iFlops Elephant

Product Number: 156
How much: £34.99
Where can I buy one:Amazon.co.uk

If there’s been one flaw with iPod speakers so far it’s that although they’ve been visually pleasing they haven’t exactly been ‘cute’. Sure there’s the iDogs, iFish, iCat’s etc, but they’re still cold hard creatures made of plastic and metal. They’re about as likely to give you a loving hug as they are to change in to Daleks and exterminate you.


Now this is better. Although as first glance seeming like your typical cuddly toy, iFlops comes with a secret. Concealed in a pouch on its back is a small speaker jack which you can plug in to your MP3 player in order to play your music. In case you’re wondering which nether region they’ve hid the battery pack in, well there isn’t one! iFlops runs off the power of your device, so there’s no need for batteries, or charging.

Which is both good and bad. On the one hand it means far less phaffing around, but it also means the speakers in iFlops are of limited quality, so as to run off a second power source. The speakers are by no means terrible but mostly they sound as if someone is holding a hand in front of the speakers which leads to some distortion.


Whilst you might argue that iFlops is clearly made for hugging and that therefore he doesn’t need speakers with massive power, the speakers are actually at their worst when you are right up next to them. From about 50cm away the sound is clear but as you get closer the muted buffer starts to kick in.

To give you some idea of which genres are top of the pops and which are (i)flops we tested out pop in the form of Kelly Clarkson which suffered from some muffled voices which removed some of her edgy appeal. For rock we chose Linkin Park and found the distortion far too distracting, although I’m sure angst ridden music coming out of a cuddly toy would have been a little ironic anyway. Most bizarrely of all the club music we tried suffered from almost no distortion whatsoever, so if you want to fall asleep with iFlops in your arms club beats are the way to go.

But what of the cuddly attributes of our furry friend? Well he’s both soft and despite containing various electrical components he’s incredibly squeezable and resilient. Whilst his fur is a little bitty around the seams he seems to maintain his coat no matter how much you pick away and you can’t deny the feeling of rubbing your hand against such a cuddly creature.

Before I lose all sense of manliness I should probably make some sort of conclusion. iFlops clearly isn’t designed for the dedicated music freak or for anyone who wants high quality music. Instead he’s perfect for lying down, holding and simply relaxing on your own. Good for kids, and not too bad for adults who still love their cuddly toys. And don’t worry if you don’t like elephants there’s also pigs, monkeys, penguins, rugby balls, cows etc….

Rafa Nadal Tennis

Product Number: 155
How much: £5.00 (Mobile)
Where can I buy one: Text NADAL to 88188

When I wrote my first mobile phone review I remarked that good mobile phone games are quick to play and offer simple controls. By comparison a good console game offers depth, longevity and controls that put you at the center of the action. But what if these lines are blurred? What if a game offers the longevity of a console game with the controls to match on a mobile phone? Rafa Nadal Tennis is one such crossover.


For example, the games' championship mode is a relatively simple affair of player vs player which is perfectly positioned to offer quick mobile gratification. However the only playing options on offer are a ‘3 set game’ and or a ‘3 and 5 sets game’, both of which take about half an hour to play till the end , and that’s if you don’t end up in a deuce struggle for about 5 minutes. In essence that’s like asking you to play a 90 minute long football match in its entirety, something which is an optional extra on console games and unheard of for mobile gaming.

Thankfully an exhibition mode is on offer which makes the game a little quicker, although this still takes around 10 minutes to play through, if you simply want to play a quick back and forth your only option is to play first to 45 and then turn the game off. Naturally you can pause the game and come back to it later although the times when I tried this left me faced with the title screen and lost progress when I ‘resumed’ the game (although this may be a fault of my handset...)


Controls on the other have been given some simplicity and most moves can be handled with a single button press. This generally works by pressing the button once to get your character to run for the ball, then holding the direction you want them to hit the ball in. It actually works well, although as it has to stick to the analogue controls of a mobile phone you can’t angle the shot much more than left or right.

To resolve this the developers have added a range of extra shots which can be activated by other keys on the thumb pad. This is a nice solution with left and right spins letting you hit shots in to more exposed positions. Of course this complicates matters and brings things closer to a console game, and as the game states in its tutorial for a ‘game winning shot’ you’ll need to use the other moves.


