Uncle Milton’s toys has teamed the simple top with Star Wars mythology to invite kids to explore the concepts of magnetism along with force & friction with the Star Wars Science FORCE Spinners Magnetic Lab. Kits are available for either BB-8 or R2-D2.
Take your droid top, place it on your controller pull the ripcord and set that little droid spinning round and round. Once the droid is spinning you’ll guide its path without touch using the principles of magnetism. An included poster compares the Earth’s power of magnetism to the Star Wars galaxy Force Push. It offers a brief definition of magnets and polarity.
We were provided the BB-8 set. This simple kit (only four pieces) lets you send little BB-8 (a blank top wrapped in a printed plastic film) spinning along the floor and then guide him left or right with the controller. We even found we could help it regain balance on its point to elongate a spin if we moved the controller correctly. We modified the fun with another magnet we had in the house, placing it in the palm of our hand and seemingly pushing it from afar. However, I think the adorable spinning top held mom’s interest longer than my seven-year-old. I suspect because he struggled a bit with the launch while I operated with ease.
Also included in the Star Wars Science FORCE Spinners Magnetic Lab is a textured ramp. Skilled spinners can test how the different surfaces impact BB-8. We weren’t able to control it with enough finesse to explore this as much as we’d like. Perhaps with more practice. It featured various bumps and a windy groove that I will be training to see BB-8 traverse but my son lost interest after a few failed attempts.
We were, however, able to take note of the difference in travel path along the ramp’s curved wall depending on BB-8s rotation. You can load the ripcord from either side allowing the little droid to spin clockwise or counter-clockwise.
The Star Wars Science FORCE Spinners Magnetic Lab retails for $24.99 and is recommended for kids ages 6+. The kit is available with either BB-8 or R2-D2. If you purchase both kits you can attach the ramps increasing the path options.