Syrup, up, and away!
Proving our earlier fears unfounded, Hasbro is clearly all-in on Fortnite. Not only have more series in the line shown up, we're also getting various pricepoints, like the Back Boards or the subject of this review, an entire assortment of gliders.
The Flapjack Flyer was part of the Chapter 2 Season 5 Battle Pass, just like Mancake - it unlocked at Level 30, with additional styles unlocked by completing quests and gaining levels. It's a pretty typical glider model - central hub with a parachute coming out of it, boosters and wings on the sides - but is themed to match Mancake's aesthetic: the wings are green and brown, with large yellow sticks of butter strapped to the tops, and the parachute part is tan, with stripes to make it look like pancakes, and three-dimensional syrup spilling off it. In the game, liquid actually drips off it as you move, but the toy doesn't do that. Thankfully, it also does have the game's sounds, which are just gross squelching noises. Thanks, I hate it!
The "cloth" part is actually hard ABS plastic, so it can maintain its shape, with four "cords" plugging it into the wings. Rather than just having empty air between them, the wings on the toy are attached to a thick sheet of clear plastic, which is also where the flight stand plugs in. Yes, all the gliders include one of the flight stands originally seen with the Walmart-exclusive TNTina, exactly the kind of thing we wished for with Skye and Ollie.
The stand holds the glider up high enough that a figure can actually hang from it and not touch the ground. Unfortunately, the shape of the handles suggests the figure is supposed to be flat up against it, not dangling like they would be. Between that and Mancake not being able to raise his arms all the way, the combo here isn't as fun as it could have been.
If Mancake had been sold with the Flapjack Flyer instead of the cannon he does come with, he'd have been a Toy of the Year nominee, easy. But having to buy his glider separately, and having a few issues with using it? It might be worth skipping this add-on. I'm really happy Hasbro made almost the full "Breakfast Bandit" set (skin, back bling, harvesting tool, emote, and now glider), but you may not be as enraptured as I am. If nothing else, wait for a sale or a coupon; you know, a price break to make you get it fast.