By JON STOKES
Big boys, little boys, young, and not-so-young boys, and the odd girl, were out in force this weekend to marvel at the latest and greatest in big-ticket masculine accessories.
The Big Boys Toys expo, into its eighth year, pulled record numbers, with around 50,000 going through the Auckland showground
turnstiles.
And while blokes dominated the crowd it was a decidedly non-blokey attraction that turned the most heads.
Honda's Asimo, what it claims as the world's most advanced humanoid robot, modified with Kiwi accent and the odd haka move, won over the big crowds.
C.J. Suliman, 13, of Auckland, thought the walking, talking robot was "cool".
"He knows the haka - well some of it - and can talk," he said.
Chester Beecroft of Forrest Hill, with four under-nines in tow, said the Army's simulated offensive strike was a hit with his party while son Jack, 9, reckoned the bungy trampoline was the best attraction.
Annette McKernan of Ranui, one of a growing number of girls becoming regulars at the annual event, thought big bikes, namely Triumph's latest offering, were impressive.
"I'm quite surprised how many women are here. Why can't women be interested? Especially in the latest Dodge Ram - I wouldn't mind one of those as my shopping cart."
And for Eliza Sargent, 8, of Remuera, along for the day with her family, it was the latest campervans that caught her eye.
"I'd like to go away on holiday in one," she said. "It would be cool."
