Review: SpeedyBee Mario Fold 8-inch Long Range FPV Drone – Frame and BNF Options

by Oscar
Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Frame

Designed for long-range FPV flying, the SpeedyBee Mario Fold 8 stands out for its extended flight range, stability, and portability. It’s a foldable 8-inch drone, but SpeedyBee has been notably quiet about this new product. What’s the big deal? Let’s find out.

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Interested in long range FPV flying? Check out my tips and tricks guide: https://oscarliang.com/long-range-fpv-flying-mini-quad/

Where To Buy?

You can purchase the Mario Fold 8-inch Frame or BNF Drone from:

You may be unable to purchase this drone directly from SpeedyBee due to their country’s drone export restrictions, but you can try your luck with sellers on AliExpress.

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Unbox Accessoreis Parts

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Unbox Carbon Fibre Parts Plates Arms

Why the Mario Fold 8 Stands Out

The Mario Fold 8 could be one of the best thought-out and largest long-range FPV drone frames currently available, especially considering its size and build quality. SpeedyBee has been quiet about this new product due to drone export restrictions in their country, so they haven’t been actively promoting it overseas. I’m fortunate to have gotten my hands on the frame kit.

Available on AliExpress for just under $100, the frame’s quality is impressive. It even comes with a handy ratchet wrench for the propeller nuts and arm locking nuts.

Specifications

  • Size:
    • Unfolded: 350mm (wdith), 280mm (length)
    • Folded: 90mm (width), 400mm (length)
  • Weight: 370g for just the assembled frame, 695g for the MARIO Fold 8 DC O3 BNF Drone (without battery and GoPro).
  • Carbon Plate Thickness:
    • Top: 2.5mm
    • middle: 2.5mm
    • bottom: 3.0mm
  • Arm Thickness: 7mm.
  • Materials: The plates and arms are made of T300 3K carbon fibre.
  • Motor Circlip Spacing: 9mm.
  • Propellers: Supports 7-8 inch propellers.
  • Motor Mounting Holes: 19x19mm.
  • FC Mounting Hole: 30.5×30.5 (M3) & 20x20mm (M3) & 25.5×25.5mm, accommodating various flight controllers.
  • Camera Cage Material: 7075 CNC aluminum alloy.
  • Antenna Mounting: Supports SMA pigtail, and DJI O3 Antenna
  • Battery Strap: 30cm long
  • Other Features: Includes a battery anti-skid mat made of silicone resin and yellow TPU for 3D printed parts.

Construction and Assembly

The frame’s construction is top-notch, with excellent carbon fibre quality and smooth, well-finished edges. Assembling it was enjoyable, though a step-by-step manual would have been helpful. The frame features a spring-loaded ball lock pin for the folding mechanism, and the Deadcat style design ensures props don’t show in the camera’s view.

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Unbox Carbon Fibre Plate Bottom

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Unbox Carbon Fibre Plate Top Battery Pad

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Unbox Carbon Fibre Arms

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Arms Locking Spring Ball

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Arms Locking Spring Ball Press

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Assemble Top Plate Camera Cage

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Assemble Bottom Plate Arms

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Assemble Bottom Plate Standoffs

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Frame

Unfolded.

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Frame Dead Cat Top View

Folded.

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Frame Folded Portable

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Frame Folded Front Back

Here’s a picture of the bottom of the frame when the arms are folded.

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Frame Folded Bottom

Once the arms are unfolded, you can tighten the large locking nuts on the arms using the provided ratchet wrench. The frame appears to be stiff enough and shouldn’t come loose during flight.

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Frame Unfolded Bottom

If you don’t normally fold the drone, Speedybee also provides a way to permanently lock the arms in place with a bolt. Very well thought out!

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Frame Unfolded Bolt Screw Bottom

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Frame Bottom

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Frame Bottom 2

Hardware Compatibility

The SpeedyBee Mario Fold 8 frame is incredibly versatile, supporting various FC mounts including 30x30mm, 25x25mm, and 20x20mm. It’s also compatible with a range of VTX options, including DJI O3, HDZero Freestyle, Walksnail, Vista, and other analog VTXs.

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Frame Side

The versatility in terms of battery compatibility and the inclusion of quality 3D printed parts like landing skids and GPS mounts adds to the overall value.

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Frame Rear Gps Mount 3d Print

The camera mounting system is cleverly designed to accommodate various sizes, i.e. 19x19mm and 20x20mm, supporting typical micro cameras and DJI O3 camera.

Speedybee Mario Fold 8 Inch Long Range Fpv Drone Frame Camera Mount Front

Accessories

The frame includes high-quality TPU 3D printed parts like landing skids, GPS mounts, and a GoPro adapter. It also comes with quality battery straps suitable for typical battery sizes for 7-inch or 8-inch drones.

The Goods and Bads

Pros:

  1. Foldable Design: Enhances portability and convenience for transport.
  2. Durable Construction: High-quality materials ensure stiffness, robustness and durability for stable long-range flights.
  3. Versatile Mounting Options: Accommodates various sizes of flight controllers, VTX and camera, making it suitable for customization.

Cons:

  1. Frame Weight: At 370g, it might be heavier than some other drone frames in its category, potentially affecting maneuverability.
  2. Complexity: The frame assembly, features and customization options may be overwhelming for beginners in FPV flying.

Build Parts List

Here’s parts list of the official Mario Fold 8-inch BnF FPV drone:

Receiver is not included in the BNF, but a true diversity ExpressLRS receiver such as the BetaFPV SuperD would be a great option: https://oscarliang.com/expresslrs-diversity-receivers/#BetaFPV-SuperD

Since this is intended for long range, you can consider using Li-ion batteries. I think 6S2P 5200mah-5600mah is a good size for it. See my recommendations here: https://oscarliang.com/li-ion-battery-long-range/#Buying-Ready-Made-Li-ion-Battery-Packs

When it comes to PID and filters, 8-inch is not a popular drone size so there’s not many Betaflight presets available for it. If you don’t have experience in tuning, you can try preset from 7-inch.

This build, together with a 6S2P 18650 battery and a GoPro, would weigh in at about 1.5kg.

Final Thoughts

The SpeedyBee Mario Fold 8 is a remarkable drone that deserves more recognition than it currently receives. It’s a versatile and robust option for FPV enthusiasts looking for a durable and customizable long-range FPV drone. Its foldable design and high-quality materials make it a standout choice, although its weight and complexity might require some adjustment for new pilots. The Mario Fold 8 is a testament to SpeedyBee’s commitment to quality and innovation in the FPV drone space.

You can purchase the Mario Fold 8-inch Frame or BNF Drone from:

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3 comments

Nick(Not Another FPV) 23rd February 2024 - 4:52 pm

Too bad it’s Speedybee! As I can’t trust my quads anymore with any of their electronics…or frames. They make them cheap and sell them to the noobs. 50% of the stuff comes DOA, and the other stuff fails out of thin air :)
And the one frame I had the f722 or something looked great, but that kept breaking in normal wear and tear flying.

They almost got me to leave the FPV scene as I had a hard time trusting anything being put out by any company after dealing with all their drama…

so if you are new and need to save a few bucks…only to keep spending and spending on new speedybee stuff…this is your frame and those are your go to stacks for lost quads and lost dreams lol

Reply
David Plesko 24th January 2024 - 7:45 am

You are timely and detailed!

Reply
Dronesyjuguetes 31st December 2023 - 7:06 pm

Speedybee is contributing new things, Oscar you are a great teacher 👍
https://youtu.be/nqNyhuKPfuU?si=a9anxpFWIYGbfa2a

Reply