Console aspirations do bring a few nice features to the game such as surprisingly well animated characters complete with effective running and hitting animations. No doubt the motion capture used for the Nintendo DS version of this game has filtered down and done it no end of good. And that’s essentially what we’re left with, the Nintendo DS version, slightly cut down but retaining most of it’s time limits and demands. Rafa Nadal isn’t a bad game, it’s just clearly playing in the wrong court.

Filofax Chino Mini

Product Number: 154
How Much: £20.00
Where can I buy one: Filofax.co.uk

It’s been nine months since I last took a look at Filofax, at which point I challenged you to” find a brand where every single product in their catalogue is this elegant, stylish and practical”. Since then I personally haven’t been able to spot anything so they can rest safely at night knowing that their crown is safe.


The latest member of their range is the Chino which is slightly smaller than the ‘Sport’ model I reviewed last year whilst retaining all of the functionality. For those who have ever picked up a Filofax in a shop and wondered what awaits inside I thought it would be good to show you the ins and outs with a short video taking you from cover to cover:


As before it includes all manner of ace little bits including memorable dates, an A-Z and a complete 2007-8 Diary across two pages. Once you get to the new year you simply buy a new diary section, pop out the old one and clip the new one in. The Chino is every bit as practical and functional as before and quite frankly is still the king of the playground, University or Office.

Enjoying the Podcasts? Or are people in your office telling you to keep the noise down? Either way leave a comment so we can improve them for the future!

Modern Gent pt2: Ultra Shave

Product Number: 153
How much: £6.95
Where can I buy one: Modern Gent.com

Remember the good old days when we used to feature a different shaving gel every month? Where my face became a public test site, and where each month my shaving talent was ridiculed by everyone that passed the comments box? Well slap a bib on me and call me a guinea pig because ‘Ultra Shave’ has arrived and it’s time to don the razor once again.


The key feature of Ultra Shave is that it’s both a moisturizer and a shaving cream. So as you apply its slightly peach scented solution you’ll notice your skin feels smoother even before you’ve started shaving. It does a nice job of softening up the bristles on your face and as I used it the hairs came out easily and without any unnecessary aches or pains.


As for the moisturizer it also deserves full marks. Normally after a shave my skin feels dry and I’m in a rush to apply moisturizer, but I must admit as soon as I’d finished shaving in this instance my face felt smooth and refreshed. The bottle insists that at this stage you add more moisturizer just to sweeten the effect, and although I was worried it may build up and become slimy, it simply merged with the existing moisturizer on my face easily without a pore clogging build up. That said it’s not quite as smooth as the Clinique Moisturizer I usually use but that costs £21 so you can’t really fault this little baby….


…and as always I’ve leave the above photo there for your critical eyes. Be kind!

Modern Gent pt1: Fuzzy Brush

As a haphazard twenty-something I often wonder what a Modern Gentleman should be like? Women’s magazines would have us believe that it’s the fabled ‘new man’ with feelings, a heart made of goo and a penchant for cleaning. Meanwhile mens magazines would have us believe it’s anything from a pervert to what Men’s Health call an ‘Alpha Male’. But perhaps all a man really needs to do is simply look good? At least both genders of magazines can agree on that.

So with a focus on looking good, today I’ll be bringing you two new products to make you feel like a Modern Gent.

Fuzzy Brush

Product Number: 152
How much: £1.49
Where can I buy one: Modern Gent.com

Modern Gents hopefully shouldn’t be found lobbying around toilets but up until recently that used to be the only place you could find the Fuzzy Brush. Tucked away in corners next to condom and mint machines there little guys were certainly handy but not exactly in prime locations (who really cares about their breath in an M25 motorway service station?). Thankfully they’re now available in packs of 4, which will fit perfectly in to a jacket pocket for quick cleaning relief.

For those that haven’t seen them before Fuzzy Brushes are essentially chewable toothbrushes. You simply pop them in your mouth, chew them a bit and you’re left with fresh breath. Naturally if that were their only function then they’d be pretty pointless (given that they’re essentially Xlyotol dispensers just like Smint’s) and if this were Dragon’s Den I’d now be standing up to escort the failed contestant out of the room.


