Gizmodo Australia » toy fair 2008

Oh, What a Feeling, When I’m Driving On The Ceiling

Nick Broughall — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:25:02 +0000

I won’t lie to you – I’m a little bit disappointed the US team didn’t pick this up from their time at the Toy Fair 2008 in New York. I mean come on – The Air Hogs Zero Gravity is a remote controlled car that can drive not only around the hallways of your home, but also up the walls and, get this, even on the ceiling.

Imagine the hilarity of strapping a rubber spider, rolled up in string, held down by a simple remote control catch – you could drive it up onto the ceiling, hit the release, and piss yourself as a fake spider falls into an unsuspectings hair. Of course, the car probably wouldn’t be able to just sit on the roof with the weight of the spider, but I can dream, can’t I?

It hits stores in the UK in July for the 30 quid (or $65). As always, no word on an Australian release.

[Toyology]

MAKE Round-Up of 2008 Toy Fair

Gizmodo US Edition — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:30:30 +0000

The guys over at MAKE had a great time at the 2008 Toy Fair, and their round-up post links to all the weird and wonderful things they found there. We’ve had a look, and collected some of their findings into a gallery. Check it out and you’ll find matchstick architecture, VEX robotic bugs, 3D mazes, crystal-growth toys, chemical building-brick sets, and the faintly worrying (and historical) “Mysto Erector.” [MAKE]

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Pocket Spelling Bee Looks Suspiciously Familiar

Sean Fallon — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:40:52 +0000

Franklin’s new Pocket Spelling Bee was unveiled at the NYC Toy Fair this week and despite its more than passing resemblance to the Sony Mylo, it appears to be a solid educational toy. The device allows kids to compete against one another or the computer in a spelling showdown for supremacy.

The Speaking Spelling Bee also features a 2″ high-contrast LCD screen, the ability to play on the go or connect to the tv, clear speech and sound effects, the Merriam-Webster Intermediate Dictionary with over 70,000 words, the Merriam-Webster Intermediate Thesaurus and the Merriam-Webster Rhyming Dictionary. Pricing and availability have not been announced. [Franklin via Make]

AI Tech Racers: Danger Dodging Slot Cars

Benny Goldman — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:00:00 +0000

These AI Tech Racers from Tomy are some of the more interesting slot-style racecars we’ve seen. The cars have built-in sensors to detect and avoid obstacles in their path—provided they have room to maneuver—and as a result, they can fly around a track without being locked into slots. Once started, the cars ride on their own, but you can give them a speed burst or hit the brakes if needed. Hit the jump to see these babies in action.

Cars cost US$13 apiece, while sets ranging US$35-$100 come with one or two. The top of the line set includes two exclusive cars, 29 track pieces and an electronic lap counter. The line will be out in July, so start making your model oil slicks, boulders, and traffic cones now. [Tomy]

Timberkits Lets You Play Geppetto

Jason Chen — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:40:38 +0000

Phil from Make found these fantastic looking Timberkits over at the NYC Toy Fair this week. They’re actually available now in various shapes, but the gist of the kit is that you build a dragon, pig, drummer or piano player from pre-shaped blocks of wood. It gives you the satisfaction of doing something yourself without the tediousness and finger-loss of actually carving wood. Sounds great to us. [MAKE]

Hands On Enough Nerf Weaponry to Storm the Pentagon: Vulcan Mini-Gun, Hulk Rocket Launcher and Iron Man Repulsor

Matt Buchanan — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:30:03 +0000

Maybe not the Pentagon, but definitely your whole neighbourhood. I wanna rage through mine like Arnold in T2, with the Vulcan mini gun on one arm and the Hulk Abomination Blaster on the other—the big missile on it launches w/ enough force to knock a small, wobbly child on their back. My backup duffle bag would carry the Iron Man blaster, before switching to the customisable Recon CS-6 for SWAT-style divide, conquer and obliterate. We also got hands on with a couple Clone Wars guns and the Wii blaster, which actually has a nice build to it.

The Biggest Star Wars Collection in the Galaxy

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:30:13 +0000

Rob Foster has almost all the Star Wars figures and models known to mankind, Hutts and Bothans. He and his girlfriend share their home with an overwhelming army of Star Wars collectibles, from vintage 1977 figures to full battalions of the latest Storm Troopers and giant Ultimate Collector LEGO models, in and out of their original boxes, in formation or reenacting movie scenes. Amazing 134-image gallery documenting every figure and angle, plus an exclusive interview with Rob after the jump.

Nerf Vulcan EBF-25: Fully Automatic Toy Dart Gun Rambo Junior’s Weapon of Choice

Brian Lam — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:10:01 +0000

The best new Nerf toy out of the entire Toy Fair 2008 lineup is this fully automatic dart gun. The toy is US$40, and comes with 25 belt-fed darts, powered by six D-cell batteries (!). Paired with the Mission Kit Tactical Light, this is the kind of base unit a Nerf gun modder could really learn to love.

N-STRIKE VULCAN EBF-25
(Ages 6 years & up/Approximate Retail Price: $39.99/Available: Fall 2008)

The top-of-the-line blaster for mission supremacy, the NERF N-STRIKE VULCAN EBF-25 blaster is a 25-dart belt-fed fully automatic blaster that will intimidate any opponent. This impressive blaster comes complete with a fold-up tripod to steady your aim, 25 sonic micro darts that whistle through the air when launched and a 25-dart belt. The NERF N-STRIKE VULCAN EBF-25 blaster features the Tactical Rail System allowing players to customize their blaster for each mission – for example, players can use the green ‘night vision’ Tactical Light accessory (sold separately) for nighttime missions. Six “D” batteries are required but not included.

New EyeClops Adds Enhanced Zoom, Bug Sucking Vacuum

Benny Goldman — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:35:53 +0000

We just saw the EyeClops lineup for 2008, and it seems your days of magnifying everything in sight just got more fun (not to mention, much grosser). The next-gen EyeClops looks like last year’s model but comes with three different zoom lenses, so you can see what your zits look like in 100x, 200x, or 400x. Joining the new ‘Clops is a bug-sucking vacuum with a detachable top that can be mounted to any EyeClops (including the new BioniCam model) for hours of insect ~~torture~~ study. The EyeClops is still US$50, and the Bug Vac can be yours for US$15 when they arrive in spring. [EyeClops]

Even Toy Fair Exploits Booth Babes

Matt Buchanan — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:20:05 +0000

I was honestly shocked to see this at Toy Fair. I mean, it’s about toys. Yet they have this model prancing around in a skin-tight outfit that leaves little to the imagination.

You so deserved that. One nice thing I can say about Toy Fair is that there’s no booth babe exploitation, unless you count Dora the Explorer. [Giz @ Toy Fair]