Star Wars RC Flyer Jedi Starfighter Review

Packaging
The outside packaging is fairly bland in design. The two walled diorama/background inside the packaging is a nice touch. The only problem is the windows in the side aren’t really big enough to see it and appreciate it! They do, however, give a nice hangar look on the side looking in on the flyer. But the small windows combined with the foam flyer really make this a toy not worth keeping in the box. Simply put, while this flyer is nice looking, it’s not nice enough for a display piece compared to all the vehicles Hasbro is putting out there. Take this flyer out of the box!

Appearance
The flyer is made out of foam and the propellers out of soft plastic to prevent damage to your home. In terms of basic shapes and color schemes the flyer does a good job of replicating the vehicle. The most surprising thing about this toy was the panels were sculpted in on the top and bottom of the flyer. Obviously details are limited to keep down the cost and weight of the vehicle, but it was still a lot more than I was expecting from an RC flyer.

The proportions of the vehicle could be a little better with wider wings and a shallower cockpit. Overall this vehicle looks pretty nice flying. The sleek pointed shape is easy to make out when flying the vehicle around a room (and also makes it easy to figure out which the direction the flyer is going). How much it feels like flying a Jedi Starfighter is really going to depend on how much you enjoy RC vehicles and Star Wars.

Flying
There a number of features to the flying. First there is the flight throttle, which controls how fast the propellers spin. They can be sped up to go higher, and held steady to hover. The throttle was the easiest function to control on the flyer. The propeller power is dependent on how much charge the flyer has.

The trim is adjusted with the right and left buttons in the center of the controllers. The vehicle can also be turned using the direction throttle. These controls are a lot less exact than the flight throttle. Don’t expect to be able to run an obstacle course with this RC flyer. You should be able to avoid hitting anything with the direction throttle and trim, which is enough to have fun flying the vehicle around a large room.

Hitting the walls or furniture are almost unavoidable with this toy. I was able to control the vehicle well enough that it was comfortable flying it in the same room as my HD TV. However, flight controls began to suffer for me after a few hits with the wall. Because the propellers are made of a bendable plastic, they can deform permanently. After a couple hits my flyer began to fly consistently to the right. The two circular pieces protect the propellers, but they are not fool proof. Avoid hitting big pieces of furniture and your RC flyer should continue flying well.

Fun
As an adult this flyer has kept me amused through a couple charges and counting. The biggest drawback is the short charge life. After about 3 or 4 minutes the RC flyer could lift to about my waist on its own power. After about 5 minutes I take the flyer back for a recharge. Charging only takes about 20 minutes though. The flyer is still fun flying around a room and avoiding things. Just don’t expect any adept maneuverability, and this toy should be lots of fun.

Final Judgment 8/10
If you get this toy with the right expectations, then it can be very enjoyable. It’s fun flying a mini Jedi Starfighter around the room and crashing it into a wall or chair every once in a while. Just don’t expect exact flight controls and be prepared to charge it. Whether or not it’s worth the buy is up to how much you or your kids like flying spaceships around the room.

Review By: Tom