Micro RC Reviews

Air Hogs has just released a dual rotor helicopter called the Twin Thunder. The helicopter’s design looks very similar to a CH-47 Chinook. It is advertised to be a 3 channel helicopter which should allow it to have more refined forward and backward control (the Havoc Heli is only 2 channel). The size is slightly larger the the Havoc Heli but would is still a micro helicopter.

Amazon is already taking order for them and I snapped a couple of pictures at my local Target of one. I will be purchasing and reviewing it in the near future so check back.

Technorati: Air Hogs Twin Thunder, Havoc Heli, Micro Helicopter, RC Helicopter

The Air Hogs Apache Havoc Helicopter is a pretty standard Havoc Heli accept for the fact that it is modeled after the ever popular Military AH-64 Apache Helicopter. The Apache Havoc Heli is the familiar drab green color and sports the familiar dual cockpit of the original Apache.

The Apache Havoc Heli is loaded with the newest of control software from Air Hogs that gives it more responsive controls.

During Christmas I saw these going for up to $75 each but Amazon has them for an amazing $25 now. This is definitely the best RC helicopter to pick up for price.

You can get it here at Amazon.com or at the link above.

Technorati tags: Air Hogs Apache Havoc Heli, Air Hogs, Mini Helicopter, Micro Helicopter, Havoc Heli, Air Hogs Havoc Heli

This is one review that I could not wait to write. I picked up an Air Hogs Nano Hawk this evening and immediately came home to fly it. My excitement was fueled by the fact that I have not gotten to fly in quite some time due to the weather outside. The Nano Hawk offered to fill my craving since it is an indoor Micro RC toy much like the Air Hogs Havoc Heli.

Initial Impressions

The overall design of the Nano Hawk is not really new. Silverlit (or Spin Master) has had one of these out for some time. In fact a friend of mine at work has one sitting on his desk that he flies everyone once in a while. The thing that makes the Nano Hawk different from the previous version is that it has a Lipo battery in it. The previous version had a capacitor that would charge but would give you less then a minute of flying. With the lipo battery I got a good 5-6 minutes of flight!

Charging the Nano Hawk is much the same as the Havoc Heli. The airplane charges from the remote control. There are a couple of nice differences between the Nano and the Havoc when charging though. The first is that the Nano is actually cradled by the controller while charging instead of of a wire coming out of it like with the Havoc. This is nice because on more then one occasion I have forgotten that the Havoc was attached to the controller and picked either it up of the controller which left the other piece dangling. The other difference is that the Nano Hawk actually has a separate choice on the switch specifically for charging. When the charging is done the light goes off and the controller is off. On the Havoc you turn the controller to the on position and then plug in the Havoc. The controller stays on even after the Havoc is charged up.

Charging time was about 10 minute.

First Flight

My first flight with it was exhilarating as I did not know what to expect. I had never flown a plane like this and was not sure what to expect. At first I was not giving it enough throttle and the Nano was doing a see-saw up/down motion which made it hard to control. That coupled with the fact that it was veering off to the right sent the Nano into the wall a few times. It did not sustain any damage at all from my encounters with the wall as the plane is so light and durable that I don’t see it ever being damages from your basic crashes.

I set the trim on the controller a couple of clicks to the left and gave it 3/4 throttle to see if that would help. This is where the Nano became a dream to fly. It was no longer doing the see-saw action and was flying strait. Left and right rudder input from the controller was responsive and within a minute I was able to put the plane where I wanted in my living room. I was even able to fly around a column in between my family and dining rooms! I was never able to do that with the Havoc!

After a couple of minutes I decided to push it a little and see what a full fixed right rudder would do. The Nano started turning quickly to the right where the increased air speed gave it more lift. I gave it a little more throttle and was able to maintain my altitude while rapidly circling. Even more amazing was the fact that I was able to pull out of the circle and continue to fly!

As mention before my flight time lasted around 5-6 minutes.

Final Thoughts

Flying the Air Hogs Nano Hawk was some of the most enjoyable flying that I have done. The Havoc Heli is fun and and looks really cool but the Nano Hawk is far more controllable. I think with a little adjustment and maybe a mod or 2 you could start doing some cool tricks with it.

At the around the same price as the Havoc Heli it would be a difficult choice to have to decide between the 2. I’ll put it to you this way - the Nano and the Havoc are sitting right next to each other on my desk. I know the Nano is going to get some serious flight time in this weekend and I think the Havoc is going to be watching from my desk .

Technorati tags: Air Hogs Nano Hawk, Air Hogs, Indoor Airplane, Air Hogs Havoc Heli, Silverlit, Spin Master

Air Hogs has just released Robo Copter for the 2007 Christmas season.

