Building the Lightest Tiny Whoop from BNF Parts (Air65 & RaceSpec)

Making your tiny whoop lighter can improve flight performance and efficiency. Modern BNF tiny whoops weigh as low as 17g, so even saving half a gram makes a noticeable difference in handling and flight time. In this build, we combine parts from some of the lightest BNF tiny whoops on the market to create what could be the lightest tiny whoop possible. If you want to replicate this build, you don’t need to buy the full BNF models just to salvage parts—you can purchase the components separately. I’ll include affiliate links throughout this post.

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Check out my tiny whoop recommendations and accessories: https://oscarliang.com/best-tiny-whoop/

The Lightest BNF Whoops

The lightest off-the-shelf tiny whoops are the BetaFPV Air65 II Champion and the NewBeeDrone RaceSpec V2.

If you’re deciding between them, check out my full reviews:

• BetaFPV Air65 II Champion: https://oscarliang.com/betafpv-air65-ii/
• NBD RaceSpecs V2: https://oscarliang.com/newbeedrone-hummingbird-racespec-v2/

BetaFPV Air65 II Champion	NBD RaceSpec V2
Product Page: BetaFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-npm0 AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4BuzGvN	Product Page: NBD: https://oscarliang.com/link-h9ba AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4B9VhXJ
16.51g	16.61g

Now let’s dismember them and weigh each component to find the lightest combination.

AIO Flight Controller

Choose an AIO FC—the more components integrated into a single board, the lighter the setup. A 5in1 AIO board typically includes FC, ESC, RX, OSD, and VTX.

Matrix 1S G4 5in1 II	HummingBird RaceSpec V2
Product Page: BetaFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-tip9 AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3S6IuSD	Product Page: NBD: https://oscarliang.com/product-c2z6
4.88g	5.40g

Both boards include a 36mm long BT2.0 battery lead, and 4 rubber gummies when weighing.

The Matrix is the clear winner in terms of weight.

Both boards have similar specs (ICM42688P gyro, 2 free UARTs), but:

• RaceSpec has 18A ESC vs Matrix’s 12A (although it’s really doesn’t matter either case for whoops, even 12A is overkill)
• Matrix has 16MB blackbox memory
• Matrix has larger, easier-to-solder motor pads
• Matrix USB adapter is easier to use

Frame

These 3 frames dominate the tiny whoop market at the moment:

Air65 Champion	Air65 II	Cockroach LiteAF
Product Page: BetaFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-w6in AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4cMZSgH	Product Page: BetaFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-j2y4 AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c38T7V9b	Product Page: NBD: https://oscarliang.com/product-ymb6 AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3VxzXff
2.09g	2.57g	2.38g

The normal Air65 II frame might be the heaviest, but for practice and beginners it’s the ideal choice because it’s more crash resistant thank to the extra strut supports in the ducts.

For racers and hardcore freestyle pilots, the Air65 II champion frame is the perfect option:

• Lightest
• Stiffer than the LiteAF
• Similar durability to the LiteAF
• Better battery holder than LiteAF – it holds the battery securely unlike the LiteAF, battery is loose and shifts in crashes

Camera

Both cameras connects to the FC board via a connector, so no soldering is needed. And conveniently both cameras use the same connector, which means they are interchangeable and compatible with the AIO FC we are going to use.

BetaFPV C03	NBD BeeEye V2
Page: BetaFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-wbul AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3ZehBel	Product Page: NBD: https://oscarliang.com/product-pbtf AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4F0J6C5
1.60g	1.38g

While both cameras are totally flyable, the BeeEye V2 is lighter and has a wider FOV, so it’s the better choice here, even though the C03 has slightly better image quality (color and clarity) IMO.

Canopy

The canopy of choice can depend on which camera you use, as they are usually designed around a specific camera. Fortunately, the BeeEye V2 camera works perfectly fine with both canopies.

