Emax have just announced a new ready to fly FPV racing drone, the Emax Hawk 5. This is set to be one of the hottest releases of 2018, as it really does tick all the boxes when it comes to specification, durability and price. Read on for my Emax Hawk 5 Review/First Look to see why it’s probably the right choice for you. Emax Hawk 5 Review Emax Hawk 5 release date. The Emax Hawk 5 release date is 20th March. Pre-orders will ship first, so make sure you grab one here to avoid a long wait. These are expected to fly off the shelves, so could be out of stock for some time. If they’re sold out, you can pre-order or click the alert on arrival button so that you don’t miss out.

Emax Hawk 5 Features & Specifications

I’ve had a look at the impressive specifications and provided my thoughts below. The features include:

  • Frame: A solid Aerospace grade carbon fiber frame with optimized low drag and exchangeable arms, with reinforced top plate braces. The frame is in the popular “X” shape, which provides predictable flight characteristics in all directions. The arms are slim to cut down on both weight and drag. 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. The ends of the arms have chunky bumpers to protect your motors in a crash.
  • Motors: EMAX LS2206 2300kv – a nice combination of size and weight from Emax themselves. 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. For an out and out racer, you may prefer a larger stator size or higher kv rating, but the 2206 2300kv motors provide a great option which perform well in a wide range of applications.
  • Props: Avan Flow 5×4.3×3 3-blade 5 inch props are used. These provide incredible control and efficiency, with a linear response through the whole throttle range.
  • FC: EMAX Magnum F4 with built in Betaflight OSD, this is stacked with the ESC, VTX and Receiver.
  • ESC: EMAX Bullet 30A 4 in 1 BLHeli_S DSHOT600 – these certainly won’t bottleneck your power.
  • VTX: 48 Channel 5.8ghz 25/200mw switchable power VTX board.
  • Camera: Foxeer Arrow Micro V2 600TVL CCD camera, giving you a clear image with good dynamic range.
  • Receiver: Frsky XM+ 16ch Sbus Micro. One of the most popular receivers right now because of its full range but tiny size.

Emax Hawk 5 Review

Emax Hawk 5 Review – Cons

I have very little to say here, which says a lot about the quality and performance you can expect from the Hawk. My only criticism is that the motors aren’t exactly the most powerful. However, they are light, which keeps the overall build weight down and means you don’t need as much power. It would have been nice to see Emax slap some of the popular red bottoms or the newer RS2306 motors on. These would have made for an absolute beast of a racing drone, but this would also have pushed up the price.

Emax Hawk 5 Review

Emax Hawk 5 Review – Pros

As well as all the benefits mentioned in the features section, the Hawk 5:

  • Includes a spare arm and hardware – this is almost unheard of and means any downtime after a crash is minimised. No more waiting for the post before you can make repairs!
  • Includes dipole whip, RHCP and LHCP Pagoda II antennas. Normally drones come with only the one, so to have all three antenna variations included is a real plus and helps to ensure compatibility with any setup.
  • Is extremely light weight for a RTF quad. At only 270 grams (including props) this will be a very nimble quad and will be ideal for tight courses or freestyle.
  • Allows you to put your battery anywhere. Whether you prefer top, bottom or sideways on top, the Hawk 5 has mounting options for all of these popular battery placements. This provides great flexibility as you can use the bottom mount for racing and the top mount for freestyle.
  • Clean build using the proven Magnum F4 Tower System – FC, ESC, Receiver and VTX all neatly stacked within the main body of the frame. This makes for a clean build but also provides the ESCs protection compared to out on the arms, where they are exposed to damage.

Emax Hawk 5 Review

 

 

Emax Hawk 5 – Verdict

The Hawk 5 is a great ready to fly racing drone. Thanks to its impressive specification, it could 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 Hawk comes without any of the hassle or risk! Pair it with the 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).

Breaking props is 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:

 Emax hawk 5