Dragonoid

Review by JoshB

Every year there is a “Must-have” toy for Christmas, and for boys, this year it appears to be Bakugan. Each time I am in a toy store I check the Bakugan section and they are cleared out of these little things.

As an adult collector, A lot of what the kids are into flies under my radar until my Son mentions it to me. He is 6, and Bakugan is currently the cool thing at school. I’ve heard about it before, but this was the incentive to get off of my ass and see what it's all about.

Much like Pokemon, Digimon, Beyblade and Yu-Gi-Oh before it, Bakugan is a hybrid toy / game from Japan. It’s actually co-produced by Canadian toy maker Spin-Master and Japan’s SEGA toys.

Rather than let me explain, I turned it over to expert toy reviewers JustinB (4) and NathanB (6)

The idea of Bakugan is that you have these small spheres, maybe 1” around, that have a transformation feature. Each sphere comes with a card, and when the sphere is rolled over the card, the transformation is activated. The card has a metal plate in it and the action is triggered by a magnet. The idea is that you can roll this thing onto your card (or someone else's?) and then you can take or receive damage. At least I think that’s how it works. It doesn’t really matter, because I’ll bet none of you will ever play it.

The figures themselves are immediately recognizable as Japanese. Bakugan means “Blast Ball” in Japanese, and each has a transforming gimmick we can all appreciate. There are over 100 regular Bakugan, each with a unique spring-loaded action.

In addition to your standard size Bakugan, you have this larger Bakugan called Bakugan Deka. These feature the same spring loaded action, but on a larger scale. These are about 3.5 inches across and still retain the card and magnetic transformation.

Dragonoid comes in two colors, Red (Pyros) or Blue (Aquos) and their cards have different attributes on them. Rolling over the card activates a spring-loaded action that springs open the wings and head. The legs must be folded out manually.

The plastic quality on these are good, and the toys seem very durable. The construction reminds me of a rubics cube. They each feature painted on detail, with no parts to remove or lose. Bakugan toys are aimed for the 6-11 range and they are definitely age appropriate.

Buy Bakugan Deka Pyrus Red Dragonoid Battle Brawlers

Adult collectors will find these designs too simple, and will be frustrated at attempts to find them. However, kids are going mental over them. We got them these larger ones, but he informed me that the big ones were not as “cool” as the small ones. Go figure.

So, if you need to buy a gift for a kid this year – you can’t go wrong with Bakugan. Strike while the iron is hot. Next year they will have moved on to something else…