Alltoysreview: The Authority in Free Toy Reviews, Video Reviews, LEGO, Fisher Price, Bakugan, Transformers, Hasbro & More

Have an Adventure! With the Baby Einstein Animal Exploration Tunnel

2009-10-15T22:54:11Z

Baby Einstein Animal Exploration Tunnel
Tunnel features colorful Baby Einstein characters and real life imagery, plus developmental toys, textures and activities. The mesh window panels along both sides encourage parent and child interaction with peek a boo play. Tunnel includes flaps, textures, crinkle and real life imagery to create a unique crawling experience for babies.

It has five developmental toys which includes red bird that “chirps”, soft sun rattle, discovery flash cards, ring rattle, and water filled teether. It comes with 8 sewn in loops plush 8 Baby Einstein links included to reposition toys or add more of baby’s favorite toys.

We just got this tunnel for our 16-month old boy. Our local club store had a big sale on it, so we said, “why not?”

Boy, we should have gotten this two months ago! Of all the toys we’ve bought in the past year, this simple toy had gotten the most excitement out of our boy. If you were to quantify “fun-per-dollar”, this toy did 10 times better than the next best toy.

Within a minute of setting it up, our boy was exploring it – crawling inside, pushing against the tunnel wall, laying on his back to look up, peeking out the “curtain” that is attached to one end of the tunnel, and just smiling from fun.

The next day, he started to roll the tunnel by pushing against the sidewall with all his weight. He pealed with excitement and happiness for a good part of ten minutes, waking up the napping mommy in the process. I’m sure he will eventually get bored of this toy — but in the first two days, I think we already got our money’s worth.

Cons:
1. It is very large when set up, and it does take some time to fully break down and set up.
2. The mesh sides are vulnerable to velcro when in the wash

Pros:
1. It is large enough for me to get in to play with my daughter
2. If need be, it can break down to be even smaller than how it is shipped.
3. Machine washable and air dries ‘flat’ really quickly
4. Lets in a lot of light and feels bright and cheery
5. Very soft floor
6. Has pairs of images: one photo and one illustration of the same animal
7. Lots of toys to meet a wide range of interests and ages
8. A couple of crinkle ‘leaves’ and some ribbon tags on the floor help get my kid, who usually imposes a strict embargo on tummy time, to actually enjoy it (for a little while, anyway)

The Bakugan Warrior, Maxus Dragonoid Video Review!

2009-10-15T22:23:04Z

Bakugan 7 in 1 Maxus Dragonoid

One of the biggest and most powerful Bakugan yet, the Maxus Dragonoid will have your Bakugan opponents quaking in fear. It includes one Bakugan warrior and six traps that, when transformed, can be assembled into a giant dragon robot. These seven pieces are unique and can’t be found anywhere else, making this set essential for any Bakugan player/collector.

Maxus Dragonoid Expands Your Bakugan Collection! This particular set contains one Bakugan warrior (named Neo Dragonoid) and six Bakugan traps (Grakas Hound, Dark Hound, Grafias, Brachium, Spitarm and SpyderFencer.) These pieces can be combined together to form the massive Maxus Dragonoid monster. The transformation process is a bit complicated, but the set includes clear instructions that make assembly easy. The assembled Dragonoid is a unique toy, although a bit unwieldy — if not positioned correctly, he will easily fall down.

Each of the seven Bakugan that compose Dragonoid can be used individually in the strategy game. Avid players will be happy to know that this set also includes a special ability card, which will come in handy when you’re devising a strategy to topple your enemy. Just keep in mind that, in order to play Bakugan properly, you’ll need several other Bakugan marbles/cards that are not included in this package. Kids who are new to Bakugan might be better off with one of the various starter packs.

What’s in the Box?: One Bakugan warrior, 6 Bakugan traps, ability card and metal gate card.

Oh NO! A LEGO Venator-class Republic Attack Cruiser. Get Down!!

2009-10-15T21:40:59Z

Venator-class Republic Attack Cruiser
Rule the galaxy with the ultimate Republic starship!

