Rarely do my impulse purchases deliver any sort of return on the investment. Even more rarely do they effectively hold my attention for longer than a day or two. This was definitely not the case this week when I was fortunate enough to obtain Wow Wee’s new FlyTech Dragonfly through Radio Shack’s limited early release. In fact I’m having trouble concentrating long enough to write this review as he sits next to me conveniently perched on the remote for a recharge because his LED eyes pulsate ominously during the charging process, taunting me to send him crashing into a wall with poor piloting skills.

I was definitely skeptical when it first came out of the box. The head/body and tail are made of Styrofoam, structured around a carbon-fiber frame reminiscent of a refillable pencil lead that also supports the ultra-light dual wing design (easily replaceable, an extra set of wings comes with the Dragonfly). I really didn’t expect to get this thing out of the box without breaking it. I couldn’t have been more wrong! This thing can take a beating like a UFC champion. It has bested every wall in the house, the corner of the piano, the flat screen, the fireplace insert, ill-advised catching attempts by a five year old (who can already fly it better than me if you are wondering about ease of use), multiple swatting attempts by unsuspecting visitors and three flights of stairs without the engineered grace of a slinky. Overall I give it an A+ for durability.

The assembly was as easy as screwing in the antenna and inserting the required 6 AA batteries in the remote. An optional stabilizing ribbon (included) can be clipped to the end of the tail to slow speeds and is recommended for beginning flight practice. The small charging cord conveniently stores in a compartment at the top end of the remote but can be a bit difficult to retrieve. The controller has a “beginner” setting for broad turns and “expert” for tighter turns and more maneuverability. There is also a trim dial to compensate for tail drifting. Other than that, it’s just your basic left toggle for power and right toggle for direction.

The remarkably light weight and uber durable Dragonfly is marketed as an indoor / outdoor flyer, but seemingly requires an ample amount of space to master indoor use (at least for me thus far) and minimal wind interference (recommended 4mph or less) when flying outside. The remote range is listed at 50 feet for outdoor flights, but I won’t be able to attest to that until the spring. The rechargeable lithium battery in the life-like looking and sounding bug has a 20 minute charge time and provides up to 10 minutes of flight time.

Overall, I can’t say enough good things about the Dragonfly. I was impressed beyond all expectations with its functionality and shocked at the affordable price (under 50 bucks). Unfortunately the aforementioned 5yr. old (recommended for 8+) is not as happy with it because it no longer belongs to him…now he’s going to have to wait until they’re back in stock sometime in April. Wow Wee has done it again!