REVIEW - Rollplay Nighthawk Ride On

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Those of you who have met my daughter will know that she is more than a bit of thrill seeker and has a real need for speed. She literally NEVER sits still, is always running, dancing or cycling and likes to be on the go – constantly. Its exhausting!! When we recently went out for the day to Drayton Manor and Alton Towers, she soon ditched the rides that were aimed at children her age for the more adrenaline fueled alternative, leaving Mummy almost having a nervous breakdown, and Daddy over the moon to have a ride buddy!

When Erin turned 6 last month, we were asked if we wanted to review the Rollplay Nighthawk Ride On and having not heard of it before, I was absolutely over the moon and could tell straight away that the Rollplay Nighthawk would be right up Erin’s Street.

What s the Rollplay Nighthawk Ride On?

The Rollplay Nighthawk Ride on is a battery powered 12V ride on vehicle for children over 6 years of age which can zoom around at speeds of up to 6 miles per hour and glide with ground level perspective. Easily controlled by shifting their weight, children can navigate around corners, spin around with a two metre turning circle and manouvere around obstacles, making the Rollplay Nighthawk a real treat for mini thrill seekers.

The wheels on the Rollplay Nighthawk Ride on have a 360 degree radius, and the ride on itself is really straight forward to operate, with just two different pedals on the base – one accelerator pedal and one break pedal. There is also a power on and off button on the base of the seat.

The Rollplay Nighthawk Ride On has to be charged before use, with the chair lifting up to reveal the charging mechanism below. 1 full charge gives about 60 minutes use, providing plenty of time for racing around with their friends.

As the Rollplay Nighthawk Ride On has quite an impressive pace for little ones, it is essential that they wear safety clothing during use. Erin wore a helmet, elbow, knee and wrist pads, meaning that in the unlikely event that she was to fall or slip off the Rollplay Nighthawk whilst in use, she would be protected against any bumps or injuries.

Our experience of the Rollplay Nighthawk Ride On

Erin was sooooo excited when she unwrapped the Rollplay Nighthawk on her birthday, even though to be totally honest, I am not sure she could really tell what it was at first. One summer evening when the rain had finally decided to stay away, we opened up the box on the patio, expecting there to be some initial assembly required. Thankfully from a parent’s perspective there is virtually nil assembly required before children can get started with the Rollplay Nighthawk, with the execption of inserting the mini flag pole to the rear – I think even I can handle that!!!

We gave the Rollplay Nighthawk a brief charge just so we could test it out, however it is recommended that for the first charge you do so fully and then top up as required.

The balance element of the Rollplay Nighthawk was quite tricky for Erin to master at first, and I have to admit I had a little sit on it myself and struggled to do so myself. The movement of the Rollplay Nighthawk is made by shifting your weight from one side to the other, and for that reason, I guess children who are more confident riding a bike without stablisers will be more familiar with that “central point” where you have to balance your weight. A bit of practice and she soon got to grips with it, but may be worth noting that children might not be confidently zooming around straight away.

It’s also worth noting that if they do struggle to balance, you may end up with a few little black scuffs on your patio from the sides of the Nighthawk rubbing against the floor – the marks come off – but maybe try it for the first time somewhere outside of your home if you are very fond of your nice clean paving slabs!

Erin’s face when she first zoomed off by putting her foot on the accelerator was an absolute picture, and it was clear that she was desperate to take it out for a proper spin at her local park.

As it does go quite fast, you do need to be selective about where you take it, as obviously you don’t want to cause any disruption to other park users or pedestrians. For that reason, we took ours to a local car park after the shops had shut so that Erin could have a proper supervised zoom around without having to worry about running into anything she shouldn’t! We also used it on the designated skate park area within our local park, which got Erin lots of attention from teenage skaters who came over to ask what it was! I think Erin felt pretty cool at that moment!

With an RRP of £129.99, the Nighthawk Rollplay is quite an initial investment, but as a main present for an adrenaline junkie you really can’t go wrong.

After the first use just after her birthday, Erin has asked to go out on the Nighthawk Rollplay pretty much every single day, with it being used whenever the weather has been kind to us.