Built for ship-to-ship combat and bristling with turbolaser batteries, the Venator-class Republic Attack Cruiser is Grand Chancellor Palpatines personal flagship during the Clone Wars. Open the front panel to access the Chancellors quarters, reveal the hidden wing-cannons, and drop bombs on the Separatist forces below! Includes Chancellor Palpatine, 2 elite Senate commando bodyguards, 1 clone trooper pilot and 1 clone trooper gunner.

Includes 5 minifigures: Chancellor Palpatine, 2 elite Senate commando bodyguards, 1 clone trooper pilot and 1 clone trooper gunner!
Open the front hood to play inside Palpatine’s detailed command center!
Lift rear wings to reveal hidden gunnar and storage area for extra bombs and missiles!
Dimensions: Length = 20 inches (50.8cm), Width = 12 inches (30.5cm), Height = 7 inches (17.8cm)!
Open the front hood to play inside Palpatine’s detailed command center
Lift rear wings to reveal hidden gunnar and storage area for extra bombs and missiles
Dimensions: Length = 20 inches (50.8cm), Width = 12 inches (30.5cm), Height = 7 inches (17.8cm)
Includes 5 minifigures (Chancellor Palpatine, 2 elite Senate commando bodyguards, 1 clone trooper pilot and 1 clone trooper gunner)
1170 pieces

This is a truly beautiful ship. The overall shape and style are dead on to the movie version However, the proportions have been adjusted a bit to fit minifig vignettes inside and still make it affordable, but I’m ok with that. Specifically, the ship body is stretched up about double and the front of the ship is quite shortened. It mostly gives the effect of looking at it at an angle even when looking directly from the side, top or front.
The construction is a complex combination of technic framing and stud-out.

There are only 16 standard bricks in the whole set. If you liked building the Star Destroyer, Twilight, AT-TE or AT-OT, then you’ll be happy building this set. The construction is where I’m scoring most of my ‘play experience’ points.

The vignettes inside are limited, but run from ok to beautiful. Palpatine’s office, desk and chair are very well designed (I know that sounds odd) and includes a death star ‘hologram’ piece. The bomb dropper is clever, though it takes up more room than I’d like. The slide out clone gunner looks tough, but again takes up a lot of space since he slides all the way across. The gun uses flick-fires, which you can only fire if you point it at the ship (dumb); it would have been far better as a technic spring cannon. The escape pod design is ok; its engines look good, but the pod portion is rough and a tired design. The bridge is very boring.

Two of the clones are older designs. The blue commandos are new and very cool. Palpatine looks like the dark side is eating away at him (they should have included his light saber and hidden it somewhere). It’s a good selection of figs, but I would like to have gotten another prominent character.

Now to compare to the Imperial Star Destroyer from 2006. The Venator is about 80% of the length, width and height of the ISD. This makes it appear about 2/3 of the ISD’s size, volume-wise. It has about 150 fewer pieces, so it should be a bit smaller. Now it costs more than the ISD (3 years of inflation and the major price hike in Lego Clone Wars), but it’s on the cheap side of Lego Clone Wars pricing at about $0.10/piece. The biggest reason why the Venator is smaller than the ISD is that the ISD was very hollow inside. The Venator is packed so full of detail that there’s little room to add or change anything. But just as important is that the Venator is a MUCH stronger model. Unlike the ISD, the panels here are mostly 3-5 layers of larger plating. The floor is made of huge plates so your hand won’t push through if you pick it up from below. And best of all, the technic beams behind the big red strip on top are a fold-out handle that is built into the strong technic frame. It’s very swooshable.

About the only thing I can find fault with on this model is that some of the joints in the plating are a bit open. The midship side openings have huge gaps. The bridge towers meet the rear ‘wings’ in gaps that are a stud wide. Like the ISD, the rear engine area has massive gaps at the top and bottom. The problem with this isn’t so much the look of the ship, as the fact that a bunch of tan/red internal connectors can easily be seen from outside. These are all pieces that are still being made in gray, so I don’t see why they used off-colors.
If you like Star Wars ships, then this is a must-buy and worth every penny. If you’re mostly into figs, this is a tough sell. $120 is a lot to pay for two common figs, two new commandos and Palpatine.

