Air Hogs RC Helicopters
Popular But Offer Poor Value

by John Salt - Last updated September 2023

Air Hogs Havoc Helicopter

Air Hogs RC Helicopters are likely the first name many people associate with toy remote control helicopters. This is because almost every toy, department, and big box store carries them, so they get way more "in-person" exposure than just about any other toy heli brand out there. Not to mention, fairly decent TV commercial exposure at certain times of the year. 

This popularity naturally doesn't mean they are the best toy helicopters on the market. That link takes you to my full write-up toy RC helicopters, how they work, and better ones to consider.

The Syma S107G is a superior & less costly toy RC helicopter over any Air Hogs offering.

Air Hogs are pretty poor in both quality and value compared to what other toy helicopters are available these days such as the excellent Syma S107G shown here. 

If you just want to get yourself, or your child a simple RC heli to start with; Air Hogs RC helicopters or quad-copters are if nothing else, a convenient box store purchase.

So, if you are stuck at a big box store, looking at the Air Hog display with various models, and want to know a little more about them before you toss one into your shopping cart, hopefully this page will help you choose a half decent one.  

Air Hogs is just one product line of the Spin Master toy company. You therefore will also find Air Hogs called Spin Master.  

Air Hogs represent Spin Master's remote controlled vehicle lineup including both ground and air vehicles. Since this is an RC helicopter website, we will take a closer look at their aircraft that have the ability to hover, and my general impression on each model listed, and links to each one if you want to read more about them or purchase one.

Air Hogs RC Helicopters Don't Require FAA Registration

Like the vast majority of toy RC aircraft, Air Hogs RC helicopters and quad rotors sold and flown in the USA & Canada, don't require you to register them with the FAA or Transport Canada like you must do with larger, hobby grade RC helicopters & quad rotors.

This is because most toy RC helicopters are all under the 0.55 lb (250g) maximum weight restriction. Many can only be flown indoors as well, so that also means they don't require any special registration.

My First Introduction To Air Hogs RC Helicopters

Original Air Hogs Havoc RC Helicopter

My first introduction to Air Hogs RC Helicopters was the first generation single rotor fixed pitch Havoc Heli (seen above in a size comparison photo I took a number of years back).

I saw it at the end of a display isle at a Walmart (slickly marketed of course) one day way back in 2006.

For only $30 bucks, I had to give it a try considering I had been flying much more advanced RC helicopters up to this point that cost several thousand dollars and I was obviously curious what $30 beans would provide. 

It only had two channels of control (lift & yaw), had vague control at best, and had short flight times; but it was FUN to fly something that was so small indoors.

A complete novelty to me at the time, even though it wasn't a "true" RC helicopter by any stretch of the imagination. Even many of today's Air Hogs Helicopters are not true RC helicopters. RC stands for radio control and most of Air Hogs stuff is infrared controlled (IR-control).

IR control can't compete with too much ambient light, so these types are primarily all indoor helicopters; but I will mention the ones that are able to fly outdoors as well using true radio control over the less expensive and range limiting IR control.

Air Hogs RC Helicopter Models Available

As I mentioned, Spin Master Air Hogs has both helicopters and quad rotors to choose from. Their base helicopter line goes by the name of "Axis", while their quad rotors are labeled as "Helix".

There are of course a few others they have that go by other descriptive names, but for this article, I have divided them in the two basic designs of helicopters and quad-rotors. 

Let's look at their helicopter lineup first going from the most basic ones up to more advanced...

Air Hogs RC Helicopters

Air Hogs RC Helicopters Hoverblade

The Air Hogs Hoverblade is about as simple as it gets! Not a helicopter by any stretch as it's basically a foam rotating lifting platform powered by a single coreless motor & propeller located on one of the three lifting "winglets".

One channel of control gives you proportional speed control of the propeller, which will speed up or slow down the aircraft rotation rate and thus, allow you to change the lift vector. Think of it as a "motorized boomerang" with lift control. I would pass on this one if you are primarily after an RC helicopter experience... Ages 8 & up, Indoor Environment Only.

Air Hogs RC Helicopters Vectron Wave

Not even sure if I should include the Air Hogs Vectron Wave as it's not really an RC anything, but it is listed as one of Air Hogs current RC helicopters so here it is. This is basically an air powered top for the lack of a better description.

It uses both ground effect and gyroscopic effect provided by reactive torque from a spinning propeller to hover/float over hard surfaces. If you want control over something remotely, cross this one off the list. An overpriced novelty at best... Ages 8 & up, Indoor Environment Only.

Air Hogs RC Helicopters Shadow Launcher

The Air Hogs Shadow Launcher is way cooler sounding than it really is. This is a simple two channel, coaxial toy heli, but it comes with a matching transport truck.

Please note however the truck is not remote controlled or powered; only the helicopter is. Like many of Air Hogs videos, the one below is fun & entertaining, but it's not a truthful working representation of this toy...  Ages 8-10, Indoor Environment Only.

