50mph Star Wars drones ... they’ll be f lying off the shelves for Christmas

FORGET hopes of a few hours’ peace as the children put together Lego or play with model cars, this year’s musthave toys threaten to turn Christmas into a war zone.

For a new range of Star War-sinspired toys include saucer-sized drones capable of flying at 50mph.

Powered by four propellers the mini flying machines are also armed with lasers and intended to allow users to group together to recreate the intergalactic battles seen in the Star Wars films. A drone slowly spirals to the ground once it has been hit by a laser three times.

Although intended for outdoor use by over-14s with experience of flying drones, the prospect of the toys being used to buzz granny as she tucks into a mince pie has prompted safety fears. They are being launched in shops to coincide with the release of the latest Star Wars film in December.

And while each drone in the range – the Millennium Falcon, a T-65 XWing fighter, Darth Vader’s Tie Advanced X1, and a speeder bike from Return Of The Jedi – costs £199, Hamleys has put them in its Fabulous Five toys it expects to be on Christmas wish-lists this year.

The store’s list includes two even more expensive hi-tech toys, headed by the £500 Alpha 1S Robot that can sing, dance and do somersaults. For £300 there is the twoseater electric BMW Beachcomber for under-fives. Completing the list are an Iron Man mask with glowing eyes at £167 and a 2ft diameter Captain America shield at £153.

Hamleys has also revealed its predicted top ten best sellers this Christmas. And two seem distinctly lacking in festive spirit.

In the £25 Pieface Showdown, already a hit on social media, youngsters vie to give each other a face full of whipped cream, while in the latest edition of Bean Boozled, also £25, players spin to choose which coloured jelly bean they have to eat – the catch being that some have the flavour of rotten fish or sour milk.

Even the cheaper end of the market has a strong Star Wars influence, with a £15 C-3PO-inspired virtual reality headset and Lego’s £80 Krennic’s Imperial Shuttle.

Also expected to sell well is a £43 VTech Kidizoom smart watch for toddlers, which allows them to play games, take photos and even measure the number of steps they take.

The notion that the very young are being put under pressure to exercise has raised concerns among some parenting experts.

Psychologist Linda Blair said such gadgets are ‘taking the wrong approach’ to encouraging children to be active. ‘The best toy a parent can give their kids to encourage activity is something like a tennis racquet – one for the child and one for the parent so they can play together,’ she said.

VTech did not comment on the Kidizoom’s pedometer, saying it ‘is a fun smart watch which has a camera, games and watch function’.

‘Taking the wrong approach’