In comic books, a superhero tends to be only as good as his villains, and the same might be said of World Tech Toys‘ superhero-themed line of R/C helicopters. It features some of the biggest names among DC Comics‘ costumed do-gooders; however, alongside Batman and Superman is quite possibly the most legendary of Batman’s rogues: the Joker. The DC Comics Licensed Joker Helicopter is inspired by the version of the character portrayed by Heath Ledger in the 2008 movie, The Dark Knight. The resemblance is there, including makeup that looks haphazardly applied, slightly hunched-over posture, and unsavory leer. Overall, this Joker appears ever ready to reign havoc down upon Gotham City, and the design is a fine contrast to World Tech’s Batman and Superman R/C helicopters, which are more heroic-looking by comparison.
Flying the Joker Helicopter may require some practice for R/C novices (and I count myself among them), but much of the fun comes from acquiring that mastery. The remote has a throttle stick that controls how fast the blades turn, a flight stick that seemed to make the figure rotate one way or another, and several other knobs and switches. From what I could tell, the key is getting the rotors spinning in such a way that the toy hovers at a level distance off the ground. Too slow, and it falls back to earth; too fast and, well, let’s hope you have tall ceilings. Just reaching the hovering stage isn’t easy, as the throttle stick is a little sensitive, which led to a few incidents in which the Joker fled out of control (which was probably keeping in character). Luckily, this is a pretty durable toy; in an hour spent with me, the Joker probably sustained more physical punishment than during the entirety of The Dark Knight, yet still looked in good condition afterward. In particular, I kept expecting the rotors to snap, but that never happened (although just in case, the package does come with extra blades).
The Dark Knight Joker Helicopter has a suggested age range of 8 and up, which makes sense, since learning the nuances of the controls does call for some patience. Meanwhile, at top speed, the blades may look like they’re spinning pretty fast, but even then kids don’t have to worry about injuries to fingers. Parents considering this toy as a gift should be aware that the spinning blades and intermittent crashes can add up to a lot of noise. However, as Batman himself would probably tell you, a certain amount of chaos and mayhem is inevitable with the Joker.
