Air Hogs Havoc Stinger (Colors Vary Between Blue, Yellow, Black, Green)

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Radio controlled helicopter! The Bad: Learning to control flights is tricky In a Nutshell: Once you get the hang of flying, this little chopper inspires tons of fun At a Glance Ages: 8 and older Requires: 6 AA batteries

The remote control fits comfortably in two hands. View larger.

The Stinger's orange eyes flash during flight. View Larger.

Now it's time to start practicing. You'll want to encourage kids to get familiar with the controls before they try and any big-time stunt flights, since flying this choppers well takes practice. In addition to an on-off switch and a switch that lets you select the correct channel to control your helicopter, the hand-held controller has a throttle stick, a rudder stick, and a button to adjust for trimming.

We found the best way to start off was flying in a large, indoor space, while focusing on hovering an even distance above the ground. This simple task is trickier to master than you might imagine, but with enough practice it will become second nature. The included instruction manual offers tips for learning to fly, from focusing on the helicopter instead of the controller to applying very gentle pressure on the control sticks.

Fun, Imaginative Play for Expert Pilots
Once you've learned the basics of flight, you're ready for all kinds of exploratory missions. Kids and adults alike are sure to enjoy the variety of stunts a gifted pilot can pull off with this chopper.

This helicopters offers an excellent opportunity for parents and kids to play together. They can offer each other flight tips and compete to land in tricky places or fly through narrow corridors. You may find yourself having even more fun than your children with this remote-control helicopter.

Overall, the Havoc Stinger provides a great way to teach patience, persistence, and principles of flight, all while having a great time. Our one real concern is the durability of the helicopter itself. While Air Hogs thoughtfully includes extra tail rotors, and our helicopter survived lots of brutal crashes while we were learning to fly, it is made of foam and lightweight plastic. This means that if your chopper gets stepped on or tossed around, it is almost sure to sustain some damage.

What's in the Box
Helicopter, remote control, and instruction booklet.