Top Toys of 2007 - Boys

There are several head gear products available. But none of them comes close to matching the ingenuity of the Power Rangers Mega Mission Helmet. Priced at $49.99 from Bandai, this toy is worth every penny of it's price. First of all, the quality is awesome and is sure to have your little boy feel as if he is one of the Power Rangers from the ongoing hit series. But, hold on, the role-playing features don't end just yet! The Power Rangers Mega Mission Helmet is not merely a helmet. Bandai has added extra pizzazz by allowing online interactivity for the first time. Isn't that cool!

Hasbro's Transformers Movie Ultimate Bumblebee has a place of honor in our Top 10 Toys of 2007 list. This Hasbro product from the Transformers Movie portrays the Ultimate Bumblebee who transforms from a yellow 2008 Camaro car to the 14 inch Ultimate Bumblebee robot. The ingenuity of this product is that it combines two things that appeal to young boys: cars and action figures. This product comes complete with light and sound effects. With a touch of a button, it emits the transforming sound when being transformed from car to robot. In robot form, the Ultimate Bumblebee also features the Whip It Battle song by Devo. Furthermore, Bumblebee has a sound detection mechanism where it responds to noises. A great toy for ages 5+.

Oregon Scientific has created their latest learning laptop with over 60 bilingual activities consisting of spelling, math, logic, cognitive skills and sequencing. The design of this laptop based on the famous Hot Wheels line of cars is phenomenal to say the least. There are red LCD lights on the panel that light up when your child is zipping through the various activities. These lights are designed to look as if they are emitting from auto exhaust pipes. You can attach a racetrack and car (sold separately by Hot Wheels) and measure how fast the car comes down the track. Some small but significant improvements from previous models include a backlit LCD screen, a handle for holding the laptop and the inclusion of 4 AA batteries.

Fisher-Price's Nascar Power Wheels race car series takes battery operated cars to the next level. They are pretty high up there in style and performance. You can choose the car of your favorite NASCAR driver including Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jimmie Johnson or Tony Stewart. Each car is customized to look exactly the same as your favorite race car including NASCAR racing team graphics. There are two speeds and even a reverse function for hard surfaces and grass. You can choose to lock the higher speed functionality out so that your child is limited to the lower speed only. This battery operated car has a power brake to avoid dangerous situations. The Nascar Power Wheels are meant for ages 3+ and are available for about $260.

The Transformers continue to remain a hot favorite with kids, especially with the success of the most recent Transformers movie. The Transformers Head of the Class Activity Station is in tune with the Transformers theme, and has an Optimus Prime display. It opens up to reveal 8 different activity centers complete with a large LCD screen and full QWERTY keyboard. There are 48 activities totally that can be played. Furthermore, this is an intelligent toy that adjusts the difficulty level based on how your child is performing. This toy is for ages 3 -6 and will provide endless hours of fun, play, and learning. You can even add names, custom spelling lists and math problems to keep content fresh for your child. Available for $59.99.

The ICoaster is Mega Brand's latest offering, which is a roller coaster set with lots of extras thrown in, including a music mixer! The ICoaster is a complicated looking gizmo indeed. However, it is great fun to set the whole thing up, not to mention that it makes a very challenging construction toy. The best part of the ICoaster is the magnetic elevator that takes the 10mm marbles to the top of the track. From there onwards the marbles move through the track on their own. There is some flexibility in designing the coaster, however, care must be taken to get all the angles right for the linking pieces, otherwise the magnetic ball may just fly off the tracks.

Following the success of last year's I Can Play Piano, Mattel has brought out the new I Can Play Guitar. It's based on the same lines as the piano toy, but of course, with guitar related features instead. Also, it's a whole lot more instructional because of the way it's designed, with 4 levels of progressive difficulty. You have to plug the I Can Play Guitar into your TV, and follow the easy to do activities. The frets are color coded, and the software guides you through the process, teaching you basic guitaring skills like strumming and chords. In fact, after trying out all the features, I liked it far better than the I Can Play Piano!

As far as toys go - the Rubik's Revolution is catchy, fun and engaging. On the flip side, the Rubik's Revolution is almost nothing like the original Rubik's cube. But who cares, right? The Rubik's Revolution has certainly earned it's spot on this list of the Best Boy Toys of 2007. There are 6 games that you can play on the Rubik's Revolution. They are Light Speed, Rapid Recharge, Pattern Panic, Cube Catcher, Code Cracker, and Multiplayer Madness. Put simply, the basic principle of the Rubik's Revolution seems to be how fast you can click the buttons, and in what order. It's pretty challenging, as well as stimulating. Try it out.