Throwing, flicking and
fighting
As summer draws in and
actually promises not to be disappointing this year, we thought we'd
look at some cool toys to get you out into the great outdoors. Then
we realised that the summer sun is fickle and likely to be traitorous
and sod off behind clouds for three months. So we looked at other
things to play with inside as well.
Its a tough job, but
some unemployable lout has to do it.
Wicked Boomas.
If the thought of the
humble boomerang brings to mind sweaty Australians lobbing bent
sticks at each other while wearing hats with dangling corks, think
again. During the testing of the Booma range we never once put a
shrimp on “the barbie”, nor did we did wish passers-by a “g'day”.
That is because the three pronged boomerang from Wicked was far too
much fun to stop and pretend to be Ozzies.
We happily received
both the indoor and outdoor versions of the Booma; the prior
promising up to 15-20 metres of flight radius, while the other
offered just four-six (any more and it would be a pretty terrible
indoor toy. Unless you lived in a mansion). The packaging on both
guarantees that if you chuck the boomerang you will get it to return.
We weren't so sure as we tore the larger and sturdier outdoor version
from its simple plastic backing (we've been burnt by toys like this
before – oh, the wasted hours of our youth!). After following the
easy-to-understand instructions on how best to throw the Booma, we
ensured the cat was safely clear of the back garden and launched it.
And, much to our amazed surprise, it did indeed return – albeit to
smack into our stunned foreheads.
There have been may
different makes of modern boomerang over the years – disks,
triangles, square ones with fins – but the Booma range is
refreshing in that it offers a smaller, softer indoor option which,
to be honest, we had slightly more fun with. It was small enough -
and had a return flight circle short enough – to work well in tight
backyards and cramped living rooms. Plus, when you miss it and it
wallops you in the face it doesn't hurt. Unlike its solely outdoor
cousin.
Great fun and a great
price.
£8 (Outdoor) and £6
(Indoor)
Visit
www.wickedvision.co.uk
Finger Whips.
Do your hands ever
watch those sprightly young chaps whiz by on their scooters and dream
of doing the same; popping ollies, grinding curbs, hitting the
half-pipe? Well tell you hands to get out of your pants and stop
dreaming – because Finger Whips are here!
Essentially what we
have here are miniature scooters designed cleverly to accommodate
even the stubbiest of digits. If you think your fingers need
'whipping' into shape then get them one of these – along with
optional accessories like ramps and obstacles – and in no time at
all you hands will be rake thin, fit as a fiddle and all the fingers
will refer to each other as “dude”. Its like having a your own
skate park in microcosm, only one from which you won't be laughed out
because you're not cool enough or because you cried for your mum when
you fell off your scooter.
The toys themselves are
very sturdily built in die-cast metal and we found that even the
thinnest looking scooter handle bars stood up to quite a bit of
punishment. All this was very reassuring given that we were grinding
away and popping jumps outside on tarmac and concrete - to add to the
gritty urban mise en scene. We enjoyed fiddling with the Finger Whips
Ramps pack, which came with metal scooter, extra wheels, tools for
getting technical and also a nicely solid ramp with grinding rail.
There are lots of
differently designed scooters available, and a host of packs with
extras and little fiddly bits. We found that they were indeed fun,
but not so to keep us keen for long. Great for younger kids maybe,
and those already into extreme sports to keep as model souvenirs.
£ 9.99
Visit
www.fingerwhips.com
The Hobbit Action
Figures.
We really enjoyed
building a scene from the recent Hobbit movie in LEGO a couple of
months ago, so we jumped at the chance to get our filthy mits on more
toy merchandise from Middle Earth. We were happy to get in the post a
version of Thorin Oakensheild, legendary leader of the rag-tag band
of dwarves, quite different than the teeny tiny one we saw in the
LEGO set.
Thorin comes as part of
a new and highly detailed range of action figures from toy maker
Vivid. Although also featured in the line-up are the likes of
Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins and Legolas, we were very glad to receive
Thhorin, the miserable bastard himself, complete with shaggy fur
coat, dour dwarf expression and superbly detailed weapons.
Six inches of grim
determination (and points of pleasing articulation) the most striking
thing about thorin is that the action figure actually looks like the
character it is supposed to be – a refreshing thing these days.
Highly posable and with a good centre of gravity for standing him up
on your shelf (maybe to guard your rings?) we like Thorin very much
and look forward to seeing more releases from Vivid's Hobbit line.
£3-6 (shop around)