August, 2010 | Kids Army Toys

Armouron Action Set Body Armour

If you are looking for some kids army gear for a birthday or Christmas present, look no further than the new Armouron body armour toy from Bandai. These colorful, customisable suits of armour allow children to dress up as knights and fight any make believe baddies that get in their way. The basic Armouron starter sets contain the basic suit, helmet and shield but there are also three accessory sets that can be bought as extras. These allow the basic suits to be personalised with embellishments such as spikes, flames and wings. More accessories including new weapons are expected to be introduced shortly.

The starter set of armour comes as a flat pack and needs to be constructed which adds to the fun of the toy. The build is easy and the connections are made with Snapperon clips. These clips are also used to fix on the accessories and as they come in different colors can be used as personalisation in their own right. Once built the high density foam armour is light to wear and easy to take apart and rebuild.

Currently only available in the UK, Armouron action sets are expected to reach the US before Christmas.

Please click for prices on the full range of Armouron

To complement the new Armouron army costumes for kids, a range of Armouron books has been released. If you want to encourage your kids to pick up a book and read, these are a great choice. They can follow the adventures of futuristic knights and then dress up in their suits and act out the various story lines. The idea of the suits is that they bestow upon the wearer special skills and abilities – kids are sure to take this idea to heart and have hours of creative role play fun with their friends.

Armouron is aimed at children aged 4 and over, although the ideal height for a perfect fit is between 104-130cm. The accessory packs extend the excitement of the armour, by allowing for mixing and matching between add ons. They can be swapped out with friends costumes and help make the overall effect more fearsome.

Armouron Starter Sets

Kids can have lots of fun building these suits of armour by joining all of the pieces together. The enclosed Snapperons are easy to use and are included with the red or blue chest armour, helmet with visor and circular shield. Two sets are available – please click for more information and prices on the Red Starter Set or the Blue Starter Set

Armouron Accessory Set – Spikes

Extend the fun to be had with the Armouron costumes with the various accessory packs. They make the whole suit seem more knight-like with their five additional pieces. There are two pieces for the shoulders, one for the shield and two for the helmet. They are shaped as spikes, flames or wings, depending on the pack you buy. All pieces are easy to join to the main suit with the extra Snapperons that come with each set although you may need extras to fix all pieces. Packs of six gold or silver Snapperons can be purchased separately. Just make sure you have already bought the starter set of armour or the accessory pack will be no use to you.

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Armouron Accessory Set – Flames

The accessory set also comes in a Flames design.

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Armouron Accessory Sets – Wings

The accessory set also comes in a Wings design.

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Armouron Snapperons 6 Clips

Snapperon clips join the different bits of the armour together, whether these are the main pieces or the accessories. These packs of six clips that come in gold or silver can also be used to further personalise your Armouron body armour.

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Armouron Books

Armouron: The Armoured Ghost is one of the four books currently available in this new adventure series. This the start of the story when four young knights learn their craft and have to defeat the evil Armouronaut. For any boys into their adventure books, these will be a new series for them to become addicted to.

Please click for details of the full range

Toy Walkie Talkies: Why They’re Great

Walkie talkie toys are effectively two way radios that give your kids a communication gadget to play with without you having to buy them a mobile phone that is going to cost you in call charges as well as the initial cost.

If you buy wisely, such as a set with long distance capabilities you could even use these ‘toys’ as communication devices to keep in touch with your kids when they are out and about and save yourself a bit of money in the process.

Kids seem to love walkie talkies toys. They are the perfect role play toy – your child can pretend to be GI Joe, James Bond or even a spy and will have the necessary equipment to communicate secretly with the rest of his team on their secret mission. They can dash around the house, garden or local woodland with them, talking to their friend in a different location. Espionage and war games are particularly popular and as a toy walkie talkie only needs batteries to get it going it is quick and easy to use.

Toy walkie talkies are so popular with kids that there are numerous models designed specifically with them in mind – Toy Story 3, Transformers and Power Rangers to name but a few. The trouble with the ‘kids’ versions is that hardly any of them get a decent write up. And they are not cheap either. You seem to be paying for the look rather than the function of these sets as they are expensive on batteries and the transmissions are barely audible. Other than the Lego Walkie Talkies that is, where as you would expect, you get a quality product.

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As such, you are well advised to steer clear of kids walkie talkies and stick with the best rated ‘normal’ versions. Your kids will have a much better play time with these and they are likely to be cheaper or at least no more expensive than the latest movie themed versions.

Being an army toys focused site, I was hoping to be able to tell you about some cool camo walkie talkies for kids, but despite there being at least two sets on the market that I have reviewed, they are not much good, so I won’t even waste your time. Your kids are going to have to go with an ‘army’ theme for their role play rather than the look of their walkie talkies.

