REVIEW – Paw Patrol Air Patroller

My daughter and my nephew are HUGE Paw Patrol fans – and have been watching with excitement some of the newer episodes featuring new characters like Tracker and of course, the Air Patroller. Last Christmas, Erin was desperate for the Paw Patroller, but it was pretty much sold out everywhere. This year, with the exception of Hatchimals, the Air Patroller has become one of the next must have items, with children all desperate to find it under their tree. So what’s so special about it? We let the kids put it to the test! 🙂

About The Air Patroller

The Air Patroller is a small aircraft that the PAW Patrol use for rescue missions where the team have to travel long distances in short periods of time. Sometimes the PAW Patroller lorry just isn’t fast enough, and in order to ‘be there on the double’, they need something just a little more powerful! The Air Patroller is piloted by Robo Dog, a robot created by Ryder with a little help from Rocky.

The 2 in 1 Air Patroller toy transforms from plane mode to helicopter mode in a quick flick of the engines, and includes real lights and sounds.

The Air Patroller is made by Spin Master Toys and retails at around £39.99, including a Robo Dog figure. Other figures can be purchased separately and stored in the Air Patroller’s Cockpit and Cargo Bay.

Our Experience

The Air Patroller is  recommended for children aged 3+. My daughter Erin, 3 and nephew Nathan, 4 are both massive fans of the programme, and therefore were familiar with the Air Patroller as soon as they saw it. Erin has seen more of the recent episodes than Nathan, so she was more familiar with the Robo Dog character included in the set.

Nathan is really into cars, planes and automobiles, so really enjoyed being able to store some of his small cars in the cargo bay of the Air Patroller. He needed a little help at first to figure out how to open this, but once he had been shown once, he could then open and close without assistance. Erin sometimes needed a little help. Erin has a Marshall car from another set, so they also spent some time putting him in and out as they carried out their imaginary rescue mission!

Using the handle, Nathan enjoyed flying the Air Patroller around the lounge, and easily switched between plane and helicopter mode, enjoying the fact that the noises changed accordingly. The sounds are fun and realistic, without being overpowering. The packaging said that engines rotate, which my sister thought meant that the helicopter blades rotate. They don’t move, but for what I think is fairly obvious reasons as this might be a little dangerous! The rotating engine in fact refers to the fact that they rotate between flat for plane mode, and upright for helicopter mode.

Erin enjoyed putting the little Robo Dog character into the drivers seat in the cockpit, in the space that is specifically designed for him – there is enough room to also host another character or toy. For the retail price, it would have been better if a Ryder character or another member of the Paw Patrol had been included too, but the children didn’t seem to mind.

As parents, we really liked the carry handle, as this is handy if your child wants to take the Air Patroller out with them such as when you go to visit family. You can pop the characters in to the cargo bay or cockpit, and the child can then carry this as a self contained playset!

Overall, the Air Patroller is lots of fun, and would make a wonderful gift for Paw Patrol fans. The Air Patroller is a great addition to existing Paw Patrol sets, and if you have the Paw Patroller already, is a perfect complimentary item.

*Disclosure – We were sent an Air Patroller from Spin Master for the purpose of this review, however all thoughts and opinions are my own*