Must-have toys for Christmas 2016: Star Wars Quadcopter drone from Propel
Is this one of Christmas’ must have toys? I reckon so. Last night I went to the official launch of a collection of Star Wars drones from Propel (no I’d never heard of the company either) at London’s Madame Tussauds. We also checked out their Star Wars Experience room – see pic below.
Although the event got off to an exceedingly slow start, when the Star Wars drones, or Quadcopters, did make their appearance, they were extremely impressive, buzzing around the roof of the Planetarium like giant wasps. For a minute I thought I was actually in one of the sci-fi movies they looked so realistic.
Various models are available including a T-65 X-Wing fighter, Darth Vader’s Tie Advanced X1, and a speeder bike from Return of the Jedi — complete with miniature trooper. Each model is hand-painted and numbered, and comes in a wax-sealed gift box that lights up and plays Star Wars music specific to the film the vehicle in question appeared in. It even talks to you as you are putting the AA batteries in – how cool is that?
But probably the coolest feature for most people is that you can use these drones to battle with your mates. As well as flying to speeds above 35Mph in less than three seconds, a unique flight control algorithm also enables special manoeuvres that mimic Star Wars flight patterns, such as forward moving corkscrew rolls.
Get hit three times by your opponent and your quadcopter will automatically make a controlled emergency landing. However, the plan is you will be able to brush up on your piloting skills so you can improve your battling skills once the companion app is launched,
In an early demonstration at the launch we saw a special Star Wars flight simulator! They really have thought of everything haven’t they?
The only annoying thing is that availability of the Quadcopters before Christmas will be very restricted. Instead you will have to battle it out for a limited number of special edition drones on sale from 1st December 2016 for around £200.
Available at Maplin, Currys, Argos, Disney Store, John Lewis and Hamleys, they can be pre-ordered in time for the festive season.
You can see a YouTube video featuring a speeder bike below.
