Post by David J Howe on Apr 7, 2007 9:54:21 GMT 1
Why oh why didn’t they have things like this when I was a kid! This has to be one of the best toys ever to have the Doctor Who logo plastered all over it. It’s a Cyberman head. And a blooming great one at that. The finish is all smooth and metallic and flawless in that perfect cyber-way, and the toy would make a brilliant display piece in its own right. But that’s until you remove it from the packing – and for once there are no fiddly little wire ties, sticky tape and plastic lugs to negotiate, the helmet simply slips out with no problems at all – and pop it on your head! In a stroke of genius, Character Options have made it big enough – unless you have a particularly large bonce – to fit adults as well as children, and so everyone in the family can be upgraded.
There are three small buttons to one side of the mouth. These control the sounds. One will emit the cyber-electro-death-grip noise – great for attack mode. Another makes the helmet say one of a number of pre-programmed phrases. But the third activates a small microphone inside so that when you speak, your voice comes out all Cybernised. One problem here, unless you speak very quietly – when the microphone doesn’t pick it up well – your real voice can also be heard which slightly spoils the illusion. There’s also a little switch inside which apparently changes the modulation of the voice. However I could tell no difference between the three settings.
Visibility is slightly tricky when wearing it – despite the fact that the eye holes are fairly large and covered with clear Perspex – and so I really wouldn’t recommend trying to drive or work machinery when wearing it … or even attempt a flight of stairs.
However the toy just looks so good that kids just adore it. There is always a crowd clustered around the helmets in the shops and I can see many parents awakening on Christmas morning to find that their offspring have been unexpectedly upgraded in the night to buzzing, stalking cybernetic life forms.
I really cannot praise this toy enough. In fact, to call it a toy is almost demeaning, it’s been created with such love and care and attention to detail. It is beautifully made, robust and the sounds are the icing on the cake. It's so tempting to wear it on the bus or in the office and see what the reaction might be – my inner fanboy really wants to see that happen. Rumour has it that this is predicted to be the number one must-have toy for this Christmas and I can totally believe it. Get 'em before they’re deleted!
There are three small buttons to one side of the mouth. These control the sounds. One will emit the cyber-electro-death-grip noise – great for attack mode. Another makes the helmet say one of a number of pre-programmed phrases. But the third activates a small microphone inside so that when you speak, your voice comes out all Cybernised. One problem here, unless you speak very quietly – when the microphone doesn’t pick it up well – your real voice can also be heard which slightly spoils the illusion. There’s also a little switch inside which apparently changes the modulation of the voice. However I could tell no difference between the three settings.
Visibility is slightly tricky when wearing it – despite the fact that the eye holes are fairly large and covered with clear Perspex – and so I really wouldn’t recommend trying to drive or work machinery when wearing it … or even attempt a flight of stairs.
However the toy just looks so good that kids just adore it. There is always a crowd clustered around the helmets in the shops and I can see many parents awakening on Christmas morning to find that their offspring have been unexpectedly upgraded in the night to buzzing, stalking cybernetic life forms.
I really cannot praise this toy enough. In fact, to call it a toy is almost demeaning, it’s been created with such love and care and attention to detail. It is beautifully made, robust and the sounds are the icing on the cake. It's so tempting to wear it on the bus or in the office and see what the reaction might be – my inner fanboy really wants to see that happen. Rumour has it that this is predicted to be the number one must-have toy for this Christmas and I can totally believe it. Get 'em before they’re deleted!
