The humble badger is the namesake of Armattan's newest flagship. With a design based off of the Marmotte frame, the Badger updates it with removable arms: carefully designed to ensure a rock-solid construction.
The Cage
This is the newest revision of Armattan's titanium cage; the same as on the Marmotte. And just in case you haven't heard what the perks of this cage are compared to any other, we'll run through them quickly here.
- Independent HD camera tilt means there's no need to deal with foam wedges for the front or back of your recording camera.
- A wide range of FPV cam tilt options. From 10 degrees to way too much.
- 1mm FPV-cam savers: these are designed to bend so your camera won't break. - A minimized weight due to a state of the art, 6-axis milling process.
And the best part? All of these perks come on top of the firm mount and incredible protection that you've come to expect from an Armattan product.
The Arms
Since having removable arms is the major draw for this release, we wanted to specifically mention how they work. The arms mount up with two bolts and two sunk-nuts each. The sunk-nuts go straight into the 4mm baseplate, so there's no need to worry about delamination. When installed, the arms meet in the center of the baseplate, further locking down the construction. We're providing you with a remarkably solid, precise product, and we know that you will have full confidence in this frame.
Other Details
This frame comes with tons of other bells and whistles. As you've come to expect, an extended-aluminum rear provides a protected mount for your VTX antenna no matter whether you use a TBS, SMA, or U.FL style connector. The frame maintains compatibility with 5.5 inch props for those of you who like to ride the line, and the long body means you can more easily fit an HD camera and a bigger lipo, even with high cam tilt. The FC can mount up on either the 30.5mm or 20mm options, and there are even 20mm rear provisions as well for a VTX or any other board.
Add the differences in carbon and the extra hardware, and you're probably expecting this frame to be considerably heavier than the fixed arm version (the Marmotte). Well due to our experience in design and some clever optimization, we've kept the difference down to 15g. You can thank us later.
Carbon Fiber: 1x 2mm Top (LiPo) plate 1x 1.5mm HD Cam plate 1x 4mm Main plate 2x Antenna mount plates (TBS and SMA)
Other: 1x Lipo strap 1x LiPo foam pad 1x HD camera foam pad 4x Dog-bone landing pads 1x Antenna mount 1x SMA grommet 1x Diamond-coated steel file 1x Build instructions
Right away, this is the best 65mm Whoop I know. Not even close.
I ordered two, one is more or less stock, just the PEEK motor screws and V3 cockroach. The second is upgraded to 0702 27000kV but will go back because I like the 25000kV more because of smoother throttle response and perfect betaflight tune.
Now the but:
1. On both quads I had to replace the BeeEye for a spare one because both are out of focus.
2. the yellow props were way too loose and very brittle. I lost two on my maiden. Black, blue and red are very tight (too tight for such a fragile prop) but if you get them on without bending them, they will last.
3. why does the quad not come with the lighter frame right away?
4. PH2.0…. You know the drill.
On that price point, even after the frame and PEEK upgrade I can forgive these quality issues. Especially considering the great tune and quality FC and motors. But be sure to order a replacement cam and props right away.
This was kind of a late night lark. I'd seen this upgrade for the Mk3 for a while and pondered whether it was a gimmick or not, and I'm pleased to say it's a genuinely good upgrade. It has reduced the noise of my Mk3 considerably. I haven't noted any significant increase in print quality, but the old drone of the bed is gone and that's completely worth it.
