Toys Games & Hobbies

What kid doesn’t love LEGO? Add vehicles to the mix, and there’s plenty of opportunity for after-build fun. And with the abundance of LEGO sets available also comes tons of selection of vehicles of all kinds.

With winter almost officially over, it’s time to think about those spring and summertime activities, and might I recommend flying a drone?  They’re portable, compact and can turn a few heads.  In fact, I drew a crowd one afternoon while I doing nothing but minding my own business and flying the DJI Phantom 2 Vision Plus for this review.  Let’s take a look at it.

The world of RC vehicles is a very fun place to be.  Powerful scale model versions of your favorite real world racers, fully equipped to handle serious terrain, they’re a lot of fun. That is, they’re a lot of fun when they’re full of power and ready to go, without the fully charged powercells, well, they’re just an exceptionally well designed, aggressive looking model car. Taking the confusion out of keeping your Traxxas vehicles full of juice and ready to go is the new Traxxas iD system. Streamlined and full proof, with their new power cells (batteries) and EZ-Peak Plus Charger, they’ve taken the challenge out of charging.

Packed with all the power and durability of a Traxxas brand RC vehicle, the Slash is an Off-Road Short-Course Stadium Truck that comes in a variety of configurations and really likes to fly. Whether around corners with insane drifting, or when actually flying. Launching off anything resembling a ramp, the independent suspension makes sure it lands like a dream and keeps going. Now with on-board audio, the Slash sounds every bit as tough as it looks, with real throttle and idle sounds that will make even the biggest kid grin from ear to ear. Let’s go for a rip!

Have you ever wanted to get into model drones, but weren’t sure about some of the ins and outs, including what you could fly in Canada (or what qualifies as a drone) and where you can fly it?  Look no further.  Click below to find out some of the basics about drones, including flight restrictions, qualifications and even what drones can do for us now and in the future.

You might be surprised how much they can pack into an RC vehicle these days, especially when you’re dealing with a Traxxas Latrax. The SST is a 1/18th scale model 4 x 4, all terrain beast of a truck. With independent suspension and a sturdy construction, all terrain means water resistant and tough.  You might be surprised where you can go, and how fast you can get there.  Priced for the everyday sort of RC fan, it might just be your gateway into a wider world of RC enthusiasm. 

When I think of a “robot” two things happen. First, I picture the iconic droid C-3PO from the Star Wars movie franchise. Second, I involuntarily start to sing the 1980’s Styx classic Mr. Roboto … Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto, Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto. But a robot isn’t necessarily a shiny golden humanoid or the subject of an annoyingly catchy song … Secret, secret, I’ve got a secret. In fact, according to Webster’s dictionary, a “robot” is “a device that automatically performs complicated often repetitive tasks” or “a mechanism guided by automatic controls.” So by those definitions, it’s clear that we are truly surrounded by robots. Don’t believe me? Here are some fun and some functional items that are robots by definition. You might even have one of these at home already!