So it’s with some relief then that the designers of the chewable toothbrush have included a small handle at the end of the brush. This means you can clamp the brush between your teeth, and then use your tongue to maneuver the brush in the hard to reach places. It also means you can clean all your teeth, which is something that can’t be done with chewing gum (well unless you position the gum over each tooth painstakingly.. which I’ve never done… well maybe five times).

Oh and one more thing that makes them different from gum; The back of the packet warns in red lettering “Do Not Swallow”. Sounds stupid, but you know someone will do it.

Go To Part 2: Ultra Shave

Dead Fred

Product Number: 151
How Much: £7.50
Where can I buy one: Suck UK

A few months ago I stumbled across the Voodoo Knife set which for those too busy to click is essentially a man like figure which you can use to store knives. Each knife slots somewhere in to the man and it’s designed as a 'fun' way of taking out your anger. Well proving that the pen is mightier than the blade it seems the Voodoo Knife display has had a son, and he’s every bit as unlucky.


Looking a little bit like a cross between Spiderman and Morph, Dead Fred is an unlucky anti hero who even in death is willing to lend a hand to the human populace. Or perhaps that should be a heart given that Fred seems to missing that all important organ…

Not that he’ll miss it really given that he’s made of silicone rubber and that his eyes have been replaced by giant Xs just in case you were searching for any last signs of life. Whilst Fred may have no use for the missing part of his being you certainly will and wouldn’t you know it his ‘heart hole’ is the perfect size for storing a pen or pencil whilst you beaver away on your latest novel.


There’s also the added Voodoo factor of the human like doll which you can use to full effect if someone out there needs a bit of a heartfelt touch every now and then. For those that believe in Voodoo, Fred can be jabbed in the heart or you can always jab away at his hands, feet and head or even just thrown the doll down the stairs if you’re feeling extra cruel. Naturally I’ll leave the cruelty up to you, but I accept no responsibility if someone at the opposite end of the planet suddenly falls down the stairs ‘accidentally’.

The more traditional users of Fred (i.e those not out to hurt someone…) will find he’s a very handy companion for storing a writing implement. The two advantages of this are that it makes it easier to find a pen if you’ve got a table full of papers and that it ensures your pen is pointing downwards at all times, helping to ensure a flow of ink when you’re ready to start writing again. Perfect for anyone who’s ever had a brilliant idea only to lose it whilst faffing around getting a pen to work.


Sadly Fred isn’t pose-able so you can’t really do much with him other than lay him flat on a surface. In the above picture I managed to balance Fred against my computer screen but as soon as I tried to pull the pen out he slumped down on the floor like the corpse that he is. It’s a shame the team at Suck UK don’t include something sticky to attach Fred to a wall as I’m sure there are a few people out there that would prefer to use him in this way, but I guess you can always find some sticky back tape and create your own solution.

Dead Fred is a stab in the heart for every missing pen you’ve ever had. He makes a neat desk ornament too if you’re looking for something a little different and if someone doesn’t like him then you know what to (voo)do.

K-Swiss Lozan II Punk Review

Product Number: 150
How Much:£100
Where can I buy one: Harvey Nichols and Selfridges

One of the things that always bugs me about trainer reviews in men’s magazines is that they’ll show you a fantastic picture of the trainer and then tell you to go out and buy it. They make no mention as to what the shoe is like to wear, or how it actually feels to run around and try them out. Then again if the latest offering from K-Swiss arrived in their office they’d probably be too busy fighting over them to wear them anyway....


Thankfully this review is going to be a little different as K-Swiss have allowed me to go nuts with their new 'Lozan II Punk traners'. That means I can go for a jog in them, kick them in puddles and generally just try them out without having to worry about keeping them in pristine condition for the next PR guy on the list. Don’t be surprised if you spot a little bit of mud in the photos because I’ve had a two weeks worth of wear and I haven’t spent it tapping my feet.

First there’s the initial fit of the trainers which is fantastic. The back of each shoe is soft and cups your heel in a way that the skater boys will find both protective and comfortable. Then there’s the soft sole which even has a nice little raised platform for the ball of your foot to rest on. It's a nice step towards the adaptive comfort seen in the Gel Soles and the trainers grip your feet well whether you’re walking, running or jumping in the crowd at an Atari’s concert.

