Air Swimmers Remote Control Flying Clownfish

I've gotten this item 3 times through Amazon, and it's a great toy IF you receive the legitimate item-- BUT 2 out of the 3 times I ordered it ("fulfilled through Amazon"), I received knock-off versions (like gray market versions of things you see at flea markets), and NOT the genuine Air Swimmer described on the website. Amazon did refund me, but many buyers may not have realized when they get counterfeits (which would not be covered by toy company's warranty). My guess is these fakes account for some of the 1 or 2 star Amazon ratings due to quality for this toy (see end for my review of the genuine item). Knock-offs I got weren't exactly alike, but both packages were made to look a lot like real one-- used same photo, colors, typeface, and box shape (smaller though). 1st one I ordered (Xmas 2011) was genuine one, and I still had original box to compare to when something looked fishy with new ones I ordered this December (2012) because we liked 1st one so much. MY TIPS FOR CHECKING IF YOU GOT A KNOCK-OFF: (If you see things like on mine, below, I suggest you contact Amazon, even if it's been a while) 1) Legit item should be named "Air Swimmers". (My fakes were something like "Air Swim Fish" and "Flying Fish", a similar enough idea you could easily miss they weren't the true official name) 2) True toy company's name, "William Mark", should appear somewhere on box. Knock-offs didn't have it anywhere. (This is a small American toy company, getting their great patented design apparently ripped off by overseas manufacturer(s), probably too small to fight it and receiving no share of the $ you spent if you got a fake. Makes me mad) 3) Knock-offs had UPC codes printed on a sticker, that was pasted on the back of box over where UPC should go, instead of the UPC actually being part of the printed package (a sign these probably weren't originally meant for sale in USA, but instead in countries with lax copy right laws) 4) Distances were in metric (meters, not feet), and some codes and small print on back weren't what you usually see on USA packaging-- Asian or arabic typefaces, mfg codes oriented to Europe and Asia, etc (Sorry, don't have boxes anymore for exact examples, but looks like what you see on "imported" products, not on a typical toy pkg here. Real Air Swimmers said "made in China", but that's it, should still be domestic packaging) 5) One of the knock-offs actually had a fake "customer service" phone number and web site boldly printed on the box. (When I called, it was some hair products company, and the website wasn't real) ADDED NOTE: airswimmers.com website also lists some ways to identify illegal knock-offs If you are wondering why Amazon would sell "counterfeit" items, remember that "Fulfilled by Amazon" (vs. when it actually says "sold by amazon.com") just means Amazon handles the shipping and billing to you, acting as a store front. The "sold by..." is the seller who provides the actual product and is responsible for it matching the website description. Anybody can sign up to be an Amazon seller (like on eBay), and they have multiple sellers selling the same items. Sellers do get ratings, but customers mostly rate them on delivery, and probably don't recognize signs when it's a "gray market" or counterfeit version. Then if quality is bad, we wrongly blame the true manufacturer for the fake, and give the product a bad rating, but not the seller. Amazon tells me they are working on cracking down on knock-offs and gray market goods, in the mean time check what you receive carefully! MY REVIEW OF THE REAL AIR SWIMMER: This toy was nifty, gentle fun, entertaining enough that I was ordering another, as mentioned above. Got it for my 77 year old "child at heart" Mom, and our whole toy-loving family enjoyed taking turns flying it around, and making it go over and nudge up to people as we sat around and talked. It's an open loft apartment, so great space to fly Elmer around (yes, Mom named her clown fish "Elmer"). Tail movement surprisingly fish-like, making the room feel relaxing, like we were all in a giant fish bowl. Mom was ill at the time, so it was nice she could fly Elmer from a recliner. It did take some time (1/2 hour?) to assemble and balance for flying (a challenge only if you're hopelessly non-mechanical). So suggest assembly ahead if it will want to be used right away (could fly it in from hiding to the recipient!). Not super-delicate, but wouldn't recommend for any kids that can't take turns without grabbing, or keep themselves from fighting and rough housing over it. Ours lasted over 6 months (just needed to be topped up with helium occasionally) until one of the plastic fins fell off and I haven't found a way to stick it back on (would be great if they provided spare double stick tape) So not a "forever" toy, but it's cool and everyone wants a turn flying it, well worth price under $30, and nice for a gathering in a big open (indoor only) space. Probably not as good for a house with small rooms, lots of doors, and low ceilings-- fish is pretty big, and has to be in line-of-sight of the remote.

