Kids tend to become motorheads at very young ages. For me and my brothers, it was an obsession with Matchbox cars and watching Nascar, but now there are companies such as Laser Pegs who are putting a totally different spin on the traditional toy car with products such as the Laser Pegs 8 in 1 Motorized Runners Car kit. Designed for kids ages 5 and up, this set has everything kids need to build eight unique light-up model vehicles using 28 available pieces.
Like most Laser Pegs kits, the set comes with a Power Base, 24 Tinted Bricks, and four Laser Pegs. The Power Base, the Laser Pegs, and three AAA batteries are all the car needs to light up, but once the vehicle is completely built is when things start getting really cool. Using the switch on the bottom of the base, kids can cycle through four different light settings, including illuminate while still; illuminate while in motion; flash while in motion; and power off. The entire model will become an instant light show, making a race that much more fun.
Now that we’ve been through the Laser Pegs basics, the unique thing about the Runners car kit is that it’s also motorized. Kids can construct their vehicles directly on the Power Base’s surface and then make them zoom off (and of course, light them up). The speed of the Runners can be switched to fast or slow, and there’s a hitch on the front and back of the base so kids can hook their creations to any other Runners Power Base. In addition to building with the Laser Pegs Tinted Bricks, kids can even add on any other brick building pieces that they may have floating around in their toy boxes (meaning it doesn’t have to be Laser Peg bricks). With more pieces, kids can take their imaginations even further with limitless vehicle possibilities.
For kids who like following directions (like me, because I still like to think I’m a kid), the set comes with easy-to-follow instructions to build the Micro Tuner. Once kids have mastered that model, they can move on to the Tow Truck, Mini Crane, Mini Truck, Safety Truck, Speed Runner, Beach Runner, and Patrol Runner. All of these additional manuals are located online at laserpegs.com, where they can be downloaded and printed out.
