Captain’s log
I just got a brand new spiffy toy helicopter from ThinkGeek. If, like me, you have a long unfulfilled childhood yearning to own a remote control toy helicopter, this guy is really your ticket.
Some nice features it has:
- $40 price tag
- Yes it’s really an actual remote copter, not some dopey thing on a wire
- Easy to teach yourself to fly it, especially hovering (which is really tricky on most other models)
- Can (and really, should) be used indoors
- Solid 15 minutes of flight time per battery charge; charges in about 30 minutes
- Great way to procrastinate more important things
- Cat is fascinated by it (make sure those paws don’t take a swing though!)
- Reasonably robust flexible carbon fiber construction gives you some protection against collisions, boo-boos, navigation errors, and general bone-ups.
- It’s only forty freakin dollars, man. Don’t even try to tell me you can’t afford it. It’s a HELICOPTER that FLIES and it’s $40. You know you’re going to have a birthday soon anyway (it’s less than a year away!)
Not so great features:
- The forward motion is really REALLY slow. I think the rear prop needs to be more powerful
- Any air circulation at all and you will be completely unable to navigate. The copter will float in the direction of air current despite your efforts to control it
- Stay away from vertical surfaces (walls) because the copter will get sucked towards them and collide
- 15 minutes is over too fast and then the 30 minute recharge time is the LONGEST THIRTY MINUTES of your life.
fifteen friken minutes?! it should be fourty five minutes… or they should be switched.
it should be 30 solid minutes and 15 minute recharge
Warp core failure!
The engine powering the bottom rotor broke after about 3 hours of total flight time. I’m disappointed, but still not sorry I bought it.
I took the entire thing apart, and if I ever come across a motor replacement that will fit and work, I will solder it on.
While I was in there, I upgraded the pussy battery leads that it came with, since when the engine died there was a short and the battery wires melted together.
Naturally I have already spent far more time and effort on repair and diagnosis than the $40 price tag merits. But this is personal for me: If I ever make this thing operational again it’s going to be like my greatest RC hack ever.
Just got mine last night. Flew it last night and again this morning. Nice little toy. Surprisingly sturdy! Pointing is it straightforward, but getting it to move forward, backward and sideways is slow going and will take some practice.
I’ll keep you posted!
Amazed. I have an Airhog plane that I love but I never thought I would see this. Does anyone know if its possible to tow a TV remote with that thing?
No chance. You have to understand the extreme lightness of this toy. It uses 2 pager motors for rotor power and the body is made out of styrofoam and a very thin plastic framework.
I think RC helicopters are fascinating. I came a cross a video on Youtube where a guy was flying one indoors. The things he was doing was incredible.
I would like to have one of the bigger ones but right now other things have a higher priority.