Author: Hannah Parker

What do you buy for the child who has everything? In this day and age it is really hard to work out what to buy for a beloved child – especially if it is a grandchild or a niece or nephew, when you’re not sure exactly what they have. They probably have the latest games console and the latest game to play on it. They also probably have all the usual board games and several hundred teddy bears along with 447 toy cars.

So what gift might they really love? Well all kids seem to love wheeled vehicles, whatever age they are. You would need to check with the parents to work out what they already have but wheeled vehicles of any sort of always popular. Here is a list of a range of wheeled vehicles and the age group they suit. They are ordered by age group.

Ride Ons: Suitable from 18 months. Ride ons are vehicles that usually have 4 wheels and balance in their won right. The child just has to sit on it and push themselves along with their feet, they’re good for getting a child used to moving around on wheels and great for the youngest of toddlers. They often say suitable from 18 months but my children started using them as soon as they could walk at around 1 year.

Trikes: Suitable from 2 years. These vehicles usually have 3 wheels with pedals on the front wheel. They also balance themselves so they are a good introduction to pedalling without worrying about balance.

Wooden Bikes: Suitable from 3 years. Wooden balance bikes have 2 wheels but no pedals so they are good for getting a child to practise their balance without worrying about pedalling.

Scooters:  Suitable from 3 years. These have 2 to 3 wheels. Three wheeled scooters are easier to balance so a god idea as the first scooter.

Bicycle: Suitable from 4 years. Once your child has mastered a couple of the above, they will be eager to move on to their first bicycle. Start them off with stabilisers and as soon as they are happy with that, have a session at the local playpark with knee pads, elbow pads and a helmet.

Author: Inger Fountain

The new Iron Man 2 movie debuts in cinemas on May 7 2010. Kids love superheroes and even though the film is rated M and recommended for adults, they can't help but see all the cool trailers, toys and games coming out with the film.

Iron Man is owned by Marvel, a comic company that already has a large array of toys, comics, games and books on the iron clad superhero. They have produced a number of items exclusively for the film and these started hitting shelves as early as March. Toys include action figures, role playing helmets and accessories, and games.

There are a plethora of action figures out to mark the release of the second film, ranging in price from $10 to $250. For the youngest fan, Iron Man features prominently in the 3 inch Marvel Superhero Squad figures. These are recommended for ages 3+ as they have no separate parts or pieces so there is no danger of digestion.  

The 3 inch Iron Man 2 range of action figures by Hasbro includes numerous versions of Iron Man, plus War Machine and Crimson Dynamo. Other characters from the film will be released as the film comes closer to its release date. Larger 6"-7" action figures like Repulsor Power Iron Man or the Marvel Select action figures retail for around $20 and will come with greater detail, articulation and accessories.

The Iron Man Deluxe Helmet is a role playing accessory that speaks lines from the film as well as featuring power-up sounds, flight sounds, light-up eyes and a slow-release visor. The helmet retails for around $45 and is one size fits all. Kids from ages 4-8 can also hop into a fabric Iron Man suit which replicates the metal suit worn by Robert Downey Jr. in the film. The suit already comes with a fabric mask if the deluxe helmet is too large for younger kids.

Mega Blocks is continuing their licensed range of building toys with the Iron Man 2 movie. Models are available in most size and price brackets, from the small "build your own" Iron Man action figures for $9.99 to larger sets like the Stark Expo Set, Whiplash Showdown or the Hall of Armour for around $20-$29.95 each.

There will be accompanying video games released for all major consoles, arriving in April 2010 from SEGA. The Wii version will be made by High Voltage Software. For unplugged fun you can also try your hand at the Iron Man 2 version of Operation, where a steady hand is required to repair a damaged Iron Man.

Iron Man 2 is sure to please audiences worldwide and even if kids can't get into see the movie then they can enjoy the toys and role playing accessories that make their imagination soar.

Author: Inger Fountain

The Star Wars Lego set, Republic Attack Shuttle is a model of the Nu-class attack shuttle as featured in the Clone Wars television series. The shuttle is a precursor to the Imperial Shuttle featured in the Original Star Wars movies, notably Episode Six, delivering both Darth Vader and The Emperor to the New Death Star. This shuttle first appeared in the Clone Wars movie, shipping Anakin Skywalker's new padawan, Ahsoka Tano  to Christophsis during a heavy battle.

The set comes with only three minifigures including a clone trooper, a clone pilot and the first Mace Windu since 2005's Clone Turbo Tank and thankfully there is no light-up lightsaber gimmick on this new figure. As part of the Clone wars TV series line of figures he has different, slightly cartoony, facial details but still retains his signature purple lightsaber.

Priced at $59.99, this set comes with 636 pieces so it is a surprisingly large set. The shuttle vehicle measures 9.5" (24cm) long and has an 18" (45cm) wingspan. Living up to its name the attack shuttle has a number of weapons including spinning turrets at the front and a large array of flick fire missiles on the top that are activated by a button at the back while bombs can be dropped from an area under the wings. The wings lift up, much like the Imperial Shuttle and the V-19 Torrent model (7674), but there are no gears so they simply fall down into place.

The opening cockpit fits two clone troopers comfortably and there is a concealed mechanism to open a storage area which constitutes the top and middle of the ship. Inside there is room for Mace Windu and anther clone to sit.

Overall this is a surprise of a set. While not as large as the Republic Gunship (7676) or the AT-TE (7675) it is still quite a significant set with many tight design features and a high degree of playability, not to mention a very cool Mace Windu figure.