These are my fifth and sixth builds, two Floss 3.0 6S racers. I think this setup will be a lot sturdier than the 4S quads I built earlier this year, which were plagued with loose arms and broken middle plates. The Synergy FC also made these super easy to build, and the whole thing went together pretty easily. Still trying to find places to shave some weight, but I'm happy with how they fly at the moment.

Parts:

• Frame: I chose the Hyperlite Floss 3.0 for a couple reasons. It's a very popular frame right now, and there are a lot of parts available as well as a variety of 3D-printed designs for canopies/fins, camera mounts, antenna mounts, etc. I also liked the concept of the aluminum middle plate with arm channels, and I have to admit that once it's built the arms feel very rigid. There's very little play in the arms, and even less with a brace. I only used a brace on the front just to keep it strong in forward-moving crashes; I don't think I'll need one as badly in the rear. I bought one of the Phoenix3D canopies with the removable fin just to try it out, and for the second one I designed my own version of the loop fin Pyro sells for the Floss top plate. In the end, I decided on using the top plate and loop fin instead of the canopy after I hit a football goal post and bent the two rear standoffs on the quad with the canopy. I think the top plate is more rigid and a little bit lighter, and I've had good success turtling with the loop fin so far.

• FC & ESC: I stuck with the Hobbywing 45A ESC because I've used it before and the Whitenoise Synergy came with a preconfigured wire harness for it, but I'll have to find something else now that they're out of stock (I don't want to shell out for the 60A). Some people have asked me how many I've blown up, but I haven't had any problems with the Hobbywings yet. I saw the Synergy on a fellow racer's Floss 3.0 build, and it really struck me how nice it would be to not have a third plate in my stack for a VTx and Rx. So I got a couple and used the Crossfire Nano and Unify Nano, and I'll be honest it'll be hard for me to use anything else now. It's just so nice to build, it seems pretty foolproof, and it's super sturdy. I'm concerned about my u.fl connectors disconnecting while I'm flying, but with some hot glue and kapton tape I haven't had any issues.

• Motors: I chose the Hyperlite 2205.5 1722 because they were similar in size and KV to the RDQ 2205's I have on my 4S builds. A little more expensive, but they feel nicer and sound nicer. I might work my way up to a 2206.5 at some point, just to see if I feel the differenct. But so far they've been working well, and they pair really well with the Floss 3.0.

• Camera: I started out using the Runcam Racer 2 since it had the analog camera control that works with UART6 on the Synergy, but after a couple crashes I started having connection problems where the camera plug would be connected but the wires weren't actually making a connection, so the video would go black randomly in the middle of flying. So I bought the $16 Caddx EOS2, printed up a mount to keep it behind the front standoffs, and haven't looked back. I can't really tell the difference in the picture while I'm racing, and while I can't change the settings, I can't say that I really used that feature on the Racer 2 anyways. Oh well. I'd rather crash a $16 camera than a $35 camera.

• VTx: TBS Unify Nano, soldered to the adapter that comes with the Synergy. Works like a champ. I'm not really missing the higher output power, 25mW or 50mW seems to be enough. If I were going to do something where I thought I would need a higher power, I would probably just get another Synergy and put a Unify Pro on it. But for $20, the Nano is just fine.

• Video Antenna: I got some AXII stubby's in the GetFPV 545 sale, so I've just been using those with a u.fl - SMA pigtail. It weighs more than a straight u.fl antenna, but I'm fine with that. If I ever need to go LHCP, it's easy for that too.

• Receiver: TBS Crossfire Nano, works perfectly with the Synergy. I got some XF Race antennas instead of using the Immortal T, and with the right TPU mount it's out of the props and works great. I haven't had any problems with them, and I got a couple spares in case one breaks.

• LEDs: I stuck with the CLRacing LED 'racewire' just because it works. I think one of them had only 3/6 LEDs working, but the motor runs so I'm not worried about it. I debated not using these and just running long motor wires, but I figure it's about the same either way.

• Battery Pad: I used regular Ummagrip on one, and I got the new Ummagrip Lite for the second one. I will say that they both feel the same amount of sticky, but the original version definitely provides more cushion between the battery and the bottom plate. The countersunk frame screws are fine, but I have noticed that my batteries have developed a kind of indentation from the rear curve in the bottom plate on the quad with the Lite pad. I think I'll switch it out for the thicker version since I've reached a reasonable weight for both.

• With Phoenix3D canopy, the weight is around 307g, and with the top plate and the TPU fin the weight is 298g. (Will update with new camera/fin weight)