In the world where commercially available drones are mainly used for aerial photography, exploration, and racing, there are people who use them in completely unconventional ways. But, that’s only the front view of a hobby that takes background way before drones even emerged on the popular scene.
Of course, I am talking about the good old robot battles, a hobby which was brought to the mainstream public sometime in mid-1990’s where several TV shows portrayed the explosive robot fights for an audience of all ages.
Today, however, battle robots are nowhere near their peak time. That’s mostly due to the introduction of cheap drones for kids which prompted children’s attention to a new form of radio controlled fun.
Robot battles – how it all started?
As I’ve already mentioned above, robot battles were at their peak in mid and late 1990’s and ever made a solid transition into the new millennium. However, after the most popular shows such as Battlebots, Robot Wars, and Robotica were cut off TV programs, the hobby went from a mainstream craze to an underground cult of hardcore followers.
But it wasn’t due to a lack of fun as shown in the video above. In fact, Battlebots featured our favorite science guy Bill Nye which showed just how popular this TV show was back in its prime days.
Even though Youtube is filled with battle robot videos to this day in age, unfortunately, the community behind them is not enjoying its finest moments. But, with the rise of drones and their rapidly growing popularity among all age groups, it is only a matter of time before we see some real drone-on-drone battles completely replace the robot-dominated hobby.
Such a thing already exists
Contestants from all over the States (and the world too) arrive in decent numbers to watch and participate in the explosive drone duelling action. But, what does all of this have to do with our topic for today which is battle drones for kids? Well, this entire introductory section just goes to show what a massive scene robot battles were and the kind of scene duelling drones could become.
So, if you want to introduce your kids to a whole new hobby which has the potency of becoming the next big thing on TV shows across the States, then I’m proud to present to you with the best battle drones currently available on the market.
Air Wars Battle Drones for children
The price tag is bound to fool you when it comes to this battle quadcopters for kids package. It will set you back for roughly $50 which is dirt cheap for 2 drones. Yes, this is a duelling drone set with 2 models inside and each comes with its own dedicated controller. They charge up pretty quickly – took only around 30 minutes for both of them to be filled with juice.
In terms of the package, in addition to the drones and their controllers, you will also get 2 sets of extra propellers, one for each drone. However, from all we’ve had the chance to see at our office, these beauties are quite durable despite their fighting nature. In addition to the spare propellers, you will also get 2 packages of extra weaponry.
Yes, that’s right – inside the package, you’ll find a lot of extra weapons in the form of grappling hooks, pikes, spears, saws and plenty other ones. They are not difficult to set up – simply align them accordingly to their frames and snap them right on the drones’ prop guards. Combine these mini weapons with strategic thinking and wreak havoc on your opponent with the combination of preinstalled combat moves (more on that down below).
As far as the design and build quality are concerned, I was actually positively surprised by these little birdies. While they are extremely lightweight, they possess a decent dose of sturdiness further helped by the integrated prop guards which not only protect the propellers but serve as the basis for mounting weapons. The design is basically the same with both drones although there are several small differences (besides the color) that differentiate them.
Now that you know what comes within the package and the basics of what to expect from these dueling drones, it is time to talk a bit more about how to properly set everything up. By setting them up I am referring to the pairing process which could be problematic since you are getting not 1 but 2 drones inside the package.
How to properly set up air wars dueling drones?
If you end up buying this awesome dueling drones kit, one of the first problems you might encounter is pairing. Since you have 2 drones and controllers which work in the same gigahertz spectrum, it is easy to mess up the pairing routine and encounter pairing issues.
In addition to all those combat upgrades, there are also 4 preinstalled combat moves that will help you with taking your opponents down. They are located right in the middle of each controller. For more information on what exactly do they serve for, check out the following list and you’ll understand everything:
RAM ATTACK
By using the ram attack button, your drone will aggressively charge to the front and deal massive damage to the other drone… if it hits it, that is.
TORNADO ATTACK
This attack is in a circular motion with the drone spiraling upwards. It deals decent damage if you end up hooking your opponent’s drone during the motion.
360 SPIN ATTACK
360 spin attacks can be done in both left and right direction and will ground the opponent’s drone if it ends up hitting it.
CIRCLING ATTACK
Great for dodging your opponent’s moves and counterattacking with your own.
With everything that’s already been said about this awesome package, there really is no need to praise it any further. With solid build quality, extra parts and aggressive price tag, Air Wars Battle Drones for kids are an awesome purchase! They’ll provide your little ones with plenty of fun times, especially when you step in and show them who’s the boss of drone battles!