Whilst they look sharp and edgy on the outside, they’re comfortable and soft on the inside, but don’t worry we won’t tell anyone…

One of the most interesting features about this new range from K-Swiss are the ‘Tongue Twister’ tops which allow you to quickly change the logo on the top of your trainer. All of the designs in this range (There’s also Dog and Medal styles) comes with this feature and each trainer come with two separate designs which you quickly switch between by reaching inside and turning. Due to some smart padding the trainers are just as comfortable no matter which way around you turn the tops so you can mix and match depending on your mood. So the tops can twist there's a tiny slit cut in to the trainers which doesn't comprise the design, although it does make the top less rigid and as a result it can slowly seep in to your trainer from time to time if your laces aren't tight.

The Punk range can be switched between a grey K-Swiss logo:

Or a red ‘Fake London’ logo:

The reason for this split personality (aside from looking very cool) is that it signifies the cooperation between the two brands in bringing out such an excellent range. Fake London created the designs and K-Swiss styled them in to trainers. This mix of designs is fantastic and the Punk offering includes zips (which thankfully don’t make any noise), big soles, and even a studded wristband hanging off the heel. If you believe that being Punk is also about being ‘individual’ then these trainers will make you stand out from the crowd in every instance.

And that’s not to mention their limited edition status too. Not content with only producing their new range in limited numbers, K-Swiss will only be releasing their latest offering in to Harvey Nichols, Selfridgdes and select independent retailers so be sure to snap them up quickly before they’re gone for good.

Mrs Peggs Handy Line

Product Number: 149
How Much: £89.00
Where can I buy one: Eco Washing lines.co.uk

If Dragons Den has taught us one thing, it’s that you can set up a business selling almost anything. Take Eco Washing Lines.co.uk who sell nothing but environmentally friendly washing lines. Whilst I’d have assumed (falsely) that all washing lines were relatively eco friendly it seems there’s a wide range of products designed specifically for the environmentally conscious amongst us.


To look in to this further the team at Eco Washing lines.co.uk sent over “Mrs Pegg’s Handy Line” for me to see how it compares to my pathetic plastic clothes hanger. As you can see from the photo above it’s a rather large piece of kit and not the most environmentally friendly product if your environment consists of a small studio flat. Thankfully it can be used indoors and outdoors so is a great multipurpose product if you don’t want to erect a huge washing line in your garden all year round.

The all important specs to consider are that it’s 172 cm long, 75cm wide and 43 cm high once erected. Whilst you store it away it’ll fold to a nice 7cm wide so you can slot in inside a cupboard out of the way. Sadly there’s nothing you can do about the height so it won’t fit under the stairs unless you’ve got a relatively tall alcove inside.


Once you get the Handy line set up (which is a simple process of sliding two clips along and pulling the legs in to position) you’ll fully appreciate its grandeur when you attempt to fill it up with clothes. There’s ten lines in total and you can spaciously fit three T-Shirts, 4 pairs of trousers or 3 sweaters on to each line. You can also fit an entire king size quilt across a couple of lines and it’ll hold up to four king size quilts with ease, making this a fantastic device for anyone with a larger home or even a B&B.

As it’s 43cm high putting clothes on can be a bit daunting at first but there are two options that work equally well. The first is to put clothes on from the middle of the unit and then to work outward as you go. Or you can simply crouch under the unit and feed clothes up on to whichever line you wish. Being able to nip under also means you can test if clothes are still wet without having to worry about other clothes tapping on your neck.


Whilst it’s holding all of your clothes the Handy Line is nice and sturdy and supported two queen size quilts and an assortment of clothes with ease in my trial. And if you can’t find a place to store it for the other 300 days of the year then you can simply pop two quilts on either end and make yourself a mini fort….


How handy!

Sidekick: 6-In-1 Multi Opener

Time for a breath of fresh air from one of our sidekicks. Today Martin Alexander, resident BCB Radio DJ dons the Blagman cape and remember to keep em peeled for your chance to be the next sidekick...

