For those who’re searching for the most effective 5-inch freestyle frames designed particularly for the DJI O4 Air Unit Professional, the GEPRC Vapor ought to undoubtedly be in your radar. I not too long ago reviewed the GEPRC Vapor D5 BNF drone and was impressed by the considerate body design, sturdy construct high quality, and ease of use. That led me to purchase one other Vapor X5 body equipment to check out—and on this evaluation, I’ll stroll you thru my ideas on each variations.
New to FPV? Take a look at my FPV drone body purchaser’s information for the fundamentals: https://oscarliang.com/fpv-drone-frames/
The place to Purchase
You’ll be able to choose up the GEPRC Vapor body kits right here:
What’s within the Field?
The packaging is excellent. GEPRC features a beneficiant set of equipment—probably probably the most full equipment I’ve seen. There are loads of individually labeled luggage of screws and {hardware}, which could appear scary at first, however you don’t want to make use of all of them, and they’re going to come in useful whenever you want them based mostly in your particular construct.
The included handbook has footage and really straightforward to comply with, even for novices. Directions clearly point out which screws go the place—no guesswork concerned.
X5 vs D5 – Which One Ought to You Get?
The Vapor body is available in two variants:
- D5: Deadcat format
- X5: True-X format
You’ll be able to be taught extra about body configurations right here: https://oscarliang.com/fpv-drone-frames/#Configuration.
Right here’s the D5:
Right here is the X5:
Which one you select actually will depend on your flying fashion:
- For freestyle flying, the X5’s True-X format is the higher selection. It affords extra balanced flight efficiency and snappier dealing with. One other benefit is that every one 4 arms are equivalent and interchangeable, making it simpler to handle spare arms and repairs.
- For cinematic flying, the D5’s deadcat format is right. The entrance arms are longer than the rear arms, conserving the propellers out of the digital camera’s view fully. Whereas the X5 could present a little bit of prop on the perimeters, it’s usually minimal and is perhaps cropped out when making use of video stabilization (will depend on the quantity of stabilization).
Having constructed and flown each variations, I personally favor the X5 for its flight traits and ease. But when conserving the props out of your footage is a high precedence, the D5 is the best way to go.
Specs
- Wheelbase: 230mm
- Prime Plate: 2.0mm
- Center Plate: 2.0mm
- Backside Plate: 2.5mm
- Arms: 5.0mm
- FC Mounting: 20×20mm / 30.5×30.5mm
- VTX Mounting: 20×20mm / 25×25mm / 30.5×30.5mm
- Motor Mounting: 16×16mm
- Digital camera Mounting Width: 19mm / 20mm
- Really useful Prop Measurement: 5-inch
- Weight (claimed): 206g
- Weight (measured): 221.6g (with all panels and TPU components)
Designs and Options
The GEPRC Vapor X5 is clearly purpose-built for DJI O4 Professional Air Unit however stays versatile sufficient to help analog, Walksnail, or HDZero setups because of the included mounting choices.
Highlights embrace:
- CNC aluminium digital camera cage with vibration-isolating silicone dampers for secure footage and crash safety
- Thick carbon fiber facet bumpers as an alternative of low-cost TPU, for superior proection and sturdiness
- Injection moulded plastic facet panels (pink & black included), that are each trendy and detachable for upkeep or weight financial savings
- Nicely-finished carbon fibre components with chamfered edges—no sharp cuts, no sanding required
- 3D-printed TPU equipment for antenna mounts, arm guards, GPS, VTX, receiver, and extra
The best way to Assemble
The construct course of is easy and beginner-friendly. With labeled {hardware} luggage and a visible information, every little thing falls into place effortlessly. Truthfully, one of the crucial painless body builds I’ve finished shortly.
Backside plate meeting:
Arms meeting:
Standoffs set up:
Capacitor holder set up:
CNC aluminium digital camera cage set up:
Antenna holder meeting:
For authentic DJI O4 Professional antennas:
For SMA/RP-SMA extension cables:
GPS holder set up:
Receiver holder / VTX stacking plates installations:
Facet panels meeting:
Prime plate and GoPro mount set up:
Slide the battery straps by way of the gaps underneath the highest plate:
Set up the 2 silicone adapters within the digital camera cage:
Set up the 3D printed arm guards:
Listed here are a number of photographs after the body has been assembled:
Downsides
The GEPRC Vapor body is genuinely spectacular, and I actually prefer it. However as with all product, it’s not good—and it’s solely truthful to level out a number of areas the place it may very well be improved.
First, this isn’t a light-weight body. Using facet panels and 3D printed components provides each performance and safety, but it surely additionally contributes to a heavier construct. The roomy, sturdy body design naturally makes use of extra carbon fiber materials, which provides to the burden as nicely.
GEPRC lists the body weight at 206g, however that determine appears a bit optimistic. On my scale, with all facet panels, 3D printed components, and two battery straps put in, the entire got here to 221g.
That stated, it’s not a dealbreaker—particularly for freestyle pilots or novices. A 5-inch FPV drone has greater than sufficient energy to deal with the additional weight, and newcomers received’t discover a major impression on efficiency. Nonetheless, should you’re centered on racing or long-range effectivity, weight financial savings change into extra necessary, and this won’t be one of the best body for you.
The excellent news is, the facet panels and many of the 3D printed equipment are detachable. By stripping these off, you possibly can scale back the entire body weight by 50g, bringing it all the way down to a way more aggressive 171g.
Being an X body, you may see a little bit of the propellers within the video. Nonetheless, because of the lengthy physique design, it’s minimal—and making use of stabilization will crop out most of it. Nonetheless, if that’s one thing you’re involved about, the D5 model could be the higher selection.
Lastly, whereas the included 3D printed components are practical and thoughtfully designed, the print high quality may very well be higher. I seen fairly a little bit of stringing on the TPU components. It’s purely aesthetic—they work simply high quality—but it surely does barely detract from the in any other case premium appear and feel of the body.
Full Construct Log
I’m placing collectively a full construct log displaying the right way to construct the Vapor X5 with DJI O4 Air Unit Professional from begin to end—keep tuned for that.
Conclusion – Ought to You Purchase the GEPRC Vapor X5?
Completely. For those who’re searching for a premium 5″ freestyle body that performs properly with the DJI O4 Air Unit Professional—and helps different FPV methods too—the GEPRC Vapor X5 is among the greatest choices available on the market proper now.
At round $60, it’s not the most cost effective body, however the consideration to element, materials high quality, and ease of meeting greater than justify the worth tag for my part. And no—this isn’t a sponsored evaluation. I purchased the body with my very own cash.
It’s a body designed by individuals who clearly fly and construct usually. It’s sturdy, thoughtfully engineered, and extremely straightforward to work on. Whereas it’s not the lightest possibility on the market, the trade-off in construct high quality, ease of meeting, and compatibility makes it nicely definitely worth the funding.
You should buy the GEPRC Vapor body kits right here:
Whether or not you’re a newbie constructing your first DJI O4 quad or an skilled pilot searching for a reliable freestyle body—this one delivers.