I like gadgets and unique items, that's why this flying clownfish caught my eye for my daughter's birthday party. It comes with many parts and even more stickers and tape to hold the fins onto the fish. Here are some things to keep in mind. 1) Fins do not match the picture...at all! They are cheap brown and are not painted to match the balloon. Big disappointment when you want it to look as real as possible. It's false advertisement and I feel ripped off. 2) Sticky pads and tape are nearly impossible to remove from their paper sheet and apply to the balloon. This process of taping on fins took almost 30 minutes alone. You peel up a sticky pad and the whole sheet of paper tears and comes up with it. Poor quality. 3) It is IR remote controlled only, which means you have to be within line of sight. I knew this going in, but I didn't know that the model sold in Toys R Us is RF and has a much longer range. They have a contract with the store to only sell Toys R Us the RF model. Pretty ridiculous and underhanded it sounds to me. I was very disappointed and felt I got the knock-off version...for the same price. The Toys R Us version probably has the REAL fins with it too. 4) The thing is huge. Yeah it fits in my living room but where am I supposed to fly it to. Ok hit that wall, turn around, ok hit the other wall. I'm done now. 5) Balancing the fish is difficult. They supply some putty to weigh it down to float. Adding the right amount is trial and error. But you also have to mount the motorized weight distribution device in the right location according to your altitude. They give you a guide to do this, but it was incorrect for me. My fish will only float or point up to swim upwards. I cannot make it dive because of where I mounted the weight. And you can forget taking it off and remounting it. They already had you apply the sticky pads and sticky reinforcement tape to the balloon so there is no way you are getting it back off again without breaking something. 6) The motors operating the fish are LOUD! It looks so cool floating in mid air, then you begin moving the fin and flying it. EERRRRRRRRRRR. ERRRRRRRRR. That's the sound as you descend or ascend the fish. The tail fin is not as loud, but all the sounds really take away from the illusion of it being a fish. These were just some of my thoughts as I set-up and flew it around for an hour or so. So bottom line...it is over priced and is better suited for the $19.99 price range. Maybe if I got the painted fins to match the fish, it wasn't so loud and it came with a better RF remote I might pay $40 for it. Skip Amazon on this one and head to Toys R Us to pick one up if you want to give it a try. At least you can return it there easily and only be out a few bucks for the helium.

This thing is awesome! I bought this for my wife for her birthday party. We were hosting the relatives including three girls under 12 and it was the life of the party. I don't know why the clownfish version of the air swimmers is so much cheaper. This didn't seem to have any pitfalls that would cause it to be $10. (after looking online a bit more, it seems like it's an older model. The remote control looks different) I filled it up at the grocery store for $7, so keep that in mind. PROS: Once you finally have it all together and the ballast is properly set (using the included putty) so that it is floating around 5 feet high, this thing is magical. The movement as the fin waves back and forth is so natural and matches a fishes motion so well that it's a little uncanny. We played with it for the next 4 days or so before the helium depleted too much. I was very surprised at how easy it was to steer throughout the house. Unlike those Helium blimps with the fans, the fin propulsion idea is so much more natural. You do have to be pretty close to the thing for the Radio Control to connect to the onboard motors. If you get more than 10 feet away it loses connection. This thing is sublime as it swims through your house. I thought the cats would either be terrified of it or want to attack it, and after the initial period of getting used to it, they didn't even pay attention to it anymore. CONS: The range of the remote control could be further, that would allow you to enjoy it while sitting on the couch and watch it swim around the room. As it is right now you pretty much have to walk around with it, trailing about 5 feet behind it. Another problem would be that assembling it takes a long time and the instructions are not very clear at all. Watch the video on youtube. Unfortunately I was assembling this at a birthday party with 3 crazy kids running around so I had to do it on the fly without taking my time and looking up the video. A big WARNING I would give to people who buy this relates to getting the balloon from the helium source to your house. If you have a helium tank, then no problem. But I had to take it to a grocer's (you could also go to a florist) and the suggestion on the instructions said to tie the included Ribbon to the box and the other end to one of the provided tabs on the balloon. I did this, but I still held tightly onto the tabs on the balloon, instead of letting it float up and holding it like a normal helium balloon: by the string. I brought it home and even briefly considered letting it float up like a normal balloon as I brought it into the house for the effect. Good thing I didn't because after I had it safely confined in the house and went on to finish other chores, when I came back the ribbon I had tied to the balloon had torn through the mylar material and the balloon was floating on the ceiling. That would have been disappointing to be walking out of the grocery store, holding the balloon by the ribbon, only to have it tear through the mylar support and fly into the clouds. TL;DR While transporting it, hold onto it tight, don't trust the ribbon.

