The Bottom Line
Pros
- Safe for use by preschool-age children.
- As a construction toy, helps teach spatial awareness, creativity, and other skills.
- Provides practical, hands-on experience in working with magnetism.
- Highly enjoyable - for children and adults alike.
Cons
- Requires multiple purchases to get the most out of the toy.
Description
- Toy stimulates and enhances creativity/imagination, reasoning/problem-solving, science, colors/shapes, & fine motor skills.
- A variety of basic set sizes, some including pieces of varying sizes or styles, or "face pieces" such as eyes or antennae.
- Some initial sets include durable storage boxes or sturdy zippered storage bags.
- Magnetix Wonder Coaster playset available
- Magnaminals expansions available - monkey kit, dog kit, & dinosaur kit
- Other expansions - car kit & helicopter kit
Guide Review - Magtastik toy line
Magtastik is the preschool line of the popular Magnetix building system, by the Mega Brands corporation. These systems use a series of metallic balls and magnetic connectors to construct a wide range of objects or even just geometric configurations. Fascinating, entertaining, and endlessly versatile, the toy offers a number of learning opportunities for young children while also being incredibly enjoyable.Unlike most building toys, there are no interlocking components that must be fit together in pre-determined locations; the connectors can be attached to any point of the sphere, allowing a greater range of creativity. The easiest shapes are, of course, triangles, pyramids, cubes, or permutations on these configurations, but they can easily advance with the right pieces into quite complex designs.
The Magtastik system includes a variety of unique components which allow for even more exotic & fun creations. A variety of eyes, arms, tails, and antennae are available, depending on the pack selected, to create animals or strange creatures. The helicopter kit includes a front window which simulates eyes, a pair of propellers, and some landing gear.
Recall Rumor:
There has been some talk about this product being recalled, but this is not true. In fact, it was the smaller Magnetix line which had some recalls, because those pieces could be swallowed by young children and cause problems when the magnets joined together in the digestive system. The major benefit of the Magtastik line is that the pieces are so large that they cannot be accidentally swallowed by children. (I can only think of a couple of pieces which could even be consciously swallowed if the child tried.)
