WITH only 179 shopping days till Christmas, a leading toy store is already predicting that toy cars will be the most sought-after gift this year.
Hit films Transformers 3 and Cars 2 will help tie-in cars race off the shelves, but Hamleys in Central London is warning parents to brace themselves for hefty price tags.
The Cars 2 Fully Loaded McMissile boasts missiles, a bulletproof targeting visor and a rear-mounted missile. Priced at £40, it also says some of the character’s phrases in the voice of Michael Caine.
And the Transformers 3 Mech Tech Leader Asst at £65 will delight fans by converting from a vehicle to a robot and back again.
Others expected to be hits include the £40 My Keepon, which makes 50 sounds and dances to music and a motorised Ride-In Dalek at £200.
A Justin Bieber singing doll, a helicopter with an in-built camera, a barking toy puppy and a singing Elmo from Sesame Street are also among the expected favourites.
Laura Olver, head of buying at Hamleys, said: “A lot is movie-driven this year with Cars 2 and Transformers 3, but there are also a lot of traditional favourites in there.”