Air Hogs was created in 1996, when Spin Master was approached by British inventors John Dixon and Peter Manning, whose prototype of a compressed air powered toy airplane had been rejected by everyone they had shown it to. Excited by the plane’s potential, Spin Master licensed the technology and spent two years and half a million dollars perfecting the toy.
The Air Hogs Sky Shark debuted first in the spring 1998 and was an immediate hit,fueled by coverage on The Today Show and Live with Regis and Kathy Lee, as well as write-ups in Time and Popular Science.
Follow-up successes have included Zero Gravity RC Wall Crawler (a radio control Hummer-style vehicle that can be driven up walls), the hugely popular Aero Ace battery powered RC airplanes, Air Hogs Stormlauncher (an innovative vehicle that can operate on land, water, and can fly), Havoc Heli (a 6.5” long indoor RC helicopter weighing just 10 grams) and the Reflex Helicopter (indoor/outdoor fully functional r/c helicopter). Later on,The Stinger is released. In 2008, the Havoc Heli and Stinger were released together in a Laser Battle Pack. A new toy has also been released: the SwitchBlade; a revolutionary twisting blade with smaller blades that launches vertically but fly straight forward.
Air Hogs Sharp Shooter Blue
While I was skeptical of the helicopter missile launching abilities, my son was grinning ear to ear the first time he pushed the big red fire button on the remote. It's sad to say that I spend just as much time playing with it as him. Its very sturdy for a micro-heli, its body is a very light but resilient plastic vs the cheap feeling foam most others use. Its easily hits 5-6 minutes of flight time (even carrying it's two small missiles), with a 20-30 minute recharge in between (typical for this type). It Does NOT have a tail rotor, instead it has a series of hidden vents with a small fan near the body; IMHO this greatly increases its durability but cuts down on maneuverability compared to other micros. Very easy to fly (my 4 1/2 year old can fly it reasonably well). Its little spring powered plastic missiles are hard to track down if your not careful, but it comes with 6 extras just in case. A lot of fun and Highly Recommended.
P.S. Adult supervision for younger/immature children is necessary. The Helicopter can veer off wildly when its rotor hits a wall/ceiling if you don't let off the throttle; better to have it fall than knock items over.)
Air Hogs Havoc Heli
My first impression was chintzy remote and OK helicopter. I still think the remote is chintzy, but I absolutely love the copter. It took a bit of tweaking (as per instructions) to make it behave. No problem. After that, it was just too much fun. It survived some rowdy use at a party and it did run into things and experienced some severe mishaps including being swatted into a wall. It required super glue and re-tweaking post swat.
I wish it was quicker to charge and had controls for forward and back. I don't know how long the controller will last. It isn't built for the long haul like video game controllers are. On the other hand, it might outlast the copter given various mischievious impulses.
Air Hogs V. Wing Avenger
I've flown RC models and other flying toys for 40 years. This is the best flying flapper (off the shelf) that I've ever flown or seen. It works straight out of the box. It is easy for anyone to fly. It flies in the house. It drives cats crazy. It is safe and resilient to bouncing into stuff. It is the best price performer in the flying toy category I've seen. I bought 40 of these at Christmas for needy kids that wouldn't have gotten a present otherwise, and I'm glad I did. It is more fun and works better than I could have expected.
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