Product Number: 148
Price: £6.99
Where can I buy: Kitchenmonger

Be honest guys. Don’t you just feel a little frisson of pride and manliness when your girlfriend, mother or daughter turns to you in the kitchen with a look of frustration and says “I can’t get this open, will you do it?” You open the offending item and hand it back feeling like The Man Of Steel. Unfortunately, it now seems entirely likely your chances to be butch in the scullery whilst wearing your underpants over your trousers are going to be rather thin from now on, thanks to a bunch of US inventors. To explain why we need to look at Gnomes.


Back in 1967, BBC 2 was the first TV station in Europe to broadcast in colour. Two years later the local golf club were the first to invest in a colour set round our way (Yorkshire folk are second only to the Scots in parting with their brass) and I rushed up as soon as I could to witness this miracle for nothing.

Indelibly etched on my mind was the first programme I ever saw in colour, “The Gnomes of Dulwich” featuring Terry Scott (Big) and Hugh Lloyd (Small) as a couple of garden gnomes by a pond outside 25, Telegraph Road.

Being made of stone, they didn’t go very far and consequently neither did the series (despite being written by Jimmy Perry of “Dads Army” fame).

It managed only six episodes, probably because it was a political satire on the Common Market, race, religion, war, politics, drink, the old school tie mentality and an ongoing war with the plastic gnomes from Japan next door. Racey stuff for the time. Someone in the BBC said “hang on..”


The one which has stayed with me though (and don’t ask me why) is when Small turns to Big and says rather smugly “I know my real name”

Scott (who always did hurt pride rather well), looks upset.

“Oh really, and how do you know?”

Lloyd is bursting to tell him.

“It’s tattooed on my bottom. It’s Pat”

“Pat, eh”? Scott is becoming increasingly annoyed as he patently doesn’t have a name. “Alright, let’s have a look”

Big puts his fishing rod down and tips Small up to look underneath.

“It says Pat Pending”.

The joke is made better because Big obviously has no idea this is not a proper name either. Laughs were much simpler before Russell Brand.

But Pat Pending lives on and is also engraved on the 6-In-1 Multi Opener from the Seattle based Progressive International Corporation, presumably because they couldn’t wait to get their labour-saving kitchen device to the kitchens of the world before gnomes stole the idea.

In essence, if you’ve ever struggled with opening something in the kitchen, the makers say this is your salvation and claims to open safety seals, jar lids, pull open cans, slice open plastic bags and loosen metal and plastic bottle caps.

It’s lightweight, just four inches long, has no sharp edges
and even makes a satisfying clacking noise so when you’re making Paella and Tommy Steele comes on the wireless singing “The Little Red Bull”, you can do your Toreador impression without the need for those cheap castanets your mother-in-law brought you back from Benidorm.


Seriously, I’ve had the Multi-Opener on trial with various useless members of the human race over the last few days and for those who’ve had sand kicked in their face, this is the answer.

It does slice open a bag without the need for a sharp instrument (as long as you remember which end to use).
So does a knife, but it’s not as much fun.

Jar lids. I don’t personally struggle with them. If you do, here’s a tip. Run them under very hot water with rubber gloves on. The lid expands. Were you asleep in Physics?
If so, this little device will beat any suction you’ve ever encountered – except maybe that time when (that’s enough Percy Filth, Ed).

If you only have one hand you might struggle to open a ring-pull can. You’d probably struggle even more to get the hook at the top of the multi opener underneath, so it’s a bit of an utterly pointless function really.

Metal bottle caps. Yes it does those effortlessly but does anyone not have a bottle opener in their draw? Even for guests? Do you have guests?

However, plastic bottle caps are where this thing scores big time.


It’s humbling to admit it but I’ve had to resort to mole-grips from a tool-box buried under the stairs to get a 2L bottle of lemonade open before now. Ok, I was at someone else’s party, I’d had the odd sherbet and there was most of a Heavy Metal band passed out on the kitchen floor, but I’d have you given you a bottle of Asti Spumanti, several cans of cheap lager and a bucket of Babycham and told you I really, really loved you if you’d walked in with the Multi Opener at that point.

So, if you don’t want to find your mole grips in the kitchen draw, this is the non-slip grip answer. Fun at parties.

After all, millions of Americans can’t be wrong. Can they?

