When good toys go bad V: RC planes going down in smoke

PSA: If you just so happen to be one of the incredibly unlucky 66,000 owners of either a Sky Squadron Model 4153 (pictured after the jump) or Sky Rangers Model 4161 radio-controlled aircraft, we'd highly recommend not making them part of your Sunday afternoon fling. Unfortunately, the overheating (and potentially explosive) Li-ion curse has reared its ugly fiery head once more, and this time two RC planes distributed by Estes-Cox through Radio Shack and Wal-Mart are being promptly recalled. There have already been nine reports of eruptive behavior, including one craft that actually caught fire and somehow inflicted "a minor burn injury" to the unsuspecting user, triggering the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to take action. So if you're not exactly interested in the possibility of getting toasted by your not-so-innocent toy plane, be sure and hit the read link to initiate that always fun RMA process.

[Via Gearlog]

[Ryan @ Apr 1st 2007 6:44PM]

I wonder if beechcraft or rutan get a cut of the starship knock-off.

[Ayle @ Apr 1st 2007 7:38PM]

they cant since a plane is basically everything with wing that as been made by men.....

[strider_mt2k @ Apr 1st 2007 7:26PM]

Oh man we have these at my store too.

Well we did anyway.

[Dan @ Apr 1st 2007 7:56PM]

Anyone else read this and go, "SWEET!"?
I want to fly something through the air and then have it randomly combust, what kid wouldn't?

[Chris @ Apr 1st 2007 7:57PM]

I wonder if there's a way to predict when it will explode, and then you can use it as a Kamakazi plane.

[Zelatio @ Apr 1st 2007 8:16PM]

The batteries are Lithium Polymer actually(Lipo for short), not Lithium-ion. Lipo batteries are very dangerous. In real hobby grade R/C planes and helicopters, Lipo's are used due to their great power-weight ratio. A charger must be used that has a cutoff, because if they are charged for too long, they will start to swell and blow up. Many good chargers have a covering that you are supposed to put over the battery while charging, due to their dangerous behavior. I know of at least one garage completely burned up due to one small Lipo battery about the size of a AA battery. People should know what they are dealing with when they buy these machines.

[david @ Apr 1st 2007 10:27PM]

so, we now have potential flying ied s.

[jahi @ Apr 1st 2007 11:13PM]

SOMEONE ALERT OUR PRESIDENT OF THE IMPENDING TERRORIST ATTACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Steve-0 @ Apr 2nd 2007 1:08AM]

These batteries aren't to be used like this by someone who doesn't know how to handle them properly. I've been running li-poly's on brushless motors in my RC planes and I've had a few batts explode of "vent flame violently" either from crashing or not watching what I'm doing when charging over the years. sometimes they can take hours to go off. I keep mine in a fireproof box in the shed.

[Buurin @ Apr 2nd 2007 1:36AM]

Lipo fires
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1199486

I dont use Lipos in my planes for this reason.

[Jason @ Apr 2nd 2007 1:41AM]

Yeah, same as Dan said. What a cool eye feast it would be. Of course till it dosen't injure anyone.

Jason

[strider_mt2k @ Apr 2nd 2007 7:55AM]

Call your local Radio Shack and ask them to "save you one of the exploding ones".

Too bad this isn't an April 1st joke.

Yes, I have to admit to a slight bit of curiosity over seeing one of these babies go up in flames while in flight, although the power should ramp off pretty rapidly when it happens. Unless they glide well I don't know how long the show would last.

[NHAnimator @ Apr 2nd 2007 10:57AM]

Put Radio Shack and WalMart in the same sentence and that's what you get.

[James Mertz @ Apr 2nd 2007 11:35AM]

Engadget, you wusses. This is awesome.

[shouak @ Sep 5th 2007 7:43PM]

Can someone tell me if the Sky Rangers Model 4168 explodes also?