#airpatroller

Unboxing the toy

The Air Patroller is presented nicely in an open front display box, without a clear plastic screen.   This means you can touch the toy without opening the box in order to press the button and hear the sounds.

It is well secured to the box so arm yourself with scissors if your eager child wants to be able to play with it quickly!

Key features

First and foremost, this toys looks really good.  The handle on top of the vehicle simply invites you to make the Air Patroller soar through the air.  Press the button to add sound effects as you do so.  It’s all very intuitive.

The cockpit opens up to reveal two seats, one of which has slots for the Robo-dog figure (supplied).  There is also a compartment at the back where additional figures (sold separately) can be transported.  Without additional figures, the space can be used for transporting other toys around!

The propellors twist up to transform the plane into a helicopter of sorts (although it’s more like a plane with vertical take-off ability).  The sounds change to helicopter blades in this mode.

Thoughts on the toy

Elwood has watched Paw Patrol before and although he likes the show, if I’m honest, it isn’t a particular favourite.  However, the toy is so good it is difficult not to want to reach for the handle and start flying it around the room!   The cockpit and the compartment provide plenty of scope for imaginative play, even with only one figure.  That said, with more figures it would create more ways to play.

The figure of Robo-Dog looks very much like the character on the show.  The only criticism I have of the toy is that although his head moves, his body doesn’t change pose.

The toy has wheels allowing it to roll along the floor and, of course, take-off and land while in plane mode.

The toy certainly seems sturdy enough to cope with rough play, although we didn’t really put this to the test!

Aftercare

The toy uses three LR44 batteries (supplied), so they may need to be replaced at some point.  Otherwise, it seems like it would be an easy toy to look after as it doesn’t have parts that would be easy to lose.