If you’re in the realm of remote control planes, you have likely heard of the PowerUp 4.0 RC plane kit. The PowerUp 4.0 is a low-cost, easy to use, self-propelled miniature RC plane that provides an opportunity for just about anyone to own and fly one directly from their smartphone, via the PowerUp app and a Bluetooth connection.

It encourages creativity by supporting various build kits, such as the well-known origami paper planes–or in this case–balsa wood, with the new Tornado Updraft 12 kit born from a partnership with Nighthawk Gliders.

You can buy the whole kit with wings included on the PowerUp website for $120, on sale now for $99. It will come with instructions and all of the materials you will need to construct your new balsa wood toy.

The idea is simple. The PowerUp 4.0 itself cannot fly, as it has no wings. It is a simple but elegant and well-engineered design. Up front, a cockpit holds the electronics, and is attached by a thin metal rod to two motorized propellers which will thrust the plane through the air from behind the wings. But here is where the fun comes in – deciding how you are going to produce lift.

By itself, the PowerUp 4.0 kit is just the skeleton of a fuselage. It is up to you to decide what kind of design interests you enough to build it. You may opt for paper or balsa wood, among the many available kits, designs, and templates available on their website and in origami books.

The Tornado Updraft 12

If origami doesn’t quite interest you, this balsa wood template should definitely be considered. It contains a cutout template, instructions, and a few necessary materials for constructing the wings and attaching them to the propulsion system. 

The required build time for this particular set is only a few hours if you ignore the super glue drying time. For the most part, it is an easy build, but it does require some small details that add some complexities and fun to the process with the intent of improving the quality of flight.

Fortunately, the instructions are great, easy to understand, and the kit provides you with lots of useful items like a small cutout designed to help set the correct angle of the wings as well as the horizontal stabilizers at the tail. 

The experience is overall pretty enjoyable and is great for passing time no matter your age, but I think it’s a particularly great gift for young kids that may be interested in finding a new hobby.

I was a bit worried about the durability of the plane, especially since I am fairly new to the hobby in general. A couple of rough crashes proved that the design is actually fairly sturdy and can take quite a few hits. Regardless, the balsa wood frame is so lightweight that some of my roughest landings weren’t catastrophic.

Of course, I’d recommend flying over grass in opposition to harder surfaces if possible, but as a beginner pilot, there is no need for too much concern as long as you fly in a safe, open area free of obstacles like trees or powerlines.

Flight Experience & Features

Even if you’ve never flown an RC plane before, the PowerUp 4.0 app on your smartphone makes it an extremely easy process. It took me just a few crashes before I was able to fly for two or more minutes at a time.

I have found that this kit demands a bit more space than you may need for its origami relatives, but it is just as quick to learn. Bluetooth range extends to 240 feet thanks to the antenna in the cockpit, and the easily-replaceable quick charge battery allows for around 10 minutes of non-stop flight time, which is pretty impressive for a rather small device like itself.

Unlike the lighter and smaller paper plane kits, this kit won’t take off so easily from a throw. Thankfully, the kit comes with ultra lightweight but surprisingly functional landing gear, so that you can take off and land with about 50 feet of runway space. Empty parking lots and long driveways are therefore essential to the experience, especially if you aren’t quite a pro at the takeoff and landing phase yet.

The PowerUp 4.0 smartphone app is truly great at what it does, and makes the flying experience really accessible for anyone who can operate a joystick. There are a couple unique features in there that aren’t necessary for this template in particular, but are definitely nice to have.

The plane tracks statistics of your flights like max flight time and simplifies the control of the plane in comparison to many other more advanced RC planes out there. It also adds some additional customizability to your experience.

Conclusion

There aren’t many other toys on the market that can make constructing and flying RC planes so affordable and easy. On the PowerUp 4.0, its size and specs make the learning curve extremely forgiving for even some of the most uncoordinated beginners. 

The entire construction process from start to finish is easy and enjoyable. It makes a great gift for children, but the PowerUp 4.0 Tornado Updraft 12 kit can be fun at any age.

In my opinion the price is very reasonable, especially when compared to some of the other hobby kits like it. The app is amazing and makes the whole experience even simpler. Connecting the plane to your mobile device is very quick and smooth, and the connection stays very stable even at long distances that wouldn’t normally be supported by Bluetooth.

