Happymodel Mobula7 Review - Acro FPV in the Palm of your Hand

By Whiffles on Nov 16, 2018

17  6,156  0

Update! Happymodel has released a new V2 Frame which uses a more durable plastic.

The Happymodel Mobula7 is one of those rare treats to hit the micro scene. Countless models hit the market every month, but this one just happens to check all the boxes. It's a 2S brushless micro with a 75mm motor stance. It's slightly larger than the more traditional 65mm brushed micros, but it's still quite small. It's ducted, so it's safe to fly most anywhere and it's got the power and control of some much larger quads.

What makes it unique is it'll fly on 1S or 2S plus it offers an adjustable camera angle. Traditionally these whoop-style quads either do one or the other and most have fixed camera angles. What this means is you can fly it on 1S with a low camera angle for a more controlled indoor flight, or you can fly 2S outdoors with a higher camera angle. The way it accomplishes this is through two battery connectors. You can stack two 1S batteries for 2S flight or you can use a single battery and jump the other connector with something like this.

Features

  • Betaflight OSD
  • Smartaudio
  • Flip over on crash
  • Beeper
  • Adjustable camera
  • Current sensor and voltage meter

Specs

  • 25mw VTX
  • CMOS camera
  • Crazybee F3 Pro Flight Controller
  • 5A Blheli_S 4-in-1 ESC with Dshot600
  • Happymodel 0802 16000kv brushless motors
  • 25.9g (without battery)
  • 40mm 4-blade Props

In the Box

  • 4 250mah 1S batteries
  • Charger (varies by package)
  • Screwdriver
  • Spare props
  • Prop remover tool

Alt Tag

Durability

Unfortunately the frame is fragile. I suggest buying a few spare frames and some adhesive. The adhesive works well, but it's nice to have a few spare frames on hand. I managed to break mine flying full speed into a tree trunk, but the adhesive fixed it up. I later crashed into a wall and the camera became very dim, so I had to replace it. While I was at it I replaced the frame, and the whole process took about 45 minutes. It's not too difficult, but be prepared to deal with lots of tiny screws. I suggest flying a little slower with a lower camera angle to avoid constant repairs.

Who is this for?

I hesitate to call this a beginner quad. It's got a lot of power and you're going to break it no matter what your skill level is. It uses Betaflight and the default settings aren't ideal. I made a number of changes in the configurator including PID tweaks. It didn't even have airmode or the dynamic filter enabled. It's featured packed, so that's great if you know what you're doing. But configuring it can be a little overwhelming for a beginner. It flies fine out of the box though, so don't feel like you absolutely need to make adjustments.

This is the perfect quad for a small to medium-sized outdoor space like a back yard, garden or park. It's very fast and can cover a lot of ground quickly. I'd reserve the kind of environment for more intermediate pilots though, especially on 2S. If you want to fly indoors just use a single 1S battery and maybe enable angle mode. My house is small and I managed to navigate it just as well as I could on a 65mm brushed micro. It doesn't feel overpowered at all.

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Opinions & Concerns

The camera is on par with a lot of brushed micros. It's nothing spectacular. The colors can be a bit muddy, but the dynamic range is acceptable. The flight range is also on par with a lot of micros. You probably don't want to fly more than 200m. The 25mw VTX isn't going to get you very far either, so this is best kept in close proximity.

The battery life is pretty good. Most of the comparable micros are upwards of 20g heavier, so that opens up a lot of possibilities. You can run a larger 1S battery to increase your flight time or you can even get away with a slightly heavier 2S pack at the cost of performance. Generally you should be able to get 3 - 3 1/2 minutes of aggressive flight or as many as 4 minutes at cruising speed. What's great too is if you decide to fly 1S instead of 2S you'll have twice as many flights!

There have been complaints about the ph2.0 battery connector. Apparently it adds resistance. You can swap out the connector for a JST, but I don't feel it's necessary.

Final Thoughts

This quad is a blast! It flies like a mini quad, but it's quiet and innocent like a micro. It's very responsive and handles acro really well. You can do powerloops, flips, rolls, dives, inverted yaws, etc. I've never flown anything so small and so capable. You can practice your big boy tricks without breaking the bank, but you will break some frames.. If you don't mind putting in the time to replace them then the cost is pretty insignificant. This is great for practicing tricks or even a warm up session before pulling out your larger quads.

Happymodel did just about everything right here. You've got Smartaudio for changing video channels, OSD for PID tuning, voltage and current sensing, and a buzzer. The camera angle is adjustable and you can choose between 1S or 2S using very common and easy to find batteries. If only the frame were a bit more durable it would be perfect.

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