Air Hogs lets you control a car along the ground and up walls. View larger.

Use the remote to charge the car's built-in battery. View larger.

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good:Car can drive up walls; includes rechargeable battery The Bad:Car is a bit fragile; slightly loud; limited wireless range In a Nutshell:Car can do everything it advertises, but all the conditions must be met At a Glance Ages:8 and up Requires:6 AA batteries for remote, clean surface

Smart, Innovative Design
Air Hogs makes the only cars that can climb walls, and the Zero Gravity Micro is smaller and faster than the original Air Hogs Zero Gravity Humvee. We were surprised by how small and light the Zero Gravity Micro is; it is basically a thin plastic shell wrapped around a light body with a vacuum in it. Our car was designed to look like a red race car, but you can choose from other designs available as well.

We were able to get the Zero Gravity Micro up and running without any problems. The remote control unit needs six AA batteries (not included), and is then used to charge the built-in rechargeable battery in the car. This is done by connecting a cable from the remote control to the car, and flipping the switch to charge mode. Thanks to smart design, this cable can be stowed and hidden away when not being used.

After about half an hour for charging, the car was ready to go. Right away, we set the car to wall climbing mode and set it on our wall. Though we'd read about what it was supposed to do, we were still very impressed when we saw the car stick to the wall and climb. You can see the vacuum working, as there is a window on the top of the car showing a spinning fan. The car makes quite a bit of sound when it is in wall mode.

Using the remote, we were able to make the car go up, turn left and right, and go down as well. With a tight turning radius, the car is very maneuverable and with some practice, you can get the car to do exactly as you wish. In addition to Wall mode, there is also a Ground mode which leaves the fan/vacuum off, and lets you drive full function on the ground. You need to walk around with the car, however, as the remote has limited range. This is not as big a concern on walls because we were usually pretty close to the wall as the car was climbing it.

The car has working headlights that double as a battery indicator--when they start to blink, the car is running low on power.

Needs Clean, Smooth Surface
The instructions warn that the car should be played only on a clean, smooth surface, and they're not kidding. Since the car is able to stay on walls due to suction, the moment an inconsistency is introduced, the car loses suction and falls off. We found that a surface like glass works very well. With our concrete wall, we often ran into problems with the car maintaining its suction. Coupled with the car's light construction, we fear that repeated abuse could cause damage to it.

Overall, we found the Air Hogs Zero Gravity Micro to be an innovative and fun toy. We wished it were a bit more hefty and could work on more surfaces, but when we got it going on our window, we were very impressed. It's a great new idea and twist on an old toy, and is bound to keep children mesmerized.

The Mega Rig lets you build 30 different space crafts. View larger.

Kids can use their imagination to create intergalactic space fights. View larger.

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good:Durable building system encourages imaginative play The Bad:Lots of small parts to keep track of In a Nutshell:The Mega Rig Space Shuttle Mission Set provides hours of fun constructing space vehicles and thinking up places to explore At a Glance Ages:4 and up

Getting Ready for Your First Mission
Since part of the fun is in thinking up ways to build a spacecraft from the many different parts, this Mega Rig set is ready to go without any difficult or time-consuming set-up. The set includes simple, illustrated instructions that will help you and your child build a large space shuttle with an exterior fuel tank and an all-terrain vehicle base that can be used as a launching site. The instructions include photos of other possible configurations and illustrations showing important details such as how to launch missiles, lock the shuttle's arm in place for space walks, and the many ways to combine Mega Rig wheels.

The UFO included in this set features other-worldly lights and sound, and it is powered by three button-cell batteries (AG13/LR44). Test batteries are included, but you will want to purchase another set just in case. The Shuttle Mission Set is compatible with all Mega Rig building systems, making it easy to combine different sets and inspire kid's creativity.

Galactic Exploration
Once a spaceship has been assembled, there are plenty of missions your child can accomplish. Between launching the satellite into orbit and coordinating an exploratory space walk, your child will be busy watching out for missiles shot from the UFO with its alien inside. The durable octagon shaped connectors hold pieces of each space craft together until they are pulled apart on purpose.

Our favorite configurations included snapping the bright orange all-terrain wheels onto the shuttle or UFO for land adventures, combining the shuttle and the fuel cell into one gigantic space ship, and loading the launch pad with accessories to create a headquarters for operations on distant moons and planets.

Other cool features include a space arm controlled by a lever, an oversized astro grabber for moving equipment or keeping the alien at bay, and plenty of fun compartments for the astronaut and alien to hide in. Your child will surely want to take this shuttle everywhere, but with so many small parts to keep track of, traveling with this set can require extra attention to detail.

Long-Lasting Imaginative Play
The sturdy plastic shuttle and its accessories held up well throughout our vigorous test missions, and the Mega Rig building systems are known for their durability. The moving parts and hinged compartments that make this shuttle so much fun could potentially come apart with lots of rough play, but we found the system to be extremely durable.

With the alien and the astronaut ready to be your friend or enemy, and the ability to make more than one vehicle at the same time, this building system is great for cooperative play or a single child with an active imagination. The ability to combine and recombine parts in so many ways offers a new experience every time your child picks up a piece of this shuttle system, so the fun never runs out.