2010 Toy Fair: Quick Look at Car Toys, part I

Toy Fair is the annual convention of the Toy Industry Association. Each year hundreds of toy manufacturers, toy store owners, and distributors gather in New York City to show off their latest products and hopefully make a few deals along the way. I had the opportunity of attending this convention and of course checking out the toys that a carguy would love his children to play with.

I focused mainly on car toys, but I also looked into classic toys that I have grown up with. After spending several hours at the fair I have found a lot of toys that were simply not good in one way or another, the below listed toys, however, were all clear winners. All these show high build quality in all aspects, including packing and directions. All were designed with a great amount of detail, all encourage creativity and enhance motor skills. … Continue Reading

Automoblox – Ambiguous but Fun Toy Cars

I have seen these toys being mentioned on both car-related websites as well as parental magazines, and I must say that I was a bit intrigued. First off, these toys were styled by a self-proclaimed “designer” which in and of itself worries me. You see, I have seen a lot perfectly fine products taken by these so-called designers and completely butchered, take the Bungled BMW 7-series for instance. What is wrong with a proper 1:43 model of a real car? I’ve had dozens of these growing up and I loved all of them. I still have my BBurago E24 6-series, somewhere – it is those toys have started my love affair with the car. So now, I look at these “designer toys” and the carguy inside me is screaming “What the hell is that!?” … Continue Reading

Review: Dyson DC31 Vacuum Cleaner

Until now, if you wanted to properly vacuum your car you had two choices: go to a car wash and pay $0.50 per minute and hope that the vacuum you have chosen actually works (it’s a real crap shoot) or you bought your own shop vac, which was the size of a Saint Bernard and is as portable. Sure, there are small the cigarette lighter powered vacuum cleaners, but usually they are not worth the box they come in. … Continue Reading

Cool Father’s Day Gift Ideas

Here are two-and-a-half gifts that just about any car-loving dad will love. They vary in budgets and uses, but each one is guaranteed to get make your dad a happier carguy. … Continue Reading

How “iPod Your BMW” Turned Into a Major iPain

The fall of 2004 was an exciting time in my life—I was a Bostonian living in Manhattan, and the Red Sox were about to win their first World Series in 86 years. I was a Sox fan, transplanted into the middle of Yankeeville, and thoroughly enjoyed watching the Red Sox pull off their stunning comeback against the Yankees.  I was lucky enough to attend one playoff game that fall at Yankee stadium, but the rest were watched from my studio apartment in Murray Hill. It was also in the fall of 2004 that BMW and Apple launched their huge “iPod your BMW” marketing campaign. … Continue Reading

Bugaboo Bees recalled for brake failure

Braking news! The Customer Product Safety Commission has issued a huge recall effecting braking systems of more than 20,000 units... not cars, not trucks, but… strollers! Bugaboo Bees to be exact.  Juicy braking details below… let me spoil it for you, your Bee will need a bracket.  … Continue Reading