4 Reason to Buy The Fisher-Price Rainforest Melodies & Lights Deluxe Gym!

2009-09-10T04:43:31Z

Fisher-Price Rainforest Melodies & Lights Deluxe Gym

Bring the exciting world of the rainforest to life with the Fisher-Price Rainforest Melodies & Lights Deluxe Gym. This fun, interactive, and educational activity centers encourages healthy development while entertaining and calming baby. Designed for use from birth on up, and requiring two “C” batteries (not included), the gym has a soft quilt and offers music, lights, and nature sounds to keep baby safely occupied.

Re-positionable toys include a soft hanging monkey, a soft toucan with jingle, an elephant with soft ears and a spinner with beads, a parrot with a paddle spinner and a frog character mirror. Two satin butterflies fly around above baby as colored lights pulse on and off while music plays. The large mat has a quilted rainforest underside, sun ray ribbons, and a soft tiger tail. A large soft giraffe sits at the bottom of the rainbow arch and has two points on which to link toys for baby.

Mom can also link the toys to any of three link points on the mat as well as to any of five link points overhead for a total of 11 places to link toys for baby. Mom can choose between three modes of play: Baby mode allows baby’s play time movements to set off eight to 12 seconds of lights and music. Music mode plays music for 20 minutes while baby plays. Rainforest mode plays 20 minutes of rainforest sounds while baby plays. The gym provides four songs and two sound effects sequences. Requires 2-C batteries, not included. Gym measures 20″ x 32.5″ x 32.5″.

* Activity gym stimulates growing babies with music, lights, nature sounds, games, and textures
* 20 minutes of parent-activated continuous music; baby mode with 8 to 12 seconds of lights and music
* Floor quilt with silky borders and colorful arches
* Includes spinner with rattling beads, spinning butterflies, shiny mirror, crinkly leaf for peek-a-boo fun, and movable and stationary activity toys
* Gym measures 20 x 32.5 x 32.5 inches

Plays up to 20 minutes of music or rainforest sounds for baby.

I bought this for my VERY fussy 5 week old. He is an ultimate velcro baby who never wants to be down and I wanted something to keep his attention so I could get a few necessities done.

This gym is a great size for a little one, not taking too much room but will be large enough that he’ll play with it until he can crawl at least. I sometimes put it in the pack n play (always supervised) just to keep my little guy up away from our dog while he is playing. The music is not too tinny or annoying and there are two volume levels. There are also rainforest sounds if you are looking for a more soothing experience for your little one.

When I turn on the sound there are lights on the canopy that my son always smiles at and has now started to coo at. He does tend to get overstimulated if I leave the music and lights on for more than about five minutes but thankfully the colors and hanging toys keep his attention without the music too.

There are many places to take linking toys so you can add your own toys and move toys around to keep it fresh and entertaining. The mat itself has lots of colors and some black & white animals that keep little ones busy for tummy time.

My son spends fifteen to twenty minutes with this mat twice a day for tummy and play time and I pop him on it when I need a few minutes to accomplish something. My little guy is now 11 weeks old and we are still using this every day. He really loves the lights and music now and is reaching out to touch the toys. He especially loves the parrot that has a spinner on it, so when he bats at it he gets the gratification of it spinning for him. We also use the mirror for tummy time and he enjoys smiling at himself.

New G2 Megatron! Revenge of the Fallen Toy Line!

2009-09-08T21:38:14Z

New G2 Megatron! Revenge of the Fallen Toy Line!

There has been a new auction posted by “tfctoy” who claims that this is an official prototype repaint. It seems official enough. The toy’s in denial, it seems to think it’s not for sale. The pictures show a green and black colors Megatron with some paint apps, so its likely not test shot.

LEGO BIONICLE Review Special: The Glatorian Legends Ackar! Part 7 of 7

2009-09-10T04:49:14Z

The Glatorian Legends Ackar!

Veteran warrior of the fire tribe!

Ackar has fought and won thousands of matches in the arena. Now he faces his greatest challenge: fighting alongside Mata Nui against the forces of the Skrall. His flame and spiked Thornax launcher will lead him on to victory!

* Ackar is equipped with a huge flame and a spiked Thornax launcher!
* Includes 1 Life Counter for the new BIONICLE battle game.
* Measures over 8″ (20 cm) tall.