Air Hogs RC Helicopters Altitude Video Coaxial

The Air Hogs Altitude Video, is a 3 channel coaxial toy helicopter. It basically uses the same design & control method as all toy coaxial RC helicopters. This little toy heli however also has a built-in, adjustable video camera to take both video and still photos at the push of a button on the IR controller.

It's not HD resolution at this price point, but for some basic fun indoor aerial photo & video capture, it's acceptable. After the photos or video are taken, you download them off this little toy heli onto a computer, laptop, or other device by using the supplied USB cable (which is also used to charge this little toy coaxial heli).

Somewhat of an overpriced novelty in my opinion, but if indoor aerial imaging is important to you or your youngster, this 3 channel toy heli may fit the bill... Ages 8 & up, Indoor Environment Only.

Air Hogs RC Quad Rotors

Next up we have the Air Hogs Quad-Rotors (also called quadcopters, quadrocopters, and incorrectly drones). These are all 4 channel quad propeller driven RC aircraft with 3 axis electronic gyro stabilization. If you don't know much about RC quadcopters and want to understand what 3 axis stabilization is, my RC quadrocopter page goes into more details.

4 channels of control give you lift, yaw, pitch, and roll. The electronic stabilization makes them very stable and quite easy to fly. All of Air Hogs' Quads also use true RC radio control (2.4GHz), so they can be flown both indoors and outside on calm days  - no wind!

They are not the best choice for younger children unless they already have experience successfully flying another RC toy. 4 channel toy quad-rotor RC helicopters however make great gifts for older children and adults who are just big kids at heart ;-)

Another feature that all Air Hogs Quad Rotors have is the built in LiPo flight battery is charged with a USB cable/computer/USB power outlet.

The Helix Race Drone uses a ducted fan arrangement to protect the four propellers with the foam body surround. Not only are the propellers protected with this design, so are the objects in your house and bare skin when those "inevitable crashes" occur.

The other added advantage with this design is ducted fans tend to be a little less noisy, while being more efficient than quads that have exposed propellers. 

The Race Drone is a tough little quad that is easy to fly and has good stability. Definitely a good toy quality RC quad-rotor for the price... Ages 10 & up, Indoor/Outdoor Flying Environment.

Air Hogs RC Helicopters X-Stream Quad Rotor

The Air Hogs X-Stream Video Drone is a neat little quad rotor for the low price. Unlike all the other Air Hogs RC Helicopters that use a conventional controller, this one is controlled by your smart device (free App download required).

You can use the touch-screen controls or turn the device's gyros on to control the quad by tilting your phone in the direction you want your quad to go. Height sensors allow "Height Lock" to keep your quad at a fixed altitude if you wish. A removable protective frame helps keep propeller damage at bay for newbie pilots.

I personally don't enjoy controlling RC anything with a smart phone (either with gyro or touch screen controls) as I don't feel as "connected" to the aircraft/vehicle, but that is just my own experience. 

Live streaming (thus the name X-Stream) video is sent back to the smart device for real time aerial viewing though the built in camera onboard the X-Stream quad. Video or image recording is also possible. Ages 12 & Up, Indoor/Outdoor Flight Environment.

Air Hogs RC Helicopters Millennium Falcon Quad

For the Star Wars fans out there, the Air Hogs Millennium Falcon quad is very cool. It flies surprisingly well, and despite the overall scale detail, it's quite tough and can take a fair amount of abuse.

It's not as tough of course as the Helix lineup, and therefore may not be the best "first" toy quad for younger children, but those with some previous quad or even toy heli experience will have lots of fun piloting it. Lights and Star Wars sound effects add to that fun!

Like the Helix Race Drone, it uses a ducted fan quad design and the built in flight battery is charged via a USB cable. True 2.4 GHz radio control enables both indoor & outdoor flight (again in calm zero wind conditions). Ages 10 & up, Indoor/Outdoor Flying Environment.

Air Hogs RC Helicopters Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise Quad

Okay, I'm a Star Trek fan, so it should come as no surprise that I saved perhaps the neatest Air Hogs quad for last - The U.S.S. Enterprise!

The four propellers are hidden (and protected) quite well in the caged plastic saucer section, while the main body and engine nacelles are made from strong & lightweight foam. The nacelles, are not scale in size due to center of gravity challenges that naturally have to be obeyed, but they still give a decent overall scale effect.

This is the most fragile of all the Air Hogs RC quad rotors (also the most expensive), so it's likely not the best choice if you have never flown a quad rotor before; and certainly not for smaller children, unless they are already proficient quad pilots and rarely crash anymore.

This is also not an aerobatic quad rotor by any stretch; it's meant to be flown scale style; meaning slow, smooth, and controlled - for that, it works well. Lights and an assortment of Star Trek sound effects round out the package for all of us who want to "take the helm".

Charging the built in flight battery like all of Air Hogs quads is via a USB cable, and true 2.4 Ghz radio control is used... Ages 10 & up, Indoor/Outdoor Flying Environment.

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