'Real kids' Transformer Toy Reviews?

[Omega Metro]

I was thinking earlier whilst reading the reviews of all the 'toys' in the review section. It would be great to read some toy reviews of our fellow members kids ( if any exist). All these toys are aimed at kids so why can't we get some comments on certain lines/figures. So you reckon they may not be as harsh or critical as us adult collectors?

[5FDP]

I have an inner child, kinda like a Pretender... does that count?

Seriously though, that's actually a good idea Unfortunately my son is too young so his reviews would be based soley around 'does it fit up my nose' ala Ralph Wiggum.

[GoktimusPrime]

Bidoofdude's a kid.

I'm an adult, but I see toys through a child's eyes though -- to me play value is paramount and I'm often quite critical of a toy that offers poor play value, no matter how pretty it looks as a display piece. I still do the voices and sound effects etc. when I play. I think it's difficult to really accurately review a toy if you don't play with it. That's like trying to review a car without driving it, or review a book without actually reading it etc.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I thought about that too a while ago when looking for some Godzilla stuff. Ended up checking some videos on youtube and for a lot of the stuff, only kids vids were there.

Couldn't watch them High pitched girly voices and speech patterns all put me off, along with shoddy video work.

Yeah, I guess I am showing my age as well as the change of what we look for in toys, although I still factor in the 'play' nature of a toy when I look over it, it just isn't them main thing so much for me.

Like when I get a video game, the main factor - "Is it fun?"

[Bidoofdude]

Bidoofdude's a kid.

I'm an adult, but I see toys through a child's eyes though -- to me play value is paramount and I'm often quite critical of a toy that offers poor play value, no matter how pretty it looks as a display piece. I still do the voices and sound effects etc. when I play. I think it's difficult to really accurately review a toy if you don't play with it. That's like trying to review a car without driving it, or review a book without actually reading it etc.

But don't I see stuff on more of a collector's point of view, rather than as a vroom vroom play toy? (no offence by that)
I too like a bit of play value, but I also like posability,(since let's face it; they going to be on my shelf, static, for a long time) and visual qualities.
It's interesting to see what a very young child thinks of most of today's transformers.
I got lots of excitement out of just playing with (non-transformable) metal trucks and pretending they were Constructicons when I was around 5 years old, so it would be interesting to see how that compares to today, with all the better engineering (well, most of the time, anyway) and accuracy put into greater effect.

[GoktimusPrime]

But don't I see stuff on more of a collector's point of view, rather than as a vroom vroom play toy? (no offence by that)

No offence taken*. I admit that I'm an adult who sees toys through a child's eye, and you admit that you're a kid who sees toys through adult eyes. For me, I got into Transformers from a very young age as a child, and I've just continued from there. At no stage have I ever decided that I was "too old" to play with Transformers, cos if I did, I would have quit Transformers entirely. The challenge with getting young children to review toys is that they often lack of skills to evaluate and articulate what it is about a toy that they like and don't like. You're probably better off collecting verbal feedback and visual observation from children and then compiling it into a review. That's pretty much how toy companies test their toys with focus groups of children.

For example, while we adults may be highly critical of the Battlechargers, I vividly once remember watching a younger cousin of mine play with Runamuck on the kitchen floor. She _really_ had a lot of fun with it! Later on I saw her playing with my Deployers -- Deployers! (who doesn't hate those?!), but again she loved them! And I know a lot of people criticise the Throttlebots, but I gotta tell you, when I was playing with them in 1987 my friends and I had loads of fun with them! Especially doing Throttlebot racing in the schoolyard! Thus at the Sabretron 2004 convention, I decided to 'resurrect' this old game and we had Throttlebot racing events, both straight racing and a new variant made for that convention, the Stunticon Obstacle Course! I remember when we were handing out the prize to the winning player, he was a guy from interstate who said that he'd stayed up the night before in his hotel room practising with each of his Throttlebots and testing to see which was the best performer! And while I've been critical of the Firecons, I gotta admit that sparking gimmick was pretty cool as a kid. And for such cheap toys, you didn't mind the poor engineering so much.

Action Masters are a toy line that I'm far more critical of, because even when they first came out in 1990, I still thought they sucked. Even as a kid I hated them... and I remember when I first saw Grimlock embark on his Nucleon Quest, I thought to myself, "Nnnoooo!!" So yeah... Action Masters sucked to me as a kid and as an adult^manchild!

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*FYI it's more like "vroom vroooooooomm, skreee, wokk-wokk-wokk-wokk-wokk, pewpewpewpewpewpew voooosh BOOOOOMM!!"

[i_amtrunks]

I teach 8 years olds every day. as well as have family over my place every other weekend, where they have an almost free range on my tf's.

Kids reviewing anything usually results in hilarity. For example my students this year know I love tf's so have been bringing in theirs. Lots of prime cyberverse figures, very little movie stuff. Kids liked the movie, but hated the toys. Had 3 students bring me in Movie figs last year to transform them for them at lunch as they couldnt figure it out!

Kids reviews are great, they are very quick and decisive. If they don't like something they say just that and it is done with. If you get them to expand on it more, more often than not it comes down to jealousy; "It's not as good s what my friend has", "it only has one gun" etc.

Hilarity.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

"it only has one gun" etc.

Hmm, reminds of when I was first dating my wife. She went off to Japan and asked if there was anything I wanted *ahem.* Self constraint came to the fore (We were dating then ), and I asked for a couple of Gundam kits (plentiful, easy and cheap). She asked any one in particular? I didn't/don't know gundam well, so I said, "A cool looking one with wings and big guns"

She replied, "They all look like that!"

Morale of the story is from the above quote, maybe my views haven't changed much from a kids'.

[GoktimusPrime]

Hmm, reminds of when I was first dating my wife.

I'm far more tired than I realise... I initially read that as "I was dating my first wife," then I blinked and read it again properly. Gaaah... Fridayitis at its best.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I'm far more tired than I realise... I initially read that as "I was dating my first wife," then I blinked and read it again properly. Gaaah... Fridayitis at its best.

Yes, well thats another story...