Over the past few years or so, my 4 year old son, Tristan, has been a huge fan of the Disney Pixar Toy Story and Toy Story 2 animated movies as well as the popular Buzz Lightyear and Beyond series on TV. So much so that he's watched both of them numerous times and has collected lots of Buzz Lightyear toys along the way. But as his fascination with Buzz has waned just a bit recently, his loyalty no longer remains solely with the popular space ranger but now he's seemed to move over to the dark side with the evil Emperor Zurg. For during imaginative play, he insists on being Zurg whereas in the past he always had to be Buzz. So while Tristan owns many different versions of Buzz Lightyear both big and small, he had nothing with Zurg on it, so I decided to remedy this problem and purchased the Hasbro Toy Story Adventure Pack: Target Practice Emperor Zurg Vs The Zurgbots as one of his many Christmas gifts this past holiday season. Read on to find out more about this inexpensive yet cool Toy Story gift that adds a bit of variety to your child's growing collection.


~~~The Toy Story Playset~~~

Recommended for young Toy Story fans ages 4 and older, this Hasbro Toy Story Adventure Pack: Target Practice Emperor Zurg Vs The Zurgbots is somewhat small in size but is constructed with durable hard plastic materials made to take a beating during play. According to product advertising: Evil Emperor Zurg uses his Zurgbots for target practice. Zurg figure fires real projectile...then, escapes in his chariot. Includes Zurg, three stackable Zurgbots, detachable gun, backpack, and chariot. The evil Emperor Zurg himself is approximately 3 inches tall, so he's certainly not very big although he can turn at the waist and his arms can be moved up and down. He's dressed in a purple, red, and silver costume featuring a flowing black plastic cape that is removable. His mean yellow teeth are exposed through his blue helmet and he even has silver horns to complete the evil look. The rounded backpack attached to the large triple barrel gun can be removed from Zurg's back. There's a bendable hose coming out of the backpack that keeps the gun in place so it won't be lost very easily. Inside the gun is one piece of yellow projectile ammunition that is activated from the weapon with the push of a button. A black string is attached to the bullet so that it won't be launched too far away during play and can be located easier. The three smaller golden Zurgbots don't do much other than stand upright (and can be stacked upon one another), but they are durable and make the perfect objects for target practice. Zurg's chariot seems to be more of an after thought piece, although it's cute and acts as a getaway vehicle for this Toy Story villian. So while the action is a bit limited when playing with this Hasbro Toy Story Adventure Pack: Target Practice Emperor Zurg Vs The Zurgbots, it still has the ability to stimulate my child's imagination again and again.


~~~Packaging, Price, & Availability~~~

Currently out of stock at Amazon.com, I purchased this Hasbro Toy Story Adventure Pack: Target Practice Emperor Zurg Vs The Zurgbots at this same online mega retail store back in November to be sure Tristan had one under the tree this year for less than $10.00. For I'd read the good reviews posted here at Epinions about this action figure set and knew that my preschool aged son would go crazy over his evil hero. This playset comes packaged like most other action figures: each piece comes mounted on one larger section of cardboard and covered in place with a clear plastic outer wrapping. Look for this special cartoon villian where ever Toy Story items are sold. Or go online by copying and pasting the following URL into your computer's web browser to see if this Hasbro Toy Story Adventure Pack: Target Practice Emperor Zurg Vs The Zurgbots is back in stock yet:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000096L5N/104-1122229-1177524?v=glance


~~~Play Experience~~~

Since Tristan already owns so many other Buzz Lightyear toys, he was certainly surprised that this Hasbro Toy Story Adventure Pack: Target Practice Emperor Zurg Vs The Zurgbots he received on Christmas morning was a gift that actually excluded the popular space ranger and focused more on his evil hero instead. Since the yellow bullet loads easily into the triple barrel silver machine gun, my 4 year old had no trouble at all activating the weapon, which can be placed in either Zurg's right or left hand. Only the right arm "clicks" when raised up and down while the left one does not. But when Zurg is holding his large weapon in one hand while standing upright, he becomes very top heavy and is more prone to falling over than when just standing up unarmed. So the action figure does need to be stabilized with one hand while at the same time pressing the red button to shoot the gun with the other. The shiny gold one and a half inch tall Zurgbots can be lined up side by side for target practice, or they can be placed one on top of each other at the head as they balance really well that way. They are easily knocked over by the yellow projectile bullet which in turn then causes my son to crack up laughing every time he shoots those poor little robots who are ultimately defenseless against the more powerful evil Emperor Zurg. So even though the main theme of this toy is making Zurg shoot down the Zurgbots over and over again, this Hasbro Toy Story Adventure Pack: Target Practice Emperor Zurg Vs The Zurgbots has much play value to offer to the most serious of Toy Story fans.


~~~Overall Recommendation~~~

While finding any type of Zurg action figure alone is a tough feat all by itself, don't pass this Hasbro Toy Story Adventure Pack: Target Practice Emperor Zurg Vs The Zurgbots by as it's tough to find this evil villian in stores very often. For although Zurg could stand to be a tad bit larger so that he wouldn't be so top heavy, he's still a force to be reckoned with as he packs a mighty punch as his automatic weapon is one mean machine gun! Store this set in a small plastic storage box so that the pieces won't get lost, or place them on a shelf in your child's room for decoration among other Toy Story items to add variety. In conclusion, this Hasbro Toy Story Adventure Pack: Target Practice Emperor Zurg Vs The Zurgbots makes a great inexpensive gift for preschool aged children who enjoy crossing over to the evil side of the galaxy every now and then! Good luck and happy online toy shopping :-)


***And check out the following reviews for more cool Toy Story stuff!!

Disney Buzz Lightyear Costume

Talking Buzz Lightyear

Toy Story and Beyond Memory Game

Braun Oral B Kids Battery Buzz Lightyear Toothbrush

Buzz Lightyear's Intergalactic Spaceship

Buzz Lightyear Code Blue Space Rescue Action Figure

Mattel Toy Story: Remote Control "RC" Buggy With Woody



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 8.99
Type of Toy: Action Figure
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years