Picture yourself excitedly ordering presents for your Ben 10 fan's birthday. You have a list of his hopes and dreams, one of which is the Ben 10 Omnitrix watch. You search online and find there are at least four different versions. Oh no, which one should you choose? Presumably your Ben 10 fan had one in mind but you want to get the best, most appropriate one right? So here's a little help ...
Alien Force Ultimate Omnitrix (4 Stars)
Looking just like Ben's brand new evolved Omnitrix from the new TV series, the Alien Force Ultimate Omnitrix features lights, cool sound effects and alien voices. Kids will love acting out action-packed alien games with their own real-life Omnitrix - the perfect roleplay accessory for boys! Attach the mini transparent figures from the 10cm Alien Collection Figures (sold separately) to the face of the watch to unlock the aliens' light and sound effects! The Omnitrix includes a cool transparent Swampfire figure to get the action started!
This Omnitrix from the new Ben 10 Alien Force range should have rocked our childrens' worlds. It will no doubt be a must have for any Ben 10 fan addicted to role play fun but it is not quite as good as it could have been. The accuracy to the watch in the new show is fantastic. You attach the mini translucent alien figures to the top of the watch to activate each alien. This reveals the alien's voice and name, like on the show, and is super cool. The strap is an improvement over that on the Omnitrix F/X but is not as good as on the Deluxe Omnitrix. It can be hard to get on until you get the hang of it and sometimes has trouble staying snapped shut.
To get more than the one free mini alien figure you need to buy the 10cm Alien Collection Figures. However, the full alien range is not yet available which may cause disappointment. The Ultimate Omnitrix does have lights and sounds without any alien figures attached but your Ben 10 fan is likely to want more than the one alien that comes with it ... you've been warned!
The Ultimate Omnitrix can be a little more glitchy than other Ben 10 toys. The face can be reluctant to stay completely down and the alien figures can get stuck after a few times of clicking onto the top of the watch. The alien figures can also be hard to put on and take off but it does hold up to rough play like the other toys in the range.
Overall this new Omnitrix is a good solid toy and will be money well spent to keep an avid Ben 10 fan's collection up to date.
Deluxe Omnitrix (5 Stars)
The Ben 10 Deluxe Omnitrix is packed with power: lights, sounds and a LCD screen featuring full screen aliens make this the most powerful Omnitrix in the collection. With each click of the dial another alien appears on the LCD screen. Be ready - when Vilgax attacks, your Ben 10 fan has just seconds to choose the correct alien for the job. It's a race against the timer to defeat evil and collect some bonus points!
Fantastic, entertaining and robust. It will send the imagination into overdrive. If you want to keep your Ben 10 fan busy using their imagination for play then this is the toy for you.
Build wise the quality is higher than that of its predecessor the Omnitrix F/X. The thick fabric strap fastens with velcro so is easy for a young child to put on and off. The main watch part is made of chunky plastic and comprises a black and white LCD screen. It can be quite large on the child's wrist and is larger than the F/X.
There are three playing modes. Battle mode sees Ben 10 running around until a villain approaches at which point the Omnitrix sounds an alarm to alert you. At the bottom of the screen you are then told which alien to choose and you are timed as you dial through the aliens until you find the correct one. When you hit the watch to select the winning alien you see them fighting the villain and then you find out if you won the battle. Normal mode allows you to select the alien by turning the dial and hitting the watch. You get to hear the Ben 10 sounds and are shown a few images of your chosen alien. Status mode shows statistics for battles won and lost and includes set up options such as sound.
For Ben 10 mad children under 5 years old the Deluxe Omnitrix presents a few obstacles. Battle mode is not suitable for children who cannot read yet as they will not know which alien they need to choose to fight the battle. Also moving between modes may take time for them to get used to as they are likely to get lost trying to get to where they want to be. But after a week or so for a persistent fan they will work it out.
For the older child more used to gaming consoles the play and the graphics may be a bit weak but for those children who love role play and want to imagine themselves as Ben 10 this is a must have piece of kit.
Omnitrix F/X (2 Stars)
The Omnitrix F/X provides a good role play experience with its flashing red and green lights and transformation sound effects taken directly from the TV series. Turn the dial to choose between the 10 aliens and see them in silhouette on the face of the Omnitrix which is backlit for an easier view.
The Omnitrix F/X is a great stimulus for the imagination. It is well made and withstands the usual dropping and wall bashing dished out by children. Although seemingly pricey for a plastic strap, turning dial and red and green lights, the daily use it is likely to get means you will see value for your money. The sounds are authentic and children seem excited about hitting the dial before they "transform". It is perhaps more suitable for Ben 10 mad children under 5 years old as there is no gaming for them to contend with. In fact it does little more than make noises, flash lights and display alien pictures on the dial so you would expect it to be a lot less expensive than the deluxe version but you will be sadly disappointed. Comfort wise the F/X is also lacking with its plastic strap which can be difficult for young ones to strap on and can be a little big for the smaller wrist.
Omnitrix Alien Viewer (1 Star)
The Omnitrix Alien Viewer allows you to view cool scenes from the TV series and watch Ben transform into different aliens by inserting one of the various disks available - three of which are included. Other disks are available with the 10cm Ben 10 Collectible Action Figures (sold separately). Each disk features 8 animation cells showing Ben's transformation into an alien. The viewing aperture is 1cm in diameter. It is true to scale for realistic role play.
The Omnitrix Alien Viewer could be a nice little addition to your child's Ben 10 toy collection. If he collects the 10cm Ben 10 Collectible Action Figures he will soon have a great collection of the disks that are included with these toys enabling him to watch Ben in more and more guises. But beware it is not just a smaller version of the other Omnitrix. It has no lights or sound and so to an excited child it seems to do nothing at all other than look like an Omnitrix when worn, although this alone does encourage imagination. Viewing the aliens is also not ideal as there is no back light. You need to point the viewer at a strong light source and get the angle just right to see anything and then the images are tiny. Changing the disks can be fiddly and the disk storage is limited. Knowing young boys keeping track of these small parts is not going to be their top priority. If the disks are lost the Omnitrix becomes pointless.
Conclusion
The choice is tough - the Alien Force Ultimate Omnitrix is more up to date to the current TV show and its aliens but the Deluxe Omnitrix offers some video game style play as well as the role play experience. Which you choose should probably be determined by the age of your Ben 10 fan.