We purchased this for my daughter's 5th birthday since she saw it on TV and wanted one. We only paid around $20 for it, which was way less than I've seen elsewhere. Once you get it, you have to get it filled with helium. Instead of lugging it to Party City, we just bought a $20 "Party Time" helium tank from Wal-Mart since we were planning on using the balloons for her party anyways. There was plenty of helium in the tank to fill it up. Once filled, you have to tie it down to something so it doesn't float away. The place where you put the air in pulled out when we took the helium thing out, so once it deflates we won't be able to re-fill it again, which is dissapointing but also a blessing, read on... You would think the hard part was over, boy were we wrong. It took AT LEAST TWO MORE HOURS to put all the sticky tape all over this thing and set it up. Then the tape was falling off and we had to re-tape everything back on with our own clear packaging tape. One person had to hold the thing while the other had to put the tape correctly on it, pieces of it got lost and tossed out in the process and we had to tear the kitchen apart trying to find it, finally going through the trash. It takes batteries in the remote and in the thing that you attach to the bottom of the nose, they die quickly if not shut off. It's noisy when being operated, not silent like a lot of other reviews I read. You have to constantly swish the tail back and forth with the remote while moving the thing under it's nose back and forth, that's what moves it around. It was pretty cool once set up, but it's been around for a couple weeks now, has partly deflated, and it's lost it's fun and I'm ready for it to be gone! It would be a fun toy for a party, short term, since it won't last. Be patient when setting it up and have an extra hand around. I recomment the Party Time helium tank from Wal-Mart too, that was a blessing.

We got got the Clown Fish for our 9 year old daughter for Christmas. Got it filled with helium the day before at our local grocery store flower/balloon dept. (charged us $3) and then set it up -- which (although the directions say to give yourself about an hour) took about 2 (at-times-painstaking) hours. On that note, a word to the wise -- if you can avoid it, I would recommend not planning to set this up at the last minute before going to bed Christmas eve or late-night before your child's birthday (easier said than done, I realize, as it's pretty tough to hide a 4-foot long floating fish, but I put it together at a neighbor's house the day before & was glad I did). There is a warning in the instructions to the effect that you need to have at least a minimal level of mechanical ability in order to assemble this toy -- and with good reason! The video assembly instructions make it look far easier and smoother than it actually was in practice at least for me, as a first-time assembler). I would add to that warning, more specifically, that it REALLY helps to have a steady hand, for peeling & sticking (without ruining) very sticky double-sided tape rectangles and pre-formed, very thin pieces of tape that are no sooner removed from their non-stick sheet than will (more-often-than-not, from static electricity or just floppiness) immediately either stick to your fingers or to themselves (which is painstaking to undo, if not impossible... happened to me several times, but I HAVE these skills & was able, with effort, to undo damage before it became catastrophic; i.e. - a needed piece ruined with no time to run to the store & get something that would suit the purpose). It occurred to me more than once that I pity the person who is clumsy &/or is pressed for time &/or low on energy & patience and goes to put this together with no advance preparation or margin for error. BUT... it works perfectly and both daughters (9 yrs & 12 yrs) rate it 5 stars. I was also worried about our cat instantly destroying it with one swipe of a paw... but after a full day, so far so good. It really looks like it is swimming in the air! :)

