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If this will be your first time ordering from Banggood, you should know a few things.

The definition of a toothpick is open for interpretation, it began as a Tiny Whoop style central canopy with x shaped frame and the lightest possible powertrain with 3″ props built for freestyle popularized by Bob Roogi of FPV Cycle. Over the years, “toothpick” has been used to describe pretty much anything for freestyle flying that has a focus on being as lightweight as possible so that’s what we’ll be going with on this website. The main flight characteristic you can expect is a lot of vertical float but not much horizontal throw when off throttle due to the ratio of low weight too large prop area. Durability is usually far better than you’d think mainly because the low weight keeps the amount of energy they carry into crashes to a minimum but if you plan on running bi-blade props, hitting hard objects/surfaces will kill motors.

BIND N FLY / RTF

HAPPYMODEL
CRUX3

The HappyModel Crux 3 is the BnF that’s closest to the original “Toothpick” formula. You’ll get maximum efficiency from the extremely lightweight Tiny Whoop style central canopy design and 3″ biblade props on either 1s or 2s but 2s is definitely recommended. It even comes with a mount to carry an Insta360 Go for that sweet sweet HD footage.

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FLYWOO
2S NANO BABY 20

The Flywoo Baby 20 is the most recent of the Toothpick BnF’s and stands out from the rest with 4 different VTX options (analog, DJI, Walksnail, & HD Zero). Onboard Blackbox is another standout feature and a VERY rare feature for Toothpick AIO’s making tuning and troubleshooting MUCH easier. Out of the box, it’s set up for garden ripping with smaller motors and props but if you outgrow that setup a simple frame/motor/prop swap will give you the best camera and AIO combo with much more power and speed.

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DARWIN
FPV TINY APE 2S 2.5″ ELRS

Deviating from the OG Toothpick form factor to a more traditional “school bus” style frame design, the Tiny Ape pushes the camera forward to get the props/motors out of view for a more cinematic flight experience. This also allows for the battery to be top mounted for a better center of gravity and protection, the 2.5″ props won’t be as efficient or thrusty as 3″ but will give you a better off-throttle throw for a more 5″ Freestyle feel.

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FRAMES

The FPV Cycle TP3 frame is the OG choice that is still as relevant today as it was when it first came out for analog builds.  The removable arms are a godsend and it’s a master class in removing every single millimeter of carbon fiber that isn’t strictly necessary to keep the weight as low as possible.

Chris Rosser’s new AOS T3 frame comes at a time when more and more pilots are building digital Toothpicks for that HD goodness.  It’s stronger and more resistant to vibrations but also a bit heavier so you’ll want to pair it with bigger and/or higher kv motors to handle the extra weight of the digital VTX/camera.

FPV CYCLE TP3

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AOS TP3

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MOTORS

Your motor selection will depend heavily on the final weight of your quad and your choice of battery voltage (1s vs. 2s vs. 3s). The Flywoo 1203’s are the best we’ve found for ultra-light analog 1s builds. For heavier HD builds or if you need more power the RCinPower 1204’s absolutely rip on 2s. The FPV Cycle 13mm motors use a 2mm motor shaft for more strength and bite on the prop. This allows you to skip the prop screws, which lightens up the rotating assembly for better motor response time and PID performance. You can also change props without taking out a screwdriver! However, standard props only have a 1.5mm hole, so in order to use the 2mm FPVCycle motors, you’ll need their drill bit kit to drill out the props.

FLYWOO NIN V2 1203 PRO
11500KV

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RCINPOWER GTS 1204
8000KV

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FPV CYCLE LIGHT 13MM
1S MOTOR

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FPV CYCLE LIGHT 13MM
2S MOTOR

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ALL-IN-ONE FLIGHT CONTROLLER & ESC

The “best” AIO is a bit of a moving target as more features and components are constantly being crammed into these 25×25 PCB’s, but there are a few that stand out. For ultra-lightweight builds, there’s nothing that can touch the HappyModel X12 since it has both an ELRS receiver and 400mW VTX built in. The most reliable option is definitely the FPV Cycle 1s – 2s AIO which will allow the use of any nano VTX and receiver. For the higher power builds the Flywoo Goku GN413S will allow 2s – 4s batteries and it even has blackbox making tuning and troubleshooting MUCH easier.

FLYWOO GOKU GN413S
12A 2-4S AIO

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ANALOG VTX AND CAMERA

In many cases, a toothpick will use a flight controller with a built-in video transmitter to save weight and simplify the build. If the vTX isn’t built into your FC you’ll need to add one. This typically leads to a slightly heavier and more difficult build but if the VTX ever fails you won’t need to replace the entire AIO.

