I just got the new 3D Robotics Solo

The price finally came down enough in order for me to splurge and get the solo drone from 3DR. I ended up getting it on Amazon sold by Ritz Camera. It is this kit: 3DR Solo Drone Quadcopter + 3D Robotics Solo Gimbal + GoPro HERO4 Black Camera + 3DR Solo Propeller Set + Lexar High Performance microSDHC 633x 32GB + Polaroid Camera Cleaning Kit & Accessory Bundle. When I purchased the kit it was $899, it has since then dropped and then risen again. I also purchased the 3DR Backpack for Solo. I was extremely excited to get my solo, only to later be a bit let down.

When I purchased the Solo Amazon stated that it was available but took an additional 5 days to process the order. To my surprise the order shipped the following day except it was shipped via ground service from California. I believe this may have been due to the batteries in the kit. But that was not the part that let me down. When the package finally arrived, I got out the camera and began an unboxing video, I took everything out of the package, installed the gimbal and turned it on. The controller stated that a software update was required but it also stated that the Solo was not found. After messing with it for a while I decided to touch base with 3DR and to my dismay after a bit of trouble shooting it was decided that the unit was DOA (Dead on arrival). They gave me the option to get an advanced replacement but they needed a credit card to do a pre-auth in order to send it. At that time I decided to see what kind of help I could get from Amazon and Ritz Camera to get me a new drone out without having to place a $1000 hold on my card.

I first tried to go through the Amazon website to see if I could get a replacement but it only offered a refund. Since I got promotional financing on the Solo along with several other items I didnt want to refund because I would loose that financing deal. So I called Ritz, and after talking with them for a while they stated that because Amazon shipped the order for them I needed to contact Amazon to resolve the issue. So back to Amazon I went, where they said that because Ritz sold it, even though they shipped it they couldnt do anything and I needed to contact Ritz Camera in order to resolve the issue. This is where I lost my cool and started to get really upset. Longer story short I opted to contact 3DR back since they were the only ones who even remotely tried to help and got them to send out a replacement. A few days later I received my new Solo and began setting it up.

The second Solo connected with the controller just fine. And after doing the software updates on the solo unit and the controller I went ahead and attached the gimbal as well. Then it was time to test the flight. Overall it was really easy to get it up and going. Although a bit boring and not so great music here is the video of the first flight. I was just getting a feel for the Solo in this flight.

Since then I have gotten to fly it numerous times and have been overall impressed with the flight and video that I get off the Solo. I still need to play with some of the different types of video modes like follow me and cable cam etc but overall I like it. We had kind of a rocky start with the Solo but it is still a pretty decent quad so far. Keep watching for more videos of the 3dr drone in flight.

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