Walkera Runner 250 - User Review

First my apologies for taking so long to complete this review. Things sort of got out of hand.

So let's cut to the chase. Would I buy a Runner 250? No.

The 250 is billed as a “out of the box” race class 250 quad, but that is like saying my 4 door slush box sedan is a race car. Plain and simple it is not a racing quad. More to follow on that.

What it is a soldering-free build and fly platform which will get a new pilot in the air with limited issues.

The version I received was the DIY kit which included the quad, motors, ESC, flight controller, receiver and so on.

There are other versions which include a remote plus basic charger and all kits featuring full blown FPV integrated package.

The DIY build was basic enough, but I suggest you use some nice hex tools. Working with the supplied hex keys was a pain and I did strip a few heads.

Instructions were logical and the packaging layout was outstanding. Everything was in little, well-labeled bags.

Really the quad can be put together in very little time. But there are issues.

#1 ribbon cables. On my very first test flight the cable for the flight controller came out. I’ve since taped and zip tied the controller in place.

#2 stock receiver is a Devo. Luckily the frame will accept a normal 6 channel receiver. I’m not sure if it can do CPPM or not.

#3 the worst issue of all for this product: it is built on a massive amount of proprietary parts. If you were ever to crash this quad hard, all you would be left with are the motors.

Everything else from the flight control, main board and speed controllers are all specific to this product. Their connectors and functionality are not easily transferred to another platform. I even ordered some spare props in September and I’ve still to receive them.

After it was built, I took the quad outside and went for a quick flight right away. And you know what? For something with no tuning, it was not half bad. You’d never win a race with it and I would not want to crash this thing, but it works.

I would describe the flying experience as mushy. Compared to the other quads I’ve flown recently, the 250 shutters on hard banking, responds poorly and is just sloppy to move around. This might sound horrible, but let's say it works. Not as a race quad but just a normal one.

What I do like:

#1 The lights. Bright day glow lights. The front white LEDs and rear red LEDs. The rear ones tell you a lot of details such as armed, safe, battery status and so on. Very nice feature but I would suggest adding a buzzer.

#2 Battery warning. This is a must on all multi rotors. When the battery level gets too low the quad will actually prevent you from gaining altitude.

#3 Landing gear. While not super strong they provide a good base but can also get caught up in there.

What I really dislike is the minimum start up speed. If you set your throttle time to low, you run a risk of flipping the quad over on start up. The issue at hand is the ESCs do not all start the motors up at the same time.

To combat this you have to raise your throttle trim level but in doing so when you arm the quad the blades and motors are spinning at a point where the quad is more or less ready to take off.

What this also means is landings can be a little rough, since you more or less have to cut the power to drop the quad. I’ve also had a few moments where I’ve backed off the power and had the quad drop in flight. Something to be aware of.

So there you go. I guess you will have to make your own decision on this quad.

For me, the Walkera Runner 250 is a nice idea but could use a little more refinement.

I know they are releasing version 2.0 but with regard to version 1.

If you are looking for a tough fast racing quad then this one is not for you.

If you are considering this quad as an entry level unit and are not worried about getting parts and pieces in the future, then it might be an ideal starting point. Especially if you can get it on sale and maybe snag up a few key spares.

I’ll keep flying it around and may setup a buddy box on it to see if I can teach my Dad and my Son how to fly multirotors.

It might be pretty decent as an FPV ship, and I will continue to play around with the motor/prop setup to see if I can extract some more flight time out of this quad.

Thank you.

Andre Rousseau - Flite Test Reviews

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