Road Champs Fly Wheels Rapid Fire Launcher
by Road Champs
Our Price: $37.99
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Category: Toy
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: Road ChampsBrand: Road Champs
Model: JP71214
Product features:
- Our recommended age: 8 - 12 years
- Racing has now become so advanced that the car itself is no longer necessary
- Fly Wheels relies solely on the part of the vehicle that actually touches the road as you launch customized wheels for high speed racing action
- This slick wheel launcher is built to hold five wheels at a time in its clip and then shoot them out, one at a time
- The launcher is shaped vaguely like a racecar and measures over two feet long
Toys and Games Reviews of Road Champs Fly Wheels Rapid Fire Launcher
Customer Review: Works Half the Time & The Price Should Be Cut in Half
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased this toy for my son who is seven. While he did not see a TV commercial for it, it was the one toy he definitely wanted for Christmas and, fortunately, there were plenty of them available in the store, even three days before Christmas. While the Road Champs Fly Wheels Rapid Fire Launcher did require a screwdriver to remove it from the packaging, I did not find this to be that big of a deal as some have suggested in their reviews. Also, the toy itself was straightforward to put together, no batteries were required, and we were ready to start playing with it in short order.
Two tires come with the toy and two hubs (not hubcaps, hubs). The hubs that you put on each tire to enable them to be launched are not a problem to put on the tires and sliding the tire and attached hub into the 'clip' prior to engaging the launcher is not a problem either. Next, is the launch process which consists of three steps executed by sliding a knob on the right side of the toy towards you and away from you. Please note that if you or your child are left handed, operating this toy may prove additionally probematic, as will become clearer in a moment. The launch process is as follows: first, you slide the knob towards you while you load the tires into the clip, then you slide the knob away from you to put the first tire and attached hub into the launch position, and, finally, you smoothly yet firmly slide the knob back towards you (almost like you do when you pull the rope to start a lawn mower) to start the tire spinning and 'launch' the tire out the chute and away from the toy (while you do this, the toy separates and deposits the hub into a little storage compartment on the toy). As the title of my review suggests, however, this whole launch process worked properly half the time at best.
One key thing you must do to have the best chance at getting the toy to work, which one reviewer mentioned, is place your left hand on top of the launcher holding it firmly in place not allowing the launcher to move while you slide the knob back towards you. Do NOT place your left hand on the steering wheel at the front of the toy (the part closes to you) which intuitively you would expect to do based on the design of the toy.
Furthermore, as I mentioned, two tires come with the toy. This no doubt adds to the frustration that others have mentioned since you will likely successfully launch only one of them. Additional tires can be purchased separately in packs of five or ten but they are typically sold out and unavailable. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND PURCHASING THIS TOY UNLESS YOU CAN ALSO PURCHASE THE EXTRA TIRES AT THE SAME TIME (and I understand this is virtually impossible to do if buying this for Christmas and the extra tires are sold out).
I believe this toy suffers from several design flaws that if resolved would make it more acceptable (fundamentally, the reviewer who stated that their child had more fun rolling the tires independently of the launcher makes the strongest case for the manufacturer to revisit the launcher design) because when we did launch the tires successfully, they took off quickly, rolled rapidly, and rolled without stopping (and sometimes stayed upright even when they stopped rolling) for at least 250 feet or so. (Which brings up another point that may be obvious: you need to have a flat, wide-open, preferably non-carpeted space lacking drains that will eat your tires to play in with this toy to give yourself the best chance of enjoying it). In fact, when the Rapid Fire Launcher did work, my son had a great time and soon asked me to launch the tires so he could engage in a 'race' with the launched tire whereby I would launch the tire and he would take off, with an expression of sheer joy on his face, running simultaneously to see if he could catch and surpass the rolling tire. Watching him do this is why I cannot support (although I completely understand) describing the toy as 'garbage'. If anything, this toy is way overpriced.
Going forward, the product manager for this toy should correct the design flaws (the ones I would recommend addressing are moving the steering wheel location to the top of the toy, narrowing the width of the tires to better ensure they can exit the launcher, widening the launch chute to better ensure the tires can launch, reexamining the hubs to address their not working properly as sometimes they don't come off the tire) to make the launcher success rate approach 100% or, minimally, cut the price in half AND, definitely, correct the misleading commercial others have mentioned (which I have never seen but can imagine).
Bottom line: 4 Star Fun When it Works But Only Buy When You Can Also Buy the Extra Tires
Description of Road Champs Fly Wheels Rapid Fire Launcher
Product Description Editorial Review Racing has now become so advanced that the car itself is no longer necessary. Fly Wheels relies solely on the part of the vehicle that actually touches the road as you launch customized wheels for high speed racing action. This slick wheel launcher is built to hold five wheels at a time in its clip and then shoot them out, one at a time, when you operate the mechanized shifting lever. The launcher is shaped vaguely like a racecar and measures over two feet long. We found the firing mechanism easy to operate and the launcher was entertaining to play with. --Charlie WilliamsRacing has now become so advanced that the car itself is no longer necessary. Fly Wheels relies solely on the part of the vehicle that actually touches the road as you launch customized wheels for high speed racing action. This slick wheel launcher is built to hold five wheels at a time in its clip and then shoot them out, one at a time, when you operate the mechanized shifting lever. The launcher is shaped vaguely like a racecar and measures over two feet long. We found the firing mechanism easy to operate and the launcher was entertaining to play with. --Charlie Williams
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