Toys

I’m coming off the Death Flu 2008. During my time of holding my bed down, I watched a lot of my Season One box set of Star Trek (the Original Series). Classic, buff Captain Kirk swaggering all over the galaxy with his ever-present Science Officer Spock and his impudent eyebrow cocking. Great stuff. The gadgets were awesome too.

Imagine my glee when I saw on Think Geek that they sell the Star Trek Classic Communicator! This is better than that time when I got that Tribble! From the website:

Now you too can talk to the Enterprise no matter where you are. Just flip up the grill, and you’ll be greeted with the lights and sounds you’ve come to know and love. But not content with mere beeps, the UFP has packed this replica with voice clips from the actual series. Delight as you hear Mr. Spock ask you if you want an armed party beamed down and thrill as you call the Enterprise and hear Bridge here, Captain. So equip yourself with the Communicator that futuristically prognosticated the invention of the cell phone, and get ready for a communication . . . from the stars.

Read the rest of this entry »

1 Comment »

The X-Twin Thunderjet definitely has the looks, and according to the product description below, it also has the brawn to go along with its brain.

This ominous R/C flying machine looks meaner than a cybernetic vulture hearse (whatever that is) and it boasts twin duct-fan engines for serious kick-in-the-tailfin power. You can even vary its speed as it stalks the sky searching for enemy encampments. Or naughty duckie wucks and squirrels. Whatever. Once you get to grips with the controls you’ll be soaring through thin air and pulling off mind-blowing twists and turns. Like its real life USAF counterpart, the sinister Thunderjet looks almost unreal. In fact it reminds us of Firefox, that lethally sophisticated jet from the dodgy Clint Eastwood film of the same name. Unlike Firefox, however, the X-Twin can’t be controlled via thought impulses; you control the action with a twin-toggle, digital proportional transmitter that doubles up as a charging unit for its built-in lithium polymer battery. (20-30 minutes should give flight times of around 5 minutes).

Man, even if the Christmas season is still a good 9 months away, I want my X-Twin Thunderjet and I want it now! £24.95 from Firebox.

Comments Off

It has been a while since I had the urge to yell “Sega” like those old Sega Genesis ads from the early nineties. However, seeing this i-Spin (pronounced Ice-pin) from Sega Toys was just enough to make me yell it out all over again.

Basically, the i-Spin is a dancing speaker robot that has the ability to move around on the dance floor and wiggle its ears to the beat of the ambient music. This takes me back to the time of the “Boppin’ flowers” that would move to the beat of whatever music you played near them.

The i-Spin can also do more than dance to the background music, but it can connect to an MP3 player such as the iPod. Why else do you think there is a little “i” at the beginning of its name? Basically, you attach the music, and the little Dogbert wannabe gets its groove on.

Read the rest of this entry »

1 Comment »

The TandemZ-1 Micro Chopper is not meant for novices as getting the hang of it comes with a rather steep learning curve to it.

For starters the Tandem utilises 3 channels (for up, down, forward and backward movement) and a dual trim system (for pitch and yaw), so novice pilots need not apply. It also boasts a sophisticated gyroscopic mechanism plus unique tilting rotors for additional control. Piloting this baby makes patting your head and rubbing your tummy whilst playing the xylophone with your feet seem about as difficult as pulling down your pants. And that’s what makes it so addictive.

The Tandem might come with a pair of powerful rotors, but they ought to be able to fly for approximately 10 minutes from a normal charge of up to 25 minutes. Sounds like diminishing returns if you ask me. This rescue helicopter retails for £39.95 and comes in red, blue or orange colors.

3 Comments »

The Top Gun MicroFighter makes for an interesting gift for kids, and even I myself would not mind finding one of these underneath the Christmas tree this year.

Suitable for advanced level RC Pilots due to its advanced digital throttle and directional control, the Top Gun MicroFighter is capable of performing extreme loops and real-fighter style aerobatics. With the massive levels of thrust offered by it’s twin engine design, advanced take-offs and landings can be achieved. The Micro Fighter has a dual channel digital proportion control allowing up/down, left/right and forward speed control. Powered by a Lithium-Polymer battery, flights of 10+ minutes can be achieved on a single 30 minute charge from the controller.

The Top Gun MicroFighter retails for £29.99.

3 Comments »

This RC car is a laptop controlled drifter project created by Chris over at PyroElectro. The aim of the project was to make an ordinary RC car have the ability to be controlled by a laptop. By using the laptop and a small box attached to a COM port, full control of the car is made possible and of course, automated control is also available too. By using Windows scripting, commands can be sent to the remote control device at the end of the COM port which in turn, sends those signals to the RC car. The car it’s self is untouched and standard.

Read the rest of this entry »

1 Comment »

Guess thin is in, and so are the general sizes of gadgets and gizmos to come. Toys aren’t exempt from this effect too, with the PicoZ MX-1 Extreme being a much smaller version of its big brother and prides itself in being the smallest remote control helicopter in the world.

Currently touted as the world’s smallest remote control chopper, this marvel of micro technology will flatter even the crummiest of pilots thanks to an auto stability system that makes woka-woka-ing around in tiddly rooms a doddle. Just like its bigger PicoZ siblings, the twin-channel Extreme has a crash-resistant polypropylene foam body and features super-wide infra-red control, a built-in lithium polymer battery and adjustable trim control - all this yet it weighs just 7 grams. It really is squintingly small. As ever, the transmitter doubles up as a charger and a normal charge of 20-25 minutes should give flight times of up to 10 minutes.

The PicoZ MX-1 Extreme can be yours (or your child’s, you big little boy, you) for £24.95.

2 Comments »

Sure, it doesn’t have a widescreen multi touch interface or an accelerometer that can change the image depending on which way you turn it, but it looks like a LEGO, man! Can an MP3 player be any cooler? At least in the “shuffle variety?”

Read the rest of this entry »

1 Comment »