The iNitro Speeder is a micro RC car that can. E controlled with either the included controller or with your iDevice with the included IR adapter. If you choose to use the IR adapter there is a cool app that you download that adds more functionality then just your standard left/right/backwards/forwards. With the app you have the following options (screenshot below) -

• Dual Stick: choose from 3 styles of dual-stick controller skins. These work like typical RC controllers.
• Motion: in this screen you can control your vehicle’s acceleration and steering by tilting and turning your Apple® device!
• Slide: in this screen you can control your vehicle by touching the screen on your Apple® device and moving your finger!
• Set Route: this screen lets you select from a variety of pre-set driving patterns that your vehicle will drive.
• Draw & Drive: this screen lets you create your own driving routes two ways! You can choose to have your vehicle drive the route as you are drawing it – or draw the route first, then have your vehicle drive it afterwards.

This is a brand new product hitting the shelves so there are t too may videos of this little car in action yet. I will post videos as they become available. In the mean time here are some shots I was able to take on my own.

The Heli Cage has the same electronic setup as the latest Havoc Heli’s as it is advertised to have 5-way control (as opposed to the previous generations 4-way control) . The controller also has the new Turbo Forward button from the Havoc Heli in order to give more control over forward flight. On the side of the box it states that you can “Crash and Keep Going” along with a note that the heli always lands upright. Finally the box notes that the cage can be removed for regular flight.

I just purchased the Heli Cage so the full hands-on review will come after I get some time to play with it. In the mean time here are some pictures of the Air Hogs Heli Cage in the box:

The Good

• Small and lightweight – about the size of a Havoc Heli
• Durable plastic instead of foam
• Extra tail rotors included in the package

The Bad

• Price – $80
• Stability – Gyro only affects tail
• Controllability - takes a lot of practice to control it well

My Hands on Experience with the Helix 360

I was really excited initially when I stumbled upon the Air Hogs Helix 360 at Target. I had not heard of it before and was taken back that this little copter had 4 channels and a gyro built into it. The price seemed a little high but I expected there to be a more real helicopter feel to it with the extra channel so I figured it would be worth it.

Out of the box the micro heli seemed like it was put together well and it charged up pretty quick. My initial flight with the Helix 360 wasn’t near as fun as I expected it to be though. It took a little effort to trim the copter and even when I could not trim it any more I still could not get it to hover in place. It always wanted to go to the left a little no matter how much I turned the trim knob.

Forward flight did not seem much better then what you would get with a Havoc Heli. It would go forward when you push the stick but then would rock back some and then go forward a little more. I really expected more from a 4 channel helicopter.

On my first flight I got about 7 minutes of flight time from the Helix. The copter was a little difficult to control compared to other 2 and 3 channel micro helis that I have flow. This is understandable though as the extra channel does require more input and concentration. I guess the issue that I had was that I seemed to spend more time concentrating on getting it not to do something I didn’t want it to do as opposed to doing what I wanted it to do. I fly these things to have fun and buzz my kid’s and dog’s heads, not to fight against them.

Compared to the Syma S107

The overall feeling of flying the Helix 360 wasn’t near as fun as what I experienced with the Syma S107. There are two main reasons for this – price and stability.

The price of the S107 is only $30 which is nearly 1/3 of the Helix 360. This makes it easier to swallow (and justify) when purchasing. With the Syma you aren’t spending much so your expectation isn’t as high but then it blows you away. With the Helix you are paying a good amount and personally I was disappointed with the performance at the price I paid. I expected more then what I got from the Syma.

Out of the box the Syma was stable and hovered in place without any trimming. Forward flight is a little bit of struggle with it but so is it with the Havoc Heli and the rest of the small and inexpensive micro heli’s. As mentioned above even after doing a lot of trimming the Helix did not hover as well as the Syma.

Overall the Syma had more of a wow and fun factor (especially for the price) then the Helix 360. I feel like I got more then my money’s worth with the Syma S107. I felt like I wanted my money back with the Helix 360.

If you are looking for a micro helicopter that is going to give you the most bang for your buck I would recommend the Syma S107.

Conclusion

It is cool to see Air Hogs pushing the envelope and packing so much technology into a small package. Unfortunately I don’t think they quite delivered for the price on this one. The Air Hogs Helix 360 is a great idea but not the best execution. My recommendation would be to spend your money on a Syma S107 instead.

Videos

Hear are some videos of the Air Hogs Helix 360

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8CEN7cHRRg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt_E3OLHYT8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4FIAg3vVdM

The Hawk Eye is basically a Havoc Heli but without the tail rotor and a larger midsection that houses the camera. It has built in stability software that gives it better flying characteristics then previous Havoc Heli’s.

The camera is activated via the controller an allows you to snap photos and/or start and stop the video camera.

The best thing about the Hawk Eye is the price – it only goes for about $70 which is much cheaper then other heli’s with built in cameras (I think the next cheapest goes for around$300). Amazon has the Hawk Eye available and you can get free 2 day shipping with their Amazon Prime Trial Membership.

Here are some videos of the Hawk Eye in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkcuXr9wRaQ

• Materials – The frame is made of metal, not plastic
• Stability – It has a gyro built into it
• Control – It has 3 channels
• Price – Average price is $30!

The S107 is the upgraded version of the Syma S105 which also had metal construction but did not include a gyro.

Metal Body

The significance of the metal body means that it has a better chance of surviving when you crash it. It also causes it to be more ridged which helps it be more stable thus enabling to be easier to control. All the other micro helicopter out there are plastic and foam construction and after a few emergency landings start to lose their shape.

Built in Gyro

To me this is one of the most significate features of the helicopter. I have used both the little Havoc Heli’s and the larger Blade CX and the biggest difference between the two is the gyro. The gyro adds precision and stability that you only find in the more expensive and larger helicopters.

3 Channel Control

The Air Hogs Havoc Heli took us all by storm a couple of years ago with their cool 2 channel controls that allowed for left/right and up/down control. It was pretty much stuck going forward at all times. With the addition of a 3rd channel you now have the ability to hover along with forward/back control. This is more true to what flying a real helicopter would be like.

Unbelievable Price

It is hard to believe the Syma S107 is price at around $30. The similar Blade mCX is almost 3 times the amount of money but is still plastic construction. I saw similar looking helicopter at Fry’s recently and the non-gyro models were around $30 while the gyro models were $60. Also, they were knock of brands, Syma has been around for a while and has a good name.

Amazon seems to have the best price and selection of Syma S107′s and you can also get free 2 day shipping if you sign up for their Amazon Prime program. You can check it out with the link to the right.

Videos

Here are some videos of the S107 in action just so you can see what you are in for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFW0xqk8d38

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGFtfoWWAYc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSPi54JuEiU

The reason for different shape of the Cyclone is that it is built to do stunts. The instructions that come with the Cyclone outline stunts that the airplane is capable of such as:

• Straight Torque Rolls
• Inverted Torque Rolls
• Spiral Take Offs
• Spiral Landings
• Touch and Goes
• Spot Landings

I am sure that once you get the hang of these tricks there are several more that you could invent.

My first flight with the Havoc Cyclone surprised me with the amount of power the little motor put out. It was a whole lot more powerful then the Nano Hawk. It was also really fast as well. You can get it buzzing around the room quickly to send the kids or animals running in fear . It takes a little more skill and effort to control it then the Nano Hawk but there is so much more that you can do with it. I will be spending the next couple of days trying to get more acquainted with it to see what it can really do.

The Havoc Cyclone is priced around the same price as the Nano Hawk. If you are new to RC airplanes or an experienced flier the Havoc Cyclone is sure to provide hours of fun.

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

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