“Ackar, the primer Glatorian of Vulcanus, and the second confirmed member of Mata Nui’s band of Glatorian “helpers”. When you but the set, you see that Ackar seems a bit brighter than most red sets. It could be the lava. Or, it could be a lighter red than most red sets.

BUILDING THE SET:
Opening the canister, to your surprise, a pile of Mata Red pieces fall out, along with several orange pieces and a huge flame.

New pieces:
Mata red:
Inika leg
Shin guard
vahki leg
Inika chest back.

Orange:
Flame
Dekar blades (not if you own Power Miners)
Kongu Inika foot
Inika knee plate.

MN&Orange:
Berix Helmet recolour.

There are other assorted Mata red and orange pieces as well. There are also two Dark Grey hands.
You start off by building the torso. It is exactly like Gelu, except that it is Red and orange. The Life counter sits on his back. Like Mata Nui, the holder is a different colour (in this case, Silver) to what i was expecting (In this case, Mata red/Orange).

Legs: Mata Red piraka thigh – armoured by the knee armour – connects to Mata Red Inika leg, which conencts to old “hand” joint and an orange foot. Like Mata Nui, the shin guard connects in the same way, grey round pin to bottom hole.

Arms: Mata Red piraka thigh connects to flipped Vahki leg, then that connects to Dark grey hand. Two blue long pins connect through the top holes of the upper arm, and two Dekar blades connect to those.
His head is just like Berix’s, except that it uses a transparent red head, instead of a green one. Also, if you have read my Berix review, i said that i thought his helmet must have come from Vulcanus or a flame set. I can safely say: I told you so.

The thornax launcher halves connect to his right hand. A Scarab Shield half connects to his left hand, a red double-connector connects on top of it, and the flame connects to that. It’s the most custom flame sword in a flame set.

Ackar is more or less an Inika, but because of his innovative shoulder armour and his shin guard, he makes less of an Inika than Gelu. The helmet re-use is brilliant, especially in these colours, as there is a lovely colour of peach blended in the middle of the helmet. Again, shin guards rattle, and they look a bit less stupid on him when tilted because his feet are chunkier than Mata Nui’s.

Pro’s:
More Mata Red than anyone could hope for
More Orange
Flame sword
Berix helmet reuse
Head looks nice with said helmet
Different shoulder armour build.

Con’s:
Mata Red may look out of place as a main colour scheme
Dark grey hands

Shoulder armour can get caught on chest and can bend easily as a result.
In my view, Ackar is the best of the six. Not because he is an Inika or because of a flame sword, but because that he has a different build to most Inika-lookalikes, and he is Mata red and Orange, which widens MoC possibilities.

I give Ackar a 9/10. There are some things i would change on him, if i had the right parts, but other than those few things, he rocks.

Have fun building!
~Jonocam”

New Batman Brave and Bold Action League Figure 2 Review!

2009-09-08T20:43:21Z

Batman Brave and Bold Action League Figure 2

This Wave 1 Batman: The Brave and the Bold Action League 2 Pack case contains 12, individually packaged 2 packs (subject to change):

In the Minis 2 pack assortment, you will find the many heroes and villains. Each package contains a cool diorama setting from Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Each 2 inch figure is highly articulated with movable head, arms and waist and is perfect for kids and fans of the show alike!

* From the popular Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series!
* Small, detailed, and articulated Action League figures!
* Collect all these figures!

The Brave and the Bold Action League 2 Pack case contains 12, individually packaged 2 packs (subject to change): In the Minis 2 pack assortment, you will find the many heroes and villains. Each package contains a cool diorama setting from Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Each 2 inch figure is highly articulated with movable head, arms and waist and is perfect for kids and fans of the show alike!

by Jay Cochran

Individual pictures of figures Here at Toynewsi.com!

LEGO BIONICLE Review Special: The Glatorian Legends Gelu! Part 6 of 7

2009-09-07T11:56:39Z

Brave and cunning fighter, Gelu!

Once a Glatorian of the ice tribe, Gelu now acts as an armed guard escorting Agori traders through the Dunes of Treason. Carrying an ice slicer and spiked Thornax launcher, he needs all his wits and skill to survive the dangers of the desert.

