The Taiyo Cobra Helicopter is a radio controlled helicopter released into the Japanese market in 2004.
In the early-mid 2000s Taiyo began looking for other model types to generate revenue, following the loss of their crown as #1 RC car manufacturer in the world. Increasingly they would focus on toy aircraft, which was a good bet considering that battery technology was now allowing this to become both possible, and cost effective.
One of these models was the 7.2V Cobra Helicopter. Joining an absolute market craze of small cheap RC helicopters arriving by the boatload from China, it was unlikely this would ever become significantly successful, but nevertheless they tried.
Performance
The Cobra would allow basic movement up and down, plus rotation, using two large paddles on either side of the aircraft to prevent it from spinning out of control.
Like all of Taiyo's helicopters at this time, there was no forward/backward movement, making it less of a helicopter and more of a hovering toy.
This would significantly limit what could be done with the helicopter, and made it no more than a limited distraction while Taiyo searched for a product that was more likely to be a winner.
