Big Hero 6 Baymax Rocket Fist & Mask Review
By Nick Tylwalk
Bandai is making sure it’s got all the bases covered when it comes to Big Hero 6 toys to coincide with the movie release. Naturally there are action figures, but how about another classic toy category — dress up?
The Baymax Rocket Fist & Mask fills that niche. As the name suggests, it allows young fans to pretend they are Baymax in his fully armored form, complete with one of his cooler features, which is his rocket-powered launching fist.
There’s obviously no rocket in this toy, but what you do get is a plastic gauntlet that fits over your right hand and wrist with a trigger mechanism built into it. Squeezing the trigger launches a spring-powered foam fist with enough velocity to fly several feet. The foam is soft, so there’s little chance of it injuring anyone under normal circumstances, but you still shouldn’t fire it directly into someone’s face or other sensitive areas from close range. Amusingly, the instructions say you can get more distance by using a punching motion while you pull the trigger, and that’s really true. Reloading the fist is easy, and it clicks into position when it’s ready to launch again.
The gauntlet is just the right size for elementary school kids but big enough that even an adult could comfortably fit a hand inside. The only real issue we had with it was a piece of plastic that covered part of the forearm that would often detach from the gauntlet. It snapped securely and easily back into place, and one assumes it’s built that way to prevent kids from hurting themselves by bending the back of the gauntlet back into their arms, but it’s something to keep in the back of your mind as a piece that could get lost.
My six-year old son also enjoyed the mask, which is solid plastic with several pieces of foam on the inside to make it more comfortable and an adjustable elastic strap in the back that fastens with velcro to fit a range of head sizes. The clear plastic over the eyes is easy to see through, although my son experienced some fogging in the first 10 minutes he wore it. The mask is vented at the top and open at the chin, so there’s no problem breathing in it (and yes, even though I’m in my 30s, I tested it personally to be sure).
All told, it’s a pretty nice package for the $19.99 suggested retail price. If there’s a Big Hero 6 fan in your house who likes to pretend, this is a toy to keep in mind.
Disclosure: Bam Smack Pow was provided with a review unit of this product for the purposes of this review.