First Race (not sure how to embed video)

These are my third and fourth builds, following the two freestyle quads I built last year. I don't have a problem, you have a problem. But really, I wanted to set some real goals rather than just flying around in a park now and then, and I think racing is a good way to do that. Plus it'll probably help me meet FPV people near me (and it already has, before I even finished building the first one).

Parts:

• Frame: I decided on the RMRC Screech-R racing frame because I like how it looks, it has inexpensive replacement parts which I know ship reliably from RMRC in Ohio, and while it's not the lightest frame on the market, it's not super heavy either. It was also on sale for Black Friday, so I ended up getting two. It's clearly not super popular, because there are only a few 3D prints available. Luckily I was able to find a turtle fin (designed by Fellstar) that fits nicely and works really well. Thanks to Airmaxx23 for being kind enough to print me some more parts! {87g}
  Update 4/11/19: I'm still happy I chose this frame. I got it cheap and haven't had to buy any replacement parts yet. RMRC did come out with a Version 2 with boomerang arms and 2 standoffs in the back, and some top/bottom plate adjustments, but I don't see the need to update yet. I have noticed that the arms can get pretty wobbly after a day's worth of crashes (or less), but tightening up the arm screws fixes it for a while. I'll probably get some boomerang arms at some point, since they're (nicely) compatible with v1. The arms themselves are sturdy, none have broken yet. I had a friend print me some more fins, and he came up with a sturdier design after I broke two of the spider-y fins in one race day.

• FC & ESC: I decided on the Hobbywing G2 stack for a couple reasons: I have seen a lot of my favorite racing pilots have great success and few troubles with it, it supports 6S so if/when I want to upgrade all I'll have to do is switch motors, and it's pretty simple in terms of wiring and connections. After building two quads with it and a couple flights, I'm very happy with it. {17.5g}
  Update 4/11/19: Still happy with the HWG2 stack. No exploded ESCs so far (on two quads); it's been a nice stack for me. I wired up Crossfire Nanos on both builds with no trouble.

• Motors: I would say the motors were my biggest source of indecision with these builds. I wanted to choose motors that would allow me to race competitively, but (never having raced before) I didn't want to start out on motors that were too overpowered. So I shopped around and watched reviews, and for the first one I decided on the RDQ 2205 2450's. They seemed like an okay option, and I do like that they're only $13.49 a piece. And to me it seems like you can either buy really cheap motors or you can buy really expensive motors. The middle-of-the-road option seems to be a little thin, after quite a bit of looking around. So if anyone can suggest some better mid-range motors for a ~450g AUW, go for it. After I got those, I got some Rotor Riot Blaster 2207 2450s in the December Kwad Box, so I decided to put those on the second build, mostly because I don't have any experience with motors other than the Oomph Velvet 2206 2300's on both of my Chameleons. So I'll try out the RDQ's and the Blasters and see which ones I like, or maybe I'll buy new ones altogether. Who knows. Maybe some Hobbywings to match the FC stack. I guess I want to see how much I'll crash when I'm practicing before I buy expensive motors. RDQ's: {104g}, Blasters: {128g}
  Update 4/11/19: I ended up getting another set of RDQ 2205 2450's to put on the second one; the RR Blasters had a little too much power for me and I didn't feel like I could control it. The RDQ's are holding up pretty nicely, and my only complaint is that they don't have any knurling on top of the motor bell to hold the prop down. It seems like any time I hit anything (gate, ground, etc.) I get one or two loose props on the motors where the nut screws on the same direction as the prop rotation.

• Camera: I got a Foxeer Micro Predator v2 in the August Kwad Box, so I decided to use it after seeing it on Bardwell's camera reviews and not noticing a tremendous difference between it and the other ones. After flying a bit, I have no complaints about it. It's true that it might show a slightly blue-r picture than real color, but it doesn't bother me in the goggles. I got another one for the Kwad Box member discount ($20), which was pretty nice. {5.5g}
  Update 4/11/19: Still a pretty good camera, especially for what I paid for them. I have noticed some damage on both of the lenses, but I will probably just get a couple spare lenses. One of them has gotten pretty out-of-focus around the edges, but it's not terrible when I'm racing. I mostly just notice it in the DVR. Otherwise it's a good CMOS camera (though I can't decide if I like CMOS or CCD better).

