There is something satisfying about a 5-inch freestyle quad that flies on lithium-ion packs instead of the usual lipos, and this one does exactly that. Built for light freestyle, it was taken outside for a flight test, and the maker reports that it rips.
The pack work is what stands out to me. Rather than relying on a spot welder, the maker joins cells with tinned copper braid that is soldered in place, using 5mm wide braid on 18650s and 10mm on 21700 packs, with the braid roughly 1mm thick. The packs are DIY, in 6s1p and 6s2p layouts with Reliance RS50 cells, and Ampace JP30 cells are also in use across these builds.
The current figures make a strong case on their own. The RS50 cells can pump out 180 amps in a burst, while the JP30 cells are rated at 34 amps continuous and can deliver a 140 amp burst for up to 5 seconds. For a 5-inch freestyle rig those numbers look generous on paper, and soldered braid seems like a clever way to build packs without extra gear.
The open question is runtime. The maker thinks a 18650 pack rated for 3,000mah that gives 10 minutes of freestyle would be a win, and that target has not been demonstrated yet. There is also a figure worth keeping in mind: a 7-inch setup with an action cam lands near 1.7kg, which gives a sense of where the weight sits with this chemistry. Whether the 10 minute goal holds up in practice is the part I would be watching with interest.