Those RC helicopter infomercials are pretty cool, I must admit. They portray them so well on TV. The big questions… are they durable enough to handle a few crashes? Do they really move as easily as they show on TV? There are so many different remote helicopters with different names its hard to figure out which is which. Please beware that there are many, many different air hog helicopters on the market with slightly different names.

This particular one I’m reviewing today, is on the As Seen on TV site. It’s called the Air Hogs RC reflex micro helicopter. Phewww! Is the name long enough for ya?  I found a great video of son and dad playing with this heli. Watch how hard they try and land it on the table. Looks like a lot of fun…

RC Helicopter – General Info

The age group for use is for kids over 10 years old. It’s for both indoor and outdoor use. Only fly it outdoors if there is absolutely no breeze.  I read on the manufacturer’s site that it has an skill flight rating of intermediate. The main issue consumers have is that it’s somewhat hard to maneuver. Hovering doesn’t seem to be an issue. It’s the control response seems to be hard to manage.

Positive Points

• Very fun and addictive.
• Easy to fly once you get the hang of it. They recommend a double garage or a basement – You can fly it in a 20×20 living room with no problems.
• Good flight time (about 10 minutes on a full charge).
• Durable (even a 6+ foot drop on carpet will not damage it and if (well, when) you hit a wall or a piece of furniture the rotors simply fold in).
• Wall-plug charger (doesn’t require a base with batteries like other brands).

Negative Points

• Long charge time (at least one to one and a half hours; other brands will recharge in about 30 minutes).
• Small radio controller (obviously made for kids, but still…).
• The user of these micro helicopters has to be patient… they’re easy to fly (certainly easier than a full-size RC plane or helicopter) but still require some ramp-up time. Flying it every two hours or so (allowing the battery to cool down and then recharge) over a couple of days or (long) evenings should get most to a point where they can take off and land on e.g. a coffee table or even their own hand.

Air Hogs RC Reflex micro helicopter

Handy hints for getting it to fly

Peter from NJ writes

This thing is mostly brilliant. Like other reviewers I cannot stress enough that you *have* to get the trimming right before getting adventurous. Read the supplied instructions carefully and follow the trimming directions. When trimmed correctly this thing will literally hang a foot from your face and barely move. If you buy it for a child, do the trimming yourself before handing it over – and don’t expect really young kids to get much out of it. To fly it the way it’s done in the commercials, you need to be on the controls constantly; if you expect to just give it full throttle and have it hang like a helium balloon on a string you’ll be disappointed. It’s a real flying machine and it takes careful and constant control in all directions. Being very light, it reacts to very little air movement like forced air/AC vents, open windows and its own rotor wash when close to a wall.

Final Thoughts – Is it Worth Buying?

Does this RC Helicopter live up to how its portrayed in the commercial? No not exactly. Overall users thought it was worth the money.The reality is that you end up with a helicopter that does not behave as portrayed on TV. Still, a lot of users got their kicks out of it and loved it! They were surprised at how durable and lightweight it was. Overall it’s addictive and fun and well built. It’s not a toy for young children and does require some trimming. Some users didn’t feel the performance measured up to  similar micro helicopters. Overall users gave it a 4 out of 5 rating. By the way, while your here, why don’t you check out a recent blog post on the Mini RC Cars review…

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