of OMPHobby RC Helicopters; first being introduced to the original OMP M2 back in 2019. I was so impressed as is evident in this video review.
The direct drive motor technology was so quiet and efficient, the quality, assembly & setup were suburb out of the box, the design was fantastic, it was easy to see and of course it flew so bloody well for a 200 size machine; with a fluidity and predictability I had never experienced in any RC helicopter this small.
Since then, OMP Hobby has grown such an exciting lineup of high quality, collective pitch RC helicopters ranging in size from the tiny 100 size M1, up to the amazing 700 size M7. Every helicopter in OMP's lineup is available in an assortment of bright and contrasting color options to improve the visual footprint in the air. The older I get, the more I appreciate this!
Whether you're a seasoned pro or just getting started with collective pitch, OMPHobby offers the perfect machine to hone your skills and dominate the skies.
I'm honored to have teamed up with Buddy RC to offer these amazing birds to my visitors. Let's explore all of OMP's helicopters and find the perfect heli for you, your flying style & your flying environment.
The OMP M1 and M1 EVO are the smallest helicopters in OMP's fleet with rotor diameters of 290mm tipping the scales at close to 120g.
Like all of OMP's smaller helicopters, the M1's offer low maintenance, efficient and powerful direct drive main and tail rotors with rock solid tail hold and predictable yaw performance.
2S power gives the M1's amazing 3D performance or long gentle scale flying flight times - your choice.
The OMP M1's come in two receiver options with either a built in OMP prototocol receiver or a Futaba S-FHSS protocol receiver. They also have S-BUS and Spektrum DSM RX ports allowing you to plug in a micro receiver of your choice. Lots of radio options in other words!
I love my M1's for conveniently flying and practicing at home in the yard. As I said in the review below "they cure the simulator blues!"
Full disclosure, I have a subjective soft spot for the M2's. They are such a great flying heli, behaving more like a 400 size bird yet can be a great large yard or small park flyer. They also offer the best heli value in OMP's lineup, in my opinion.
The M2's make great trainers right up to 3D smackers depending on your setup and skill level of course. That's no different from any good collective pitch heli, but the M2's just seem to be in that sweet spot of size, power, visibility and accessibility.
3S powered direct drive main and tail rotor like on the M1's offer quiet power, efficiency, reliability and robustness.
With a rotor diameters ranging from 400mm on the M2 V2/EXP and slightly larger on the M2 EVO & M2 EVO MK-2 at 434mm (all weighing in around 340g), the M2's are not intimidating, but still large enough to see well when doing some big sky flying, especially if you pick one of the bright contrasting color schemes offered.
S-BUS & DSM (plus ELRS on the MK-2) receiver ports along with the built in OMP receiver once again give you many radio options.
The 6S powered M4 is OMP Hobby's first kit heli that you have to assemble yourself, like any high quality heli of this size.
With a rotor diameter approaching a meter at 875mm (spinning 400mm rotors), the M4 is a true 400 size machine. The more powerful M4 Max is slightly larger spinning 420mm rotors for less disc loading and a floatier feel compared to the base M4. The tail boom is slightly longer on the Max version with an overall body length (nose to tail) of 830mm compared to 785mm of the M4.
The M4's are also OMP's first helis to use a belt driven variable pitch tail rotor over the fixed pitch direct drive tail on the M1 & M2. This of course is required for the inevitable problems (blow-outs, poor hold, poor yaw precision) of fixed pitch tail rotors on any RC helicopter approaching 300 size and up.
However, the M4's are still using a large diameter direct drive main motor and as you can see, it's a thing of beauty!
These large diameter, low kv motors having close to 40 poles are approaching the physical size limit of where direct drive can go in our hobby to create enough torque and low enough speed to spin a rotor of this size directly without gear or belt reduction.
This brushless motor is almost the same diameter as the main drive gear in a conventional 400 size helicopter! It really is amazing what OMP's and Sunnysky's engineers have come up here.
The M4 and M4 Max are available in basic kit and combo kit formats. The basic kit format comes with the helicopter, blades, and motor.
The combo kits come with all that, plus the ESC, 3 cyclic servos and 1 tail servo.
You have to get your own 6S 2000mah LiPo/s, Receiver and FBL system with either version.
Meet the 700 size flagship in OMP's fleet - the M7!
I personally love the specifications on this bird, and it's on my radar as the one large heli kit purchase I make this year.
The M7 is OMPHobby's largest helicopter to date. With the ability to run up to 715mm main & 116mm tail rotor blades with a flying weight of around 5300g (given standard electronics). Whether your goal is competition level hard 3D flying or stress free low head RPM smooth F3C or scale flying, the M7 can do it all!
This is also OMPHobby's first RC helicopter to move away from the direct drive main rotor concept, using a conventional helical main gear and pinion drive train along with a unique easy tension adjusting belt tail drive.
The M7 oozes quality and design precision like no other large heli I've seen at this price point with features such as molded carbon frames, main blade bearing grease fittings, one piece tail block and even well thought out wire pathing eliminating much of the wire management head scratching that so often occurs during a build.
The OMPHobby M7 comes in two kit formats:
Like any high-end RC helicopter of this size, OMPHobby leaves motor, ESC, servo & FBL system option pairings up to you!
LiPo pairing is typical of a 700 size machine, with 12S (or two 6S in series) 5000 mAh being the sweet spot. At least that's my plan using my goto 6S 5100 Gens Ace 80C packs, but options are of course up to you :)
OMPHobby doesn't just provide awesome helicopters; they provide an experience.
With exceptional quality, innovative technology, great parts support and a full range of heli models to suit every budget and skill level, OMPHobby's birds empower you to reach new heights in the world of RC flight.
Ready to join the OMPHobby Heli family? Browse Buddy RC's selection today and find the perfect helicopter to launch your RC adventure!
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