Red Hot Review – Unleash the Storm
The Air Hogs Mini Storm Launcher, like the name suggests is a smaller version of the full sized earlier model. At just under a foot long Spinmaster tells us this hydroplane boat look-a-like - much like the original - can drive around on the ground like a car and then take off like a plane or fly by using the hand launch method.
Verdict – 3 Hour Trial
First impressions were not good. We had a “is that it” kind of reaction when we opened the box. Yes it looks cool and the fact that you know it can fly helps, but we were a bit perturbed by what appears to be a homemade exterior with sellotape underneath which gives the impression it is holding it together therefore making it look incapable of flying. Boy were we wrong! As we have expressed, we were feeling a bit unimpressed but let us tell you, once the batteries are in prepare to be amazed. As soon as we played around with it indoors and realised how much speed those propellers were gaining, the excitement built up and we were practically like kids again – very eager and feeling impatient with having to wait for daylight to play with our new toy. To avoid irritating the neighbours or more importantly, to prevent damaging your Storm Launcher or losing it to someone’s back garden by playing with it in the street we recommend you take it to the park or a nice open space so you can really make full use of your flying contraption and its 300 foot range. Word of warning, when trying to launch it from the ground you will need a lot of patience as it does take a while to get used to adjusting the trim knob so it drives in a straight enough line to enable it to take off (this is where the large open space comes in handy). Once you’ve mastered this, your frustration will be replaced by pure jubilation – so all very worth it once you get it in the air. Once we’d overcome these obstacles we were able to do pretty amazing stunts such as loops and flying upside down. This is helped by the twin motors that help to give it precise control. It can also do spirals, right banks, left banks and figure eights but we are still yet to achieve such skilled stunts. Landing is no easy feat either. The only type of landing we were able to achieve was crash! Still, you’ll have loads of fun attempting to perfect that landing and damage will be minimal due to its crash resistant foam construction. Being able to launch it by hand is also very helpful if you don’t have a smooth surface to drive on or you’re too impatient and just want to get it in the air. It doesn’t take much to set up; put the batteries in the controller, apply the stickers and propeller guide, charge up and you’re off.
Verdict
It has been proved again that great things come in small…ish packages. However, as amazing as it is, unfortunately the Mini Storm Launcher has a couple of minor flaws. Our biggest problem was with the trim knob and the irritation it caused when it was supposedly ‘balanced’. Word of advice (for the hot-tempered) - try not to take your frustration out on your device as it can be easily damaged with force. Another problem we encountered was that our Mini Storm Launcher had to be repeatedly switched off and on again after a few attempts for a reason we’re still trying to work out. Negatives aside, we’re absolutely loving this high-powered radio control hybrid. Adult supervision is most definitely recommended at the beginning stages; and adults, it is recommended that you bring a friend or a child with you when you play with your new toy – this is to avoid strange looks from passers by. We also like the size of the mini version; compared to the original size of 20” it is manageable and you don’t need a football pitch to test it out. It’s clear that the positives outweigh the negatives by far; put it this way we were practically fighting over the remote control.
The Mini Storm Launcher deserves a Gold badge despite its faults, for its brilliance and huge fun-factor that will keep you outside for hours on end. The only reason you’ll stop playing with it is because it’s dark outside or the batteries run out.
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