LEGO VW Camper – Old Customers are Best Customers

There was no internet. There were no apps to download for a device which did not yet exist. Games like Pac Man and Pole Position were mastered within days. Chances are that if you are in your thirties and still very much into cars (you’re reading this, right?), you probably spent a significant amount of time playing with LEGOs.

Apparently LEGO realized that word-of-mouth is the best advertising money can’t buy, and in the world of apps, games, videos, how does a company such as LEGO market their product? Simple, sell it to dad. Just imagine yourself with your kids, sitting at the little kids’ table, assembling the Unimog or this here VW Camper. The bonding and the precious time spent together would make a fantastic postcard. Right up to the time when you put YOUR Unimog or VW Camper high on the shelf away from their grabby destroying little paws. … Continue Reading

LEGO Technic Unimog U400: details and pictures

Unimog is the German do-it-all ultimate utility machine. It is part tractor, part tank, part all-terrain-vehicle, and all awesome, and it has been convincing grown men to become farmers, woodsmen, or outdoorsman for sixty years now. To celebrate this anniversary, LEGO if offering a Technic version of the Unimog U400 in a 1:12 scale.

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Good Toys, Bad Cars, Ugly Results

You know what’s wrong with car reviews? The cars being reviewed are brand spankin’ new. Three weeks ago, when an agent at the rental agency informed that I will be getting a Suzuki SX, one of the least expensive cars on the market, I felt a bit disappointed. Keeping an open mind, I started driving while looking for this car’s faults; where did they cut corners? What was not included? What was about to fall off? Will it roll on the first curve? Will it make it up a hill? To my disappointment and bewilderment, I found none. What I had here was a perfectly good $15,000 car.

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Toys for CarGuyDads

Christmas is a few days away and if you have not got your shopping done yet then you are pretty much screwed. Hopefully your kids and, more importantly, your significant other are taken care of. In between the cleaning, decorating, and other holiday preparation festivities you may have forgot one thing, yourself.

Seriously, you work your ass off, often unappreciated, why not get yourself a few cool toys you have always wanted? Yes, toys! Toys you have always wanted as a kid but for one reason or another never had due to lack of space or time or most likely money. And yes, you can justify this purchase as a way of bonding with your kids, even if they’re newborns. Get them started early.

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Radio Flyer Comfort Embrace Wagon

Mattel Recalls Trikes and Cars

Mattel, subsidiary of Fisher-Price, issued recalls for several carguydad-related toys . The first recall is for over seven million trikes, where the problem is a protruding “ignition key” which has caused ten injuries. The trikes being recalled can be identified by disc- or D-shaped keys (pictures below).

The other recall is of Little People Wheelies Stand ‘n Play. The wheels on the little the little green and purple cars can come off and cause a choking hazard. … Continue Reading

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

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