Review: Toy Story Action Armour Buzz Lightyear

He can fly.

He can shoot lasers.

He is heroic in a not-too-arrogant, friendly-but-I-mean-business kind of way.

What’s not to like about Buzz Lightyear? Especially if you are a five year old boy!

The Wee Man IS a five year old boy, and having been surrounded by Toy Story since he was just a titchy little thing (his first toy obsession was a three eyed alien toy that he insisted on taking everywhere with him) it’s no surprise that he’s pretty keen on ‘BuzzYear’.

And the 12 inch Buzz Lightyear Action Armour model is extra special, because it comes with three different modes – space ranger mode, flight mode and final battle mode.

Space ranger mode is the one that I know and love, with the classic ‘to infinity…and beyond!’ phrase making up one of the thirty plus sayings that you can get Buzz to emit. And I know that there ARE a lot of things that Buzz will say because the Wee Man is very much into numbers at the moment and made it his own personal mission to see exactly how many different things he could get Buzz to say…

…which I imagine could get a little bit annoying, if it was the only thing that he did.

Luckily it isn’t. Depending on the mode he is in, his wings pop out, or up to form armour, and his ‘lasers’ flash. His space helmet can also be rotated up or down (although you have to do it manually, not through pressing a button) and his legs, waist and arms are moveable into a variety of ‘saving the world’ poses (as well as some silly ones. I have checked).

I have to admit I’m not completely au fait with how it all works but the Wee Man certainly is, and it didn’t take him very long to figure out all the different buttons and what they do. He likes final battle mode the best, and is adept at sliding the button on the back to move Buzz’s wings into armour mode and get the lasers flashing.

Since he arrived with us, Buzz has been taken out and about and completed several missions, some involving slides and jumping off picnic benches and swings, and he is still intact and without so much as a scratch on him. Pretty impressive robustness – perfect for an enthusiastic five year old.

With an RRP of £49.99 he certainly isn’t the cheapest of toys but given the attention to detail and build quality on top of the big variety of phrases and poses I’d say he’s worth the investment for a toy that will bring enjoyment for years. Even the Other Half was excited to play with him! So if you’re looking for something for Christmas that everyone in the family can enjoy, bringing an Action Armour Buzz into your life might be the way to go 🙂

12inch Action Armour Buzz Lightyear can be found on Amazon and is also available at Argos, Smyths Toys and probably pretty much every other toy retailer and large supermarket.