Customer Reviews

Kid Galaxy Morphibians Gator Radio Control Vehicle

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

We bought two of these kid galaxy RC cars (the Morphibian and Land Shark) on the premise that each of our kids would want one. Our four-year old son enjoys playing with them but I would not say they are his absolute favorites (that goes to Legos). Our two-year old daughter can't really drive them but she loves to chase them when others are driving them.

They seem durable enough. I wouldn't want to throw them in the pool (even if they do say they are amphibious, I don't think they are submersible) or down a flight of stairs, but so far they have withstood a number of bumps, drops, and kicks.

The controls are simple to use. On the vehicle there is an on/off switch and on the remote there are two joy sticks, push one forward and the wheels on the corresponding side of the car go forward. Pull it back and the wheels on that side of the car go in reverse. Push both joy sticks forward and the car goes, etc.) It like driving a tracked vehicle. Our four-year old got the hang of it pretty quickly but hasn't focused on it enough to actually avoid hitting things.

There is enough torque in the car that it can run on carpet but this will run through bateries faster. It is actually also pretty good outdoors in the garden. Still it is at its best on smooth floors.

The battery life seems okay, but it would also depend upon how much the kids (or in my case the parents) play with it.

In my opinion there are two problems with this toy. First, it requires two different types of batteries. The vehicle takes 3 AA batteries and the remote takes 2 AAA batteries. This is a pain because I always have AA batteries but AAA batteries always seem to require a trip to the shops. The second problem is a lack of a power switch on the remote. The batteries in the remote are activated by pushing one of the joysticks. In theory this is fine, however, when dumped into a toy box it easy for the a joystick to move and drain the batteries, meaning I have to run to the store the next time someone decides to play with the toy.

All in all, if you are looking for a first RC car for a child that is relatively durable, simple to use and relatively fun, then I recommend this toy. If you are looking for something for an older child how is more into speed, styling and being cool, look elswhere.

This thing is great! My son got it for his 4th birthday, and mastered it in less than an hour. The controls are simple to operate and very intuitive.

There's just two buttons: push the left one, it steers left; push the right one, it steers right; push both buttons forward, it goes forward; pull both buttons back, it goes backward.

The big, grippy tires give it lots of traction. There's also a blue Land Shark version, complete with a fin on top of the car! It's sure to thrill any child lucky enough to get their hands on one.

I have been looking for a set of remote cars that I could purchase for my twins. All of those we've tried so far run on the same frequency, so one remote works both cars, and one remote does nothing - very frustrating.

We do not own these Morphibians yet (so please disregard rating - though it's worth 3 stars just that they have two frequencies!), but I did speak with Kid Galaxy customer service (very nice!) and she said they have 3 models that run on one frequency (27Mhz) and 2 models that run on another (49Mhz). So you just need to make sure you purchase models that run on different frequencies and then they'll operate independently.

Gator = 27Mhz
Killer Whale = 27Mhz
Rover = 27Mhz
Shark = 49Mhz
Explorer = 49Mhz

Just thought this might be helpful to anyone else looking for two that can be played with together! I'll update the review once we receive them and have played with them!

Don't buy 2 of these! The 2 we got operate on the same frequency with no option to change the frequency. So when our 2 kids try to play with their cars at the same time, each controller operates both cars and fights ensue! If you want your kids to get mad at each other and drive you nuts, buy 2 of these cars.

We bought this toy for my son's fourth birthday in April of 2008. He has used it for the last year or so with no problems. This toy has driven through sand (BAD idea, but didn't kill it), water, on carpet, concrete and vinyl flooring. It does not do well on grass. The remote has been submerged twice. We took it apart, dried it out and it works fine. The Gator has been dropped on concrete and down the stairs. It still works. The weakest part has been the string antenna on the car itself. Our toddler ripped it right out. Now you have to stand pretty close to the car to make it go. This car does float in water. We drove it through the swimming pool this weekend.

One word of caution, if you have more than one morphibian, they can't be used at the same time. The remotes will control any morphibian in the area. This is rather frustrating. My 8 yr old has the Komodo Dragon morphibian. The kids have to take turns using their cars.

