Daily Fail: Racing

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"Oh, no!" I hear you say. "Not another lame race car bootleg!"

Oh, mais oui. Prepare to suffer.

Today we return to the shadowy world of Zephyr Knight bootlegs. While their packaging proudly proclaims "Every Styles Fully Wonderful", I doubt we're going to get much wonderment out of....Racing. That's it. Just "racing." Not "Racing Car" or "Car Racing" or even "Racing Round The Rosie". No. Just....Racing.

Stock number on this guy is 1011 - that places it next in line after Rayish Battleplane.

The toy itself seems to be an update of LEGO set 6502 Turbo Racer - those hoses on the side are a pretty clear giveaway. The choice of mini-figure is comical - the driver looks a bit shocked to be....Racing. And where are his pants?

The background art is a bit of a mystery - I'm not quite sure where "Racing" is taking place. An industrial center? Downtown? Or maybe just a very minimalist race track?

The flip side of the packaging has the ever-present "You can build different stuff" product shots. Of the four versions shown, three are pretty much identical, but there is one that looks interesting:

Personally, I think this should have been the main model for this kit. I mean, it's not as if there aren't a hundred other go-kart like knock-offs out there. This three wheeler might have caught some interest in the marketplace. Eh. But that would require some thought on the bootlegger's part, and hoping for that is like buying lottery tickets or bootleg toys. No return on your investment.

As expected, the included mini-figure doesn't quite match up with the package art. For starters, he has pants. Second, he has a beard. The designs are lifted from LEGO art, as usual, and as seen on countless other FAILs so far. For a change, the helmet's visor actually clips on correctly - normally the molds are so wonky that there's no hope of attaching things.

Here's another small shock: Although the colors don't match the package art, the included toy almost looks....nice. That is, until you notice the parts aren't completely snug against each other. Yes, the problem of warped molds and low grade plastic returns to keep this toy "just barely assembled." Another problem occurs with that "hose/rollcage" thingie. The plastic Zephyr Knight used to cast them is too rigid to bend - so they tend to pop off and flip across the table. Not exactly a "saftey feature" when it heads towards your eyes.

Anyway, here's to Racing. The fist car bootleg in a while that actually lets the driver sit down and reach some sort of steering surface.

I guess when the bar has been lowered down to the ground, almost anything can count as a success.

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As always, many thanks to Joe from The Undiscovered Playthings for sending me this set to review.