Airplane Toys - Building and Flying Radio Controlled Airplanes

Airplane toys are a favorite of boys, both young and young at heart. Toy airplanes come in sizes and price ranges of just a few dollars to several hundred dollars. Here is a look at some of the all time favorite airplane toys.

The least expensive and most popular with younger kids are the wooden airplane toys. One of the first flying plane toys that almost everyone has flown at some point are the familiar balsa wood planes, cut from a thin piece of balsa and pieced together with the wings stuck through the body. And of course these gliders actually fly, so they are a lot of fun. You can also find wooden airplane puzzles. The Original Toy company has a popular first toy plane.

These come in a couple of major categories. First are the simple children's plastic planes, like the Fisher Price planes. Also falling into this category are the Lego series of planes. Legos come in a wide range of small kits, from simple planes under $10 to close to $100 for the complex multi-piece kits. Lego prices generally follow skill level.

Other types of plastic planes are those for the hobbyist interested in planes. These are airplane kits that are built from dozens or hundreds of pieces. They are built for show more than play. As the hobbiest will tell you, painting these model airplanes is where the creativity comes in and they are often prized more for their ability to replicate a famous aircraft like some of the WWI and WWII planes like the Sopwith Camel or Japanese Zeros than they are valued for playing. After assembly, these are usually finished with the addition of decals, but for a more realistic finish often these are painted to resemble the original aircraft. You can find model planes starting with the Wright brothers all the way up to a Saturn V rocket.

These planes are favored for their one key feature, the ability to actually fly. Often times you may have seen these plane lovers in a local park where there is a big open field which gives them the ability to soar in the sky and usually attract a lot of attention.

Prices for these radio controlled planes range can reach into the several hundred dollar range. That does not mean you can't get a decent start plane for $30 or so, which is great for the youngster just getting started. Since these take some skill to master, you probably want to get a few hours of training in on a starter radio controlled plane before you invest a lot in one of the more expensive planes. Another factor in this method is that some of the high end planes are large and heavy, which can mean they turn into a weapon if not handled properly.

While not technically a plane, a favorite of many are the model rockets. Estes has made a line of these for years. While definitely made for the older kids or adults, nothing beats the sensation of watching one of these ignite and burst off the launching pad skyward, and with a little skill and a little luck seeing the parachute deploy and the payload drift safely back to the ground. Definitely the ideal situation!