This article was taken from the July 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.
Lego Technic 42025 Cargo Plane
This 1,297-piece Lego mega-set has motorised features and functions inspired by real planes. Move the joystick and control the flaps, elevators and ailerons, retract the landing gear and activate the front and rear cargo bays. And once you grow weary of being a cargo-plane pilot, you can rebuild the set into a transport hovercraft. £109.99
This modular system allows you to build your own robots using clip-and-connect "EZ-Bits". The Six is a hexapod with 12 degrees of freedom using heavy-duty 15kg/cm servo-powered joints.
A camera connects to the top of the dome, giving the robot the ability to track objects, faces, colours and motion, and a dedicated software- and app store lets you customise your creation's functions. $449
This 15 x 4 x 15cm, 34g, palm-sized drone can perform stunning aerobatics, such as 360° flips, barrel rolls and somersaults. Its self-stabilising CPU and six-axis gyro help keep it balanced as it flies, and should you crash, its modular design means you can easily swap in new components.
On full charge, you get eight minutes of flight, and it can carry its own tiny HD camera or even a bubble gun. £47
This 40-part kit lets you build your own handheld games console and learn to program your own games using Technology Will Save Us' custom software library. It features an 8 x 8 LED matrix screen, a buzzer to add music and effects, and an infrared link so you can connect with other players.
Feeling lazy? It comes loaded with two arcade classics (Breakout and Snake) and can be bought pre-assembled for just £5 extra. From £60 (with Arduino)
The Cyclone is a 98-piece marble run featuring straight and curved rails, spiralling funnels, high-velocity seesaws and ten power-boosting accelerators.
All of Quadrilla's sets can be mixed and matched to create supersized structures, and traditional-toy enthusiasts will appreciate the set's finely crafted birch construction. £95
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
