Disclaimer: We were sent the Spy Ninjas Gadgets: New Recruit Mission Kit and Project Zorgo Voice Morpher to review free of charge, but words and pictures are mine. This post contains affiliate links, see more information here.
Spy Ninjas is a YouTube series for kids about a team of best friends who use martial arts and detective skills to find clues and solve puzzles to defeat their enemy, the evil hacker organization Project Zorgo. Every day, one of the team (Chad Wild Clay, Vy Qwaint, Daniel Gizmo, Regina and Melvin PZ9) uploads a new video which you can see here.
As with every successful YouTube series there are now merchandise and toys for kids to buy so they can play along at home, and we were sent a Spy Ninjas New Recruit Mission Kit and a Project Zorgo Voice Morpher to put to the test and see if our Spy Ninja skills were up to the job!
Spy Ninjas Gadgets review: New Recruit Mission Kit
The Spy Ninjas New Recruit Mission Kit from Vy Qwaint and Chad Wild Clay has an RRP of £24.99, which is on the high side when you think about what you might spend on a gift maybe. But what’s inside?
The box, which is presented as a ‘top secret’ suitcase with tamper-proof evidence seals to remove, contains a secret message pen, a ninja ‘noise enhancer’ and a plastic decoder wheel.
You also get an envelope containing decoder card, a codebreaking guide activity book, an evidence detection guide activity book, a Spy Ninjas notebook, ID card and a certificate of achievement to fill out when you’ve completed your Spy Ninjas activities.
The Ninja Noise Enhancer hangs over the ear, and when a button is pressed the small microphone – which retracts into the ear piece and out again when the knob on the side is twisted – amplifies sounds. I tried it and I’m not convinced it made a huge difference but it does kind of work. As a toy it’s OK, but certainly not the best item in the Spy Ninjas kit.
The blue part of the decoder can be twisted around to decipher the codes in the activity books, and of course to create your own codes for your friends to crack.
Finally, the Secret Message Spy Pen is the best part of the Spy Ninjas New Recruit Mission Kit.
If you remove the cap at the top it is a normal ink pen, but if you remove the second cap it’s an invisible (UV) ink pen. A torch on the bottom can be used to read the secret messages.
The pen can be twisted apart to reveal space for a small piece of paper – big enough for secret messages.
The batteries on the pen and noise enhancer are included, so you can use the whole kit straight out of the box.
Obviously once the kit was open, my son was hell bent on finishing the activity books and getting that certificate and he spent a good few hours cracking codes and filling out the field training manuals.
He really enjoyed doing it – so all in all, I’d say it was a good summer holiday activity!
Spy Ninjas Project Zorgo Voice Morpher
The Spy Ninjas Project Zorgo Voice Morpher From Vy Qwaint and Chad Wild Clay is a fun little gadget that you can use to record and then alter the pitch of your voice.
It’s simple to use; press the record button until it bleeps to record up to ten seconds of sound, then press the playback button to play it back. On the side is a sliding button which you can move up and down to disguise your voice.
It also has pre-recoded Project Zorgo phrases and sound effects which you press a different button to play.
The batteries (2xAAA) are included so you can use the gadget straight from the box. It also comes with a couple of Project Zorgo pencils and a membership card. The voice morpher comes with a clip so it can hang on to a bag.
At £12.99 the Spy Ninjas Project Zorgo Voice Morpher is, I think, better value for money than the New Recruit Mission Kit and it has certainly had more use; of the Spy Ninjas gadgets we’ve had to review it’s the runaway favourite!
How much and where to buy Spy Ninjas Gadgets
The Spy Ninja gadgets we have been sent to review are aimed at children aged six and upwards. The RRP of the New Recruit Mission Kit is £24.99 and of the Project Zorgo Voice Morpher is £12.99.
They can be purchased from Smyths toys here or from Amazon here, as well as other online retailers.
You can see the whole range at www.spyninjasgadget.co.uk.