No matter what age is every single boy or adult man wants to play with or at least have an R/C toy. Some buy R/C toy cars and others miniature helicopters or planes. Thanks to two inventors, Michael Connally and Ernest Butler anyone who is really mad about can now enjoy HydroFoam which has been available on the market as Storm Launcher for a couple of years now.

This amazing all-terrain vehicle – water, ground and air - was designed by Connally and Butler in 2004 and soon they sold the patent to a private company which started to produce and sell this amphibious R/C. Originally called “hydrofoam” by its two inventors this unique vehicle is promoted and marketed as Storm Launcher by Air Hogs. The pack that includes the vehicle and the remote has been available in US market such as – Walmart,or E-Toys – since October 2006.

It is hard to believe that such a small vehicle like this can do so many things as shown in this video – it travels on water, it easily moves on grass and sand and even on hard surfaces such as concrete and the most amazing of all it can even take off from ground in a very stable fashion with just a flick of the flaps. Just try to imagine a race between real R/C addicted guys on water, sand or the concrete in front of a nice quiet neighbourhood. It would definitely “launch a storm” thanks to its unique features.

It reaches 200 miles an hour and it loops, stunts and jumps over and over when pilots use both the transmitter and the vehicle at their full capacities on water, land or in the air.

The body looks just like a catamaran and it is made of three types of foam – this is where the name itself came from. It has two small twin brushless propellers powered by a two cell Li Polymer 7.4 V battery with 740 mAh. The 27 mHz transmitter is powered by six AA batteries.

Materials

The front is made of dark spongy heavy foam. If you have ever watched the F1 races or that high speed boats racing on water you noticed that the vehicles there crashing into other racers either bounce or they simply broke into pieces. Thanks to its dimensions – 15 inches wide, 19 inches long and 6 inches high – and that foam I have mentioned above Storm Launcher can terrible hits and impacts. The heavier foam in front breaks if it hits things at high speed and fortunately it saves a lot of money – just like the specially designed F1 cars. The rest of the machine is made of white lighter foam that makes it easy to control both on land and water.

The vertical and horizontal fins are made of a tougher type of foam – Depron – and they are also breakable in case of a hit. The center area is in fact made of hard plastic that protects the receiver, the direction and the batteries that are very hard to remove. Actually the two cells battery that powers the vehicle itself is encased in the central plastic box.

Operation

The vehicle and transmitter itself are very easy to use and even a beginner can operate Storm Launcher on water and on land without having any previous experience with R/C vehicles of any kind. Yet it is highly recommended that a beginner operates it is a large open space. The vehicle moves off after pushing the on/off button for four seconds and the throttle can be controlled with the left button on the panel of the remote control. The right control moves the flaps from side to side and the elevator that makes the Storm Launcher take off or land safely on the ground. The transmitter actually allows the operator to set two levels: expert and novice, the former being for beginners. Adults should carefully watch children operating this R/C because the speed and the weather conditions may transform it into an unstoppable vehicle.

Most people who have used this wonderful vehicle so far agree on one thing: is it extremely funny to play with it on water, ground or air. The technical innovative features of hydrofoam makes it the ideal “toy” for anyone who is interested in R/C and mad about the latest inventions in this field.

Trust me! This is a tip no one can afford to miss!