Today I review the new Jurassic World Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex, which continues my examination of the very best toys of 2015. If you like dinosaurs, smart / robotic toys, or anything at all that’s just plain fun, then this dino is definitely for you! If you’d like to find out why, then keep on reading for all of the amazing details of this awesome (and scary) Indominus Rex! Please note that no active link is as yet available for this guy at Best Buy.
Initial Impressions
My initial impression of the Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex revolves around the amazing detail and colouring of this infamous beast. He’s got heaps of moulded in skin, scales, spikes, teeth, & claws, and he’s also got the perfect light gray colour scheme of his big screen counterpart. He really looks quite amazing. In particular, the sharp hairlike horns on the back of his head just scream Jurassic World! And I should know, I saw the film twice and absolutely loved it! Even if this toy didn’t do anything other than just sit there and look good, I would still be impressed just based on looks alone. All in all, this is a very nice sculpt with an enormous amount of moulded in detail. What’s not to like??
Charting the Key Considerations
| How much set up time is required? | The great thing about the Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex is that he works right out of the box. I don’t know how much of a charge he has initially, but he works for quite a while before requiring his initial charge. After that, simply charge for approximately 1-2 hours and he’s ready to go again. |
| What type & quantity of batteries does the Zoomer Dino use? | The hand held remote control requires 3 AAA batteries to function, and the Dino itself has a built-in 1.5 Volt Rechargeable Battery that charges via an (included) USB charging cord. Note that you can also play with the Zoomer Dino without using the remote control at all, so limited play is possible with no additional batteries whatsoever. |
| What are the mobility (& range) characteristics of the Zoomer Dino? | The Zoomer Dino rolls around on a pair of ball shaped roller feet and is capable of excellent balance on a variety of surfaces (both hard and soft). He can also do a number of tricks like spinning wildly around, chomping his jaws, etc. |
| Does the Zoomer Dino feature any special lights & sounds? | Zoomer Dino’s eyes light up in a variety of colours (which correspond to his various modes of operation). He also makes some pretty authentic dino noises, much like you’ll hear while watching the Jurassic world film. It’s pretty scary stuff! |
| What is the suggested age range of the Zoomer Dino? | The Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex is meant for kids ages 5 and up, and while I would say that a younger child (maybe 3-4) could easily play with this toy as well, this particular Zoomer Dino may be too scary for some. If you suspect that this might be the case with your child, there are other Zoomer Dinos available that are not scary at all. |
| How much of a WOW factor (on a 0-5 scale) does the Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex have? |
The Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex scores a solid 4.5 out of 5 on the WOW scale. This is mostly attributable to his Jurassic World connection and the amazing detail with which he mimics the original beast. Overall, the Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex looks very cool, very scary, and very lifelike! |
Testing & Play
The first thing I’ll say here is that getting to know your Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex does take a bit of time. This, however, is often the case with smart / robot toys. In my experience, they always seem to have a mind of their own when it comes to following commands. For the most part, the Zoomer Dino does as I ask, but certainly not always.
I mostly tested my Zoomer inside the house and on a variety of surfaces. I found his balance to be excellent whether on a hard tiled floor, a thick rug, a chesterfield, or even a soft bed. In each instance my Zoomer Dino was able to achieve balance and maintain balance over time. This is not to say that he never falls down—sometimes he does. However, even from a nose down or a tail to the ground position, he can easily recover himself. He generally does so within a few seconds and off he goes again. He cannot, however, recover from a position of being completely upside down on his back.
Among the Rex’s modes, which are indicated by a change in his eye colour, are Auto Mode (both green & blue eyes—blue are for when he’s curious about something), Patrol Mode (white eyes), Attack Mode (red eyes), Control Mode (orange eyes), and Record Mode (flashing yellow eyes). Auto Mode is Rex’s default mode and he’s initially in this mode when you switch him on. No remote is necessary for him to be in this mode. At this stage you can get Rex to react to your hand by waving it in front of his sensors at a distance of about 5 or 6 inches. Note that his sensors are built into his nose area. When in Patrol Mode, Rex roams about looking for something to attack. In Attack Mode, Rex is easily angered and will occasionally freak out on you. Pressing his back button is one way to get him into this mode, so no remote is necessary here. The remote is, however, necessary for Control Mode (the mode in which you guide Rex’s movements with the remote control’s joystick). This mode is a lot of fun to play with Rex in, but he doesn’t always cooperate with you 100%.
Finally, in Record Mode, you can make your Rex remember everything he does over a 10 second period and then get him to repeat the pattern with a simple RC button command. The most difficult part of this is generally getting Rex to do exactly what you want him to do when initially recording a routine. If you do manage to pull something off that’s exactly as you’d hoped, he’ll play it back perfectly whenever you give the appropriate command. When it all goes according to plan, this is probably one of the coolest aspects of the Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex.
For & Against
By far the coolest aspect of this particular Zoomer Dino toy is his Jurassic World affiliation. This is what really sets the Zoomer Indominus Rex apart from the various other Zoomer Dinos out there, and it’s also what makes him as cool of a display piece as he is as an actual toy to play with. I’ve always been a big fan of the Jurassic Park toys and movies, and the Zoomer Indominus Rex fits in perfectly with that wild wild world. From his menacingly cool design to his amazing Indominus Rex sound effects, this dino is definitely the real deal! As cool as his Zoomer tricks and gimmicks are to play with, it’s truly his Jurassic World connection that counts as this toy’s best overall feature.
I’d have to say that the biggest factor going against the Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex is probably just his timing. After all, as cool as Zoomer Dino Rex is, he’s still got the misfortune of being a ground based toy in a world of amazing fliers. Maybe I’ve been a bit spoiled lately, what with having the Star Wars Millennium Falcon & X-Wing Starfighter to play with earlier this month, but I’m really digging the drones at this point. This, of course, is no fault of Rex’s, and I do think he’s a pretty awesome toy. However, once you’ve been soaring the skies with the likes of the Falcon et. al., it’s a long way back down to earth. I guess all the Zoomer Rex really needs, then, is a decent set of wings.
Examining the Video Evidence
Please check out my short introductory video of the Jurassic World Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex … Take note of how well Rex balances on a relatively soft bed. He’s got excellent balance on pretty much any flat (or relatively flat) surface.
Final Thoughts
While the Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex is not destined to become my selection as the top toy of 2015, he’s certainly worthy of any smart / robot / dinosaur / or Jurassic World toy collection. I especially like his scary sound effects and jaw chomping action. And he even comes with a certificate of authenticity. How fun, weird, & freakishly awesome is that?!
Of course, if you’d prefer a less scary Zoomer Dino robotic toy, keep on watching for my upcoming review Rex’s very good friend (or very serious enemy?) the Zoomer Dino Jester Interactive Dinosaur Robot. This guy has a completely different personality from the Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex. Check out my Mini Gallery below for a couple of still shots of these 2 bad boys engaging in an epic Zoomer Dino Battle Royale. See you next time!
Mini Gallery of Additional Photos