At first we were really impressed with this car. It is easy for my son to drive, and it climbs over obstacles pretty well. We took it on a beach vacation thinking it would be cool to run it from the sand into the water.

It really did go in the water, and you could even steer it pretty well. However, it has not been the same since. The remote never shuts off, and when you turn on the car, it races backwards in a circle. The only thing you can do with the remote is drive it straight backwards. You can't steer it or make it go forward. So it's no fun anymore. The vendor I bought it from only takes it back within 30 days, with original packaging, etc. And by the time I paid postage again, it wouldn't be worth it.

Oh well, it was fun for a short time...

So far I've been very happy with this car. It may be a little difficult to operate at first, because both "control sticks" go up and down, but it gets easier the more one uses it (both up=forward, both down=backward, right up only=turn left, left up only=turn right). Power seems to be good enough to get it over most surfaces, but it won't work in grass unless the grass is cut very short. Works in wood chips found at playgrounds but sometimes gets stuck (can usually get it unstuck fiddling with the controller). On my laminate flooring it does a lot of sliding and is harder to turn accurately but it can still be used. I haven't tried it in water.

Changing the batteries is a bit time consuming because two screws have to be removed, but battery life seems very good. I use rechargeable Sanyo Eneloops. The car takes 3 AA's and the controller takes 2 AAA's.

Range is OK... could be better indoors but is better outdoors... just don't expect that much, maybe up to 100 feet outdoors.

The headlights (which appear to be LEDs) are nice. They are on anytime the unit is on.

Durability seems pretty good though the on/off switch can sometimes be a bit fussy and difficult to turn on (sometimes need to wiggle it a bit). There's no on/off switch on the controller. Overall though, this seems to be a great toy for the price.

UPDATE 2009-09-15: The vehicle continues to operate even with all the abuse and dropping it has taken. A piece did break off one of the headlights though, but considering the abuse it's taken and that it's still working is a testament to its durability. It's not indestructible, but seems pretty close. I still think this is a great beginner RC car for young kids.

I had high hopes for this toy, but it started to fall apart hours after it was taken out of the box. 1) The plastic on/off switch on the back of the car fell off (you can still turn it on/off with a needle nose pliers--there is a little black switch inside) 2) One of the headlights occasionally won't light up and needs a little tap to come back on, 3) The paint work on the headlights scratches/flakes off easy, and 4) the rubber string antenna on the car rips out easy (but still seems to work without it, at close distance at least). The antenna on the controller is heavy-duty, and they should have put a similar one on the car.
Everything else about the car is great. It seems like they skimped on a few areas they shouldn't have.

I ordered this as a Christmas gift... for my husband and 2 sons (age 2 and 3). I was hoping it would work in the pool, but it just kind of "lists" to one side and spins the tires in the water. So it wasn't destroyed in the pool, but it wasn't exactly functional either.

Maybe it's just me, but I have trouble mastering the controls as an adult. My husband has other RC cars and said it was a little less intuitive than some. All of us but the 2 yr old can make it work, but it could be easier to control. My 3 yr old has a bit of trouble because the controller is too big for his hands. The controller is thick and chunky... about the size of an xbox360 controller but with fewer buttons.

A week after Christmas, we're already replacing batteries. It hasn't been played with THAT much, so I'm wondering if it is a bit of a battery hog.

Favorite game for the kids (and the cat) is "chase" followed by "hide and seek." Guess I'd better get good at the controls!

Despite a negative recommendation from a friend and the negative reviews on here, I went ahead and bought this toy for my son because I thought it looked so great. Straight out of the box, the car is great. It moves quickly and maneuvers very well, and was easy for my son to use. We took it on the water and had a great time, although be careful to stay close, otherwise you'll be working hard to fish it back within reach. We took it out a second time, and it was slower, but still decent, and again we had a great time. We brought it home and dried it off, and the next time we went to use it, it didn't work at all. We replaced batteries, but the car was dead. I sent it to the company to get a replacement. They acted like this was the first time anyone has ever complained about the car not working after it has gone in the water, but it is obvious if you read online reviews that this is very common. I do not like to spend good money on a toy that lasts for the grand total of 90 minutes. The company does not stand by their product because it is not a quality made product. Save your money and do not buy this or any toy from Kid Galaxy.