so I did look into all reviews, prepared a messy installation, and I do have many years of model building experience. yet the top review was still sugar coating the terrible instruction manual too much. material wise i didn't need the super glue or extra tapes I prepared as other reviews suggested, however the instruction sequence in the piece of paper came in the box put most important gotchas behind almost impossible to reverse steps. I paid enough attention to use correct double side tape pieces and direction of the hooks, but the positioning of the motor unit was just a miss. why in the world would an instruction put the critical positioning gotchas *AFTER* directing you tape the unit to the balloon already??? for this poorly organized sequence the balloon basically becomes unoperational because the weight distribution could be wrong. I semi mitigated with some of my airgun lead ammo but I can definitely see many buyers can just fail at this step. it's also too late to return the product as *unused* at this point. I take this purchase as a self-education that if you think some of the reviews reflects poor quality or design of the product even only slightly triggers your concern, DON'T BUY, because it'll be a waste of your money and time, worst case it ruins your children's expectation. for those have time and money, as well as extra patience and mood to expense, make sure you read through *ALL* instructions back and forth thoroughly *BEFORE* you even attempt to start assembling the kit. there are good tips in other reviews that you should: 1. get 4 AAA batteries so you can examine the remote & motor pairing first. (the instruction paper does has steps to re-pairing in section C, I personally didn't use it because my kit was working) 2. helium tank is a must, especially under COVID lockdown, it's less than ideal to bring the fish to a party store or what while the end result is huge. 3. I positioned the motor track piece at a less than optimal position so I cannot tell if the total weight is good enough so the balloon can float in the air without rising nor falling. I did attempt to test the total weight by holding it level with my hand and I have a strong feeling / concern that the total weight is not enough to hold the balloon level / still in air without vertical movement. prepare for the unknowns / counterweight and balance it to your expectation / satisfaction before you really put everything together. anyways, a nice concept. slightly below average material quality, definitely terrible assembling instruction, and questionable overall weight, the remote control is somewhat at average given the price. YMMV.

Two days before Christmas my 8 year old son son said "Mom, the only thing I really want for Christmas is an Air Swimmer!" Oops! That would have been great info to give to Santa a little bit sooner! Luckily Santa was able to get this toy through Amazon with fairly reasonably priced overnight shipping. Yes, it was a splurge but he was so excited to see it there on Christmas morning and couldn't wait to play with it. Had it filled at our local grocery store for 1.00. I would suggest reading the directions very carefully in their entirety and then following them exactly step by step...definitely a two person job, as the inflated fish is large and pretty unwieldy. It was kind of a pain to put together but we got through it with lots of patience. While I was assembling it my heart was sinking, thinking there is no way this flimsy looking toy could possibly work. Weighting correctly with the putty took all of about 2 minutes, and lo and behold, the thing is swimming through the air. My kids were absolutely ecstatic...it swims with a very realistic motion and my 8 year old was quickly able to maneuver it quite well...he makes it dive and spin and chase people and our dog. The family room looks like a big aquarium. It's hysterical, and has been every kid's favorite toy who has visited us. I can't imagine this toy will last forever as it is rather flimsy but it has made it through more than a week of frequent use, and the fun they have had with has been well worth it. I put a couple of stars for educational because my son helped me put it together and he learned the value of patience...maybe a bit of a simple lesson in aeronautical engineering too, lol.

Unless you have a large basement or auditorium, don't waste your money. I ordered two as Christmas gifts, filled them as per instructions with non-diluted helium. BOTH had valve leaks as per the two different places I had them filled. We attempted to tape the valves closed but there were obviously other small holes because both fish were on the floor by Christmas morning (I had them filled the day before), along with two very sad kids. They were a pain but relatively easy to assemble after watching the on-line video. But even though I had read and heard that they would be good in ANY size room they are not. I have an average size apartment, it was impossible to have two of them and even with one there is not enough room in an average size room to maneuver them. Because they were gifts for someone else who owns a house, they were still too big to maneuver. The motor did work well and it seems like a good concept but in my opinion there are just still too many flaws. You are dealing with nothing more than an over sized helium balloon. Even if they had worked, the effort to deflate it completely to keep taking it back to be filled and once filled it will barely fit in a car (thankfully I had an SUV). The balloon is simply not going to last or work at all, the mounting pads are a pain and I hardly think they would stay on for very long especially as the fish deflates and begins to wrinkle. I see that the price is coming down so if it hits around $10 it might be worth the "novelty" but do NOT waste your money thinking its a great gift offering long lasting fun.