| "Take
to the skies with this right proper chopper."
Now,
you too can join luminaries such as Prince Andrew, TC off
Magnum and, er, Noel Edmonds by piloting your very own swanky
helicopter. Okay, so you won't be able to nip over to St Tropez,
harass Higgins in Hawaii or whisk Mr Blobby to his next signing
session, but you will be able to take control of a sleek and
nifty R/C chopper without having to apply for a mortgage.
The Mini Helicopter R/C Helicopter is the finest entry-level
chopper we've ever seen, and even the most maladroit wannabe
pilot should be able to get this baby off the ground. Featuring
the same on-board computer technology as the popular Intruder
R/C Airplane, this wonderful whirlybird has been engineered
to make flying a doddle.
The
proportional control flight system uses a Scalextric-style
trigger unit to regulate altitude and speed, whilst the light
but durable body construction means that even Mike Smith-style
pilots won't terminally damage the aircraft if it nosedives
into the ground.
The
Mini Helicopter Helicopter uses a quick charger that resembles
a landing pad and comes complete with a seriously funky 'fuelling'
hose - simply attach the hose to the chopper, wait for the
light to turn green and you're ready for take off. The Mini
Helicopter is pretty much plug-and-play - we got it flying
within minutes out of the box.
Once
airborne the helicopter will soar to heights of well over
50ft and distances of 300ft. It takes a little while to master
the control - basically the harder you squeeze the trigger,
the higher it flies in a pretty much forward direction. Ease
off the trigger and the Mini Helicopter will lose altitude
and start to turn; pull the trigger when it's facing the new
direction you want to charge off in.
Although
recommended for outdoor flight only, we couldn't help but
try the Mini Helicopter indoors, as its size and lightweight
construction seems to lend itself to office flight. With this
in mind, may we suggest hovering the Mini Helicopter above
a colleague's carefully stacked paperwork whilst loudly humming
Flight of the Valkyries and quoting lines from Apocalypse
Now. (NB: Firebox cannot replace helicopters that have been
plucked from the sky and stamped on as a result of this highly
irritating activity).
For
as little as a dinner you're not getting a state of the art,
fuel guzzling, iron beast of a 'copter. Control is somewhat
erratic and definitely takes some getting used to. In fact
make sure you have plenty of space available when you launch
because it has an uncanny ability to head straight for the
nearest person leaving you to watch helplessly as they scramble
for cover. But then that's half the fun isn't it?
All
in all we think this is the ultimate airborne plaything for
the price conscious chopper shopper.
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