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Xtreme Micro Copter
(& Picoo Z)

The Xtreme Micro Copter is one of several palm-sized, near identical rc helicopters that took indoor flying to a new level in the Christmas period of 2006.

The Extreme Micro Copter

The original of them was the Silverlit Picoo Z, and this one holds an official Guinness World Record for being the world's smallest rc helicopter.
Whichever name they go by, these micro helicopters certainly made history in more ways than one, and turned out to be the hottest 'radio control' item of the season.

The Xtreme Micro Copter and Picoo Z aren't actually radio controlled in the true sense of the term - instead they respond to the transmitter stick movements by infra-red signal and not radio signal.
But this is a minor detail - the end result is exactly the same in that the helicopter responds proportionately to the stick movements in exactly the same way as a true rc micro helicopter does.

The Xtreme Micro Copter sits comfortably in the palm of your hand, and an average size room provides more than enough airspace.
The infra-red 2-channel transmitter gives you control over steering and altitude, the latter being controlled by motor power and the associated speed of the fixed pitch main rotor blades.
A miniscule tail motor and rotor control the yaw of the Xtreme Micro Copter to give the directional control.

The fuselage is expanded foam and this, coupled with the 10 gram weight of the helicopter, make the model very robust - it can quite safely bounce off walls and furniture without suffering much damage!

As with the Silverlit Picoo Z, the Xtreme Micro Copter comes in 3 different frequency bands to let 3 helicopters fly together, free of interference.
Flight times of 10 minutes or so can be enjoyed thanks to the tiny 3.7V Li-Po battery pack, and the pack conveniently recharges directly from the transmitter.


Why these micro helicopters made history

The size and technology behind the Xtreme Micro Copter and Picoo Z is amazing enough, but what really made these helicopters become so popular was the way they were marketed in the Christmas run-up.

The manufacturers put very little effort and money into marketing them, and this was made possible because of video web sites such as YouTube and Google.
Once a few micro copters had been bought, it didn't take long for this novelty product to get the attention of video site users worldwide.

Launch in external player

Above, how these helicopters were 'marketed' by the public. This video appears here courtesy of www.ele-copter.co.uk


The videos of a very affordable 'rc' helicopter being safely flown around the living room spread through the online video community like wildfire, and the phenomenon of 'viral marketing' took over.
As a result, the websites selling the micro copters couldn't keep up with demand, and the world opened its eyes to a very powerful and virtually cost-free way of getting products out into the hungry market!


The Xtreme Micro Copter is available from Red Rocket Hobby Shop.


A comprehensive User Review of the Picoo Z, along with hints & tips for it, can be read at www.ele-copter.co.uk.

 

Related pages

Infrared micro helicopters - the big hit of 2006.

Havoc Heli Laser Battle Set - the big hit of 2007?

 

What's in a name?

The Silverlit Picoo Z was the original of these tiny toy helicopters, but the product was seen to be so 'hot' in the run-up to Christmas that a multitude of Chinese toy manufacturers started making identical products, and many were sold with a play on the name - Picco Z and Pico Z being the 2 most obvious.

Silverlit has since been issuing law suits against various manufacturers and distributors for selling the known knock-offs, but the scale of the piracy has made things difficult for them.
Some imitation Picoo Zs have even been labeled as dangerous, with catching fire being a particularly worrying hazard.

The Xtreme Micro Copter is clearly identical to the Picoo Z but has its own range of pending trademarks and patents. Silverlit are not pursuing the manufacturers of this particular helicopter.


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