As a big fan of the Harry Potter series, we all have fond memories of them practising their wand twirling action and casting the spell over and over again, hoping that they’re able to cast the right spell and not accidentally cause anyone to vomit slugs!
To celebrate the Fantastic Beasts 2 movie release on this coming Friday, we have received the brand new Hermione Granger Wizard Training wand from Jakks Pacific to practise casting spells and challenge ourselves to learn all 11 spells! Besides the Hermione Granger wand, the other wands in the range include a Dumbledore Feature wand, Voldemort Feature wand and Harry Potter Feature wand.
This Wizard Training wand from Jakks Pacific has lights and sounds that add a touch of magic to each spell. This lightweight plastic wand has nice details all over the wand and requires three AAA batteries, which are included in the wand. There is a try me (X), off (O) and on (I) switch on the handle. When the wand is turned on, it will calibrate itself each time but is very quick. It is best to leave it on an even horizontal surface to allow it to calibrate. I know children tend not to do so, but if you feel that the wand does not work properly, recalibrate it again by turning it off and on. When calibration is finished, all five buttons should light up.
After calibration, the button lights will begin to slowly fade on and off one at a time. This pattern indicates the wand is waiting for a mode to be selected. There are five modes to play. If you only have one wand, there are only two modes for you to play with. It will be the Spell Training mode and Free Play mode. Spell Practice and Training modes are for two players. Wizard Tag mode is to play with two or more players where you zap opponents in a game of Wizard Tag.
On the wand, there are six white buttons. The first button at the top of this group is the cast button which you use to cast a spell. This is followed by Button 1 for Spell Training mode, Button 2 for Spell Practice mode, Button 3 for Training mode, Button 4 for Wizard Tag mode and lastly Button 5 for Free Play mode.
Since we only have one wand, we’ve only played the two modes available to us. I wouldn’t be able to comment on the Spell Practice, Training and Wizard Tag mode.
For the Spell Training mode, there are 11 iconic spells to learn. They are: Locomotor, Finite Incantatem, Incendio, Ventus, Arresto Momentum, Mimblewimble, Alohomora, Wingardium Leviosa, Revelio, Meteolojinx and Tarantallegra. Each spell has their own unique movements. On this mode, the wand will display a light pattern on the handle and you practice your spell.
The wand is very responsive to movement and only occasionally will it fail to sense your movement. Both my children really enjoy learning the spells. The light and sounds add a touch of magic for them. Each time, when you cast your spell correctly, it will play the ‘Correct’ spell sound and display a different light pattern. When you don’t, it plays a ‘Fizzle’ sound. One thing I find quite disappointing is that the sounds seem to keep repeating themselves. There are no individual sounds for each spell.
For free play mode, you are able to cast 11 spells. Both of my children really love playing with this wand. They have been working very hard to learn all 11 spells and hopefully one day they might get accepted and receive their Hogwarts acceptance letters!
Watch Mr K and Ms C show you the wand and how they cast their spell!
We love the detail on this wand and it is very lightweight so they can keep playing with the wand without their arms becoming too tired. It is available to buy now from good toy retailers, online and Amazon.
Here are the links to buy from Amazon:
Disclosure: We received the sample for the purposes of writing this review, however, all thoughts and opinions remain our own. We have included Amazon affiliate links to the products. If you click on this and buy, we may earn a small commission.