The Viper R/C Jet Plane delivers the thrill of flying at an affordable price. With a powerful two-rotor design and a motion auto-sensing controller that lets you turn the plane by merely turning your wrist, kids ages 12 and older will have a ton of fun maneuvering the plane and performing aerial twists and turns.
Once you get comfortable flying, you can learn to do tricks. View larger. |
The motion-sensing controller lets you maneuver the plane by tilting left or right. View larger. |
 | What We Think
Fun Factor: 
Durability: 
(what this means)
The Good: Plane really flies, rechargeable design, easy to repair.
The Bad: Steep learning curve, plane inevitably takes on damage, requires a very large open field.
In a Nutshell: Radio-controlled plane can fly and perform tricks but requires a lot of practice and a large grassy space. | At a Glance
Ages: 12 and up
Requires: 6 AA batteries, large grassy space, packing tape and glue to repair the inevitable damage.
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Smart, Lightweight Design The airplane is made of foam and requires some construction using the included pieces of tape. It took us about 10 minutes to assemble plane together and apply its stickers. It's not the most impressive plane to look it, but it well designed to fly. We inserted six AA batteries into the controller, and using the controller, we charged the battery in the plane, which took about an hour. Blinking LEDs let us know when the charging was complete. When it was ready, we took the plane out to our neighborhood park.
Like a Real Plane, Piloting Takes Practice Our first attempt at flying was met with resounding failure -- a beeline straight into the ground! After checking to see if the plane was all right (it was), we tried again. Another crash. It took a few tries before we got it stay in the air, and then we had several adjustments to make in order to get the plane flying as we desired.
As stated in the instructions, bending various parts up and down helped steady the plane, make it climb, or keep it from veering left or right. Along the way, we broke a wing, sliced through the body, bent a tip, and did further damage. Fortunately, fixing the plane was as simple as applying some packing tape. The plane didn't look as good, but flew just fine.
When we finally got the hang of it, it became obvious that our park was not big enough to hold the plane. Simply put, you need a very large open space to fully enjoy this toy. The instruction booklet recommended a soccer field, which is not always easily accessible, and not always empty when you get there. Fortunately for us, once we had the room to maneuver the plane, turning it gently left and right and performing tricks was a piece of cake.
Motion-Detecting Remote Control The Viper R/C Jet Plane uses a remote control unit that looks like a flight stick with a trigger. The remote control itself is one piece, and to turn the plane you tilt the entire unit to the left or right; a motion-sensor inside detects whether you are tilting a lot or a little, and the plane turns accordingly. The plane has two rotors, one on each side, which are controlled by the trigger. When you pull on the trigger all the way, the rotors are at full strength and the plane climbs. With the trigger halfway, the rotors pulse and the plane stays steady without climbing. We wished there was some way of gauging the halfway point, but over time we were able to get a feel for the remote.
Overall, we found the plane to be great fun, but you must be willing to invest a fair amount of training time with it. Even though the plane is designed for ease of use, it still has a very steep learning curve. We spent an hour crashing the plane and repairing it before we were able to exert some control over its many functions. But if you are willing to put in the work, and if you have access to a big field, you'll love this toy.
Included with this Product Plane, remote control unit, decals, instructions.
Reader Reviews
As a very amateur RC plane enthusiast, I have tried (and crashed) several different airplanes from Air Hogs, Estes, and others. This is the only plane that I was completely unable to get into the air before it self-destructed. As another review states, the controller seems to lose touch with the plane. The "motion" controller is not really motion sensitive--it is only "on/off" for direction, which makes it very difficult even for an adult to try to fly, much less give it to a child. The plane always took a nose dive to the left as soon as it got airborne, no matter which direction the control was in. After an hour or so and many crashes later, it finally hit the ground with the wing and broke it off at the motor--completely unrepairable. We have an Air Hogs Jet Scream plane that I finally got comfortable with, and it is MUCH more durable and more fun that this Viper. No matter how many crashes with the Jet Scream, it has virtually no damage because it is so lightweight. Do yourself a favor and do not buy this plane, unless you really want to torture a 10 year-old and his dad.