The Robo Copter looks similar to the Havoc Heli setup but is a little bigger. The biggest difference is that this is a guy in a space suit flying around instead of a mini helicopter.

The Robo Copter is creating such a buzz because it is Air Hog’s most stable helicopter to date. The below video shows more responsive rudder controls and the ability to put it precisely where you want it. Amazon.com is one of the first companies to carry it. I have not seen it in any brink and mortor stores.

Her is the video from Air Hogs for the Robo Copter:

Technorati tags: Air Hogs Robo Copter, Air Hogs, Mini Helicopter, Micro Helicopter, Havoc Heli, Air Hogs Reflex

Air Hogs has recently released their Laser Battle set based on their previously popular Havoc Heli helicopter. The set comes with 2 Havoc Heli’s with an updated body style (compared to the previous Havoc Heli’s). It also comes with 2 controllers that are similar to the previous controllers.

The differences between this set and the previous Havoc Heli’s are the noticeable IR LED openings in the front of each of the helicopters. Also there is a black plastic tab on the bottom that looks as though it could be the IR receiver for the Laser Battler action. The controllers have buttons at the top that you press to “shoot” at your opponent that make cool machine gun sounds.

The other noticeable difference is that both copters are way more responsive then the previous version Havoc Heli. Left and right rudder commands spin the helicopters around a whole lot quicker. This comes in hand while trying to evade you opponent.

Flying the Havoc Heli Laser Battle set can on be summed up in one word - awesome! Flying by yourself can be a lot of fun but once you add the aspect of dog fighting to it the fun index sky rockets! When you score a “hit” your opponent’s Havoc Heli spins out of control. Shooting your opponent takes some skill though because you not only need to line up vertically but horizontally also. Flight times usually hover around 10 minutes for each helicopter.

One downside of the Air Hogs Laser Battle set is that each controller takes 6 AA batteries so you need 12 batteries to get going. On the flip side I have yet to switch out my batteries on my original Havoc Heli and I am pushing 40 flights with it so you are not going to have to buy batteries on a regular basis (unless you get totally addicted to flying these while is a big possibility).

Another downside is that you need another person to fly with you. I recommend taking them to your office with you and resolving interoffice disputes via “dog fighting” Laser Battle style. You should see the way the other guys eyes light up when they see them zipping through the air.

Overall the Air Hogs Havoc Heli Laser Battle set is very fun. I suspect that this will be the hot item this Christmas the same way that the Havoc Heli and Mosquito were last Christmas. You can buy them directly from Amazon via the link to the right.

Technorati tags: Air Hogs Havoc Heli, Air Hogs Havoc Heli Laser Battle, Dog Fight, Battle, Games, RC, RC Airplanes, RC Helicopters

The Mini Hughes 300 Helicopter, better know as “The Dragonfly” is an awesome little helicopter. It is smaller in length then the original Air Hogs Havoc Heli which gives it a very dynamic response when flying around.

Although the Mini Hughes is not made by Air Hogs you wouldn’t know it as the major components look like the are made side-by-side in the same factory as the Air Hogs version. The tail and main rotors look exactly the same as the Havoc and the controller is exactly the same.

I was a little skeptical at first that this was just going to be some cheap little knock off and that I was wasting my money. I was wrong! The Mini Hughes is as durable as the Havoc Heli if not more. I think the main reason for that is that it is constructed entirely out of plastic as opposed to foam like the Air Hogs Version.

The only part that I have not figured out yet is how to adjust it for more forward movement. With the Havoc Heli you can twist the tail rotor so that it gives a little downward thrust. That is not possible with the Hughes 300. Also the Mini Hughes doesn’t have the extended nose of the Havoc Heli so there is nothing to stick a pin into. Don’t worry though, I will figure a way to get this guy shooting around my room!

The Mini Hughes 300 is a cool little heli and a welcome addition to the hanger. You can pick it up at Amazon.com for $21.98 which is a still since my local hobby shop has them for $39.99.

Technorati tags: Mini Hughes 300 Helicopter, Mini Dragonfly Helicopter, Air Hogs, Havoc Heli, Air Hogs Havoc Heli, Micro Helicopter, Mini Helicopter, RC Helicopter

Well this is the official launch of the Micro RC Review website.

The goal of this site is to review the latest and the greatest Micro RC cars, airplanes, helicopters, and whatever else is small and remote controlled.

I have been building up a collection of Micro RC planes and helicopters for the last year and what to share my findings with you. If you have a Micro RC toy that you would like reviewed let me know and I will try to track it down for you.

Technorati: Micro RC Reviews, Air Hogs, Havoc Heli, Bell Hughes 300, Air Hogs Reflex, Eflite Blade CX, Hobbyzone Supercub