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MISC HOBBIES | Home » » » AIR SWIMMERS FLYING SHARK REMOTE CONTROL | | | | | | WARNING:| CHOKING HAZARD -- Small parts. Not for children under 3 yrs. |
| | | Description: | | Air Swimmers swim through the air with incredibly smooth and life-like swimming motion. These amazing fish provide hours of remote control indoor fun in even the smallest of rooms (not for outdoor use). They require only four AAA batteries (one in the body, three in the controller) and have complete up, down and 360 degree turning control. The Shark is remote infra-red controlled and will respond to your inputs moving up and down most importantly left to right with fish like tail movement. Remote control has never come to life so magically! The helium filled fish body is made from durable nylon and with appropriate use will stay inflated for weeks depending on altitude. The William Mark Corporation has been dedicated to developing unique, high-quality products for extraordinary flight performance. The company was formed when Mark Forti, then a junior at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, invented the X-zyloTM for a marketing project. The product's performance amazed everyone who saw it. After stumping his physics professor as to why the object flew, Mark took it to his father, William, who worked in the aerospace industry. When William's aerodynamicist friends could not explain how it flew so far, William and Mark filed for patents and formed the William Mark Corporation. | | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 10.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 12.5 inches | | Product Height:
| 2.5 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.06 pounds | | Package Length:
| 14.5 inches | | Package Width:
| 10.7 inches | | Package Height:
| 2.5 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.95 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 558 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 558 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
775 of 785 found the following review helpful:
 Real Review by a Real User: Read This First (UPDATED JULY 2012)Sep 04, 2011
By Dave Millman
"davemill"
We have the shark, and first of all, let me say that virtually everybody's first reaction upon seeing it is to yell out a four-letter word! If you want to get a good idea of what it looks like and how it flies, look up Airswimmers on the web and watch the videos. They are also on YouTube. It looks and flies just like the videos.
WARNINGS:
This toy does not work outside, because there are too many air currents, and the slightest breeze will send this large balloon flying out of control. It does not work in small apartments or small rooms, because it is too darn big. You need a decent sized house, or an auditorium, church or basketball court to use this. Our house has normal 8-foot ceilings, and a big family room-kitchen area, which works great. Make sure there are no fans running. And it's a bit too delicate for little kids!
FLYING:
Wow, it really flies! You move forward by flapping the tail back and forth. You steer by flapping more left or more right. You climb and dive with a separate button that tips the shark up or down. With a bit of practice, you can steer wherever you want. Unlike many flying toys, this one really works.
ASSEMBLY:
You need to be somewhat adept at assembling delicate things to build this from the kit. There is a detailed video available that shows every step that is a bit easier to follow than the instructions-the video is highly recommended. The link is given in the instructions, or just search for airswimmers on the web. In any case, take your time, and make sure you have a second person to help.
HELIUM:
Any store that sells helium balloons can fill this for you. It stays inflated for a long time, then the store can top it off. I bought a tank of helium for this, and my guess is I have a lot of refills remaining. It hasn't deflated appreciably since we got it. The good news is, you use putty (included) to adjust for the amount of helium remaining (neutral buoyancy), so you won't have to refill often.
OVERALL:
Like many of you, when we saw this, we had to have it. I assembled it carefully, and it works. We're planning a trip to the community center with a two-story lobby to amaze some of my daughter's friends. It's fun, albeit a bit expensive with the currently inflated prices. Once some more of them make it into the country and the price comes down, expect to see more of them.
It's fun, a bit delicate, it works as advertised. Enjoy!
UPDATE: We've had the shark for a year now. We surprise guests with it every time new folks come over. It still works great, but we've learned a lot over the year. Here's what you need to know:
1. You really want to purchase a helium tank. It gets expensive topping off every 1-2 weeks at the party store, and it is hard to haul around unless you have a large vehicle. Do not top off with air as the manufacturer suggests, as this affects buoyancy. We are still on our first tank, since we are just topping off every few weeks.
2. Be careful not to lose the four rubber bands that hold the tail in place. These are the only small, loose parts and are critical for operation.
3. The shark will fly without needing to attach other helium balloons (as other reviewers have suggested). All you need to do is fill the shark completely, and adjust the trim (forward-back position on the remote control) for level, up or down flight. I have heard that some helium is not pure, but mixed with air, but haven't seen it myself.
291 of 294 found the following review helpful:
Some hints...Nov 06, 2011
By Gone-fishn
I own a toy store at elevation 4500 feet, but my house is at 5500 feet. We can fly the Air Swimmers just fine at our house. We sell and help our customers with the Air Swimmers which is why we've learned a few things about them. We would like to pass along the following information:
1) At high altitudes, you have to overfill the balloon a bit to get the best results. However, DO NOT overfill. Leave creases every two to three inches at least two inches long.
2) We use high grade helium which we purchase from a helium and a welding supplier. The helium sold in portable "party" containers is a mixture of air and helium and should not be used at altitudes above 4,000 feet.
