Manufacturer: Play Along
Price: Varies – Tony Stewart $14.95, Dale Jr. $13.99, and Jeff Gordon $16.95
Buy this Toy at: Amazon
We received the Jimmie Johnson Helmet Racer for review. As of this re-posting I am unable to find it anywhere, so I don’t know if they sell it anymore. Regardless, I doubt that too much is different between the Helmet Racers. Each of the Racers appears to be the same with exception to the name on the helmet. I thought these were going to be a fun experience despite being a small toy.
Thanks to the size and the small price this would be a great every day toy. It’s not so expensive that you need to relegate it to something only purchased on a special occasion. Instead, you can pick it up on an average day and surprise your child with it.
I was secretly hoping that the helmet we received would be Dale Jr., but receiving Jimmie Johnson wasn’t so bad either. The helmets are designed just like the cars the drivers drive, so they are a big hit with kids and NASCAR fans. On the surface, I admit they look really fun.
What wouldn’t be great about a mini-racetrack and a car shooting out of it? The car is designed to be able to be used with or without the track pulled out. When the track isn’t pulled out the car tends to shoot from the helmet, which is quite popular in my house. Of course, we didn’t intend for it to be that way. The interest in it happened on accident due to the fact that we had problems with the track coming out in the first place.
Positives & Negatives:
Positives:
Kids Love NASCAR
Recognizable Cars
Good Details
Not Expensive
Small/Space Saving
Captures the Feel of the NASCAR environment Properly
Negatives:
The track can be incredibly difficult to remove
Pricing & Availability:
At under $20 you certainly won’t hear me complain about the price for this. However, with the fact that a track is supposed to be released and I had to fight with it for an insane amount of time to get it out, I cannot claim complete happiness with this toy. I don’t see how, if a grown woman fails at this that a child would be able to do it better. Regardless, the Helmet Racers can be found at various stores including Amazon.com where each racer ranges in price based on the driver the Helmet is based on.
Requirements & Instructions:
There aren’t any real instructions that go with this type of toy. The Helmet Racers are made to be simple and if they work properly they are a simple toy. You just take it out of the package and it’s ready to go. The car is supposed to line up in the helmet with the track extended and when you hit a button on the top of the helmet it should launch the car down the track. If the track isn’t working you can still launch it without the track and it will launch across the room. Some kids will find this more amusing than the alternative.
Durability:
Helmet Racers are plastic helmets so when it comes to durability they are pretty solid. You aren’t going to have to worry about these breaking too easily. If the track comes out you will want to make sure that isn’t being left out because I could easily see that getting roughed up much easier than the helmet as a whole. Kids won’t have to be gingerly with this, though if they are overly rough it will be easy to notice some wear and tear at some point. This isn’t the type of toy that is going to last forever.
Ease of Use:
Hit the button on the top of the helmet and out the car races. It doesn’t get much easier than that. Children of all ages should be able to grasp this pretty easily. It’s a simple concept and permitting the track pulls out and everything works, most kids that like racing should like these Helmet Racers. Parents will like these because independent play and cleanup should be a breeze.
Fun Factor & Overall Appeal:
In the case of our Helmet Racer I would say it was more frustrating at first as opposed to fun. When the track wouldn’t come out it was handed to me and I attempted to get it out for some time. The instructions say that it should just slide out, but that wasn’t happening.
I continued to try to no avail and eventually we moved to Plan B. Plan B involved putting the car in and shooting it across the room without the use of the track. That was pretty fun for the kids. They had no complaints about that. Still, eventually they wanted the track to come out. It drove me absolutely crazy, but at some point I did get the track to come out.
The funny thing about that is that once it came out, they were no longer interested in getting it out. They were over it and wanted to move on to something else. They pick it up occasionally, but it’s rarely used. Whether that has anything to do with the non-movable track, I am not sure, but I know that it was a big disappointment to them that it would not come out.
Bottom Line:
NASCAR Helmet Racers come in a variety of race car drivers and while the detail is nice the excitement level and interest level is relatively low. These are good to play with for a short amount of time for a couple of times, but they aren’t anything that your child is going to go wild over. I can’t say whether they all malfunction or if that makes a difference, but you might want to skip these and look for something better suited to your child’s needs and interests.
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Technorati Tags: NASCAR, Helmet Racers, Jeff Gordon, Toy, Dale Jr., Tony Stewart, Play Along Toys
Written by Ashtyn Evans – Visit Website
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Ashtyn is in her early 30s. She is a mother, writer, college student, and music lover. Ashtyn has had a successful career as a writer since 2003. She turned to blogging in 2005. Ashtyn attends Wright State where she is getting a degree in Psychology. She has extensive knowledge in SEO and Social Media Development.