• VTx: I got the RMRC Cricket Pro v2, which I used on my first Chameleon, because it has an on-board microphone and smart audio. I haven't had any problems with it, but I might upgrade to a TBS Unify Race MMCX after a while, depending on how much I use the audio. I bought a couple of RDQ VTx mounting plates to use up the space above the stack, and it really helped out with these builds. I recommend them or something similar for anyone with enough standoff height to accommodate. I wouldn't have been able to fit the VTx anywhere else, and the Crossfire Nano straps nicely on the underside. I did need to get some 25mm mounting screws from RDQ because the ones included with the frame were way too short and the ones with the FC/ESC were a little too long. {6g}
  Update 4/11/19: If I were building it again, I would choose a different VTx. I haven't used the audio for racing, since it's pretty loud and wind-noisy. The Cricket is also pretty big, and it just barely fits on the top of my stack under the top plate. It's a good VTx, but since I pretty much only use 25mW anyways a Unify Nano would probably work just as well, plus it would fit better.

• Video Antenna: I got the AXII MMCX because I found one (just one, on all of Thingiverse) single-standoff AXII mount for a SplitShark that works great for the single-rear-standoff Screech-R. I haven't crashed it a ton yet, but the antenna placement seems to be really good so far. {2g}
  Update 4/11/19: I broke one of the SplitShark mounts on my first race day, and I've broken another one since then when the antenna snagged on a tree branch. Other than that it seems to be a pretty good placement, and my video is usually pretty good.

• Receiver: On the first build, I used the R-XSR because it's small and I haven't had any problems with it on my other build. On the second one, I used a Crossfire Nano with an Immortal T antenna because I made the CRSF switch after I finished the first. I'll probably switch the first one over when I decide what I want to do with the motors. R-XSR: {1.5g}, CRSF Nano + Immortal T: {3.9g}
  Update 4/11/19: I ended up putting a Crossfire Nano on both builds, just so they would be the same. I put the Immortal-T beside the stack on top of the arms instead of out on the arm because that's how I've seen NURK do it, and I don't need super long range performance. Crossfire works great, no complaints.

• LEDs: I bought some CLRacing LEDs + 'racewire' for the second build, and I'll add it to the first when I decide on motors. I saw a couple pilots at my local races with LEDs on and it seemed to be a good idea, plus this will make it easy to switch motors around when I decide, and if I want to switch to 6S. I got the ones listed as 'Purple' on RDQ, but they look more blue to me. Oh well. I mounted them top and bottom on the second build, though I'm not a huge fan of the wires running from the top to bottom. We'll see how it holds up to crashes, I guess. They work fine, but I saw in a review that you have to put the capacitor (or whatever the little elements are) on the motor side or else you'll fry something. I had no problems by following that advice. {8.8g for 8 LEDs, top and bottom of each arm}
  Update 4/11/19: I'm still happy I used these. When I switched from the Blasters to the RDQ's, it was a super easy motor swap. I decided not to put LEDs on the bottoms of the arms for the first quad, just because. I lost one LED board on the one I did put them on the bottoms of the arms, but I'm not going to replace it. I'm not sure how bright they are (because goggles, lol) but they work just fine. I think it works best to zip tie the actual board to the arm instead of the wires, because that seems to hold it down the best.

• Battery Pad: I used some leftover Ummagrip from my freestyle builds, and it's still as sticky as ever. I don't anticipate ejecting many batteries while using the sticky pad and a rubberized strap.
  Update 4/11/19: Still in love with my Ummagrip. I can't recommend this enough. I tend to wipe it off with some spit before every pack, and it stays super sticky all day long.

• With only a basic postal scale to measure, the weight is around 284g without battery, and 448g with a Tattu R-Line 1300 95C.