Spinmaster's Hatching Dragon arrives as a gorgeous interactive egg and pretty soon hatches into Toothless, from How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. We've been sent him to review and he's been a definite hit. Cute, but no too cute...


The packaging does include some single use plastic, but is mainly card and more minimal than I found with toys even this time last year.

Meccano is a long time favourite construction toy in our house and the latest model they've sent us to review is the Formula 1 Ferrari Car. Based on the SF71H this is the latest model and at level 3 it's suitable for more experienced modellers aged 10+. A nice strong build and also a gorgeous shelf model that'll please fans no end.


Meccano boxes have changed and now have a rip off strip to help prevent theft from boxes. It will close snugly and is strong, so it's useful to keep for spares and dismantled models. No batteries, very little waste packaging and no fastenings - world and Christmas morning-friendly.

My boys were very lucky this week because they were sent a brand new Hatchimals Hatchibaby to review. I have done a video showing everything, including how long it takes to hatch and how to hatch your Hatchibaby, a link is below. Hatchibabies are, just like real babies, either male or female, and they also come in 2 varieties - Ponette or CheeTree.


There is an instruction booklet inside the box, which you should really read before you begin, as well as a Tips And Tricks sheet and a HatchiBirth Certificate which you can write the Hatchibaby's name and date of birth on, and add the secret slip of paper announcing 'Girl' or 'Boy' which you'll find once your Hatchibaby has hatched.


Your Hatchibaby is lots of fun straight away because it is really interesting even at the egg stage. It will interact and react from inside the egg, as soon as you have removed the locking keys at  the bottom, so play with it and make the most of this time.

Our latest review for Spinmaster is a fantastic Meccano model set - the Motorised Rally Racer Car. This set is from the 10-in-1 range and there are instructions for 10 model vehicles that you can create from just the elements included here, as well as an infinite number of your own creations.


Inside the box is everything you'd expect. The Meccano elements, metal nuts and bolts, instructions and the all-important tiny tools. In 120 years Meccano hasn't really changed in principal, and using small version of genuine tools and fixings is very appealing and long-lived. Batteries are not included, you'll need 3 x AA.

Tech Deck are a long-standing toy in my house. 96mm Fingerboards that look as good as the full sized skateboards, with designs from genuine brands and which you can customise in a variety of ways. You can also use them to perform tricks just like a real board - but in miniature and with fewer grazed elbows.


It was around 15 years ago that my eldest boys started playing with Tech Deck and they may have been away for a while, but over that time these tiny replica skateboards have barely changed in construction, although the design is very different.

If your children are anything like mine then they love small rubbery blind bag collectibles, especially when they are a bit gross and horrible. Flush Force fits the bill perfectly, with a collection of 150 different characters who hide in small plastic toilets...and start at £3.49 for a pack of 2. We've been sent a selection of the Series 1 sets to review.


Included in our bundle are the Bizarre Bathroom with 8 Flushies, the Filthy 5-Pack, the Number 2 Pack and the Collect-A-Bowl Stash 'N' Store Case with 4 Flushies.

Our latest review for SpinMaster is an updated version of the DR1 Racing Drone, with the addition of the First Person View (FPV) headset and a camera on the drone itself. Really very steady and easily-controlled, it's a great introduction to drones and indeed FPV, although is recommended for age 10+ because obviously drones can be dangerous and need to be used sensibly.


Instantly I was really impressed as the box is awesome. It's a properly sturdy re-usable box that can store your drone, controller, charging cable, spares and headset/goggles for their lifetime.

The Meccano M.A.X. (Meccano Advanced Xfactor) set 17401 is a really impressive robot who combines Artificial Intelligence with customisable programming, to create a unique character that is truly your own creation, and your mate, because he'll tell you jokes and facts and dance with you, and have seemingly intelligent conversation, among other things.


Your M.A.X. is housed in a really impressive and huge box - although I have to say it arrives taped because it isn't really sturdy enough for the job and you will find it's not ideal for storage afterwards. It is however incredibly exciting inside...


Inside the box you have 332 Meccano Parts plus AC/DC Wall Mount Charger (10.4W), 1 Rechargeable Ni-MH Battery 1800 mAh, 2 Tools, Sticker Sheet, M.A.X Brain Module, IR Sensor Module, 2 Smart Motor Modules, LED Module, 3 kgs Servo, 1.9 kgs Micro Servo, USB Cable and Instruction Booklet.

