Toy
time!
Continuing
with our delightful delve into all things Christmassy, this time
we're taking our first look of the year (lots more to follow) at gift
ideas for kids. If you have a youngster who can prove difficult to
buy for, this guide might help. If not, buy this stuff anyway as it's
all pretty awesome. Then send it to us. Thanks.
Rainbow
Dash Style & Groom
Bay
far our favourite of the My Little Pony gang, here Rainbow Dash comes
complete with accessories, stickers, gems and a cutie mark charm.
Kids can style Rainbow Dash's long multicoloured hair (which we can
imagine gets pretty tangled from flying around all the time), before
using all the included kit to try the look on themselves.
We
were surprised how big this thing actually is, expecting a small
table-top model of the magical pony. The hair is nice and long while
being tough and well stuck into RD's head. We can see several years
of play with this, and thanks to the sturdy base, kids can give her
hair a good ol' yank.
£24.99
from www.amazon.co.uk
Playmobil
Carrying Case Ninja
We
love how damn random Playmobil can get at times, and whereas in our
Halloween gift feature we looked at a light up Playmobil ghost, we're
now getting our hands on a pair of Ninjas. This set, which comes in
an easy-to-hold carry case, features two figures, a tonne of weapons
and accessories, and also a weapons rack. The figures themselves are
great, each with a different colour scheme and prints, and also
sporting handy weapon holders on their backs.
Whether
they're squaring off to fight each other, or working as a team to do
some hard-core ninja stuff, this is a great play-set made all the
more worthwhile thanks to the inclusion of the carry case. Playmobil
offer other carrying case sets in other themes, so be sure to check
them out if your wee one isn't into ninjas. But seriously, why
wouldn't they be?
£9.99
from http://bit.ly/PLAYMOBILUK
Rory's
Story Cubes: Batman
Although
we'd never heard of Story Cubes before receiving these, we're big
fans now. Basically these are as open-ended as you can get, being a
set of nine dice with different characters, objects, locations and
actions printed on their sides. Simply roll all nine dice and start
telling a story, going from cube to cube and allowing your
imagination to run riot.
Although
available with other themes, this particular set feature images from
Gotham City, letting kids and adults of all ages tell a story about
Batman, The Joker, other dastardly fiends, and dramatic happenings.
Perfect for fun Christmas parties, this will really get you thinking
and allow you to make a dark and brooding Dark Knight tale, or a
camp-as-chips Adam West Batman story. Holy load-of-fun, Batman!
£11.99
from www.storycubes.com
Haynes
Millennium Falcon Manual
Star
Wars toys will be ever-popular this Christmas, especially considering
the up-coming release of Episode VII. But how about a classic look at
a classic ship? The Haynes Millennium Falcon Manual is perfect for
owners of Corellian cargo ships... or just those who love the movies.
This is a blow-by-blow account of how to care for the Millennium
Falcon, with cross-sections, plans, and lots of back-story about the
ship itself.
Any
Star Wars fan would love this, if only for the gloriously detailed
images of the Falcon. Every speck of detail is accounted for here,
with random pipes and tubes all labelled up to explain what function
they serve. The back story is also very well written and quite
absorbing, containing a few glimpses of when the ship appeared even
in the prequel films. Which we don't like to mention. This is great
for die-hard fans and even a casual enthusiasts alike.
