Must-Have Christmas Gift Guide

IT’S CHRISTMAS!!!!!!! This means one thing for all the good little boys and good little girls – Must-Have Toys! For Parents and Grandparents it can be a minefield trying to work out what our kids will want each year, and inevitably whatever they tell us, many will have a last minute change of mind on Christmas Eve. 

At The Hub we’ve been listening to the local children all year long about what their favourites are and have a great range of big brand toys, including LEGO, YooHoo & Friends, Moshi Monsters, Top Model and much, much more. We’ve even got our Toy Testers (Archie & Ruby) involved in reviewing the toys we sell and link to these reviews online...so you can find the toys children really love. 

We’ve updated our Top Toys Christmas list to show the toys available now, and the ones due to be released in the next week or so....

Boys Toys

1. Harry Potter Monster Book of Monsters - £26.99
2. LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon - £132.99
3. LEGO Star Wars Anakin Skywalker & Sebulba’s Podracers – £81.99
4. Pokemon Christmas Tins - £12.99
5. Iball 3 - £16.99

Girls Toys

1. Lite Sprites Prisma & Wand - £29.99
2. Xia-Xia Pets (due in 8th December)– Prices from £9.99
3. Moshi Monsters Moshling Treehouse - £19.99
4. Top Model Make Up Model - £11.99
5. Milky the Bunny - £59.95

 

Top Family Games

1. Pass the Pud– £14.99
2. Cars 2 Frustration - £15.99
3. Bananagrams – £14.99
4. LEGO Creationary – £24.99
5. Dobble - £12.99

Sensational Stocking Fillers

1. Moshi Monsters Gold Tins- £9.99
2. YooHoo & Friends Christmas Wannabe's & Keychains - from £3.99
3. LEGO Minifigures - £1.99
4. LEGO Star Wars Darth Vader Keylight - £6.99
5. Arctic Force Snow Fort Maker - £3.99

At The Hub we have Christmas all Wrapped Up – with our fantastic online ordering service at www.thehubdirect.co.uk , you can choose to have pressies delivered straight to your door, or arrange to pick up your order with our Free Collect At Store Service...we’ll even gift-wrap it for you if you want the ultimate stress free festive season!

That’s not all – we try to cater for the whole family at Christmas, and as well as some cool gifts for mum & dad, such as the Motormouse Wireless Mouse, we can also provide all your wines for the festive season from our varied selection of Independent Wines. We have specially selected Christmas Cases, available to view online at www.thewinehub.co.uk , as well as free local delivery when you order 6 or more bottles. 

So that’s The Hub Christmas All Wrapped Up for you, in one convenient independent local store! 

TOY TESTER REVIEW - LEGO Games Banana Balance

As we know, Christmas provides the opportunity for the whole family to get together.  Almost as traditional as the turkey itself, families gather after Christmas Lunch to try out the latest games.  LEGO have created some fantastic games this year and Banana Balance is reputed to be one of the best for beginners.  Archie, one of our Toy Testers agreed to try out with his younger brother to check that it really is as good as we think.

LEGO Games Banana Balance - £7.99

PLAY VALUE - how much fun is the game?  

It was good because I can play it with my whole family, including my little six year old brother.

There are different ways of playing the game which is good and keeps you interested. You can even make your own rules up!                                                     

Play Value Marks out of 10 (10 being top): 8

LONGEVITY – Is the toy a one off or will you play with it lots?

The game can last a very short time to a very long time. You will have to be a very skilled person to win this game! But it is a good bit of family entertainment.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Longevity Marks out of 10 (10 being top): 9

PACKAGING – How easy was the packaging to remove? Is there too much packaging? Is it eco-friendly? 

There were only two bags in the box so it wasn\'t that bad.But they could have put cardboard boxes instead of plastic bags. They could have also provided a cloth bag to keep the bananas in  because they are VERY SMALL!!

PACKAGING Marks out of 10 (10 being top): 9

BUILD QUALITY – Will the toy last?  Is it built well?   

I didn't need any help building this one. But it is quite hard getting all the bits of the tree in the right place. You can change how you build the tree though. The tree does fall over very easily which means my little brother gets frustrated with it but it is part of the fun of the game.

BUILD QUALITY Marks out of 10 (10 being top): 8

VALUE FOR MONEY - Looking at the price above, do you think it is value for money?

I think it is a very good price at £7.99. My Mum says it would be a great present for birthday parties.

VALUE FOR MONEY Marks out of 10 (10 being top): 10

OVERALL IMPRESSION – Are there any other comments you would like to make about this toy?

IT IS ALL VERY GOOD!!!!

OVERALL IMPRESSION Marks out of 10 (10 being top): 9

Banana Balance is just one in a whole series of different games produced by LEGO.  With prices starting at just £7.99 there is a varied range to suit all budgets and ages.  Our website shows some of the games we have in stock at The Hub, and we're pleased to say that looking at the January preview of new LEGO Games for 2012 the fun will keep on coming! 

The Toy Testers will soon be getting their December toys to review, so check back soon for more reviews. 

TOY TESTER REVIEW: Banangrams

We'd heard a lot about the game "Bananagrams", but wanted to know for sure that it was a great toy...so what better way to find out than to get our Toy Tester Ruby to try it out during November.  She's created the most amazing Youtube review, as well as the written one below.  Be sure to pause the video when she tells you to :)

Bananagrams - £14.99

PLAY VALUE how much fun is the toy?

I think this Toy is really good fun, but I have to say my Mum really enjoyed it. She is a Librarian and loves Scrabble.  I thought it was better than Scrabble though as you have other options, you make your own grid, so do not have to wait to see what the other players word is. You can also get other letters as you need them. It is good that you can take it anywhere as it is in a cute Banana pencil case, and just like Scrabble you can make your own rules if you want.

Play Value Marks out of 10 (10 being top): 9

LONGEVITY – Is the toy a one off or will you play with it lots?

I have played this several times in the last week. I usually just play one game at a time though. This toy is really good for any child or adult as long as you are old enough to spell! As it is similar to Scrabble it will last for ever, and there is several different ways you can play this game.

Longevity Marks out of 10 (10 being top): 10

PACKAGING – How easy was the packaging to remove? Is there too much packaging? Is it eco-friendly?

There was no packaging on this toy. It comes in a cloth pencil case which holds the tiles. Very eco-friendly!

PACKAGING Marks out of 10 (10 being top): 10

BUILD QUALITY – Will the toy last?  Is it built well?   

The toy is very well made. Strong plastic scrabble tiles and a sturdy cloth pencil case to keep them in. There was a sheet of instructions in the case, which I read and understood. The game is easy to understand after one try.

BUILD QUALITY Marks out of 10 (10 being top): 10

VALUE FOR MONEY - Do you think the game is good value for money?

I think this is good value for money, as you will keep it for years and years and the whole family can enjoy it.

VALUE FOR MONEY Marks out of 10 (10 being top): 9

OVERALL IMPRESSION – Are there any other comments you would like to make about this toy?

This is good for either a boy or girl. It is also good to take on holiday or visiting people. It is a game that you have to think about though, and you need to be good at spelling! A good christmas gift for either adults or children.

OVERALL IMPRESSION Marks out of 10 (10 being top): 9

Games are so popular all year round, but particularly at Christmas and after reading this review we know it's a must-have for families.  We're in the process of adding all our Games & Toys onto our website, but in the meantime  you can contact us directly via our Facebook page to order.