Air Hogs Ultimate Millennium Falcon Quad drone review – CNET

The Good The Air Hogs Ultimate Millennium Falcon is a ready-to-fly toy quadcopter that’s very easy to get the hang of and soft enough to not do any damage to furniture and walls while you’re learning. It can be charged off the controller’s batteries or via USB to a computer or wall adapter.

The Bad Battery life is between 5 to 8 minutes. Nonremovable battery takes about an hour to recharge. High-pitched whine from its motors can get irritating.

The Bottom Line Move over, BB-8: The Air Hogs Ultimate Millennium Falcon is a good fit for anyone — young or old — who just wants a cool little quad to fly around the house.

Visit manufacturer site for details.

I’ve flown many toy drones around CNET’s offices, but none have resulted in the same childlike glee as Air Hogs’ Ultimate Millennium Falcon. It’s the one everyone wants to fly — or at least try to.

A foam replica of the most iconic ship from the Star Wars universe, this quadcopter originally sold for over $100, but now it’s down to about $70 (about £80 in the UK and AU$145 in Australia). And at 2.24 ounces (64g), it doesn’t require FAA registration.

More drone coverage

• The best toy drones you can buy right now
• Best drones of 2016
• Seven things you should know before buying your first drone

The soft frame and ducted propellers make it a good choice for first-time pilots as it just bounces off walls and furniture without damaging it or your stuff. That’s good since replacement parts aren’t available (the props do pull off just in case something gets tangled up in them).

Overall, the Falcon rockets around with ease, although the lack of trim switches on the controller means there’s no way to correct for uncontrollable drift when flying. Also, because of its lightweight design and motor positioning, going full-tilt forward can make it flip, and it doesn’t do well outside in more than a light breeze for the same reason. The motors also emit a high-pitched whine, but that can be drowned out with sound effects triggered with the controller.

Flights last between 5 to 8 minutes, but with the Falcon’s battery sealed inside, you’re waiting about an hour to take off again. Built into the controller is the drone’s charging cable, letting you use the controller’s six AA-size batteries to recharge. There’s also a pass-through Micro-USB port, so you can use a computer or USB charger to power up.

There are less expensive and more capable toy drones out there, but, you know, this is the Millennium Falcon.