HobbyMate Comet 5 inch Quad Review Part 1: Build walkthrough

I'll cover this quad over 3 blogs. This first part will cover the build walkthrough, the second the software (betaflight/blheli32) setup here and the last part the flight review. 

The $180 Hobbymate Comet kit is full of premium and dependable 6s components

The Hobbymate Comet Kit is a premium 5" quadcopter that is currently available as a kit for $180 but will soon be available as a bind and fly version. Update: it is now available as a pre-build pnp or bnf with xm+ or r-xsr receivers. In the days since the Holybro Kopis 1 was released there have been some excellent ready to fly models (along with some not-so-great models) available including the Emax Hawk 5 (review here) and the HGLRC Batman (build here) which have been standouts because they have been well balanced, well built and good value for money overall. Since this is a kit, this particular blog is to walk you through the build and then software setup including a betaflight 3.5.1 cli diff.

The Hobbymate Comet from HobbyCool.com (or Amazon) is a kit the consists of higher quality parts than even the HGLRC Batman at only a fraction of the cost. Infact when bought on their own the parts come to $257 which is clearly much more than the $180 the kit costs (or even the $200 PNP kit). The Electronics are rated 6s from the factory (unlike the Hawk 5) and come with motors suited for either 4s/5s operation (2500kV) or 6s operation (1800kV). I'm especially excited that this include a genuine airbot ESC and flight controller. More details on the parts below:

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ESC is a genuine Airbot Typhoon V2 35a 4in1 BLHeli_32 3-6s capable and it is a BEAST. This is rebadged as a Holybro Tekko32 and is one of the very best ESCs currently available. It has FULL telemetry including current protection. Click here for more specs

FC is a genuine Airbot Omnibus f4 v6. Don't be fooled by the cheap clones, this is the genuine item featuring 5 full UARTs, expandable gyro and super clean 5v and 8v BECs for an ultra-clean power signal. Click here for more specs

These are the newest Hobbymate branded 2305 motors and are made by RCinpower. RCinpower aren't widely know outside of China but these motors are well made with 8mm bearings, tight airgaps and hollow Titanium shaft. I opted for 1800kV for 6s but 2500kV is also available. ​Click here for more specs

This vtx is new to me but looks well featured and according to the manual is i-flight branded. Has tramp control, 0-600mW, mic and the skinny design makes it easy to wire up and maintain. ​Click here for more specs

The Foxeer Arrow micro pro is my favourite CCD camera and a solid choice here. The micro eagle is the only camera I like more but this still gives a great image and helps manage cost. ​Click here for more specs

The foxeer lollipop 2 is a new vtx antenna following their v1 which looks like it takes inspiration from the AXII externally. I've used these on other quads and signal quality is excellent. ​Click here for more specs

Frame is well constructed with some practical design features but nothing that really stands out. Kind of a get the job done kindof a frame. Click here for more specs

Extra parts and recommended for the build
Firstly you will need extra parts for this build. I've used the following with links to Hobbycool as they tend to have the sharpest price:

• Frsky XM+ receiver
• m3 nylon nut assortment
• m3 Nylon spacers
• Heatshrink pack
• cable ties

And tools/sundry items:

• Soldering iron
• Hex driver set
• Loctite or similar threadlock
• Wiring loom tape
• Side cutters​

On with the build
Captioned images below should walk you through the build process and I've noted anything tricky as I've gone through. Click on images to zoom.

1. This image shows how the arms sit on the bottom of the sandwich plates

2. Here the bolts pass through the bottom sandwich plate, arm, tom sandwhich plate then captive bolt or standoff. Note location of counter-sunk vs. button screws

3. Same as pervious image but from the top down with standoffs removed to make stack install easier. Note the captive bolts with burr side down and the long countersunk screws that the 30.5mm stack is mounted to.

4. Good time to mount the motors using the screws included with the motors. Only 3 are required for each motor on this frame. Loctite is not a bad idea here.

5. After several tries I settled on using 2 x 2mm high m3 nylon spacers to mount the ESC on. This keeps the ESC low to make more room in the stack

6. ESC is mounted with battery pads towards the rear of the quad. This will allow for shortest wires and cleanest build. I use fabric tape to clean fix motor wires to arms

7. Here is the FC alignment I opted for. ESC - FC cable is at the front as are the pads for cam and VTX which make most sense to me

8. This is how I like to route the motor wires for tidyness. Note the battery lead on an angle so I can use a cable tie to tie off against the dedicate hole in the frame. Note also I used the included trimmed washers on top of the ESC to clear the fets and then the included nylon nut spacers to hold it down.

9. FC back on with the XM+ receiver wired in. Wires kept short here as the receiver will stay sandiwched between the FC and VTX. The receiver has been heatskrinked to insulate electrically

10. Similar to picture 9 but with the motor wires connected and ESC - FC harness tucked between ESC and FC.

11. Here you can see the camera harness wire in. Note: I've used the 8v BEC on the FC because this has a clean signal that is used only for cam and vtx whereas the 5v also powers FC and receiver.

12. Harness for the VTX is wired in here too. Note: The same wide 8v pad is used to power the vtx too. The wide ground pad is also shared between cam and vtx to eliminate ground loops. VTX Tramp control goes to the smart audio pad

13. As per last picture but you can see I've attached the camera remote wire (white) to the cam contol pad on the FC. As yet I've not got this working so would recommend cutting the camera remote cable until I've confirmed working

14. Side view of the stack. ESC at the bottom, FC in the middle and receiver currently on top

15. With the wiring harness completed for cam and VTX these can now be installed. Receiver is sandwiched between FC and VTX. Camera now in place with plenty of room to adjust angle. Ignore the standoff on top of the stack :)

16. Receiver wires are routed either side of the front standoffs and attached to heavier cable ties with heatshrink. This solution give enough range for racing and close freestyle and is super durable.

17. With all the electronic work completed the top plate can be installed with the remaining 4 short button screws

18. Final weight with HQ 5x4.8x3 is just under 300g - reasonably light for a 6s rig with 5mm arms.

19. Next step is configuration of the flight controller in part 2 of this series.

So that is it for the physical build. Not a difficult build at all in the scheme of things - components fit easily with plent of room to work. Part 2 (software setup) is here and part 3 (flight review) here.