Spider-Man 3 The Game

Product Number: 147
How much: £49.99 RRP
Where can I buy one: Amazon.co.uk

Every now and then as a reviewer I’m bound by certain ‘veto’ agreements which mean I’m not allowed to post a review before a certain date. This is similar to any non disclosure agreement for a film or anything secretive and although it’s not technically legally binding we’re all a little scared to break the date in case we have to undergo a baptism of fire, the loss of our career or loves ones. Thankfully the veto for Spider-Man 3 the Game was something I was more than happy to follow…


The veto in question meant I wouldn’t be able to post a review of the game until May 4th, the day of the movie and games release. This makes perfect sense of course to stop spoilers from getting out in to the mass media, any anyone reviewing the film was also tied to a similar deal. The thing is I had absolutely no interests in knowing the secrets of the movie either, and therefore I didn’t even unwrap the video game until I’d sat down with the movie on May 5th. Who needs veto agreements when you’ve got reviewers obsessed with avoiding all spoilers?

I needn’t have worried, although Spider-Man 3 the Game does include the plot of the movie, it also offers nine other storylines that you can play through at will. The movie storyline also doesn’t quite seep in till about a quarter of the way through the game (well aside from one cut scene) so if you haven’t seen the movie yet you can still play the game safely.


The ten storylines on offer each focus on a different gang or villain in the Spidey Universe including The Lizard, The Scorpion, Arsenic Candy (Goths with exploding teddy bears) and Daily Bugle photo quests. Sadly the gang quests start to merge in to one after a while and essentially involve scrap after scrap until you’ve beated ten or so enemies. Your reward for doing this? Some minor objective (run after this, press X on this) and then another mission with another ten on one scrap. Aside from bomb defusing missions this pattern barely changes for any of the gang missions which is a shame as they could have further developed the games' combo system in these scraps.

The Supervillian missions are handled best of all and it’s here where the Quick Time Events (QTE’s) are utilised with some creativity. For the unfamiliar, quick time events see a giant button appearing on the screen as and when something crucial to the action happens. This occurs both in fights (press RT to slow down time, and then X when displayed to counter attack) and in various cut scenes. The cut scenes are handled perfectly and involve fleeing villains, a New Goblin scrap in the skyline, an exploding train and several car chases, all waiting for your well timed button press to save the day. It’s far more involving than the pointless gang scraps and if you mess up the game repeats the sequence immediately without punishing you or forcing you to repeat bits.

One of the most promoted aspects of the new Spider-Man game is that it features the voice-over work of the real actors. Naturallly fans of past Spider-Man games will tell you that Bruce Campbell is all the voice over work you need, but it’s nice to see Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco playing their parts too. That they’re all outshone by J.K Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson is more than a coincidence as he’s the only character to put any emotion in to his performance (even if that emotion is just hilarious anger) and this makes playing through a number of photo missions all the more enjoyable.


The character voicework is also slightly soiled by the inclusion of some character models which don’t really live up to next gen expectations. Dead Rising gave us detailed facial expressions in a similarly interactive environment so the only excuse for Mary-Jane’s clumped together hair and the deep dark circles around Peter Parkers eyes is a limited development time sped on by a need to launch day and date with the movie.

But I digress, shouldn’t a Spider-Man game be all about swinging around giant buildings at rapid speeds? In this area the game excels and the virtual New York at night time has far more character then any of the villains or character actors. Sure it may be the equivalent to stopping your car in a racing game so you can look at the scenery but there’s no denying it’s where the real fun lies in the game.

Whether that can sustain you in-between repetitive missions and unclear objectives is the real question. Ultimately Spider-Man 3 isn’t as fun as last years Ultimate Spiderman, (which also told the Venom story in a far more interesting fashion) and with rumors of a new Spider-Man game out in time for Christmas perhaps this is one to veto for now…

Sponsor of the week: Amazon.co.uk

Aaah Sponsors, they make the world go round and more importantly the help us to keep bringing you fantastic reviews of new products without being crushed by server costs. If you're enjoying the site this week then either click the above link to Amazon or browse any of the Amazon product boxes on the right hand side of the page.

Thanks for your help!
Mike Essex (aka Blagman)

Dad of Blagman: JML Universal Spanner

Product Number: 146
How much: £5.99
Where can I buy one: JML Direct.com, Focus, Woolworths

From time to time I must call upon friends and family to lend me a noble hand in my quest. So far that has mostly involved Marie testing makeup so as to save me public ridicule, but most recently I encountered another product which I simply couldn't review on my own: the JML Universal Spanner. The simple reasoning? Because in my flat I don't think I can find a single nut or bolt to try it out on. Everything seems to be screwed, glued or hammered in to place and as such I turned to my Dad (who is well qualified for the role as he built this, and won these for it) to share his thoughts.


