Switch & Go Presents “Hatch and Roaaar” Dino Eggs This Easter! – Review

With Easter coming up, VTech sent over the Switch & Go ‘Hatch and Roaaar Egg’ line and the ‘Gorilla Muscle Car’ for me to check out. If you’re planning on doing something different this Easter, why not go for Dino eggs?

VTech provided me with the products reviewed in this article for free. The opinions I have shared are my own.

Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a dinosaur fan. From the Jurassic Park movies to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Transformers, if it’s dinosaur-themed, I’m all in. That’s why I was very interested in seeing what the Switch & Go ‘Hatch and Roaaar’ series had to offer. They are supposed to be dinos that can turn into a vehicle. And they come packaged in a cool-looking dino egg, complete with light and sounds!

MSRP $10.99 USD each, the Switch and Go ‘Hatch and Roaaar’ line includes a Pterodactyl Chopper, a Velociraptor Racer, a T-rex Racer, and a Triceratops Race Car. I liked how the creative team decided to include a range of dinos instead of only opting for carnivores.

The packaging is the same across the line. All of the dinos are encased in plastic dino eggs, waiting for you to hatch them. The bottom of the eggs is flat, so you can display them upright. The front of the eggs has a light and sound feature when you press the button on top of the eggshell. The light is red in color (which you can see through the slashes on the front of the egg), while the sound effects include a ‘hatching’ sound and a couple of dino roars. The sound and light were the same for each dino, which was a bit disappointing, but oh well. The batteries are included. So that’s good.

The packaging makes minimum use of plastic, opting for paper instead. The only plastic I noticed was a small screw at the back of the egg holding it in place. The front of the package shows which vehicle the dino can transform into. The back has more details about the product, including stats for the dinos, which can be used for more immersive play sessions (which will likely include pitting the dinos against each other).

Opening the egg is easy. You simply press in from the sides, and the egg will come apart in half, revealing the dino pieces and an instruction guide. It offers a good way of promoting puzzle-solving and toy-building as you help a youngling create the dino together. The Pterodactyl comes with 14 pieces, while the Velociraptor, T-rex, and Triceratops come with 15 pieces each. I liked how the dinos had separate color themes, with the Pterodactyl being Red and Black, the Raptor being Orange and Grey, the T-rex being Blue and Grey, and the Triceratops being Green and Gray.

The instructions were easy to follow. You basically put together the dino first, and then you follow the instructions to transform it into a vehicle. Going from dino to vehicle and vice versa just takes a second. And yes, for those wondering, the propeller of the chopper moves. The wheels of the cars spin, too. The device providing the light and sound effects to the eggs is used to build the body of the dino/vehicle, ensuring that your dino or vehicle can also glow and roar (or make hatching sounds, for some reason). Another thing I liked is how the dinos did feature some articulation in the jaw, arms, and legs.

As for the durability test, each dino/vehicle had weight to it. I dropped them on a carpeted floor. And they were okay. So, unless you hit them very hard, these toys will last.

My only gripe would be with the Triceratops’ little tail. I don’t know if it was a manufacturing issue or not with the one I received, but for some reason, I just couldn’t get the tail to stay put.

Once you’re done making the dinos, you can also pull them apart and place them back in the egg for a youngling to re-experience it.

If you aren’t into the building aspect of the ‘Hatch and Roaaar’ line, there’s the ‘Gorilla Muscle Car’ that has a Blue, White, and Silver color theme. As the name states, this toy has been modeled after a gorilla and can transform into a muscle car. There’s no building or puzzle-solving required. You just have to move the arms up and position the head and legs a bit.

The rest of the line includes a T-Rex Muscle Car, Velociraptor Motorcycle, and a T-Rex Race Car. The ‘Gorilla Muscle Car’ will cost you MSRP $19.99 USD. The packaging makes use of the paper, with the back showing the stats.

One of the most interesting features is the LCD screen present on the ‘head’ of the gorilla. The LCD screen shows gorilla eyes in Gorilla Mode and a human racer when in Muscle Car Mode. Not only that, but I liked how the sound effects were different in each mode.

For example, the ‘Muscle Car Mode’ has car sound effects as well as the racer saying things like, “Supercharged and ready to roar!”, “Hang on tight!” and more. In Gorilla Mode, you get to hear “Roar! Here I come!”, “Let’s do the gorilla growl” and more.

The Gorilla Mode also has a chest-pounding action. Pressing the button in the back will make the arm move toward the chest. It’s not the most effective of movements and the clicking sound is very loud, but I guess kids might like it. For me, the fun factor is definitely the LCD screen and the 30+ sound effects. The On/Off switch for the vehicle is present in the back of the head.

So yeah, if you’re thinking of doing something a bit different this Easter, while also encouraging building and puzzle-solving, you should consider looking into the Switch & Go ‘Hatch and Roaaar’ line. Just imagine kids searching for the usual chocolate eggs and finding dino eggs instead!

And if you aren’t in the mood to build, the ‘Gorilla Muscle Car’ is available, too.

Both toys from the Switch & Go series are available via Amazon, Walmart, and more.

What did you think of them?

Feel free to share your thoughts with us.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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