Smyths Toys have just announced their Top Toys List for Christmas 2017 and it's a really interesting selection. These are the toys predicted to sell incredibly well and judging by the number which are currently out of stock, I think the public are already buying.


This year the list includes a good mix of pre-school, early years and toys for older children, with a range of prices from £19.99 to £199.99. Modern electronics feature heavily, with most toys battery operated and some of them streets ahead of technology available even a couple of years ago. Personally I'm a bit disappointed to see STEM skills poorly represented, with only 1 science toy among the list - it is a beauty though!

Our latest review for SpinMaster is the DR1 Airhogs Micro Race Drone. Drones are incredibly popular this year and the technology has really come on massively. This indoor drone has flight assist technology with automatic take-off, height lock and landing. Perfect for the beginner.


Your drone is packaged in a carefully thought out box with minimal plastic packaging - easy to open and recycle on Christmas morning. You will have to charge your drone via USB before you can play (40 minutes for approximately 7 minutes flying) and the controller takes 2 x AAA batteries (not included).

A new movie means new toys and Spin Master have sent some of their brand new Pirates Of The Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge toys for us to review. We have Jack Sparrow's Pirate Ship Play Set and the Battle Figure 5-Pack.


The Pirates Of The Caribbean: Salazars Revenge Jack's Pirate Ship Play Set (age 4+) packaging took ages to open, so you'll need scissors and 10 minutes on Christmas morning, but scores well for mainly using card and paper string which can be recycled.

Hatchimals from SpinMaster Toys were incredibly popular last Christmas and today sees the launch of their smaller, pocket-money friendly (£1.99) CollEGGtibles. With 70 colourful little Hatchimals CollEGGtibles characters to collect and a surprise inside your egg each time, these are sure to be a huge hit with children aged 5+.


We've been sent two of the blind bags and one 2-pack to review. The blind bags contain an unknown colour of egg, so you have no idea at all who could be inside.


The 2-pack has visible eggs, so you can guess the family groups that the Hatchimal CollEGGtibles will be from by looking at the colour of their speckles, but you still don't know which ones you have.

Spring often sees the release of some of the more active toys, ready for outdoor play in the Summer. This Spring Spin Master have launched new additions for their range of Spy Gear: Ninja Gear and we've been sent the Transforming Ninja Sword and the Ninja Wrist Blaster to review.


The Spy Gear Transforming Ninja Sword (age 6+) is pretty awesome. Retracted it is around the size of a sturdy torch and in fact it is a real torch - but it unfolds at the touch of a button into a Ninja Katana 3 times the length...

The AirHogs Switchblade is very different to most of the remote control vehicles we've had here in the past. An indoor ground and air race helicopter, it's incredibly small for starters, a mere 16cm x 11cm without the spoilers and weighing under 30grams. It doesn't half have a lot of power though.


Inside the box you have the vehicle and the controller - it takes 2 minutes to open and packaging is really minimal. Perfect for Christmas morning...don't forget the batteries though - the controller takes 4 x AA batteries.

Excuse the colour differences between photos - natural light and household bulbs really affect the red that my camera captures...

We've been sent the Meccano 25 4X4 Off-Road Truck to review. Recommended for age 9+, we've all had a look and a play with this set, and although my 8 year old started the build, it was mainly put together (with relish) by his very much grown up Dad.


Meccano 25 Maker System sets are definitely not starter sets. Recommended fior age 9+, they are really best for children who have some experience of building models (such as Meccano) using tools, and can use their learned skills as well as their brains to put the models together.


Inside the box we have all 443 metal and plastic pieces, and rubber tyres. There's actually quite a lot of plastic involved, but it's not a bad thing as it's really strong and allows for some shaping and fine cog work that would be very expensive to reproduce in metal, and would raise the cost of the set quite considerably.

Meccano have recently raised their game immensely, including expanding with the amazing Tech range of award-winning programmable Meccanoids. Brand new for this Autumn are 3 smaller models, the Micronoids, and we are lucky enough to be among the very first people to try one out. We've been sent Basher to review...


Basher has 139 pieces and is really quite a technical build, so is recommended for age 8+. The packaging is a mix of the simple and the annoying, but minimal and mainly recyclable.


Inside the box you have the robot head, a bag of angled joining pieces, a bag of nuts, bolts and washers, 3 bags of plastic parts, multi-purpose Meccano screwdriver and spanner, and the instruction booklet. Helpfully there is also a card with the number to ring in case of any issue or problem.