* Gelu is equipped with an ice slicer and a spiked thornax launcher!
* Includes 1 Life Counter for the new BIONICLE battle game!
* Measures 7″ (18 cm ) tall!

Gelu; Once proud secondary glatorian of the ice tribe, now caravan guard since the Skrall attacked Atero.

Building the set:
A pile of White and Dark blue pieces spill out of the white-lidded canister. Also included are pieces of Metus’s shield.

New pieces:
White Kongu Inika chestplate
Ice Slicer halves
Helmet.

The torso is exactly the same as Kongu’s, which is getting really tiresome with the majority of these sets. But because of his chestplate colour and shape, it balances out.
The Life counter sits smugly on his back. As always.

His legs: Dark Blue Piraka thigh connects to Dark blue vahki leg, which connects to a Dark blue “hand” joint, and a white hewkii Inika foot. Like Strakk, his legs are armoured by white Inika knee plates.

His arms: Again, two Dark blue piraka thighs (with Inika knee plate), which connects to a white Metru arm and a White glat hand. Two blue round-plus half pins are attached to the plus-holes at the back of his upper arm, and the shield pieces connect to those.

His head: A blue Glat head and his helmet connect to a straight hordika neck. I think the helmet looks quite cat-like in it’s appearance with it’s long “ears” of ice and “whiskers”.

The thornax launcher halves connect on wither side of his left hand, while the halves of the ice Slicer connect to both halves of his right. Keen BIONICLE fans will notice that the “foam ice sword” is modeled after the Ice Slicer. Gelu is more of an Inika than all Legends put together, even Ackar. The constant build, and constant re use of the knee armour is bugging me. But, he seems to pull together pretty cool once he’s finished.

Pro’s:
White Inika chestplate
Ice Slicer and helmet look cool (pun intended)
more Metus shields.

con’s:
INIKA
Too much mixing of Dark Blue and white
Shoulders may seem too bulky
LONGARM.

Gelu is still quite a cool set. I would suggest that you wait until you’ve got the other legends to build him; Unless you’re a fan of white sets and can’t be swung by a review like this. I would still recommend him to anyone i know who likes BIONICLE.

Have fun building!

LEGO Bionicle Review Special: Glatorian Legends Kiina! Part 5 of 7

2009-09-07T11:42:03Z

Kinna, The Powerful female Glatorian!

The most skilled female fighter in all of Bara Magna, Kiina wants nothing more than to get off this planet. Using her dual-headed vapor trident and spiked Thornax launcher, she fights beside Mata Nui for the chance at ultimate freedom.

* Kiina is armed with a dual-headed vapor trident and spiked Thornax launcher!
* Includes 1 Life Counter for the new BIONICLE battle game!
* Measures 7″ (18 cm) tall!

“Kiina is the female secondary Glatorian of Tajun, and one of Mata Nui’s confirmed helpers in the newest movie, the other one being Ackar. The canister has a Mata Blue lid, which might raise some (false) hopes with some set collectors after what happened with Tarix and Berix.

BUILDING THE SET:
A pile of Dark Blue and Light blue pieces fall out.
New pieces:
Light Blue Vahki leg
Light Blue new connector piece
Shoulder/Leg armour
Helmet
Vapor trident halves
Light Blue Glat hands
Light blue Hewkii Inika feet.

The first thing you’ll notice is that, unlike all other canister sets this year, there is no Inika torso. This brings you attention straight to the instructions to find out how to build her torso. Two black technic “triangles” connect to a long blue pin in the middle hole, with two red plus-pins connecting to the plus-holes at the end. Two black round pins connect to the round holes below the long blue pin. The metru hip joint connects to these. Two grey Hordika Necks connect to the red pins, and the Light Blue Vahki leg connects to the long blue pin. The life counter connects to the back, via two more black round pins. If you found this confusing, i believe the instructions will be up shortly,

The legs: New connector piece connects to dark Blue Rahkshi leg, and then to “hand” joint, and then to light blue foot. The knee armor connects to the middle hole of the new connector piece. Kiina is the first blue set to utilize the Hewkii Inika foot. Build two of these.

