Availability: Widely available online and in select stores.
Average Cost: $34.99
Product Link: Automoblox X9
Product Rating:

My 13 month old son loves things that can go “vroom” and crash into stuff (I’m convinced it’s a boy thing). My 3 year old daughter loves puzzles and dolls. This toy car somehow combines elements of all those disparate interests as well as crossing gender and age gaps. While being this super-toy it also manages to avoid the trap of being yet another garishly ugly children’s toy and instead has a unique and beautiful aesthetic.

What exactly is it? It’s a toy car that doubles as a 3D puzzle/set of interlocking blocks and that throws in a shape sorting board for good measure. Getting tired of one? Buy another car (or two or three) from the line and you can build new never-before-seen vehicles. Hard to picture? Read on.

THE DESIGN

The X9 comes apart into 18 parts: four wheel hubs, four purple wheel treads, two inter-connecting pieces that hold the body together, three wooden components (a centerpiece with a variety of shaped seats for the included family of four and the front and back of the car), a translucent bright purple roof, and four abstract people figures with bases in the shape of a star, triangle, square, and circle. All of the polycarbonate and rubber parts are purple. The wood is a German Beech wood. Each car in this line has a different color, making it simple work to return the parts to their original configuration after a particularly creative play session involving multiple different rainbow-colored vehicles.

The combination of classic wood with brightly colored translucent polycarbonate works amazingly well and results in an aesthetic that would be equally at home in the playroom and on the shelf in the office of a highly paid executive.

SAFETY

The four people that make up the automoblox shape board are possible choking hazards which is why Automoblox rates this car for ages 3 and up. Remove the people, and this car is a great play toy for younger children as well (as long as they are properly supervised. Unsupervised the rubber treads can be a second choking hazard if pulled off, as can the axels if your child manages to work them out- something that I couldn’t do even when I tried.) Both my older and younger child (3 and 13 months) love this toy and use it in different ways. My husband and I like to play with it as well, so I’d say that the age range is pretty open-ended.

Automoblox meets and exceeds US safety regulations, as well as complying with all of the more stringent European standards and has redesigned any components that seemed to have the possibility of breaking under extreme play conditions.

One thing that concerned me was the polycarbonate roof. I was worried that it could shatter under pressure (similar to what happens if you bend a CD in half- with jagged parts that go flying), so I applied quite a bit of pressure. (Ok. so I put a book on it and sat on it. Call me strange), and it didn’t shatter. It didn’t even crack. Maybe my postpartum diet has been successful or maybe this thing is just insanely rugged.

QUALITY & DURABILITY

The parts come apart smoothly without much force when taken apart deliberately, but stay together even when dropped, crashed, or shaken pretty roughly. They are very well made and connect together with a very satisfying feeling that is too smooth to be called a “click”, but that makes it obvious once they’re firmly in place.

One thing that I really love about the Automoblox is the fact that it’s obviously designed to be a heirloom toy passed from generation to generation, yet unlike other “heirloom” toys, Automoblox is actually built to be played with as well as passed along.

Automoblox did some wonky testing with their products which includes ensuring that it can withstand 110lbs of direct downward pressure, can withstand 10 repeated drops from a height of 7 feet with all of the weight transferring on one wheel, and survive accidents which involve impact to the translucent polycarbonate roof (which seems to resist scratches as well). The wheels are virtually non-breakable (when I read that, I tried!), and their axles are made of the same polycarbonate material and are also extremely strong. On top of all that, you know the beautiful laquer finish? It’s triple-coated and sanded between coats to ensure that that it can withstand scratches and dents very well.

No toy is going to fully withstand constant use by a child without some wear and tear. But the Automoblox holds up amazingly well to rigorous play (and some creative but odd additional testing by a certain reviewer that will remain unnamed).

While not all damage is covered under warranty, repairs can be done. And if one part of the automoblox vehicle is somehow inexplicably damaged beyond repair, the parts are still usable in extending the configurations of other Automoblox vehicles. What other toy car can you say that about?

USE IN CREATIVE PLAY

Ok, so it’s safe and durable… But how do kids like playing with it? And how, exactly, does the whole “blox” concept factor into it?

First, let’s talk about it’s use as a toy car. What kid wants a car that doesn’t go anywhere? One would think that since the focus of this toy car seems to be the fact that you can take it apart and put it together, that there would be some stickiness to the wheels… Nope. The wheels turn very smoothly allowing the car to careen across the room with a simple push on both carpeted and un-carpeted floors. It holds its own with the best of the best toy cars.

So what about the “blox” thing? It’s sort of a cool concept, but how does it work? Do you need multiple cars in order to have any fun with it at all? Nope. All you need is one car. (To start with, at least). Younger children can practice their fine and gross motor skills while they play with it as a car and treat it like a three dimensional puzzle, practicing putting the parts together in their “normal” order. The car comes with four people and I was amused to find that they function as a shape sorter- each one has a different base (triangular, circular, square, etc.) and will fit into the corresponding hole in the body of the X9 or one of the other vehicles offered by Automoblox). Your child will learn that the wheels have to be on the bottom of the car (the car can be assembled with them on top as long as the roof is left off. Your children will have a laugh as the family of four is driven around in an upside down SUV hanging on for dear life.) Older children will find it fun to discover all the various combinations you can make with a single Automoblox car. You can take the middle of the vehicle off and attach the front piece to the back piece and create a short little mini car. And when they tire of playing with the single car, you can add other cars on to create a huge number of custom rainbow-colored car creations. It’s fun and addictive even for adults.

BOTTOM LINE

Automoblox is a brilliant idea combining the type of open-ended play recommended by experts, with the intrigue of a toy car, and an appealing blend of the aesthetics of classic wood with stylish brightly colored polycarbonate. Wouldn’t you rather have your children playing with this than with a toy car that does nothing other than “go”? I know I would.