The Pack
The JML Spanners pack contains two spanners, the first of which has a head for 9mm to 14mm nuts at one end and 15mm to 22mm at the other. The second spanner larger spanner is for use on nuts ranging from sizes of 23-32mm which should cover just about anything!

Finish
In terms of finish the shafts themselves are chrome plated whilst the moving parts of the spanners are polished chrome. Although they're generally nice to look, and wouldn't look out of place in your average Snap-On tool case, they would have benefited from better polishing before they were chromed. Although not inherently noticeable some parts of the casting are rough, and could have been better polished before chroming.


Do they work?
I tried the spanners out on an overdrive gearbox in my workshop and they seemed to grip and work well, there's no real worry of them slipping and you mostly feel in control. There's definitely some potential here although one small flaw is that where the serrated end gripped the nut they left a few little marks, which is no good for anything you want to leave in pristine condition. Similarly they'll only work on nuts that have some depth to them as the part that grips is a lot narrower than the part which goes around the nut.


Are they worth it?
Thanks to a reasonable price the JML Universal Spanner is a very worthwhile tool to have around in the house or garage, especially for the odd sized larger nuts which you never seem to have a spanner to fit! Being open ended they would also fit round pipes for undoing plumbing fittings and are all set for pretty much any nuts you want to throw at them.

Finger Beats Mixer

Product Number: 145
How much: £19.99 RRP
Where can I buy one: All good toy stores

Words really can't describe the Finger Beats Mixer. It's a quirky touch sensitive beat box which has a mixture of different tracks that you can layer on top of each other. Okay so it can be described, but to get an idea of what it's really all about I decided to put together a short video:



(If the video appears jumpy try pausing the clip until it has loaded all the way and everything should be ok. If you still have problems drop me an email on mike@blagman.co.uk.)

For those at work who don't fancy playing the clip and having the whole office glare down on them, the clip shows a few of the sample tracks. Essentially there's a mixture of up tempo electro pop such as clicking fingers, a tap of a drum, piano keys and cymbols. There's eight in all and there's a few different ways you can mash them together in order to create some sort of music.

Be warned that it won't turn you in to the next DJ Hixxy and that it's really something desgined for kids and a quick blast every now and then. The press release states its for over 8's but realistically I see no reason why five year olds won't get a kick out of mashing up their own tracks. There's even a hole for you to plug in an MP3 player if you buy a headphone jack to jack cable which will let you layer the sounds of the Finger Beats Mixer on top of your own tracks.

Play the vid, check out the music for yourself and you'll soon decide if you want to party all night long with it or not.

Win! Win! AZBO's

Don't forget to get snapping this weekend for your chance to win an AZBO figure. All you need to do is send a photo of anyone you know that resembles the AZBO's and you could win a free figure. Entries should be sent to mike@blagman.co.uk complete with your name, address and preferred AZBO so we can send out the prizes. Closing date for entries is 7th May 2007. Good Luck!

Heatseeker (PS2)

Product Number: 144
How Much: £29.99 (PS2), £39.99 (Wii), £34.99 (PSP)
Where can I buy one: Amazon.co.uk

Playing Heatseeker is like taking an instant trip back in time. First of all it took me to one year ago which was the last time I clocked more than a few stay hours on my Playstation 2. With it now gathering dust thank to the Xbox 360 and Wii the stray idol has done nothing but sit in the corner and cry so it was about time it got another outing to give it a purpose in life.


A few minutes in to the game and I was instantly taken back to my first experience with Ace Combat, which first was my first flight sim experience on home consoles. Much like the old school classic I found myself engaging in escorting planes, blowing up stuff, scanning enemy vessels and landing precariously on battleships. Sadly this variety hasn’t changed a great deal and it’s still an absolute nightmare to land on moving battleships until you find the exact angle.

