SYMAS107/S107G R/C Helicopter with Gyro- Red

These little helicopters are a lot of fun to play with and seem to be able to withstand quite a beating. We purchased several of these to give as "stocking stuffers" at Christmas as well as a couple for ourselves just for fun.The instructions that come with this helicopter are a little lacking, but this is not a complex toy. Helpful hints missing from the instructions:* Leave the unit level when you turn it on for a few seconds. There will be a very small blinking green light visible from the back of the unit that will stop flashing after a few moments. This is the gyro level-setting.* To change channels of the helicopter (A vs B), make sure both the helicopter and remote are powered off. Set the channel you wish to use on the remote and power the remote on first with the throttle lever at idle. Power on the helicopter and move the throttle to the "open" position. After a brief moment, the helicopter will change channels and is available for use.DURABILITYThese are durable but not indestructible. Take care when flying in a room with a lot of obstacles. Even slight changes in airflow in a room will change the flight dynamics of these small, lightweight helicopters. Due to their small size and relatively low powered motors, attaching anything to the helicopter could very easily prevent it from flying and at the very least will make it more difficult to control.BATTERYThe helicopters can be charged from the included USB cable or from the included power-port on the remote. I would advise charging with the USB cable because charging from the remote will quickly drain the remote's batteries.Regarding the USB charger, there is a little light in the USB side of the cable provided that will light up when charging is finished. The LED is not externally visible on the charger cable.The way you fly your helicopter will influence how long the battery lasts, but we are averaging roughly 5 to 7 minutes. Charging takes roughly 45 minutes for my helicopters.To maximize the life of the rechargeable battery, allow your helicopter to "rest" for 5 to 10 minutes after a flight before plugging it in for a charge.Take care when plugging the cable into the helicopter to charge as the pins are very very small and I could see where it could be easy to damage them if you're too rough with it. On the charging cable (both on the remote and the USB cable) there is a small arrow/triangle on the top of the plug. Plug into the helicopter with this arrow/triangle facing up.FLIGHT AND CONTROLThese helicopters quite stable and easy to fly. It does take a little finesse to learn just how much throttle you should give these, but the learning curve is minimal and you'll have it figured out during your first flight.As you fly (and crash... because yes, you will crash these repeatedly) you should expect little tiny nicks in the plastic blades and plastic body pieces. These will impact flight characteristics over time but very minimally. You can pick up a set of replacement pieces for very little money here on Amazon. I think the last time I looked it was maybe $3 or less.IF YOU HAVE PETS WITH LONG HAIR -- keep an eye on the rotor shaft and pull any tangled animal hairs or fibers out from around the shaft regularly.With very little maintenance and care, I see no reason why these shouldn't last for quite a long time. The availability of very inexpensive replacement parts here on Amazon means you should be able to enjoy a great many flights with these units.

I originally purchased the Yellow S107G from Amazon. I still have that and it flies GREAT! It's so easy to fly that my 6-year old grandson can fly it. He kept using mine, so I bought him this red one for himself.This review will be similar to my review on the Yellow S107G. However, in that review, I make a comparison to the Air Hogs Sharp Shooter that I used to own. If interested in the comparison, you can look at my other reviews.NOTE: There are "fake" S107s sold by some companies, so I am happy to report that this one fulfilled by Amazon is the REAL thing!PROS of just S107G:* 3-channel (can fly backwards)* Gryo makes hovering and flight dead solid easy* Very powerful, great lift, reacts quickly to input* Durable - almost impossible to break* BEST THING: There are LOTS of replacement parts available at fair prices (nearly ever part of the helicopter)* Has pretty long flight time for a small bettery-powered heli (about 8-minutes per flight)* Very inexpensive for such quality - less than $30 delivered!* Can be charged via USB cord from computer or AC/USB wall charger (saves batteries in radio)CONS of the S107G:* It takes 40-50 minutes per charge - that's longer then other small helicopters.* Not very fast. Once you get used to flying it, you wish it would fly forward much faster.Here are some things I learned from forums and have verified in my own flights:* Don't fly the helicopter right up to when the battery completely dies - the LIPO batteries don't like to be run dry.* Turn the controller on FIRST, then turn on the helicopter.* IMPORTANT: Hold the helicopter totally still for a couple seconds after turning it on - that stabilizes the gyro.* IMPORTANT: The first time you press the left stick for throttle, nothing will happen...* Not to worry, that's because the controller is registering it's channel to the helicopter.* Don't turn off the controller - just try it again and it will work fine.* On the first flight, don't even touch the right stick - just lift to a hover with the left stick. Now you're ready to fly in all directions.* Imagine yourself in the cockpit - that makes the controls more intuitive when flying towards you.* When done flying, turn off the helicopter first, then turn off the controller (it has something to do with the gyro).* The little propeller on the tail only runs when you press forward or reverse, so don' worry that it doesn't always run.* The small rotor tips the helicopter slightly either forward or reverse causing it to fly that direction (slowly).* The S107G is not fast, but it's stable as hell. That makes it great for first time flyers or for kids.* My 6-year old grandson flies it perfectly. It makes a great toy for a young boy (plus an old boy like me!)BUY ONE AND HAVE A BLAST!!