Best battle drones – alternative options
After that comprehensive and detailed view of Air Wars Battle Drones for children, it is time to take a look at the other alternatives available. For starters, let’s take a look at an interesting package which doesn’t necessarily rely on damaging drones for the battling part…
Air Hogs Rebel Assault
This time around, we will be focusing on Air Hogs Rebel Assault package that incorporates X-Wing and Death Star styled drones from the ever so popular Star Wars franchise. But, the first thing you will notice that there is only one controller inside the package.
How am I supposed to battle these drones with just one controller? Well, believe it or not, this is a single player setup. You see, both Death Star and X-Wing are supposed to bind to the included controller, but there is another twist. You will control the X-Wing while Death Star will fly on its own.
X-Wing, on the other hand, will be all yours as you’ll have to make quick and precise maneuvers to avoid Death Star’s infrared beams. Keep in mind though, these beams are invisible so the only way of avoiding them is to keep the X-Wing from being at the same spot for too long or the Death Star will get it. When your X-Wing or the Death Star get shot, it will wobble for a bit and then get right back to its pace.
Don’t worry if you get shot though as you have 3 hits until you’re grounded. The same goes for the Death Star too. You will be alarmed once you get hit (or successfully hit the Death Star) with a loud sound. Furthermore, the indicator will also notify you of being hit and after 3 hits on either your X-Wing or the Death Star, the “damaged” drone will safely land on the flood indicated that you’ve either won or lost… depending on which of the 2 drones lands.
Lastly, you can’t shoot your infrared beams in a spamming manner. Instead, you will only be able to shoot them once every 2 seconds. All things considered, if you want some safe dueling drone fun, then Air Hogs Rebel Assault seems like a great option.
Space Rails Set
Space Rails Set works with similar mechanics like the Air Hogs Rebel Assault. This package is capable of delivering a good deal of fun with a relatively cheap price tag to its name. With that said, let’s see what exactly can you expect with these 2 awesome looking dueling drones.
First things first – Spare Rails set allows 2 users to play simultaneously which was, obviously, not the case with the Air Hogs Rebel assault. This effectively doubles the fun as you will be able to play with your kids indoors (that’s where these tiny drones shine the most) pretty much whenever you want.
Inside the package, you will find 2 quadcopters along with 2 dedicated controllers. While the drones are quite sturdy, especially considering their price tag, the controllers were the main cost-cutting section. However, they still work without any issues although the build quality is not on a sky-high level. On the bright side though, you get 2 sets of spare propellers, one for each drone. Needless to say, considering these are battle drones for kids, I reckon you’ll be needing every spare propeller you can get your hands on.
As far as the battling mechanics go, the game kicks off by pairing both drones with their respective controller. After that, you are good to go. The obvious goal is to “shoot” your opponent’s drone with infrared beams coming from those tiny sensors at the tip of each drone. It might sound easy at first, but once both you and your kids learn how to properly control these birdies, you’ll end up having a lot of fun.
Instead of 3 hits, Space Rails combo set requires 4 in order to ground a drone. After each successful hit, there will be a cool little sound effect notifying you of the hit. Also, the damaged drone will tremble for a second or two before getting back to its senses. Finally, we’ve tested these birdies at our office and they were outright awesome. They provide an immersive drone battling experience for adults… so just think of the joy they’ll bring to younger audiences.
Air Hogs Thunder Trax
The last entry for today isn’t really a dueling drone. Instead, it’s an amphibious RC device which sports a unique (and awesome) appearance that will amaze kids of all ages.
Basically, we are talking about a tank/boat combo which can effectively drive on various types of terrain including water surfaces such as rivers, ponds, lakes and pools. That’s thanks to its amphibious design which can transform from tank to boat with a single press of that huge blue button on the right edge of the provided controller. It’s as simple as that!
Once that button is pressed, the entire lower portion of Air Hogs Thunder Trax will rise up and you’ll be able to control your newly formed boat. Keep in mind though, you can switch between tank and boat mode only while you are in water. If you try doing it on solid ground it will not work.
When it comes to the specifications, Air Hogs Thunder Trax actually surprised all of us with its unparalleled performance. Believe it or not, this RC controlled tank can drive around for up to half an hour per charge which takes around an hour to put the battery up to the maximum.
Obviously, we are talking about a waterproof design here as it works in water as well as on solid ground. Even the charging port is tightly sealed with a rubber cap ensuring the safety of inner electronics. However, you will need to take good care of the charger as it cannot be purchased separately. On the other hand, the controller is available for sale but I still warmly recommend going for the bundled package as it provides the best bang for your bucks.
As I’ve mentioned above, it can drive on all sorts of terrain. In addition to those stated above, this tank can also go through sand, gravel, small rocks and even snow. Talk about versatility.
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