I received a Syma S107G RC Mini Helicopter for Christmas. It’s a wonderful gift idea for a somewhat nerdy guy in his early 30s like me. However, it also has some minor shortcomings. Here is a review of the product.
What You Get
The helicopter comes in a box that measures 9 x 5.2 x 4 inches and weighs about 1 pound. The contents are:
- the rc helicopter
- a remote control
- a USB cable to charge it
- a spare tail rotor
The toy-aircraft itself is 8.7 inches long, 1.5 inches wide, and 3.9 inches tall. Internet retailers vary slightly on the price. It tends to be around $20.
Before Playing
Be careful when unpacking it. The helicopter is attached to the packaging material with two twist ties. Untwist those first. The remote control requires 6 AA batteries. Regular households might not have that many at their disposal and this requirement ought to be communicated better on the packaging. You also need a very small Phillips-head screwdriver to open the battery case of the remote control. Again, that needs to be communicated better. The 6 AA batteries seem to have trouble making contact with the connectors. Inserting a sheet of folded tissue between the batteries and the cover fixed the issue in my case.
Once the remote control is set up, the helicopter has to be charged before the first use. The USB cable that came with it doesn’t charge properly. I prefer to charge it with a 110V charger that is sold separately. Mine was $4. Charging takes about 50 minutes.
Playing Experience
I have experienced the best results when starting the helicopter from the ground in a fairly open space (e.g. middle of the living room). After flying the helicopter around, I tried to find out what I could do with it. I began tying little hooks to it to pick up things. That, however, put the helicopter out of balance and it started veering to the side. So, apart from flying it around and challenging myself to land it accurately, there is not much I can do with it. The flying time with one charge is about 8 minutes. In the beginning, I often flew the helicopter into things or its rotors hit something and it fell to the ground. Luckily it is very resistant and doesn’t break. It reacts to air currents in the room and I found it hard to steer when it came close to heaters and walls. So, I tend to stay in an open space.
Summary
Pros:
- stable, resistant toy
- not expensive
- functioning
Cons:
- labeling should be more accurate about batteries and tool needed
- standard USB cable has some charging issues
- remote control seems to have an engineering flaw
- not a good play-time/charging-time ratio
For a longer and very thorough review you can check out rcmania.com.
