Toyology

AR Drone gets and update

 

 

Our favourite Quadricopter has had a mini-markeover, new design, a bit curvier around it’s midriff and a bit stronger for those early days, most of the new V2.0 stuff isn’t cosmetic. Announced at CES in Vegas there are a couple of alterations/updates to the AR – AR.FreeFlight 2.0 offers up a new flight interface for your smart device, across Android and iOS and full WiFi control of your copter. The camera is updated to HD quality, you can save ALL flight data (altitude, speed, duration and place, and AR Drone academy for Geo-location of the best flight zones. A new ‘Absolute Control’  mode gives the amateur a slightly easier introductio, think basic “point and fly” autopilot, it uses a 3D magnetometer, and who are we to argue that this’ll work. You can, after some time in the air revert to the Relative Flight mod and disable the magnetometer function, old school flying style. No word on price yet but Q2 this year for arrival in the UK.

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Over land and cross H2O

 

 

Not sure how we missed this one but the VaporizR from Nikko RC’s is, quite simply, superb. On land it’s not the speediest car around but, it can pull off on-the-spot 360 spins with aplomb and take on almost any undulating/rough surface. Wshizz it about near a body of water (not fast flowing) and take it in for a dip, others may mock as they’re initial reaction is to assume you’ve taken a wrong turn, but this two-motored RC will happily swim around on the surface under your full guidance. There’s plenty of grin inducing fun to be had here for a shade under £50. CLick the link for a video of this amphibian in action

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Introducing what is surely the daddy of the Transformers world. This is the Mechtech Ultimate Optimus Prime.

Now, we’re not very good at the whole transforming part of a Transformer, it’s very much more a luck than judgement or skill thing for us. But with a three modes to this bad boy, we’re as determined as ever to harness our non-talent so that we can see the transformation from Lorry to Optimus robot man to Mechtech suit warrior.

He may take a little bit of saving for at £79.99 from Firebox but we would consider this to be an investment, particularly as he’s packed with additional features including lights, firing projectiles and a range of battle sounds as well - that’s basically all of our favourite things in one figurine. Mr Prime is at his witty best in this model as well with classic phrases in his repetoire such as ‘Aren’t you Indiana Jones’s son?’. HAHA LOL ROFL.

 

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And here’s one we made earlier

Back in the good ol’ days the Blue Peter gang would show you on a weekly basis how to build a replica of the Eiffel Tower out of a piece of string and some left over chewing gum, or how to fashion a pogo stick from just some tin foil and a fairy liquid bottle. No doubt the 21st century kiddies have an ap for that now that will save them getting their tiny, wee hands dirty.

No wonder then that we have fallen a little bit in love with our new robot friend Makedo. In a nostalgic throwback opportunity this is a kit that shows you how to use some cardboard tubes and other discarded household items to make your very own robo-mate. Plus, there are stickers and hinges the like so you can make him look awesome.

Apparently there’s an education opportunity to learn about recycling and such, but really we just see it as a chance to create a new decorative item for the desk. Just £6.99 from our friends at Firebox.

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Since being open-mouthed in NewYork earlier this year we’ve been eagerly anticipating a BUY button for the Air Swimmers, and now we’ve found one. Helium/Air mixed into their frame means they hover superbly, then its time to take them for a mid-air swim around the office. Selct your aquarian RC from Shark or Nemo lookalike and enjoy the fin moving display as you parade around the place. £39.99 for yours on pre-order HERE. Imagine the fun floating it about, just a bit of practice and some personally produced sound FX needed (Dum Dum Dum Jaws styleee) We’re big fans of the fin moving fisheee’s. Check them out in action HERE

 

Aggressive little RC

Fortunately the action delivered from this small RC car is much zippier than it’s title – Air Hogs Hyper Active Stunt Car – It’s left us breathless in the office this afternoon, flying around at super scale speeds, flipping and impressive jumping action from high places. You can pretty much launch this one from anywhere and it’ll land and keep motoring, whichever side hits the floor as it’s a double sided driver, so there’s little to stop it….well, apart from sand. Indoors or out, race A channel cars vs the B channel cars, the video even promotes mid air collisions between a pair, now hat does look fun. At £34.99 it’d seem a tad top end for something of it’s size but we think the video will have you hooked.

 

 

A HUGE hit in its native Japan the Takara Tomy GX Buggy is available, at long last, here in the UK, it’ll not be hanging about for long, top twenty prediction right here for 2011 – Here’s why. This RC may be palm sized at just 10cm but do not let these diminutive dimensions deceive you.  Being such a lighweight (42 grams) means this car can get up to 22KMH (over 770kmh scale speeds) and this means, if you give it just a little bit of air it’ll give back some stunning aerial displays. Set yourself up a ramp as soon as yours arrives, get some speed up, and marvel as it leaps into the air, and, better still, with the self-righting roll wing surrounding it, will be back on it’s feet (wheels) in an instant and you’re off again. That’s not it either, it uses 2.4Ghz technology and not infra-red, so you can race up to ten at any time. Decent tyres, good grip, works well on carpet, better on wood floor, is fine outdoors, decent rear-suspension and rapid reaction front-end steering. Powered by a seperate charging unit taking 4 x AA’s, the car, after 20 minutes has enough juice for 7 minutes of full throttle action (up to ten if you ease up a bit). Everything here is positive, the price tag , of around £40 is toppish end for an RC car but ride punches right on it’s price tag. Check out the trick Tutorial HERE and dither not over your BUY button any longer. Without further ado we’d like to hand over a coveted Toyology GOLD to this fine RC.

 

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One of Britain’s most promising London 2012 Olympic hopefuls has been transformed into a giant action figure to become a real-life Power Ranger toy. Aaron Cook, 20, the current British Taekwondo Champion and a strong contendor for a gold at London 2012 is the only person outside of the TV show to wear the iconic red suit and the first ever honourary member of the Power Rangers. Tomorrow you can see him exhibited in a giant 3 metre by 1.5 metre toy box at Westfield shopping centre. The Olympic hopeful Cook said “I was mad about Power Rangers as a kid so my parents took me to a local Taekwondo club in Dorchester where I fell in love with the sport. The rest, as they say, is history. I’m hoping that by joining the Power Rangers I’ll help to inspire British children to follow in my footsteps, which will hopefully include a medal at the London 2012 Olympics.”

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Mess Removal Robot

 

This Bigtrak/Robosapien style hybrid is a fully remote controlled machine that you steer about picking up stuff from the floor. Drive it toward the mess making object, clasp the hands around the item, it’ll grab it and then pivot it’s torso around to dump it into the collector at the back. It’ll also operates autonomously, seeing objects about eight inches away and happily pick these up on its lonesome.  Add  screeching brake sounds and comments on work related activity (“too heavy for me”, “One step closer to a cleaner world” etc) and we’ve found an entertaining ball/plush/sock tidying machine that’s highly entertaining. We’re disappointed that it can’t quite get low enough to gather up our LEGO but we trust the makers will take note and ensure this happens on version 2.0. $70 for yours HERE

 

Clasic 80′s RC given 2011 Treatment

 

 

The year – 1988,  The Band – Guns N Roses, Fashion – Big Hair, Cartoon – Fraggle Rock and RC of choice – The Avante…Good news folk, one is set to make a return, that’s it the Avante is back with a 21st centurey makeover, stronger in chassis, quicker of themark, taker on of all terrain and now in Carbon fibre so you can ride it ROUGH – Find out more HERE

 

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