SNAP SHIPS REVIEW

My son is in those tween aged years where kids are beginning to outgrow playing with toys, but that hasn't kept him from being absolutely delighted by SNAP SHIPS from PlayMonster. He has spent a lot of hours building these sci-fi themed spacecraft and engaging in imaginative adventures with them. His enjoyment of SNAP SHIPS has put them at the top of my family's list for favorite new toy this year. And we are aren't alone in appreciating SNAP SHIPS as they've been named a finalist in the "Construction Toy of the Year" category for the Toy Association's TOTY awards.

The heroic Forge battle the villainous Komplex for interstellar superiority within the SNAP SHIPS universe. Construct a variety of impressive vessels to combat one another ranging from patrol craft, troop transports and battleships. These sharp looking models are a snap to put together and my son really likes them because they look great to display in his room. 

In fact, I think he has more fun constructing these model spaceships than actually playing with them. Though I have caught him having some space battles in his room with his SNAP SHIPS so they do have a lot of playability for even tween aged kids. He has liked them enough to ask for some more SNAP SHIPS as Christmas gifts this year.

Here is a build through video with my son demonstrating how to put together a SNAP SHIP. PlayMonster has done a nice job making it so that the parts to these toys are easy to snap together yet durable enough that they won't fall apart when being played with. The constructed products look so good you'd think a lot more effort than actually is necessary was put into assembling the toys. 

And while they look nice for displaying these toys can be played with too without worrying about them easily breaking. In fact while we were taping this video, one of the assembled SNAP SHIPS got knocked off the table and when we picked it up after wrapping up filming this build through not a piece had separated or broken apart from it. As you'll see in the video though, if you make a mistake putting a toy together or want to make rearrangements it is no big deal to pop out parts and move things around.

Easy to assemble yet durable for play are sure to make SNAP SHIPS a hit! Also taking advantage of the blind bag collecting trend in toys, each SNAP SHIP has a mystery accessory included with it that you won't know what it is until the package has been opened. Maybe it will be a turbo boaster, laser cannon, or missile system to give the toy an extra edge. You can buy multiple of the same SNAP SHIP style and get all sorts of different mystery accessories which adds some extra excitement to constructing them.

Also PlayMonster has added some out of the box elements to help bring SNAP SHIPS to life. There is a YouTube animated series that adds some personality to the mini-figures that come with each SNAP SHIP and provides inspiration for imaging space battles with the toys. Additionally there is a free app for Android and Apple devices that provides augmented reality features that can enhance the experience of playing with the physical toys.

I'm a sci-fi geek so this dad blogger couldn't resist getting some of these spaceship toys for my son. That worked out well because he really loves them. As a parent, I appreciate not only that he is enjoying the toys but also they provide repeat playability, durability and originality ensuring that we are getting value for the money spent on them. That is complimented by a very reasonable price range of $12 to $50 dollars that gives you a lot more bang for your buck than some other construction toy brands. So SNAP SHIPS have earned a Geek Daddy nod of approval based upon the affordability, innovation and entertainment these toys provide.

PLAYMONSTER FUN

For the last few years I've been making an annual summer trip in July to New York City to spend a day immersed in toys. The Toy Insider's Sweet Suite provides influencers with the chance to get a preview of what will be the hot toys for the upcoming holiday shopping season. This blogger bash is really like having Christmas in July when participating in Sweet Suite.

With the current pandemic it wasn't an appropriate time for people to be traveling to New York for a networking and promotional event, so its hosts made this year's soiree an online virtual toy expo instead.  So last night I interacted with a number of toy brands via the Internet getting an insider's look at products that are hitting store shelves now as well as some that will be arriving for the Christmas shopping season during Sweet Suite @ Home. My kids also joined in on the fun by providing some live demonstrations for attendees of two new toys that Play Monster sent our way to try out.

SNAP SHIPS

My son spent a half hour building Snap Ships from Play Monster on a live video stream from our kitchen counter. He is a big fan of these toys which let you snap together battling space ships in a variety of configurations.  What is great about these toys is that not only do they look cool and are easy to snap the pieces together but the completed toys are also very sturdy so they won't fall apart while being played with.

