Action Man Missile Tilt Racer

You know a toy is built tough if it can survive half an hour with my son. At 20-months old he instinctively attempts to systematically destroy everything he comes in contact with. I observed him playing with Hasbro’s Action Man Racer (minus the missiles and other choking hazards) for about 30 minutes. He ploughed it into walls with great dexterity and enthusiasm. He pretended to "fix" the vehicle with a heavy plastic mallet. He ran it up the wall. He tried to feed it some of his lunch. Once he discovered he could flip open the missile compartment, he snapped that open and shut about 100 times. Never once did the Racer show signs of weakening. Upon completion of the play test, my son strategically placed the Racer in the kitchen. It survived its greatest test later that night when I stepped on it, slipped, and sent it crashing into the opposite wall at a very high rate of speed. It remained unscathed except for a small scratch, which was the result of glancing off a cupboard. Besides marveling at its strength, I wondered if we shouldn’t pick-up some of the toys lying around.

It’s one tough toy! Plus it’s compatible with the 12" Action Man series. The only problem encountered was that some of the stickers (that need to be applied) come off after time. The glue is much stronger than previous incarnations but it will still give after a few weeks of continuous play, especially if they get too wet or too dry. I recommend a stronger adhesive – Krazy Glue – to make them stay. As with all projectiles, the missiles fired from the Racer can be lost easily. Fortunately, there are three missiles so there’s some back-up.

For all its toughness, the Racer actually looks pretty good as well. 

It’s sleek and red. For that extra touch, put an Action Man (not included) lying prone on the Racer (don’t’ forget to put on the mini-helmet that’s included) and ride toward the horizon in search of adventure! The three wheels are very balanced and even have some real rubber in them so gaining and maintaining traction isn’t a problem. Once it stops on a flat surface, it stays stopped. This is not to say that the Racer makes a good display piece. It takes up a huge amount of shelf or desk space, but since you should be playing with this one (safely storing it in-between uses) it’s a moot point. It’s big enough to easily fit into the hands of young and old alike. There’s not a lot of fine detail (a la Spawn Nitroriders) but if you put a really detailed figure through the grinder it would fall apart. I’ve said it before – the Racer is tough!

It may not appeal to the serious collectors, but kids will love it.

- Omni