The Ant Lite Nano is generally considered to be the best of the lightweight analog cameras and is available with and without mounting holes depending on what canopy you’re mounting it in.

The TBS Pro32 Nano is the premiere micro-sized vTX available today at only 15x13mm in size and weighing only a single gram. But it outputs up to 500 mW! It’s got all the features that make the TBS Unify line a favorite of FPV pilots who want the best and aren’t afraid to pay a little more for it. You can even change settings by putting a QR code in front of the camera (patent pending)!

It’d be easy to rest on the reputation of the Unify and say it’s hands-down the best. Nobody would argue. Except for Ahren Ciotti, the primary maintainer of this page. He’s had and has seen a bunch of dead Pro32 Nanos and has had better luck with the Eachine Nano, you decide.

DIGITAL VTX AND CAMERA

For digital builds, there’s basically only one viable choice for each of the three different digital video systems. HDZero should choose the Whoop Lite Bundle. DJI should use a Naked Vista with Nebula Pro Nano. Walksnail should use the 1s Avatar Mini vTX.

HDZERO
WHOOP LITE BUNDLE

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NAKED VISTA
W/ NEBULA PRO NANO

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WALKSNAIL AVATAR
MINI VTX KIT

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CANOPY

Choosing the right canopy for your toothpick can be difficult. Most canopies are designed for use with a specific camera and lens size. So keep an eye on the lens opening area to make sure your camera’s lens will fit.

The molded Crux canopy below is the most universal one we’ve found. It will work with most 14mm wide cameras that have side mounting screws. The NewBeeDrone canopy will only work with “board” style cameras (that don’t have a case) such as the FPVCycle Caddx Ant Lite.

If you’re planning to 3D print your own canopy, be aware that flexible TPU canopies offer significantly less camera protection than rigid molded canopies. 3D printed canopies also have the flexibility to add mounts for Insta360 Go or other customization. Lots of people use TPU, but Ciotti thinks you break too many cameras that way.

NEWBEEDRONE BEEBRAIN V2
CAMERA MOUNT WHOOP CANOPY

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HAPPYMODEL
CRUX 3 CANOPY

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ANTENNAS (FOR VIDEO AND CONTROL)

Toothpick antennas need to be much smaller and lighter than what we normally use and luckily there are some great options that don’t have much of a negative impact on performance. True RC’s Singularity video antennas are unmatched in terms of performance and weight, their new Ultra Short will work on most builds keeping weight to an absolute minimum but if you need a bit of extra length they also have a “short” option which is only a half gram heavier. These can also be used with digital VTX’s but just make sure you get the correct polarization (LHCP for DJI and RHCP for HDZero).

For a less expensive antenna option, the Foxeer Micro Lollipop won’t give quite the same performance as TrueRC but it’s hard to argue with it being half the price.

TRUERC SINGULARITY 5.8GHZ
ULTRA-SHORT VTX ANTENNA

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FOXEER MICRO LOLLIPOP
VTX ANTENNA

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TBS CROSSFIRE MINIMORTAL T
RX ANTENNA

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IMMERSIONRC GHOST QT
RX ANTENNA

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HAPPYMODEL ELRS OMNI-DIRECTIONAL
RX ANTENNA

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HAPPYMODEL ELRS EP2
RX ANTENNA

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BATTERIES

For ultralight analog builds 1s is the way; for more power/throw or HD builds you’ll typically want to go to 2s, and then 3s is for big power builds but you’ll begin to run into durability problems from the extra weight and it does become more difficult to tune.  For connectors, XT30 is the best all-around choice but if you’re trying to save every possible gram GnB27 is a great choice and we recommend staying away from PH2.0 due to how much run time and power you will lose.  HV batteries pack more milliamps in for their weight but they have less longevity so be prepared to replace them much sooner as their performance falls off.

GNB 530MAH 90C
1S HV LI-PO

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RDQ 350MAH 50/100C
2S LIHV XT30

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GNB 380MAH
2S 90C XT30

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GNB 450MAH 80C 2S XT 30
RDQ 450MAH 70C 2S XT 30
FOR HD BUILDS

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PROPS

The new Emax Avia is the lightest and most efficient bi-blade giving the best flight performance and run time, but during crashes, bi-blades will rotate out of the way allowing the motor bell to hit the ground/object typically damaging it.  The Gemfan tri’s will be a much better choice if you’re looking to fly hard and crash often but smaller motors like the 1203 above will struggle a bit with their extra weight and drag.

EMAX AVIA TH1609

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GEMFAN HURRICANE 3016
1.5MM / 2MM SHAFT

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