The Toy Retailers Association has just announced its dream dozen Christmas toys for boys that Santa should bring this year. Most of these Christmas gifts for boys are from television or film related toy ranges. Ben 10, the boy’s range of the year, gets a mention along with Transformers, Star Wars and a few new-comers such as the new spinning top sensation called Battle Strikers. The full list of toys is detailed below. We have ranked them according to how good we think they are and given our thoughts on each one.

There has been much acclaim for the Ben 10 brand this month. According to NPD, the market research company, Ben 10 10cm Action Figures were the “Best Selling Toy of 2008″. The 15cm Action Figure range and the Omnitrix F/X Watch also featured in the top 10. The Ben 10 10cm and 15cm Action Figures were also the WINNERS of the “2009 Toy Of The Year” with Ben 10 also scooping the “Boys’ Range Of The Year”. These awards back up Bandai America’s recent press release where they claim their “Ben 10 Alien Force toy line is a top-selling mega brand”. Barnaby Dawe, VP of marketing and communications at Turner Broadcasting could not have been wrong when he commented: “Ben 10 is without doubt the hottest boys’ brand of the moment”.

As with the original 10 cm Action Figures, for only £5 (RRP) you get a well made, poseable figure complete with an alien information card. But also each Alien Force figure includes a mini translucent alien figure to attach to your child’s Ultimate Omnitrix. Combined with the Omnitrix these mini figures reveal the alien’s voice and name, so it is like getting two toys in one box.

We were really hoping that this Ultimate Omnitrix from the new Ben 10 Alien Force range was going to rock our childrens’ worlds. It will no doubt be a must have for any Ben 10 fan addicted to role play fun but it’s not quite as good as we’d hoped. The accuracy to the watch in the new show is fantastic. You attach the mini translucent alien figures to the top of the watch to activate each alien. This reveals the alien’s voice and name, like on the show, and is super cool.

We moved abroad in search of a ‘better life’. ’Better’, we hoped, was to involve more fun, family time. ‘Fun, family time’, our son hoped, was buying and playing with the boys toys advertised on television! Purchasing these ‘must haves’ from an ever dwindling nest egg, inspired Son Time Now. We want to share our thoughts on these toys for boys, hoping you can avoid our mistakes and enjoy our successes. We also hope to chat about hot tips, practical ideas and funny stories on spending quality toy time with your son.