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Tech Deck Skate Crew, Handboards, and S.K.U.M.M.by X
Concepts
If
you remember, back in 1998 X Concepts turned out a line of miniature
skateboards. Popular among
the younger crowd, they let your fingers do the tricking without risk of
losing large patches of skin or landing crotch-first on a rail.
Earlier this year, X Concepts launched a variety of new toys.
First
up: S.K.U.M.M. (Super Kinetic Ultra Magnetic Men) These
little guys have playability in mind rather than extreme detail. About the same size as the 3 ½” GI Joe figures but with
better articulation, each S.K.U.M.M. figure is dressed in a
hand-stitched clothes and wears a helmet.
The helmet is removable and due to its size can be lost easily
(and is an obvious choking hazard).
However, the helmet fits snuggly so it won’t just fall off.
The package warns against removing the helmet but do you think a
kid’s going to head the warning?
No – and besides, it’s the only way to find out what head is
under the helmet. The
magnets in the feet are a huge attraction – it makes them wildly
poseable and opens a slew of play possibilities.
I hardly had the review figures out of the package when my son
was playing with them on the side of the fridge.
If you don’t have a fridge handy, each figure comes with a
skateboard or a set
of plates – two metal, one plastic fringed with magnets – to
assemble a stand. Durability
is a huge factor when dealing with action figures that so obviously have
playability in mind. S.K.U.M.M.
does very well in this area – even after rigorous play testing they
didn’t fall to pieces. The
outfits might get a bit ragged, but there’s always tape.
All this and it fits in a kid’s pocket!
(For obvious reasons, S.K.U.M.M. has been banned from the
computer room.)
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Next:
Tech Deck Skate Crew If you’re a hardcore skater, you’ll likely recognize these icons from World Industries and Blind. If you’re not, they come off as cute cuddly little guys that look like distant relatives to the Smurfs. Clearly, Skate Crew is aimed at the younger audience. (The official website has links to movies, bios, and the chance to send email to “their favorite dude.”) At a retail price of $3.99US it also becomes an affordable collectible for the same young audience. Each Skate Crew figure comes with a wheeled skateboard. The figures stay attached to the board by the strong magnets on their feet. |
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The boards
themselves have moveable wheels so expect to find these guys rolling all
over the kitchen floor. Because
the S.K.U.M.M. figures also have the magnets, mixing and matching is an
option and tons of fun if my son’s play testing is anything to go by.
Although the boards might break under great strain (i.e. stepping
on them) the figures themselves are solid plastic so no matter what you
do, they’ll always bounce back.
Lastly:
Handboards The
fingerboard makes the next logical leap to the handboard.
The handboard is a smaller skateboard (at 27cm) but authentic in
every way to its bigger brother. Trucks,
interchangeable 19mm wheels (8 in all), wood deck, bushings, grip tape
– it’s like having a shrunken board.
To remove and replace the wheels and make other adjustments a
gun-like multi-tool is included. An
important thing to keep in mind is that the components are easy to break
– this is more of a model than an actual board. (It’s got big labels
everywhere saying, “Do Not Ride!”)
I managed to strip one bolt with hardly any effort.
The artwork is very good and what you would expect from a
full-size board. Companies
such as Alien, DNA, Brigade, and New Deal have some of their designs
included and to show them off each Handboard comes with a display stand.
Skaters would never display china dolls or their collection of
ceramic pigs, but you can bet they’d have no qualms about putting one
of these beauts on the mantle. Which
is not to say there isn’t any play value with the Handboards (mostly
by taking things apart and putting them back together) it’s just that
the display value is much stronger and with a price of about $16US it's
targeted at an older audience.
- Omni (May 2, 2002) |
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