tops with frickin’ laser beams on [technabob]

tops with frickin’ laser beams

posted: September 4th, 2007 10 comments author: technabob

The guys from online shop MyVirtualZone just tipped me off to these little playthings. The appropriately named Laser Top has a little laser beam that projects out of the side as you spin it around.

Laser Top

While I actually think the effect of the LEDs and the laser are pretty cool when its spinning, I think that the music that plays as it goes is about as ridiculous as it gets.

click to view this video clip

For some odd reason, they decided to pick the Harold Faltermeyer “classic” Axel F from the 80s hit Beverly Hills Cop. I’m not sure if there was some misunderstanding that it was from Beverly Hills Top, but either way music would drive just about anyone up the wall after about 30 seconds.

Regardless, it is kind of a fun little toy, and when you put a laser beam on just about anything it instantly becomes about 10-times cooler. So get spinning and pick one up for just $5.95 here.

10 comments comment

1. KennyP | September 4th, 2007 at 7:07 pm

That music! My ears! My precious, precious ears!! Aiiiigh.
2. Mike | September 4th, 2007 at 7:39 pm

Looks pretty cool, $5.95 shipped not bad for Kid’s toys.
3. technabob | September 4th, 2007 at 10:19 pm

I’m also not sure about the whole Popeye the Sailor Man “whoo-whoo” whistle in the middle there. For some reason I don’t remember that in Axel F.
4. Henrik | September 5th, 2007 at 11:59 am

It’s the Crazy Frog version of Axel F:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwdGq2wH6Xk
5. technabob | September 5th, 2007 at 2:04 pm

Aw no………
6. Rohin | September 6th, 2007 at 4:49 am

As Henrik implies, this is the tragic, woeful and irritating Crazy Frog rip-off of Axel F with the ‘ding ding’ etc. The original tune is topnotch…but admittedly the way the top loops one phrase would piss me off too.
7. How Not To Write | September 6th, 2007 at 6:35 am

Yep, crazy frog strikes again. Crazy frog is huge with the kiddies.

I would buy this for my kids, but then I would have to kill them.
8. Rich | September 6th, 2007 at 7:21 am

The original tune is topnotch…but admittedly the way the top loops one phrase would piss me off too.

And skips one beat.
9. David in Hong Kong | September 6th, 2007 at 7:58 am

My wife bought two of these in a street market in MongKok in Hong Kong for our kids. When I saw the laser diode in the side I immediately feared for my toddlers retinas so I opened them up and snipped the wires to the lasers. The remaining coloured LEDs still light up enough to amuse them for 10 seconds.

I can confirm that they do play a nasty PCM style Axel F theme. The plastic launcher for one of them has broken apart already and I hope the other will break very soon so I can throw these damn things out. I may keep the laser diodes for future projects (where do I get sharks…). The lasers are exactly like those you get in laser pointers.

My advice - avoid these at all costs. Cheap, nasty and potentially dangerous.
10. technabob | September 6th, 2007 at 8:13 am

Good points. I probably wouldn’t advise that you give one of these to your kids. They’re really best for those adults who want to reminisce about that Axel F tune.