Bandai Ben 10 Omnitrix F/X

My four year old Ben10 fan borrowed this FX Omnitrix from a friend earlier this year and loved it. It doesn't really do anything but light up and make the Ben10 noises but the sounds are very authentic and the watch seems to very satisfying to hit before you "transform". I was nervous he was going to break his friends watch before we had a chance to give it back as he is very tough on his toys and we ended up having it for about a month, in which is was played with pretty much every day. Dropped on the floor alot, bashed on the wall alot etc, but it was in the exact same condition when he gave it back so must be pretty tough.
I saw both the FX and the deluxe version on sale online recently but only the deluxe was in stock so I bought this for my son thinking that if anything it would be a bit better. For a slightly older child who can read, maybe 6 and up, it probably is better. The strap is better for a start, just a thick band of velcro so relatively easy to put on and secure once on. The watch has a black and white display. To start with you choose from normal mode, battle mode, status mode and options. Normal mode is what I put it on for my son as he can turn the dial , see the silhouettes of each different monster as he turns the dial, when he has selected which alien he wants to be he hits the watch which makes all the right noises and then different pics of that particular alien come up on the screen. After a certain amount of time, the "returningt to Ben" noise sounds and back to the original screen.
Battle mode gives an animation of ben walking which runs for a little while when a doomy noise plays and you know that a villain is approaching. You get a pic of the villain and text along the bottom saying which alien you need to turn into it, it then times you as you turn the dial to try and find the right alien and records your score which you can then look at in status mode. If you are quick enough then I think you win against the villain but I haven;t managed to yet as have only been allowed on it for about a minute.
Battle mode is lost on my not yet reading son and unfortunately he can hit the wrong buttons on the watch as he plays and ends up turning the sound off or putting it into the wrong mode and has to bring it to me to sort out. I think he would have been happier with the fx watch really despite the worse strap. Great watch for slightly older kids tho and I have had no complaints at all from my son as yet to be fair. He thinks it's the best thing ever.

My son has had his omnitrix for 6 months now, and it has had almost daily use. It is still in excellent condition. It is very like the omnitrix in the series, and has encouraged a lot of imaginative play between him and his friends. Although pricey it is well made, and he has certainly got the value from it.

This is my sons second omnitrix, and out of all the toys in his toy box this has been by far the best value for money. Although it is pricey to purchase intitally, the play value he has had from it has been superb. It really stimulates his imagination and he also involves his friends as they turn into aliens with him. I would buy him another if he lost this one! My only small complanit would be that for a toy aimed at a young age group its not the easiest thing to put on!