Price Tag: $12.00/SE or $10
Official URL: www.automoblox.com
Age Range: 3+ (small parts)
Rating:

Automoblox have gone pint-sized with their “Minis” line. These little cars are roughly the size of a deck of cards and boast many of the features of the full-sized Automoblox line, just at a small travel-friendly size that allows for on-the-go fun.

During July and August of 2009, buying one of these little cars or any other Automoblox car will have a great charitable twist, as well. During these months, Automoblox will donate one car to a school providing specialized educational services to children with autism for every car purchased at www.automoblox.com. School selection will be managed by the May Institute and the National Autism Center. Just use the promocode “donation” at checkout.

WHAT ARE AUTOMOBLOX

Automoblox are a car-building system that consists of different makes and models of cars. Each car’s parts can be combined with the parts from another car to create a completely new style of car. Automoblox minis are one part 3D puzzle, one part building blocks, and one part toy car.  (The full-sized automoblox throw in a shape sorter made up of little people that have bases of different shapes)

STYLE/AESTHETIC

Automoblox calls their aesthetic a “Future-Retro” style, which is pretty accurate. A classic wooden body, with high-tech transclusent polycarbonate “windows” and durable wheels. This toy looks Italian or European in design and will be equally at home in a business office or in your child’s toy box.

THE PARTS

The Automoblox mini T9-SE comes with 3 wooden body parts, four wheel hubs, four tires, and a roof. All of the parts are of a lighter-weight plastic or wood than what is used on the full sized Automoblox, and so the resulting feeling is slightly more fragile but this little toy and its parts still hold up well to use and abuse.

Each part clicks firmly into place, although the car tends to separate along the middle when dropped.

If you’re familiar with the full sized Automoblox, you’ll notice that the connectors on the minis are slightly different, and resemble pegs rather than the more “interlocking block” style of the larger cars. This design works well on the smaller body of the Minis.

ENTERTAINMENT FACTOR

Starting at a very young age, children will delight in taking these cars apart, combining them with other cars from the same line, and creating new multi-colored car creations. This can easily go on for hours, especially if the toys are combined with other toys such as blocks, or used in imaginative play.

The “feature” of these cars may be found in their building-block nature, but these cars aren’t simply building blocks, they GO. They’ll zoom along almost any surface (including carpets and grass) at a speed that rivals that of the fastest toy cars.

EDUCATIONAL FACTOR

Automoblox promote fine motor skills, spatial thinking, and creativity.

BOTTOM LINE

It’s no secret that we’re fans of Automoblox at Gruntlings, and these little minis are no exception. They’re well made and are a creative idea that has made a great creative toy. The light weight and small size of these toys makes them an ideal travel toy. Just look out for lost parts!