Last month, a package arrived here at Rock Father HQ that was most-definitely well-received… a sampling of the new SUPER WINGS Transforming Characters from the folks at Auldey Toys. While The Rock Daughters™ were definitely excited to go hands-on with Jett, Dizzy, Donnie and Jerome – I knew that many of you would be excited to learn more about these as well, with my preview post out of New York Toy Fair being one of my most-read articles of the year thus far. If you have little ones in your home, chances are you’ve already seen the show on Sprout Channel or NBC Kids – but if you haven’t, the idea is simple: Jett (the red jet) leads a crew of transforming robots that work for a delivery service based out of the World Airport. From there, a human named Jimbo dispatches the crew with special deliveries for kids around the Globe, sending them on their way with a little background on each country that they’re planning to visit. Whenever the crew runs into a challenge, they work together while showcasing teamwork and friendship, all while learning about new places and cultures. Like many newer series’, there weren’t any toys at launch, but they’re here now – and they’re really good.
The first wave of figures in this scale (there’s an extensive assortment of toys beyond these) focus on the four main characters, so there’s immediate recognition with the kids. They’re well-built, and really capture the look and feel of their on-screen counterparts, but what particularly impressed me is that the “transforming” action really reminds me of the TRANSFORMERS toys from my own youth – the “G1” versions circa 1984. That means that there’s just the right amount of complexity there to equal a character that looks as it should, but it’s also simple enough to be transformed by a child. A lot of “transforming” toys of this era tend to lose one or the other, most commonly ending up too complex and leading to frustration. These are just right… though I do on occasion still have to lend a hand to little Finley (almost 4), our main SUPER WINGS aficionado.
As of this writing, SUPER WINGS are a Toys “R” Us Exclusive (though that will likely change in time), so if you see them for sale elsewhere, they will likely be sold by third-party sellers, and usually much higher than the recommended price. These transforming characters carry an MSRP of just $9.99 each, making them a really great value.
Rock Father-approved!
