Top Ten Boys’ Toys 2009
David Smith lists the best boys’ toys to hit the shelves this year…
Battle Deck
Tomy’s new cars are ready to do battle, with four clans of cars each made of three interchangeable components. Mix up your cars to make the perfect hybrid racer and pit it against your opponent’s creations on the Mega Raceway. Priced around £4.99 to around £29.99
Le Grand Garage
This magnificent garage is eye-catching and colourful and sure to appeal to any young boy with a collection of toy cars. A petrol station, working lift and helicopter landing pad are included (and you get a car and helicopter thrown in for good measure). Priced around £59.95.
Scalextric Ferrari 250 GTO
If you know a boy with a Scalextric track, we’re willing to bet he’ll love the Ferrari 250 GTO from Scalextric. Shrinking this legendary car (GTO means ‘Gran Turismo Omologato’, or ‘sanctioned for racing’, by the way) hasn’t made it any less beautiful. Priced around £40.
Royal Ship of Egypt
The giant Pyramid gets top billing in Playmobil’s recreation of ancient Egypt, but our favourite toy in the range is the Royal Ship of Egypt. Carrying on a fine tradition of superb Playmobil sailing ships, it comes with three Playmobil figures and a whole host of warlike equipment. Permission to come aboard! Priced around £29.99.
Battle Strikers
Mega Brands’ Battle Strikers have all the elements to delight young boys. There’s a collectible element (you can buy extra Strikers to build up your army), a touch of creativity (you can mix and match the different pieces of the Strikers to make new ones) and, of course, a battle at the end, when your Strikers fight it out with their opponents. Priced around £4.99 to around £24.99.
Razor Spark Scooter
We’ve never seen a product turn heads quite as much as the Razor Spark Scooter, from re:creation. Wherever you go, the trail of sparks shooting out from the back of this brilliant scooter will attract attention – and it even comes with a spare Spark Bar for when you run out of sparks. Priced around £59.99.
Airfix Toy Soldiers
It’s a toss-up as to who’s happier to see Airfix re-issue these famous 1:32 scale soldiers – boys, or their dads. Either way, it’s like a visit from the Ghost of Christmas Past and young boys will be just as delighted as their fathers were 30 years ago. Made from the original moulds, these new releases are easier to paint thanks to the use of a new kind of plastic. Priced around £5.69.
Schleich Knights
Schleich’s figurines are renowned for their detail and these knights are stunning, right down to the intricate chain mail. Brilliant stocking fillers, they can be enjoyed on their own or as part of a major battle with the accessories Schleich also sells in the range. Priced around £4.75.
Jurassic Wars
Dice Maestro’s new game is a complete triumph, mixing brilliant dinosaur imagery with a fast-paced, easy-to-learn and compelling card-and-dice game. Youngsters love imaging their dinosaurs locked in deadly battle, and adults can enjoy the fun as well. Priced around £10.99.
LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary
We know this is a book, but it is devoted entirely to the world of LEGO Star Wars – and it comes with an exclusive Star Wars LEGO minifigure of Luke Skywalker. If you’re looking for something to keep the youngsters quiet for a few hours, this should do the trick. Utterly absorbing. Priced around £16.95.
Read our other Top Tens for 2009:
Top Ten Educational Toys 2009
Top Ten Budget Toys 2009
Top Ten Girls’ Toys 2009
Top Ten Preschool Toys 2009
