Pretty much every kid has wished they had their own personal ice rink during the winter, some may have even gone so far as to break out the hose and try to ice their driveway, much to the annoyance of their parents. Don’t try that last one, it ends up not giving you enough ice, but it does give you enough to slip about a hundred times. Now you can get your own kid, or maybe yourself, a portable, storable ice rink for use in the winter, it doesn’t even require tools to set up.
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Although the holidays are just around the corner and we live in a capitalist society that thrives on debt (the U.S. is, after all, the world’s biggest debtor), there is no harm in trying to inculculate the habit of saving that is so important when a child is still young. Most kids these days do not know how hard their parents toil at work and at a business, only to think that money literally grows on trees. The Children’s ATM Bank from Hammacher would be one of the better $39.95 investments that you plonk down in your kid’s life in order to give him/her a sense of achievement when they have managed to save up a certain amount of money while preventing them from blowing it all in a moment of frivolity.

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Remember the R/C Battling Sumo Wrestlers? Those were cute, with eternal grins plastered all over their mugs. Apparently, robots want in on some sumo fun as well with these R2-D2 lookalikes that go head-to-head (or wheel-to-wheel, depending on how you look at it) in a circular ring. Whoever knocks over his opponent first is a winner, and you are guaranteed to have tons of fun with this great party game (especially more so when you have incorporated some drinking elements inside). Each set is known as the DNA Robot Wars, and a pair will retail for £49.95, making it a budget Christmas gift that will definitely bring a smile on the face of its intended recipient.

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Most robotic kits that we see in the market these days are pretty simple as they come pre-fitted from the factory, ready to be played with out of the box. All you need to do is insert some batteries, and perhaps run a program off a CD for the more complex offerings and you’re good to go. Not the Bioloid Multi-Bot Robot Kit though - this bad boy ships in it’s most basic format and arrives naked in this world just like us, but it does have a cool array of limbs that can be fitted in any way you like ala Lego bricks in order to create more than just a bi-pedal humanoid Transformer-like robot.

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I’m a big fan of Christmas as it gives me another excuse (not that I need one) to shop around for toys and gadgets. Over the next few weeks I intend to write about all sorts of cool gadget presents to spoil friends and relatives with. One such cool gift is the new Airsoft Submachine Gun with Laser Sight which is cable of firing 240 rounds per minute up to 150 feet, cool!

The Airsoft Submachine Gun is only really suitable for the more mature geek (which probably counts me out (but if anybodies buying I won’t say no)). It costs $19.99 and is available from Think Geek (as is so much cool stuff).

Nearly every kid in Britain looks forward to those Saturday afternoon kick offs at stadiums all over the country to see their favorite soccer stars in action, and would love to be in the shoes boots of someone earning an obscene £50,000 a week. It is then that they can pick up cool gadgets like the 100″ Home Video Arcade Center without blinking an eye, and get the entire neighborhood gifts for Christmas while having enough left over to purchase an exotic sports car after saving up for a few months. Unfortunately, not everybody has the skills required to make it to the top level, but you can still have your soccer fun minus the adoration of female groupies who want to have your babies with the Connectv Football game.

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Sure everybody has the same dream.

Sweeping a beautiful beach filled with scantily clad,,, ok, old folks in Florida with a metal detector to find a spare Rolex, or at least a large amount of change.

Sure you have. Well now you can, and for a change, for a reasonable price! But wait, it gets better!

Rather than swinging the lamest excuse for an all electronic six-iron, you can drive along with a remote controlled metal detector! (it’s not wireless, there’s a 5 foot cord so you do have to follow it like it is a dog and you’re the scooper).
The LiveScience store has the new X4 Detector rover for 29.95$US. What a deal (considering a real detector runs around 300-1000$!

You’ve got to read the writeup on their site, it’s very funny and patronizing all at once! Keep reading for more!

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I’ve not seen one of these in ages, a fully working minature steam engine (and I’ve never seen a model engine with so much shiny brass).

The classic Locomobile is works like a real steam engine but is 1/8 the size. You fill the boiler with water, light a dry spirit tablet and when the boiler is hot enough the steam powers the engine (and the all important whistle).

This is one of those toys that as well as being fun and educational is also a pretty good investment IMO (though bear in mind I have a shed full of 2000 AD comics that I thought would be worth something one day (Sylvestor Stallone (Judge Dredd) has a lot to answer for)). You can get the Classic Working Steam Engine Locomobile for $549.95 from Hammacher.