Star Wars fans have long been able to buy scale models of Starfighters and other craft from the franchise, and a new crop of models vying for their attention appears to be more of the same—until you examine their eyebrow-raising $240 price tag and realize that they actually fly.
Yes, toy drone maker Propel has negotiated the strict Lucasfilm licensing regime to create official quadcopter versions of Tie Fighters, X-Wing Starfighters, and even the Speeder Bike. First revealed in July, a few prototypes arrived in San Francisco this week for a press demonstration ahead of the start of public sales on Friday.
Like most other Star Wars toys, the drones are meant to serve as memorabilia as much as they are playthings. That's immediately apparent just from looking at the boxes they come in, which have their own batteries, pedestal lights, and soundtracks that activate when you remove their covers. These are unmistakably collectors' items.
The drones themselves are meant for indoor dogfights, and even come equipped with their own lasers and sensors to shoot down enemy craft. If your drone gets too many direct hits, as determined by its sensors, it will enter "crash mode" and drop to the floor. As in the films, the Empire's Tie Fighters shoot green laser beams while the rebel craft shoot red ones.
If you're an advanced drone pilot (and you have a big enough basement), you can get the drones flying at their top speed of 35 miles per hour. Pushing a button on the remote control will tell your bike or fighter to perform a sidewinder barrell roll automatically.
Beginners, meanwhile, will appreciate the training mode and altitude stabilization, which helps the drone hover in a single spot and allows the pilot to hone his or her shooting technique.
Each drone comes with spare blades and laser cannons, which could break during one of the many crashes your fighter or bike is likely to endure. The blades are partially transparent and extraordinarily thin because they're designed to detract as little as possible from the authentic look of the craft. Also included are two lithium ion batteries and a USB charging cable.
The fighters and speeder bike go on sale Friday for $239.99 at Bed, Bath and Beyond, Best Buy, Brookstone, and the Disney Store. Meanwhile, Propel is planning a 2017 release for the most recognizable of all Star Wars models: the Millennium Falcon.