Office Toys: SilverLit Picoo Z Micro-Helicopter

For the last 48 hours, I have been in the giddy wonderland of new love. The Picoo Z, a $30 RC helicopter, might be the best toy I’ve ever purchased.

On paper, the Picoo Z looks crappy: Foam, polypropylene body; infrared controls instead of radio; two-control axes, vertical and rotational, instead of the more common four.

But the foam body means it can take crash landings with ease. The two-axis controls offer plenty of steering fidelity for short, indoor flights. The infrared controls might choke out in bright sunlight, but for indoor use they’re surprisingly capable (and presumably easier on the batteries).

Each 5-7 minute flight is a stupid amount of fun and despite at least a couple dozen flights with my little Picoo Z since this Saturday, I’ve yet to grow bored with it. I’m having some difficultly not firing it up for a test flight while writing this right now.

For a couple of hours yesterday I thought I’d killed mine, having ripped apart its foam body to get at the innards for some modding, then accidentally filled the teeth on the main gear with superglue. When I fixed it and heard the motor whir into life with a newly-oiled, throaty growl—okay, a buzz, but a deep buzz!—I made such a cackle that my dog almost woke from his mid-afternoon pre-nap nap.

I bought mine from Radio Shack, but those bastards have just raised the price to $40. It still says $29.99 on the box, however, and you may be able to get them to honor the old price as I did. Toys ‘R’ Us is rumored to have them, as well, although their website doesn’t have them listed. I’ve yet to find an online source that doesn’t nail you for shipping, driving even $30 choppers up to $45 or so when it’s all said and done.

When you get one—and you must—you’ll want to do a few mods. Oiling the rotor shaft helps tremendously, as does adding weight to the front to pitch the nose down for forward momentum. (Or, even better, used the plastic to create little air-ducting wings.) Several RC forums are discussing the Picoo Z, but I’ve found the RCGroups.com boards the most active. They even have an index of common mods.

If you’ve ever wanted an RC helicopter but found the cost daunting, especially when compounded by the inevitability of crashing your bird, buy yourself a sturdy little Picoo Z. Then you’ll be faced with the decision facing me: Buy a more advanced helicopter or just buy more Picoo Zs?