ImmersionRC Vortex 230 Mojo Review/First Look

Immersion RC are well known in the FPV scene and have already released three ARF/RTF (almost ready to fly/ready to fly) drones to date (the Vortex 150, Vortex 250 and Vortex 285), so are experienced in offering what users are looking for. Today we’re taking a first look at the latest offering, in this ImmersionRC Vortex 230 Mojo review. Buying ARF/RTF means you know everything will work well together and can get your hands on a good FPV Racing Drone without soldering. The Mojo has a lot of competition from the likes of the Holybro Kopis and Eachine Wizard 220, so let’s have a look at what it has to offer.

The Vortex 230 Mojo is pitched as a freestyle/race quadcopter, so we can expect this drone to be both fast and agile. All you have to do to get into the air is install a receiver, attach the props and plug in a battery. This is bound to be a very popular quad and is currently available here. Make sure you check it out before they’re all gone. If they’re sold out, you can pre-order or click the alert on arrival button so that you don’t miss out.

ImmersionRC Vortex 230 Mojo – Features, Pros and Cons

Can the Mojo really be both a freestyle and race quad, without compromising? I’ve had a look at the specifications and provided my thoughts below.

Features

• ESC: 4th Gen 32bit 30A EzESCs, With DSHOT support – these certainly won’t bottleneck your power
• Motors: BrotherHobby R3 2206 2300 kV – a nice combination of size and weight from a very reputable manufacturer. Big enough to provide some serious grunt, but not so big that they weigh you down. Twinned with the always popular 2300 kV rating, these motors are fast enough to race, but will allow you enough control for more graceful freestyle.
• Frame: Combination of 4mm (arms) and 2mm (main plate) Carbon Fibre and tough moulded plastic in wide stretched “X” shape, with chamfered edges – nice finishing touches. Most frames are now 4mm all-round to provide the level of toughness required for those hard crashes. The upside is that this is a light drone and will actually suffer less in crashes as a result. On top of this, the weight saving means you can fly faster for longer, as your motors are using less power to simply counteract the weight of the quad.
• Motor-to-motor: 230mm
• Props: 5″ Tri-blade props (5043)
• FC: STM32F303 based (‘F3’) – not the very latest, but then the lates have a number of issues. F3 processors can run all the functionality in Betaflight, so there really is no downside here.
• VTX: ImmersionRC Tramp HV FPV Transmitter with OSD – the go-to race transmitter at the moment, thanks to its ability to be programmed (channel and power output) using a “Race wand”. This means no more fiddling with dip switches, or pressing buttons and being unsure of which channel you are on. Race organisers can be sure which channel everyone is on. On top of this, when you power up, you won’t wipe out your friend’s video signal, as instead the Tramp can be set to power up in pit mode at very low power.
• Camera: FatShark Gen3 600TVL CCD Camera – utilising the industry standard HS1177. This is the go-to camera sensor at the moment (which comes packaged under various brands), giving you a clear image with good dynamic range.
• Moulded TPU camera mount suitable for GoPro Session, Runcam 3, Foxeer Box.

Some footage from the Mojo

Pros

• Titanium hardware – lightweight and strong
• Conformally coated electronics – this is a big one! For anyone who has had their flying cut short due to rain, conformally coating your electronics essentially waterproofs your drone.
• Propellers in-line with the centre of gravity and centralised mass – providing better, more consistent responsiveness from the flight controller.
• Pre-loaded tunes from Chad Nowak/FinalGlideAus and Travis Samson/GAPiT mean that you don’t have to spend ages tuning the Vortex 230 to get it flying well.
• Direct connection to PPM, Spektrum, S-Bus, XBus receivers – making the Mojo compatible with (and easy to connect to) just about any receiver out there.
• Pre-soldered for a clean build
• LEDs at rear for orientation
• Protective side plates
• Comes with spare props
• XT-60 battery connector (vast majority of batteries now use this)
• Durable

Cons

• No spare parts provided (only props) – but this isn’t uncommon with RTF racing drones
• Carbon fibre seems a bit thin, but is complemented by strength from the plastic frame
• Top mounted battery – while this is ok for freestyle, the majority of racers prefer a bottom mounted battery

Breaking props if a fact of life when flying drones, so make sure you pick up some extras. If you haven’t flown before, you will be surprised how many you break. Also not included but definitely required are batteries, so I recommend that you get the below components with your drone:

• Props
• Batteries

ImmersionRC Vortex 230 Mojo – Verdict

With its user-friendly interface, the Mojo is a great beginner racing drone, but thanks to its impressive specification, could also be a competitor on the track. Its compact frame still allows it to spin racing standard 5″ propellers, making it a fast racing drone capable of acrobatic flight. Both beginners and experienced pilots will be entertained and for the price, this is an excellent package.

You could build something similar yourself, but the Vortex 230 comes without any of the hassle or risk! Pair the Mojo with the X4R-SB and FrSky Taranis Q X7 for a great, high-performance package. If you need goggles as well, I recommend the Fatshark HD3, or as a cheaper alternative the Eachine VR D2 from Amazon or Banggood (you can check out my Eachine VR D2, and Fatshark HD3 reviews to learn more).

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment. Thanks for reading.