Arms: Same build as the legs, just the rahkshi leg flipped and a light blue hand attached to the end instead of a foot. Again, two are needed.

The head, which is green like Tarix and Berix, connects to the Vahki leg. The helmet, of course, connects to the top of the head. The helmet has a colour blend of Blue and Silver: it is mainly blue, with silver starting from the “fins” at the front of the helmet, and to the eye sockets, and also a bit on the “tail”.
The thornax launcher halves connect to her left hand, while the trident halves connect to both sides of her right hand.

Kiina is quite a good set. She may have long gangly arms and legs, but this can easily be rectified by using Metru legs instead of Rahkshi ones. Also, because of the life counter pointing upright, and the tail of the helmet, both clash, and restrict posing. Other than those points, Kiina is one of the most unique of the six Legends.

Pro’s:
New build
Loads of pieces in light blue
first blue set to utilize the Hewkii Inika feet
Unlike Tarix and Berix, a continuos colour scheme
Custom torso
Light blue hands
Head (?)
Trident looks cool.

Con’s:
Life counter restricts posing
Head (?)
Arms are too long
Shoulder pieces in Grey
Torso is only just a bit taller than Tanma’s torso, and shorter than Mata Nui’s.

That’s my review on Kiina. She is a good set, and i would easily recommend her to a LEGO collector and any BIONICLE fan. I did have low hopes at first, but now i’ve got her, i think she is much better. Well done, LEGO, for another great set!

Have fun building!

Transformers Movie 2 Deluxe Soundwave Figure!

2009-09-07T11:44:35Z

Transformers Movie 2 Deluxe Soundwave Figure!

Stationed in orbit above Earth, SOUNDWAVE swiftly taps into every satellite in range. Within minutes, communications, data traffic, weather information, and high-resolution spy photography flood his sensor net. The spill of data fills him with pleasure, and one by one, the humans systems come under his complete control. From his seat on high, he is in a position to control the destiny of mankind without their knowledge¦or to run their civilization into the ground.

Convert this TRIPLE CHANGER figure into three different modes and get ready to take on AUTOBOT® forces! In robot mode, this devilish-looking SOUNDWAVE warriors cannon converts to a blade for battle! With a few twists and turns, change the robot figure to satellite mode with a launching RAVAGE projectile! Ready to blast off into unknown territory? Convert this awesome figure into space cruiser mode and be ready for out-of-this-world action!

* Convert this TRIPLE CHANGER figure into three different modes and get ready to take on AUTOBOT forces
* Detailed TRIPLE CHANGERTM robot-to-vehicle figure converts from robot mode to satellite mode or space cruiser mode
* Cannon converts to a “blade”
* Figure comes with launching RAVAGE projectile accessory
* In robot mode, this devilish-looking SOUNDWAVE warrior’s cannon converts to a “blade” for battle

When I first saw spy pics of Soundwave in january i was shocked..the design was a radical departure from the tape deck character we all know. But, this design works for the film..his disguise is a communications satellite. in short Soundwave rocks! lots of detail here.

He is one Devilish looking decepticon the design retains his G1 style head(great touch takara/hasbro !) the color scheme is reminiscent of his g1 days also. he is quite poseable and is well built…i like his claws and his arms they wanted the movie transformers to look totally alien, and they succeded..

He also comes with ravage that launches from him ( ala g1 days) ravage as you know is the cassette Kitty that is loyal to soundwave..however hes not transformable…perhaps a later version will have a transformable one because hes in the film. mabey laserbeak too? one can only hope:)

Soundwave, is one of my favorite Decepticons, and i think they did a nice job on him..hes worth getting. like Optimus prime, hes hard to get..i went to 2 stores before i landed 2 of him (one to open and one to keep sealed in the package)

Pros:
Its soundwave!
Good articulation
Movie accurate detail in all modes

Cons:
Ravage is non transformable (they probably did this to keep the price lower)

If you can find soundwave, grab him..hes worth checking out. (hope they keep his cool monotonic voice for the movie, like prime’s the voice is classic)

Keep this one away from little Johnny, hes a bit fragile and you know how kids are careless sometimes…these are made for the collector and rightfully so..