Kwazii's Octo Max Suit

For me, reviewing a toy can be a kind of therapy. Sometimes you have really crappy days (or weeks) and spending a little time with a piece of plastic can get your mind off of things and fill you with a tiny bit of joy. Of course, it helps if you pick the toy that fits the mood you want to be in.

I’ve looked at this Octonauts toy each time I have gone to Toys R Us recently and marveled at how cool it looked. But there was always something keeping me from buying it. Maybe it seemed TOO kiddy? I’d pass it up each time but I always went back to it.

I finally broke down and bought it a few weeks ago and stashed it away in the “to review” pile. Recent events made me feel rather crappy and because of that I grabbed the most upbeat toy in the pile.

Kwazii’s Octo Max Suit is like taking a happy pill after a huge depression.

Octonauts is a kids show that airs on Disney Junior. It’s originally a British show based on a series of books by Vicki Wong and Michael C. Murphy of Meomi Design. It’s basically underwater adventures with cute animals and awesome vehicles. Jaques Cousteau meets Thunderbirds with furry animals.

I was drawn to the Max Suit because it resembles a powered suit, and for all intents and purposes it is. And you know how we love powered suits here at CDX.

The box is nice and open which allows kids to feel the toy and try the light feature in the store. The packaging asks you to “Explore the Midnight Zone” which I take to mean the deep depths of the ocean.

Included in the set is the Max Suit, claw attachment, Kwazii, and a crab.

The suit is big, maybe 8 inches tall, and made out of durable ABS plastic. Being an actual kids toy, this thing is built to take a beating. It has the kind of quality you wish your toys were made out of.

The cockpit opens by a hinge at the front to reveal a place for Kwazii.

There is a peg in the floor as well as pegs that act as handles. Kwazii can hold onto both handles while the peg holds him in place.

A Gyos figure can also fit comfortably inside.

There’s a cool attention to detail all over the figure, from the detail on the control panel to the Octonauts logo on the back of the legs. The legs move with a great clicky joint.

Each arm swivels at the shoulder with a nice tight joint. The left arm features an articulated claw.

The right arm has a grappling hook attachment. It launches when you press down on the air pump on the back.

Press the button on the chest to activate one of four sound and light patterns above the cockpit.

Kwazii is a pirate cat with a mysterious past. He’s a kitty with an eyepatch in a diving suit. Your argument is invalid.

The figure itself is really nice, with a very modern design that could be put against any of the recent “designer” toys.

A machine gun in his hand does not look out of place.

I really enjoyed the hell out of this toy. It’s like a palette cleanser.

One thing worth mentioning is that although the Octonauts is a series that takes place underwater, and although the other 90% of the toy line can go in the water, this cannot. I’d imagine that being underwater would ruin the electronics. The package doesn’t say definitively either way. I’m not going to chance it.

This toy is great, and inexpensive. The design is great, the construction is great, it’s got sound and light features and best of all it comes in under $20 USD. You just can’t go wrong here. You may feel a bit odd buying it but it’s totally worth it. there’s also a variant of the suit called Tweak’s Octo Max Suit that has a slightly different color scheme with a missile firing weapon.