3) We don't use the supplied tapes to assemble the swimmer. Instead, we use Crazy Glue (a.k.a. CA glue or Super Glue) to attach the fins and gondola and then a couple inches of scotch tape per fin to hold it while the glue dries. It is pretty durable and easy to fix when a feisty kid jumps up, grabs the shark by a fin, and rips it off. Anything can be reattached in just a couple minutes. This method also reduces the overall weight of the Air Swimmer.
4) The Air Swimmer is a Mylar balloon. Helium expands with a rise in temperature and contracts with cooler temperature. Do not put a full air swimmer in a hot car. It will EXPLODE!!!! Putty adjustments are required frequently to keep the Air Swimmer buoyant.
5) The radio controlled Air Swimmers (available only at Toys R Us) weigh more than the infrared version and will not work above 4000 feet in elevation.
6) Watch the Air Swimmer Assembly video on Youtube, however make the following change when you assemble at home: Test the remote control and track prior to assembly. Apply the remote control track to the Air Swimmer prior to application of the fins. If you apply the fins first assembly of the track is more difficult.
158 of 163 found the following review helpful:
 a good startAug 26, 2011
By Haley
I have the shark and first off, it looks way cool. People who see it flying are intrigued and delighted. The only thing that could be improved would be the radio reception. Line of sight is critical and even then, it doesnt seem to have the claimed 40ft range. This would be an excellent revision/upgrade. Also it would be nice if repacement parts were provided or at least available by the manufacturer, so you dont have to scrap a whole shark if a fin breaks. Overall it is way fun though! hours of entertainment and soooo many great applications (i enjoy flying mine at the high ceilinged local bar). Until there is a model with better remote reception, this thing really cant be beat for the money. Youl love it.
47 of 49 found the following review helpful:
Innovative, cool, LOTS of fun, but faults have to be notedSep 30, 2011
By Martin Acuna
First off, the thing is just really cool, assuming that you have:
- High ceilings, big rooms, or another way to really get it to show off it's "air swimming' capabilities. the thing has to have room to actually flap its tail fin around for momentum, as that's how it get around - it's not propelled by a propeller or anything like that.
- Time, like two ro three hours of time, to properly set the thing up. The process is well-documented in the instructions and in vids online, but you'll still wind going, "Wait, what???" at least a couple of times. Also, the RC takes some getting used to, because you actually have to make the thing 'swim,' no just joggle a joystick around to make it fly. It's part of the fun, but takes some adjustment - especially that last bit where you put in bits of putty counterweight (included) to get it to float neautrally.
- Packing tape on hand. The bits that they give you in the kit are good, but you will wind up tearing or folding or otherwise making them unusuable. Regular packing tape and good scissors will get you out of that jam.
- QUALITY helium. I never knew that there was more than one kind of helium, so I took it to the dollar store, where they charged me 10 bucks to fill it based on the size, and it stopped floating after the weekend. Instructions say something about blah-blah-blah percentage of helium per whatever, but I got bored. Got a small party tank from ARNEs, and it's stayed afloat for days now, and I've got lots of leftover.
- Also, once the thing starts deflating, the essential rubber bands fall off. You need those to keep the rear fin and other stuff together.
Overall, this is just a really cool toy. Well-designed, nicely implemented, worth the 40-something bucks that I snagged it for. Just remember to include the cost of gas and batteries. Suggestion for the makers (since I know you're all just obsessing over your Amazon reviews and such,) but the IR control technology is way over. I understand that it's cheap, but I'd have paid extra to have RF controls so I could sit in comfort and not have to follow the thing around when I swim it. You've probably heard this a bunch of times before, so what's once more gonna hurt?
Long story long, this is a super-cool attention-getter, and will keep you obsessed until it stops floating. Get the good helium. Get good batteries. Take your time putting it together. Enjoy it. There's no other toy out there like it.
35 of 37 found the following review helpful:
Caution when using at Altitude!Sep 22, 2011
By Michel L. Hearn
Ths Air Swimmer will work in Denver at 5200 feet elevation, but..,
The packaging states that it "may not work at high elevation", but there is no warning on the Air Swimmer site or online, so you will not find this out until it arrives. Initially, I was unable to get the Air Swimmer Shark to achieve neutral buoyancy at altitude of 5200 ft. I filled it with a Helium bottle purchased at Walmart online, bottle states that "Helium" is the only content in bottle. Same bottle sold at Toys-r us and on Amazon, redish colored bottle that looks like a standard barbeque propane bottle shape (different names like "Ballon Time"). I was later contacted my email stating that these bottles are not 100% helium no matter what is on the label. Sure enough, after draining the Shark and refilling at a local florist ($5.00), the shark is lighter than air. It requires very little counter weight so I would not try the shark at much over 6000 ft. And the florist told me I will need to top it off more often at this altitude. All in all, the Air Swimmer works fine at this altitude and is lots of fun. But be cautious of where you get your Helium. Stick to a welding shop if buying a bottle, otherwise go to a florist or Party supply store to fill it up. It is actually cheaper to fill at a florist (at $5.00) than to buy the Helium.
See all 558 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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