Review: Swann’s iFly Micro Lightning RC Helicopter
I suck at RC.
I had a little race car when I was a kid. Just trying to get it to run around an oval track was a frustrating experience–especially when friends of mine were going to track events on a regular basis.
Lately I’ve been getting my hands on some incredible RC flying toys. From $20-ish mall kiosk jobs, to the Force RC fighting copters, to the gorgeous AR Drone.
Swann dropped the iFly Micro Lighting in my hands, and after some of these premier devices I was a touch skeptical. Thankfully, the iFML has a few tricks up its rotors… +Continue Reading
In the world of motor sports, the skills necessary for gymkhana are almost contradictory: Cars need to have precision handling for the technical demands of the timed course, while at the same time be loose enough to drift and spin when required. When Traxxas was tasked with creating a licensed version of the Ken Block Gymkhana Fiesta, they had to craft a vehicle that was versatile enough to handle all of the demands of a gymkhana road course; unfortunately, when we think of something being “versatile,” we usually think”Jack of all trades, master of none.”
I think our own Editor-in-Chief, Mitchell Whitfield, put it best when saying that there is nothing wrong with “embracing your inner man-child.” So when I was asked to review the Air Attack RC Helicopter from Swann, my inner man child and I both jumped for joy. After all, there’s nothing like getting a new toy when it isn’t Christmas or your birthday–but this toy was special to me, since Ive loved anything and everything RC ever since I was little. Cars, boats, airplanes, the whole sha-bang. But most recently, because most of them are so affordable and easy to fly, helicopters have been at the top of my list–and the Air Attack from Swann has definitely been one of my favorite copters to fly.
Alright, lets fly into the hardware, shall we? Ah, word play. Anyway, if you read 
beginner flyers. The remote has a free movement joystick, meaning you can get the copter to a certain elevation and let go of the remote, and it will still stay in place; a small touch, but really helpful when flying. But, while the gyro did help a lot for stabilization, I sometimes felt that either the remote or the copter was unresponsive when I was trying to do certain maneuvers. I also tried to fly the copter outside (though it isn’t recommended) and had a lot of trouble; I wouldn’t even have attempted this if it weren’t for the size of this copter. I tried it indoors, but it was a bit difficult because either my roof was too low or I had too many obstacles around the house. So, I figured I would fly it with a bit more open space–and even the slightest breeze when flying outside would throw this copter off course. Which just shows that you should always follow the instructions; and it also shows that you should think about how much space you have in your house to fly before purchasing a large helicopter such as the Air Attack.
people who are just starting out, I would recommend a smaller, more indoor-friendly copter, like the Micro Hornet; with it’s 40 dollar price and diminutive size, it’s an excellent first heli. But for the more experienced flyers, I would definitely recommend you go pick up a Swann Air Attack RC helicopter; just make sure you have the space to do this helicopter justice.
I learned years ago that there’s nothing wrong with embracing your inner man-child; because of this, my love of toys, video games and RC has never dissipated. One particular segment that’s captured my heart in the last year is RC helicopters. Unlike radio control planes, helicopters can be flown indoors and are pretty easy to fly–and the prices are much more reasonable. So after getting a bunch of emails from you, our loyal readers, we realized that you were getting a bit confused and overwhelmed by the number of helicopters you’ve found at your local malls and hobby shops, and needed a little push in the right direction to help you find a great little heli for less than $50. Well guess what? Help has arrived–and our recommendation may surprise you…
I just got back from my photo shoot with the Traxxas 1/16 Summit VXL, as well as a quick test run…and I wish you could see the smile on my face; because more than any specs, photos, or information I could give you, this smile will tell you everything you need to know about this fantastic RC truck.
Need a brain break? Looking for a new way to scare the cat? Mesmerize the kids? Well, the people over at Desk Pets must have been thinking that lots of people were feeling the same way – so they came up with the Skitterbot. While we’re game (some might say ‘suckers’) for virtually any kind of remote control toys, I have to say we’ve all been impressed by these fast moving little bugs. Here’s our take on the Skitterbot from Desk Pets. 
As you know, we love making our readers happy–and part of making you happy is reading your emails and giving you the type of coverage that you ask for. Thankfully, we’ve received many emails over the past few months requesting coverage of a category that’s very close to my heart: Radio Control vehicles. I started building and running kits over 25 years ago, and I’ve been a fan of RC ever since. I know there are many of you out there that are less familiar with the RC hobby; some folks may think RC vehicles are too complicated, while others may feel that price is a barrier. For those of you that have been on the fence about jumping into this great hobby, I have some good news: It’s far less complicated than you think, and the prices of RC vehicles today are very reasonable. Since this article is the first of many relating to RC, I thought we’d start with one of the most popular vehicles out there: The Traxxas Slash 4×4 Short-Course Racing Truck.
App of the Week: Radiant Defense
Review: The HTC One X on AT&T
Review: Swann’s iFly Micro Lightning RC Helicopter