If you own a Nintendo Switch, then at some point, you’re going to want a new controller. Whether it’s due to the small size, the dreaded stick shift, or you’re just tired of removing and attaching the Joy-Con controllers—it’s just good to have a second gamepad around.

Fortunately, there is a huge market for Nintendo Switch controllers, and PowerA was nice enough to send its officially licensed Fusion Pro Wireless Controller out for review.

Design

The PowerA Fusion Pro Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch looks nearly identical to the Switch Pro Controller, but the two gamepads do have some key differences. The largest one is the removable customizable paddle attachment on the back of the Fusion Pro Wireless.

Another standout feature is the magnetic replaceable face allowing you to swap between the included white or black faceplates. The joysticks are also swappable, with options for short or tall sticks and concave or convex caps, which are available inside of the included carrying case.

On the underside of the controller, PowerA has used a rubberized grip making it quite comfortable to hold in your hands. Finally, the PowerA Fusion Pro Wireless Controller offers a 3.5mm headphone jack for using wired headphones with it.

User Experience

Setting up the Fusion Pro Wireless Controller was a frictionless experience. Connecting it to my Nintendo Switch took only seconds and I was ready to play. You can even wake the Nintendo Switch with the home button on the Fusion Pro Wireless, an essential feature for all of us couch jockeys.

As for the buttons and joysticks, they all worked perfectly and I had no issues playing any of my games. However, the real game-changer was the Mappable Pro Pack which gives you four paddles on the underside of the controller. Each one of these paddles can be programmed to a button on the controller and allows you to activate the button without taking your thumbs off of the analog sticks.

A feature like this can be massively convenient or invaluable depending on the game. This is just one example of many, but while playing Zelda Breath of the Wild, I was able to map the attack, action, and jump buttons to the paddles. That made it so much easier to run around Hyrule slashing and picking up loot without ever needing to take my right thumb off of the analog stick.

Speaking of Breath of the Wild, if you’re a fan of gyro aiming, then no worries. The Fusion Pro Wireless Controller includes gyro controls, so you’ll be able to line up your shots and do the shrine puzzles with no issues.

For all that the PowerA Fusion Pro Wireless Controller does right, I’m afraid there are some drawbacks. The first is no NFC chip, which means no support for Amiibo. I’ve never used the Amiibo function with my Switch before, so that wasn’t a deal breaker for me. However, there are also no vibration motors and I did find I missed the haptic feedback during games. Lastly, while there is a 3.5mm headphone jack, it is only functional when using the controller wired and will not work in wireless mode.

None of these are truly essential features, and they may not be dealbreakers for you, especially given how game-changing the customizable paddles are. Regardless, it’s good to know what you’re getting before you spend your hard-earned dollars.

Battery Life

PowerA rates the Fusion Pro Wireless for up to 20-hours of battery life. After playing with it these past few weeks, I can say that seems about right. The controller even has fantastic standby time in between gaming sessions. Plus, there’s a generously long 10ft. USB Type-A to Type-C cable included that you can use to play wired.

Final Thoughts

The PowerA Fusion Pro Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch has a lot going for it. The obvious standout feature are the customizable paddle buttons, but it also has a comfortable rubber grip, replaceable faceplates and analog sticks, a premium carrying case, and fantastic battery life.

While there are a couple of concessions made with the lack of Amiibo support and haptic feedback, those aren’t deal breakers for many of us. However, the price tag might be. The retail price for the Fusion Pro Wireless is $100, and that’s a steep asking price when the official Nintendo Switch Pro Controller sells for $60 with support for Amiibo and HD rumble.

In this case, you’ll have to ask yourself how much the customizable paddles along with the replaceable faceplates and analog sticks are worth to you. If that’s worth the additional cost—then you won’t regret picking up the Fusion Pro Wireless—because it’s an incredible controller. I know the mappable paddles changed the way I played games for the better, and it’s now difficult for me to use a controller without them.

Alternatively, you can watch for the PowerA Fusion Pro Wireless Controller to go on sale because sometimes it can drop as low as $50.

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