Why parents love them

Walkie talkies are great for parents as well as kids and here’s why:

Your kids will use their imagination to come up with more and more scenarios for walkie talkie play.
They will get exercise from having to move about on their covert missions.
They will get fresh air as it is likely that they will play outside whilst exploring what their walkie talkies can do.
They will play socially as they need a friend to join in the fun.
They will improve their communication skills as they need to articlulate well what they want to put across to their friends.
They may enhance their mental skills by using secret codes during communications.
They encourage quiet and shy kids to talk.
You can keep track of your kids whether inside or out of the house without yelling.
You can use them after bedtime as a safety blanket so your youngsters know they can get hold of you easily when you’re downstairs
You can keep in touch with older children that may want to do a bit of their own thing while you’re all out shopping.
You can check in with your kids wherever they are without embarassing them.
There is no monthly service fee to pay as with cell phones.

You can get a set of kids walkie talkie toys for less than $30. Given the prices of toys these days, this is pretty reasonable for a toy that has all the benefits mentioned above and will get a lot of use.

Please check out our other article for our top 3 picks of walkie talkie toys.

Best Walkie Talkies For Kids That Actually Work

Walkie talkies toys are often a favorite staple of kids army gear these days. They can come up with endless missions or spy games with these sets of communication gadgets.

Parents should love them too. Read why below but basically they encourage many different traits in kids play, such as imagination, exercise and socialization, and are also great to offer a bit of independence to youngsters whilst still allowing you to keep tabs on them.

These toys come in a number of different guises, although those made specifically for kids typically tend to be of inferior quality. We will look below at 3 of the best walkie talkies for kids – a quality Lego offering made especially for kids, a bestselling standard version that would still be perfect for kids and a cool wristwatch style of walkie talkie that will ensure your kids do not drop or lose them.

LEGO Walkie Talkies **Child Friendly

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Products designed for kids are always going to be better for them than adult products as they will be in fun colors and will typically be smaller and so easier for them to manage. As such these Lego toy Walkie Talkies for kids top the charts – they are made for kids but also actually work! They are easy to use with just one button to press to talk and can cover a distance of up to 1 mile between sets. The reception and quality is very good. There is also a volume control so you can turn them down when they are playing indoors. The Lego look of the design is fun and colorful. They have a good battery life and are able to stand up to the odd dropping dished out by children. The only downside is that there is only one channel and the Lego brick stickers can peel off over time but overall they are a great choice.

Uniden Walkie Talkies **Great value

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This set of walkie talkies is a bestselling adult option but if you want something that works for a great price, you would be well advised to talk your child out of the movie or cartoon character version they want. These two way radios have 22 channels to choose from and work within a 12 mile range. They weigh slightly more than the Lego option but are still a compact size so perfect for kids. They offer much more potential in terms of getting value for money as they can be used at much greater distances, say at school, sporting events or the shopping mall. They can also be used in areas where cell phone signals are weak. The range on these walkie talkies varies according to your location, as with all such sets. The more built up an area is the less distance the signal will travel so in urban environments, expect 1-2 miles. They come with six batteries and the battery life of up to 20 hours is extended thanks to the automatic power save mode and you know when your battery needs charging due to the displayed meter. It is still a good idea to use rechargeable batteries though to keep your ongoing costs down. The sound quality is very good and being affordable and easy to use they are perfect for kids.

Wrist Watch Walkie Talkies ** Cool

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For the best kids walkie talkies that are a bit more nifty although also a bit more expensive, take a look at these watch walkie talkies. They are state of the art fashionable wrist watch walkie talkies that any would be spy kid would be proud of. They are a functioning LCD display watch to keep your kids on time but also double up as multi channel walkie talkies with a 6km range, although this is reduced considerably in built up areas. They come with everything you need for a two person kit including two wired headsets. The wrist watches are lightweight and save you holding a walkie in your hand whilst communicating. Being strapped on, they will be hard for even your child to lose. The range and clarity of communication is very good so these cool little gadgets come highly recommended. They are perfect for spy games or for keeping in touch.

Toy Walkie Talkies: Why They’re Great

As such, you are well advised to steer clear of kids walkie talkies and stick with the best rated ‘normal’ versions – see our top 3 picks above. Your kids will have a much better play time with these and they are likely to be cheaper or at least no more expensive than the latest movie themed versions.

Why Parents Love Them

Walkie talkies are great for parents as well as kids and here’s why:

Your kids will use their imagination to come up with more and more scenarios for walkie talkie play.
They will get exercise from having to move about on their covert missions.
They will get fresh air as it is likely that they will play outside whilst exploring what their walkie talkies can do.
They will play socially as they need a friend to join in the fun.
They will improve their communication skills as they need to articlulate well what they want to put across to their friends.
They may enhance their mental skills by using secret codes during communications.
They encourage quiet and shy kids to talk.
You can keep track of your kids whether inside or out of the house without yelling.
You can use them after bedtime as a safety blanket so your youngsters know they can get hold of you easily when you’re downstairs
You can keep in touch with older children that may want to do a bit of their own thing while you’re all out shopping.
You can check in with your kids wherever they are without embarassing them.
There is no monthly service fee to pay as with cell phones.

