Flying gadgets: PicooZ & Mini Bi-Plane in aerial assault
There's little on this planet as enjoyable as a radio-controlled plane or helicopter. Come see how much fun they make Monday mornings
Here at Crave, we're all about the HR violations. Balls are thrown around the office, superiors are groped inappropriately, and songs with rude words are sung, often about the managing director (always behind his back, mind).
But we've just discovered an even cooler way to violate HR rules: with toys from iwantoneofthose.com. We've already damaged eardrums with the USB guitar, so now we've decided to dive-bomb our workmates with the PicooZ Micro Helicopter (£24.95) and the Mini Bi-Plane (£24.99).
Both are lightweight radio-controlled aircraft, and both are perfect for annoying the heck out of the people unfortunate enough to work with you. Take a look at the pictures over the following few pages for some inspiration. -Rory Reid
Our aerial assault begins with the PicooZ chopper. This thing flies and sounds like an angry bumblebee, and really gives you the impression you're flying something extremely clever. Unfortunately, we couldn't figure out how on Earth to control the thing.
Our aerial manoeuvres were restricted to hovering, spinning in a slightly out-of-control manner and crashing into the ceiling. We're pretty good at landing though. Sideways.
Here you can see the PicooZ making its way up our central staircase. This was one of our favourite moments with it, but it would have been far more satisfying were there some hapless person descending the stairs with a round of hot teas.
The PicooZ sits atop our LG television. It's perfectly capable of taking off from such a precarious position, but we'll give £100 to anyone who can land it again on such a narrow strip*.
*Not really.
Close inspection shows the PicooZ is actually made of a cheap foam material stuffed with a few rudimentary electronics. It's not hugely complex, but it is extremely lightweight, so a 30-minute charge equates to 10 minutes of flying time.
The PicooZ pushes its luck a little too far by attacking our resident python. The hardcore foam-on-foam action that followed wasn't pretty.
The Mini Bi-Plane hurtles towards our hapless editorial team. Luckily the pilot manages to divert it towards the ceiling in the nick of time, causing irreparable damage to an innocent lightbulb.
Flying this baby indoors isn't the best idea we've ever had. Four people were hurt while filming, one hospitalised, and one -- the pilot -- was threatened with immediate dismissal. Sorry HR.
Our resident mobile phone guru has a close encounter with the Mini Bi-Plane. Judging by his expression, the incident has probably caused a lobotomy.
A close-up of the Bi-Plane's rear quarters. It too is constructed of foam and powered by two lightweight propellor engines.