Next I found myself catapulted to reruns of absolutely every flight movie that has entered my subconscious. From Top Gun to Stealth there’s homage’s a plenty and the game’s design is really helped by a mixture of influences. Heck there’s even one mission which sees you having to destroy enemy airbases which are built in to rockfaces, Thunderbirds anyone?


My nostalgia trip ended with Afterburner, a incredibly old arcade game which worked really well by constantly filling the screen with enemies and by keeping the action fast paced. Heatseeker succeeds fabulously in this area and constantly switches from barrages of land, sea, and air attacks to keep you on your toes. Because of this onslaught target selection can be a little tricky and it can be a pain to decide who to attack first but if you’re looking for some pretty engaging battles then you’ve come to the right place.

This arcade feel is further enforced by giving you two control options: Arcade and Professional. Although you’re asked to choose between them without knowing what they actually do you can switch between them by pausing the game. Essentially Arcade gives you smoother controls but will only allow you to tilt the plane 90 degrees. For those who want to play the game as intended Professional mode lets you fly upside down whilst making you suffer more sensitive controls. It’s a shame that you can’t adjust the sensitivity between the two modes as it feels like there’s an optimum control system somewhere between the two which is just out of reach.

To bring the game firmly in to the present there’s some nice visual trickery on offer such as a great blurring effect which occurs when your afterburners kick in. There’s also an ‘Impact Cam’ which shows enemy jets explode as your missile makes impact. Whilst sometimes this will cause a rapturous “Yeehaw” other times it becomes repetitive and breaks up the action. It doesn’t happen for every enemy yet it eventually feels like a poor action star repeating the same catchphrase over and over until it becomes tiresome.

The only other real problem is a crosshair which highlights both enemies and friendly units in red. This wouldn't be too bad if not for the hidden units on each stage which can be destoryed for bonus items. Often you stumble over the map and think you've found a bonus objective only to realise you've just bombed your own base and failed the mission.

As Calvin Harris would say "it was acceptable in the 80s, It was acceptable at the time",yet sadly Heatseekers' dated elements don't quite cut it today. Still it's not all bad and bound to give you at least a temporary shot of nostalgia. 'We've got hugs for it, as it was born in the 80s'....

Expanding Shoe Rack

Product Number: 143
How Much: £14.99 RRP
Where can I buy one: Trade:Kingstown Products.co.uk or contact Jody Allen at jallan@kingstown.uk.com.
Non Trade: Healthy Living Direct.com

When I moved in to my last house the previous residents had left behind some tiny shelves that they no longer needed. Although they advised us to throw them out I decided that one mans bookcase could be another mans shoe rack, and quickly propped the makeshift rack in my cupboard. Although it looked a little rickety and could only hold seven shoes it did the job and I was sad to leave it behind when I moved to my new flat.

Since then mine and Marie’s shoes have pretty much been shoved in a corner, and whenever the pile gets too big we simply hide some shoes in a closet out of the way.


Well not any more! The team at Kingstown products were kind enough to provide us with one of their expanding shoe racks and I was happy to take them up on their offer. Although it comes dismantled it’s hardly an IKEA styled nightmare and all you need to do is slot a few poles in place and add some tiny plastic feet. The whole thing can be done in seconds, although I probably hold the world record for longest completion time as I managed to open up the pipes and reassemble them in the wrong way, but that's something only a complete muppet would do so you'll have no worries.


Once constructed you’re left with a sturdy shoe rack which can hold about six pairs of shoes stacked side by side. There’s two levels to store shoes on and my only niggle is that the bottom layer is a little small. Although all of my shoes fitted on the second shelf I did find that the tops could stick through to the upper layer. Still it’s the perfect size for sandals and slippers so they’ll happily fit on the lower layer.


Six pairs of shoes may be well and good for some but if you find yourself needing a little more space all you need to do is pull on one side of the unit and it will slide across leaving you with room for even more shoes. This works thanks to an inner pipe which moves along as you slide. Despite this the whole thing is surprisingly strong and hasn't dipped or buckled under the pressure of my shoes.

Once extended you’ve got space for up to ten shoes and if you’ve got any more regular shoes than that then you really should think about buying some shelves to store them on. Or you could always buy a second extending shoe rack as they’re designed perfectly to be stacked one on top of the other, giving you almost limitless potential.


Which means there's no excuse for not getting more shoes...