Best GI Joe Vehicles

GI Joe must be THE action figure of choice for boys, so if your children are into GI Joe figures, then help complete their role play fun with some of the cool GI Joe vehicles on offer.

There are a wide range available to choose from including vintage versions, however, those most popular with kids today are those from the live action movie, The Rise Of Cobra.

There are two ranges as well as individual toy army vehicles to choose from. The Alpha range vehicles come with launchers, projectiles and surprise attack features as well as a 3.75″ figure. For example the Ghost Hawk comes with a firing missile launcher, rotating engines and interchangeable weapon accessories and the cockpit opens so the figure can ride inside.

The Bravo vehicles are larger and equipped with a hidden reveal weapons system. This means you just have to pop up the missile launcher and flip down the missile storage bays to be weapons ready. A 3.75″ figure comes again as standard.

You can also find the PIT Mobile Headquarters which is a great GI Joe playset. It has multiple levels and represents the fortress HQ of operations from the movie. To start with it operates as a heavily armored vehicle but then transforms into a high tech HQ where up to 84 of your child’s GI Joe figures can plan operations. It has various interesting features such as elevators, sounds and secret compartments. When in vehicle mode there are weapons at the sides and front and these convert to a gun platform when used as the HQ and it comes with a 3.75″ figure to start off any collection.

Below are our top picks for the three best GI Joe toy vehicles but click here for the full range of vehicles.

GI Joe Bravo Vehicle Steel Crusher H2 With Nitro Viper

The Steel Crusher is an armor plated enemy GI Joe vehicle that shows brute force strength when on its destructive missions. It is basically a Humvee that transforms into the intimidating attack vehicle. The Nitro Viper baddie figure is on the run and the GI Joe team has to stop him before he pops up the missile launcher and blasts them or anything else in his way. The figure sports an armored outfit and helmet. The vehicle’s front doors open so the figure can sit at the wheel and drive and there is an Iron Plow attachment he can use to increase the danger to the Joes.

The vehicle looks good and feels sturdy. Extremities such as the front ramming grill and side mirrors are either removable or are made of soft plastic so don’t break easily. The tires are real rubber, not plastic, so grip well on most home surfaces and stop the vehicle rolling over too much. There is an armored shield on the roof that can be slid down over the windshield as required. This then releases the passenger to stand up and fire from the hole in the roof. There are hidden panels on the passenger doors that pull off to reveal concealed rockets. There is room for two figures to sit inside the vehicle but there are also foot pegs around the vehicle for extra figures to ride along. Overall this vehicle is highly recommended.

GI Joe R.H.I.N.O. Vehicle

In all its glory, RHINO stands for ‘Rapid Heli-Intigrated Neutralizing Offensive’. This basically means you get a two in one vehicle that is combat ready with its hidden helicopter – it is effectively a ground/helicopter vehicle combination.

This blue-gray vehicle is awesome and full of features, the most exciting of which is the detachable helicopter. All you have to do to deploy it is push a button at the rear and a spring loaded platform effectively pops the helicopter part out of the middle of the vehicle. You then get to pull out the rotor blades and away it goes.

The two vehicles come with three missile pods that can be attached to either. The ground vehicle also features six opening hatches, plenty of room for more of your collection of figures (up to nine more in addition to the new Rampage figure that you get) and has multiple mount points for weapons. The only downsides are that only the single missile launcher actually fires and the tires are back to plastic rather than the rubber versions found on the Steel Crusher above. They still roll well though. Overall this vehicle is chunky, durable and fun. With a great design and so many features it is bound to please any GI Joe toys fan.

GI Joe Night Raven Vehicle With Air Viper

The Night Raven is the fearsome fighter jet aircraft from the movie. This role play copy offers hours of adventurous play with its raft of electronic lights and sounds. There is a handle you can lower to “fly” this jet vehicle and there is retractable landing gear to make flight time more realistic. The included Air Viper 3.75″ action figure fits neatly into the cockpit via the opening hatch. For combat there is a lock-and-load firing action with two rotary 6-missile launchers – two missiles are fired with each trigger pull but they can be refired quickly for a rapid fire action.

The sounds are realistic and varied to keep the effects interesting. You can also play them simultaneously. They include jet fly by and pilot communication sounds as well as firing blasts and bullet ricochets. On the downside it would have been nice if it was a bit bigger and came with wheels that roll. Overall this is an impressive and durable warbird. Just make sure you buy the 3 AA batteries for it before your GI Joe fan is left disappointed.

So if your army toys fans are into GI Joe, don’t miss out on these extra special vehicles.