I have an unnatural obsession with all things remote controlled, probably stems from the need to control the things around me. The new Palm Z Silverlit Mini RC Airplane is the Picco Z for this year and these things are every bit as fun as the Picco Z, minus the vertical takeoff and landing bit.

The Palm Z charges from the controller, but unlike the Picco Z, there is no cable to connect to recharge the plane. The Palm Z connects to an adapter built into the controller, which is much easier than fiddling about with a cord. The plane is full function with climb, descend, left and right controls. With impact-resistant foam, construction crashes won't automatically destroy the plane. I crashed it several times into walls,
doors, the dog, my wife and a few other things. The plane was really no worse for the wear. Piloting the 8-inch wingspan plane is easy thanks to a slow flight speed and you can even pull some loops. Three Palm Z's can be flown at once thanks to multiple controller frequencies. The Palm Z retails for $39.50. [product]

- Shane McGlaun

- video by Richard Blakeley

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