A nice touch to the packaging is that the top of the box each toy comes in can serve as a display stand that provides a decent presentation for showcasing your completed Snap Ship. Another interesting aspect of the packaging is that each box has a blind bag component to it where one of ten different accessories is randomly inserted providing a surprise factor every time you get a Snap Ship. Which bonus feature will be included with each Snap Ship is a mystery until you open up its box!

There are two sides battling it out in the Snap Ship toy universe: THE FORGE and THE KOMPLEX. Forge snap ships have a silvery "good guy" vibe to them while Komplex have a more menacing dark side to them. Both sides have a nice sci-fi look that makes them fun to both display and play with. My son is already asking for me to get him some more of these snap together science fiction themed space ship models to build!

DRONE HOME

Combine Hungry Hungry Hippo and Angry Birds then mix in a drone and you have this fun new game called Drone Home. My son and daughter competed in a live match of this game from Play Monster so attendees could check out how it works during Sweet Suite @ Home. They had a blast playing this game! Drone Home absolutely gets a Geek Daddy nod of approval for playing during a Family Game Night.

Drone Home has a simple premise yet is challenging and exciting to play. You are trying to launch your aliens one at a time into a drone situated in the middle of the game board. Once a figure lands inside the drone it automatically takes off into the air flying your alien home. The first player to get all three of  their aliens flown home win the game.

Of course that is not as easy as it sounds. Up to four competitors are all trying to do the same thing as the same time. So they might knock your alien out of the drone before it can take off or hitch a ride alongside you. This fast paced game is all about knocking the other players out of the way so your aliens can fly home. Because it is suitable for all ages to play makes for a great game for the whole family to play together as well as a great activity for kids to do along with their friends.

The drone really takes off and climbs very high in the air adding a wow factor to the game. With a ten minute charge of the drone using the included usb charger you can get about a half hour of playing time. A dad blogger alert though, note batteries, which are not included, are needed to activate sensors in the launch pad of the game which determine if aliens have triggered the drone for takeoff. So make sure you pick up some batteries before unboxing this game.

We had a lot of fun with Drone Home and will absolutely be playing it over and over again. Recommended for ages 8+ this game has brought out the competitive spirit among my wife, I and our kids during some energetic bouts playing Drone Home together. An entertaining way to spend some family time together or to keep kids amused when they are sticking around the house.

AUTOMOBLOX

Combing the fun of wood building blocks with toy cars is AUTOMOBLOX.  Play Monster sent us a few of these vehicle sets to check out and we had a great time playing with them. These toys made of European beech wood are like bringing high quality Cub Scout Pinewood Derby cars home that can be played with by kids all the time rather than just during a special race.

Each one has interchangeable components that can be swapped between vehicles allowing children to customize them with no tools required.  Plus free rolling wheels with tires and rims that can be mixed and matched make them thrilling to race.  No batteries needed … just push to get them rolling or shove down an incline to really get these toys going.  

POLICE CRUISER + FIRE RESCUE PATROL

This play set comes with three fully built Automobloxs -- a police car, fire fighter SUV and rescue truck.   The bodies of each of these toys can be split into three parts and each of the cab tops and tires can be removed as well as the truck bed cover.  Mix and match these components to create your own vehicle designs or trade them with parts from other Automblox sets for even more options to let kids build their own unique vehicles. This was my son's favorite set out of the ones Play Monster sent us to review.

RACE CAR 2-PACK

My daughter loved this Automoblox set that comes with a classic hotrod and a futuristic looking street racer.   She was excited about the hot red and neon purple color schemes of the HR5 Scorch and SC1 Chaos that are included in this toy pack.  These are the colors she'd want her race car to be if she ever becomes a pro driver I was told while watching her tinker around with them.

