Review: WowWee Flytech Dragonfly – remote control flying insect
The propaganda
WowWee, maker of humanoid droid Robosapien, also has a flying insect division and the Flytech Dragonfly is the result of its hard work.
Forget your remote control planes or hand propelled gliders – this is a remote control toy that flaps its wings to fly, like a real dragonfly would. WowWee is claiming it’s the world’s first radio controlled flying insect. I’ve not researched the market fully, but I think I’m willing to give them that.
The good
The kit consists of two parts – the dragonfly itself and the remote control handset so you can tell it what to do. The handset takes six AAs, while the dragonfly has a built in battery – it charges via a lead on the handset. The handset also features a magnetic perch, where your dragonfly can live when it’s not busy flapping about.
The handset is easy enough to operate – one lever controls how hard the wings flap, while the other is used for steering. Once you’ve mastered basic controls there’s a switch to throw it into advanced mode for sharper turns and greater responsiveness.
Despite looking a little on the fragile side it’s made of sturdy stuff and can cope with the odd crash landing – which is just as well.
The bad
Getting to grips with actually flying it is no simple task. It takes a good bit of practise to get the hang of how much power to apply and when. Don’t apply enough pressure and it’ll gradually descend towards the floor, flap its wings too hard on the other hand and it’ll nosedive in a quite spectacular fashion.
It’s best suited to large open spaces for practice and it’s probably best to make sure there aren’t any prized family heirlooms nearby until you’ve mastered its idiosyncrasies.
It’s also a bit on the noisy side as the mechanical wings flap manically up and down, but at least it gives people fair warning there’s one coming their way.
Geek Sheet
Wingspan: 16 inches (approx 40 cm)
Power: Rechargeable lithium polymer battery
Flight time: Up to 10 minutes on a single charge
Batteries: 6 x AA
Overview
In addition to being a wonder of engineering, the FlyTech Dragonfly is also an incredible amount of fun. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it’s not too hard to get to grips with. With an asking price of £39.99 from I Want One Of Those it’s a little on the steep side – but if you’re shopping for the person that has everything, you’ve now got a new option.
Related sites: FlyTech Dragonfly at I Want One Of Those
One thought on “Review: WowWee Flytech Dragonfly – remote control flying insect”
the idea was great but unfortually we are all ready on our spare set of wings as one broke with in four hours I think we need more practice, does anyone know if you can purchase more spare wings as I think we might need them in the future?
thanks need to practice soon so if anybody can let me asap
George
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