Honestly, I never thought this toy would be made. A set of hand razor blades? Too dangerous, too aggressive, right? On March 1st, Hasbro is launching a set of electronic, sound FX-enabled, extending hand claws to tie into the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie hitting theatres this summer, and boy do they look wicked. Each hand contains three, impressively long plastic blades that, yes, do pop out of your knuckles with a flick of the wrist with the triggered sound effect of steel sliding against steel. And yes, people tend to stop and stare when you wear them in public.

The claws are designed to match the ones worn by Hugh Jackman in the X-men movies more than the ones depicted in the Marvel Comics. I know those claws very well. In October, 2006 I spent a day with James “Jimmy Claws” Gawley, the special effects artist hired by Twentieth Century Fox to design the claw props for the X-Men movies. He spent four hours going over the engineering process he used to figure out the problem of creating claws that look like the sprang out of an actor’s hand and was kind enough to fit the actual claws worn by Mr. Jackman into the movies onto my own hands so I could try them out and pose with them.

Special Effects artist James "Jimmy Claws" Gawley shows off the real Wolverine props he made for the X-Men movies

James Gawley and Kris Abel

Since I posted that article, that story the photos of me have been accessed by comic book fans the world over and not a month goes by that I don’t receive some e-mails asking me questions about the whole experience, many from hard core fans looking to make their own claws and quickly discovering, as Mr. Gawley did, that it’s a lot harder than it looks.

Kris wearing the props worn by Hugh Jackman in the X-Men movies

Kris wearing the props worn by Hugh Jackman in the X-Men movies

Let me take this opportunity to make a few things clear about those photos. I’m wearing the real claws, the actual props used in the movies. No, I didn’t get to keep them. They went back into their storage case and left with Mr. Gawley. No, I don’t know how to make them, nor can I get Mr. Gawley to make you a pair, nor will I give you his contact information so you can pester him. No, they are not for sale, nor do I know where you can get your own.

Well, okay, I do now…kind of.

I admit I miss those claws a great deal and Hasbro’s toy set are a good step towards filling that hole in my life. Although they are a shallow imitation of the real props, they are attached to a large plastic gauntlet, have little blobby points on the ends of the blades, and generally look very tame and toy-like, they are nonetheless very long, do shoot out of your hands, and make cool metal sounds when you swipe at the air.

The real claws? They’ll make you look as if you actually have an adamantium skeleton with razors shooting out of your hands. People who see you with them have to mentally check their eyes to see if what they are seeing is real. The toys claws? People will reflexively stand back and laugh because, well, you look like fun, more than danger.

Although there is a warning printing inside the gauntlet of the toy claws that reads “Caution: Do not poke or jab with claw”.

Hasbro’s electronic claw is a large plastic gauntlet that fits over your hand. There is a handle that you grip to make a fist and a Velcro strap to keep everything in place. Three plastic blades sit within the gauntlet and when you flick your wrist, slide out, growing larger by telescoping out. The thin parts slide out from within the thicker parts. Electronics inside combine a motion sensor with a speaker to play a series of sound effects through a built-in speaker. Flick your wrist and as the blades pop out you’ll hear the sound of them unsheathing. Jab at the air and you’ll hear them cut the air. Swipe at the air and you’ll hear the sound of metal clashing against metal.

Hasbro says this is the same design used for their toy Light Sabers, in fact the success and safety of those toys is what is responsible for Hasbro’s decision to go forward with the Wolverine claws. They are, essentially, three light saber blades.

Although they look like steel, they are merely hollow plastic, with flat edges and blobby nibs at the ends. The blades telescope out, but when push them with your hand, they give quickly and telescope back in. Once the blades fully retract, a little catch grabs them to keep them from easily sliding out.

As with all telescoping tubes, there are occasional moments when the parts stick together, but with a little more force than normal, they slide back in. The plastic is rigid, but not very strong, and I feel that if the wearer were to go crazy with the toy, it would break before it would do serious harm. It’s not going to support your weight, should you fall onto them. As with any plastic sword, it is a toy to be used with a degree of caution and so not ideal for the very young.

The electronics are powered by just two AAA batteries, making the gauntlet very light and easy to wear. The gauntlet itself offers quite a bit of room, my adult hand fits inside with a bit of room left over.

Kris poses with Hasbro's toy claws

Kris poses with Hasbro's toy claws

The electronic claw will sell for $29 CND and that’s just for one claw, for one hand. To complete the Wolverine likeness, you’ll need to buy two. Are they cool? Yes, more than I expected. Are they safe? More than I expected, and yes, cautiously safe. Are they worth the $29 bucks? For fans both young and old, they’ll deliver the impressive kick you’re looking for.