BetaFPV Air II	NBD RaceSpec
Product Page: BetaFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-eidx AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3KQ3Lop	Product Page: NBD: https://oscarliang.com/product-dm23 STL (print it yourself): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/167g6cxlWn_rjmAntlXHpJC74gnVcwGSV
0.54g	0.64g

The BetaFPV canopy wins:

• Lighter
• Injection molded (more streamlined and stronger than TPU 3D prints)

Canopy Screws

BetaFPV	NBD
0.30g	0.26g

These screws should be included with the canopy.

Motors

BetaFPV 0702 36,000KV	NBD 0702 30,000KV	RCINPower 0702 29,000KV
Product Page: BetaFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-sxqt AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3ILO7dj	Product Page: NBD: https://oscarliang.com/product-36g6 AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3SEwkFF	Product Page: AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c2JjVp7P
1.48g	1.29g	1.47g

When weighing, both BetaFPV and RCINPower have 26mm wires, while NBD has 23mm wires.

The NBD 0702 motors use extremely light weight enamel wires instead of silicone wires. Some might worry about soldering these tiny wires, actually it’s not much harder than normal silicone wires.

Learn about soldering in this guide: https://oscarliang.com/soldering-guide/

Motor Screws

These screws come with either the motors or the frame.

BetaFPV	NBD
0.34g	0.43g

BetaFPV Peek plastic screws are also quite light weight (potentially offers a weight saving up to 0.2g), you can pick them up here: https://oscarliang.com/product-ctaq

However peek screws aren’t very secure – I used them on my other light weight build, and they kept falling out in crashes. Metal screws with thread lock remain a more reliable option.

Propellers

Gemfan 1207 3-Blade	Azi Tri-blade
Product Page: BetaFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-nx58 AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4CuvrH7	.
0.58g	0.73g

The lightest prop option is actually the HQ Ultralight 2-blade (0.51g), get them here:

• AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_ok9b6xb
• NBD: https://oscarliang.com/product-4xze

However I like the Gemfan triblade a lot more – more grippy and more power, 0.07g weight difference is quite minimal anyway.

VTX Antenna

Both whoops use a monopole antenna. The BetaFPV one has a small heatshrink on it for extra durability, hence a tiny bit heavier. So I am using the NBD antenna here, but you can just remove that heatshrink on the BetaFPV one to reduce weight.

BetaFPV	NBD
0.20g	0.16g

BetaFPV and NBD don’t seem to sell these antennas, I guess it’s because they are just too low value. Only AliExpress has them.

• AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3FJ9bvT

You can also make it yourself easily from small coaxial wires with UFL connector (IPEX1), cut it to a suitable length, and strip back the shielding jacket by about 12-13mm to expose the inner wire without damaging it: https://oscarliang.com/make-simple-whip-antenna-5-8ghz-linear-polo/

Get some coaxial wires here:

• Amazon: https://amzn.to/4dcRtWQ

Battery

LAVA II 1S 320mAh	LAVA II 1S 280mAh	LAVA II 1S 280mAh (sticker removed)
Product Page: AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4Uuclsh BetaFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-mmed	Product Page: BetaFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-nx58 AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4CuvrH7	Product Page: BetaFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-nx58 AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4CuvrH7
8.19g	6.81g	6.73g

Assembly

So these are the parts I’m using:

• FC: Matrix 1S G4 5in1 II
• Frame: Air65 Champion
• Camera: NBD BeeEye V2
• Canopy: BetaFPV Air II
• Canopy screws: NBD
• Motors: NBD 0702 30,000KV
• Motor screws: BetaFPV
• Props: Gemfan 1207 3-Blade
• VTX Antenna: NBD

If you ever need soldering helping hand this is a good one: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c31Va9Pf

Final weight: 15.41g.

It’s 0.1g heavier than expected, probably due to the tiny drop of solder used on the motor wires.

With battery, it weighs only 22.19g. I remember back in the days, tiny whoop weighs this much without battery :) they’ve have come a long way.

Conclusion

Building the lightest tiny whoop isn’t about a single component—it’s about optimizing every part. Small savings add up quickly, and even fractions of a gram can noticeably improve flight performance. If you’re chasing maximum weight saving, this kind of optimization is absolutely worth trying. Just keep in mind that lighter builds can sacrifice durability, so choose your components based on your flying style.