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Spencer's Spirit Halloween Animation Station ReviewI went to Spencer's Gifts to pick up a new fog machine for Halloween. Right next to the fog machines, I saw the 3D Animation Station on sale for half off! Plus, I had a $10 off $40 coupon, printed off Spencer's Gifts online site. So I splurged and brought one home with me. In this article, I will review the Animation Station and provide some practical experience of using it on Halloween night. PackageThe rectangular cardboard box for the Animation Station is quite well designed. It uses a lot of blue, purple, and black fluorescent colors to attract attention (see photo below). In fact, it is more attractive than the Spencer's Spirit Halloween 400-Watt Fog Machine next to it.
The back side of the box shows all of the features and the controls for the unit. It shows enough detail that you really don't need to the user manual to operate this simple device. 
ControlsThere are three controls in front (see photo below). The switch in the middle is the on/off button. The knob on the left changes the lighting blink rate. When set all the way down (rotate left), the LED lights blinks slowly. When set all the way up (rotate right), the LED lights are constant on. The knob on the right adjust the speed of the motion. It's slower as you rotate the to left. The object speeds up as you rotate it to the right. 
There is an unmarked switch on the back of the unit (see photo below). It changes the LED configuration. In one position, all three bottom LED's are lit. In another position, only the middle LED is lit. In the third position, only the two side LED's are lit. 
The unit runs on four AA batteries that are installable at the bottom of the unit. A screw prevents the battery panel from coming off without user intervention. There is also a power port in the back (see photo able). The unit can run off a 6 volt power adapter that supplies at least 200 mA. 
There are no control interfaces on the side of the unit. It's curvature gives a pleasant look. EffectsThe unit has a black pole where you can attach various toys to the top. By adjusting the lighting and motion knob, you can achieve certain effects. The effect doesn't look like much in lit conditions (see photo below). They stand out much better in complete darkness, which the unit is designed for. Hence the black matte finish to eliminate light reflection. 
For my purpose, I was able to configure it to look like a floating hand from a distance. I wanted to place it behind my garage window in the dark. With the right flashing interval and the right motion speed, I made it look like a floating hand that is waving. And it looked great. The photo below shows the floating hand in the dark. The finger is slightly blurred in the photograph because of the motion. 
The package comes with six toys altogether. I have only tried the hand out so far, because I want to use it for Halloween (tomorrow). The other five toys are dinosaur, wrestler, sting ray, dolphin, and spider. I suspect the sting ray will be a neat one to try for a full lit room. It will probably look like it's swimming in water. I'm sure kids will be fascinated with these other toys out of the Halloween season. 
You can probably come up with some of your own toys to attach to the pole. Just be sure it doesn't weigh any more than the included toys. And try to keep your toys as balanced as possible from all sides. Comments & Discussion >> Presentation AdjustmentThe bottom of the unit not only includes the battery compartment, but also adjustable legs. the legs can be completely retracted into the unit for a flat presentation. Otherwise, it has two other positions to tilt the unit. The photo below shows the two tilt positions using each leg of the unit. 
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