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.