SYMAS107/S107G R/C Helicopter with Gyro- Red

Bought this R/C Helicopter on a whim without real expectations for it. When it arrived, however, I was immediately excited to try it out. The initial charge was somewhat confusing. There is a USB charger that you can charge the helicopter with, and also a charger built into the controller. I had trouble with the controller charger not changing color to let me know when it was finished. The USB charger works perfectly.The helicopter itself is great. It's stable, simple to fly, and rather durable. I've already crashed it into many items of furniture and let it drop from my ceiling onto carpet and hardwood flooring. None of this has created any serious damage. The paint on the rotors has a few nicks on them, but it does not affect flight at all.A few things worth noting about durability. First, the balance/gyroscope bar on top of the main rotors can unclip a little after a rather robust crash. Don't worry, it clips back in and works perfectly. Also, the rear rotor will come completely off in a rough crash as well. It slides right back on the motor and works like new. (Each of those have only happened to me once, so consider this evidence anecdotal) In the event of a broken rotor, it comes with replacement rotors (2 main, 1 rear) I haven't needed to use them, but it's good to know they're there.The helicopter holds about a ten minute charge, which is still quite a bit of fun to play around with. Just don't expect to spend all day flying it on a single charge. The charge time is around 20 minutes.If you have a drafty house, it might be a problem with this helicopter. The helicopter is very light and will get bounced around a bit if there's a lot of air moving around in your home.The only problem I have with the helicopter is its use of IR instead of Radio control. This limits you to line-of-sight, and indoor use. If you try to use it outside the sun will interfere with the signal and it does not work at all. I've only had minimal success in the shade. Even with this, it's a great toy and worth the money. I'm considering buying another to let my friends use when they're over. It seems like it would be fun. (I don't know if they work in groups)

I could not believe how easy this was to fly! I was flying circles around the family room within the first day. The most amazing part is the durability. Some people might complain that the wings are flimsy and brittle but that is what makes the helicopter so durable. It is well worth the extra $5 to get a wing replacement kit. You will likely blow through the first set of wings as you are learning to fly and are experimenting. By the time you break a set of wings you should be a pro flier and won't have to worry about crashing and breaking anymore. It is extremely important to replace a wing as soon as a piece breaks off otherwise it will cause the rotors to wobble which will break the motor. Also make sure to watch the tail rotor as pet and carpet hairs tend to get caught and will cause the motor to burn up.As far as a testament to how durable these are; I let a six year old and a two year old use these for a few days. The six year old got to be pretty good within a few tries. I only had to replace one wing after letting him use it. The two year old was a completely different story. He enjoyed throttleing the copter up to the ceiling until it would crash and burn, falling 20ft to the ground. I would pick it up and he would repeat to do the same thing time after time for the duration of many battery rechargings. To help him out a bit I took off the tail rotor which only allowed him to go up and down but he didn't notice and it provided a few extra seconds of flight before it would hit the ceiling and crash. After countless crashes and battery cycles all I had to do was replace the wings and it flew just like it did when I took it out of the box.I would only estimate that the little battery can handle 50-100 rechargings before its life cycle gets to be too low to enjoy but for $30 taht was perfectly fine with me. To me it is very high quality for $30. If you are expecting something that is going to last for years then you might want to invest in a higher end helicopter. If you want something to entertain you or your kids for a few weeks then this is it!