TIMBER PACK

A sturdy rugged off-road vehicle that comes with a trailer carrying a detachable motorcycle is my favorite Automoblox play set.  I monkeyed around with this while my son and daughter were playing with the other Automoblox cars, utility vehicles and trucks.  Like the other toys, this Automoblox SUV can split apart with its body separating into three pieces and the canopy being removable. Its four wheels also come off the car with their tires and hubs also able to be split apart too. Hitch up the included trailer to pull the motor bike around or spin the motorcycle around on its own.

Because of small parts Automoblox are not recommended for children under 4 years old but otherwise these are some wonderful toys for kids and kids at heart.  My kids were thrilled by these toys and I enjoyed jumping in the fun with them as we raced these cars against each other across the hardwood floor in our dining room.  Automoblox are so well constructed for many families they very well become keepsake toys passed down to future generations.  Based upon the quality of the toys and their fun factor, Automoblox absolutely earned A Geek Daddy nod of approval.

For a look at other Automoblox play sets or individually sold cars and to learn more about the brand, head over to playmonster.com

Roominate Cotton Candy Carnival

 ** A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free to review**

During The Toy Insider's Holiday of Play event unveiling their annual hottest toy selections, each of the members of the Parents Panel were asked to spotlight a favorite toy from the list.  My selection is Play Monster's Roominate Cotton Candy Carnival.  I'm a big fan of toys that combine educational components with entertaining elements so that kids are learning and having fun at the same time.  Roominate construction kits fit that mark perfectly as they are specifically designed to inspire girls to have an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) concepts through being able to construct doll houses, vehicles and in the case of the Cotton Candy Carnival playset actual working amusement park rides.



Using circuits, motors and modular building pieces, girls can build and create their own unique and original structures or vehicles that can be joined together or taken apart and remade into something completely new and different every time they play with Roominate toys. As the father of a daughter whose aspirations and dreams I want to be limitless these toys that inspire girls creatively and intellectually are appreciated.  Roominate construction kits let girls build the world they want to play in!

I had the opportunity to meet Alice Brooks at The Toy Insider's Holiday of Play event, who along with her Stanford roommate Bettina Chen, created Roominate toys. The two engineers met while earning their Master’s degrees and they found that their interest in engineering had mutually been born out of their love of toys. The two women created Roominate to inspire girls to maintain an interest in building, innovating, and learning about the STEM fields as they grow up.  They pitched their idea on the television show Shark Tank and gained a new partner in their efforts as Mark Cuban invested in their company.  Cuban assisted with selling the women's company to established toy company Play Monster which has established Roominate products as its own designated toy line within the company.

With the Roominate Cotton Candy Carnival, kids can design and build amusement rides for the two included dolls, Bettina and Jenna, to enjoy.  An enclosed motor that doesn't allow its parts to be exposed for safety and durability reasons, allows children to build battery a powered functional carousel, giant swing or ferris wheel for Bettina and Jenna to ride on.  A personality profile for each of the dolls is also included, which features the character’s hobbies and favorite foods, as well as favorite scientists and career aspirations to give girls a nudge towards being interested in a STEM-based field.  Stickers are included so that kids can decorate and personalize their Cotton Candy Carnival that in addition to the dolls and amusement rides also allows for a game tent and snack booth to be built.



While Roominate toys are marketed to girls, my son also really enjoyed joining his sister in playing with the Cotton Candy Carnival.  This fun carnival theme and demonstrates to kids that, while riding a ferris wheel or carousel can be fun, so can the experience of being involved with building these attractions. For introducing STEM topics in an amusing way, the Roominate Cotton Candy Carnival gets gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval.

The Roominate Cotton Candy Carnival is available at Amazon, Fat Brain Toys, Kmart, Toys R Us, Walmart, and through playmonster.com.  It requires 2 AAA batteries that are not included.  The toy is recommended for children 8 years old and up. From our experience parental involvement may be necessary in assisting younger children with building some of the more advanced projects within Roominate construction kits.  In addition to the fun of playing with this motorized toy set, kids will equally appreciate the satisfaction that they built the functioning carnival rides themselves.