The media could not be loaded. From start to finish, unboxing and playing with this RC Dino Catcher Truck by Matchbox, is like a movie. The licensing on this RC is a who’s who of toy cars, movies and games going all the way up to Universal and Mattel. With all this pedigree, I expected this to be engineered, manufactured, and quality tested to the degree a new release in a line of toys representing a trillion$ movie franchises new blockbuster, would be. At the price, I expected a lot from this RC and would test it critically. To accomplish a truly fair review of this RC venture, I consulted a resident expert on RC toys and local dinosaur authority; my neighbors 5 year old son, who likes to be referred to as, Rocky. It comes in a very cool collectors display box with eye catching graphics and lots of branding. The rig is high quality plastic, solidly constructed, takes (5)AA batteries, with a sturdy, compact controller taking (2)AAA batteries. As popular as it has been to retrofit most RCs with a rechargeable battery, there are advantages to powering the car with AAs; You never need to find a charging cord with an outlet, and AAs can be easily stored and immediately replace expired batteries for uninterrupted play. This toy’s main feature is the spring loaded catcher on the front bumper. It is pre-sprung by hand, with no RC function, making it sturdy and reliable. It does take some inertia and impact to close the catcher jaws and catch an object. The weight of the (5)AAs adds some heft to the cars traction and impact force, improving performance. The car is more intended to be played with as a hands on toy and AAs are adequate for how much the car will realistically be played with. When I drove the car, I found it a well functioning (2)speed RC, with enough power to run around on hardwood floors “catching” with the jaws, the excellent velociraptor figurine(with removable base!). The well working, spring loaded catcher is tough and meant to be used often and roughly. The entire car is built for hands on play and is sturdy with very good details and a really cool utility rig. One of the key features intentionally designed in this car, is its perfect compatibility fitting popular sized action figures in the seats and in the cargo bed. This alone makes it more than just an RC, but a capable troop and critter carrier. The cargo bed is even the perfect height to lock an action figures arms over the rails for secure travel. Clever carrier! Overall, I think it’s a high end, toy grade, collectible RC, with excellent hands on features and playable longevity. Just as I would expect from an RC toy by the biggest names in the industry. But I am an adult focused on product details, quality and functionality. What did Rocky, the 5 year old tester think? After running through one set of batteries and replacing them with fresh(something he enjoys doing), he demonstrated how many of his figurines it could carry. He liked driving the RC and playing with the catcher, but mainly liked turning it off and just playing with it with his action and dinosaur figurines. When asked the three things he liked most about the RC car, he responded, “Okay, but there’s WAY more than three awesome things…” When asked the three things he didn’t like about the RC car, he was a little frustrated, “I don’t like I can’t think of anything I don’t like about it!” 5 stars????????
