Color Explosion : Designer product reviews

Having watched my son playing around with the normal pads, this seemed to be a great add-on to them... the pads simply clip into the underside of this unit, instantly converting them to something like a cross between a stencil set and a ratchet-driven spirograph.*

The unit is really easy to set up and use, has a couple of clips on one side to hold the markers, and once the pad is clipped into place it becomes to all intensive purposes, just part of the 'Designer'... this means that it's as easy to store as the pads are, so will pretty much fit into whatever storage solution you are currently using.

The discs have enough 'holes' in them to satisfy the creative urges of even the most dedicated artistic child, or those with only the barest seed of talent, awaiting experience to grow. My only little gripe is that the markers seem to run out or clog up... and trust me, slapping on the lid and giving them a shake is a BAD idea, unless you WANT the stuff all over the place. Some work still needs to be done on the markers... thankfully, I think a refill pack is available fairly cheaply.

Overall, if your kids have expressed any joy with the Color Explosion pads, or show any desire to experiment with geometric shapes, this is a relatively inexpensive add-on to the Christmas hamper, and being a mostly non-consumable, it's not a 1-week-wonder of a prezzie. Just be sure to buy some extra pads and markers... One little surprise my son discovered by accident (literally)... if you get a drinking straw with a bit of water still in it, and blow it onto the pads, leave it for a few seconds, then carefully wipe it off, you get some really cool splatter patterns, as the water has absorbed and dissolved the black/white covering layer of dye. Can really add something stunning to the artworks.


*Note: Apologies to the owner of the copyright copyright on this name, if there still is one.