Pirate Ship - Markers Included

Fun for the kids
My children, ages 8, 7, 6 and 3 love this cardboard ship. We ordered it around Thanksgiving and the kids colored it in and named it the Mayflower. They even put on a Thanksgiving play using it. It came with markers and instructions. The assembly only took about 20-30 minutes. The instructions were OK -- just a little hard to make out because they are in black and white and the contrast of the printing wasn't great. As far as durability goes, it's made of cardboard so don't expect miracles. The kids can crush, bend and tear it. This is expected from a cardboard toy. When it gets too beat up, or this kids lose interest you can recycle it. One thing that keeps me from five stars is the smell of the cardboard materials. This thing did not smell good when we first opened it. The smell dissipated after several days. In all, it's a great addition to our children's "dress-up" and "make-believe" play.
It's a hit!
My 2 and 5 year-old boys love this ship! I agree with the other reviewer that said the assembly instructions leave a bit to be desired, but I eventually got it figured out. I reinforced the under-side of the ship with duct tape to keep it together and then used clear packing tape on a few other visible spots that are subject to wear and tear (the back door and the steering wheel). The ship came with 4 markers - red, green, orange, and purple - so you will need other colors to really get it colored in and decorated. Overall a great ship and with a few reminders to be "gentle", hopefully it will last!
Perfect For Your Little Pirate
I purchased this for my 3-year-old daughter for Christmas, along with a pirate costume and hat. She loves, loves, loves it. It is big enough to fit her and her twin brothers (1 1/2). Set up was a little tricky, but once you got past the first few steps, it was easy. Took about 25 minutes to assemble. It is made of cardboard, so I've had to reinforce a couple of areas with packing tape (the door and the bow), but after a week, it is still in great shape. I would highly recommend this to anyone.
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Thomas & Friends: TrackMaster Risky Rails Bridge Drop

Not As Good As The Other TrackMaster Sets
I bought this for my 5 year old nephew, who simply adores Thomas. It is based on the movie that will be released sometime this year. Even though it was fun seeing Thomas load the rocks at the quarry and then dropping off the bridge, it was hard to set it up. As an adult, I had difficulty setting it up and it is time-consuming. With that said, I don't mind it being time-consuming as long as it remains put together, but I noticed that the tracks didn't remain fitted together and every few minutes kept on popping off which in turn affected the assembly of the other tracks and subtracted the toy's overall enjoyability. The tracks from the other Trackmaster Sets are better than this one. Plus, for its price, it would have been nicer if Fisher-Price designed the crane to be brought back and forth along the zip line automatically instead of manually. My nephew no longer plays with this toy and uses some of the better-fitted tracks to create his own layout in conjunction with his other...
Fun adventure from Blue Mountain Mystery

Extremely disappointed on Christmas day
Do not bother with this one.

First of all, it took FOREVER to set up. They need to hire some writers/diagram people who are native English speakers and who have decent art skills. I ended up using the picture on the box more than the diagram. There are so many pieces that it's completely ridiculous. Many of these pieces could have been made as one part, so I'm seriously questioning the intelligence of the person who designed this.

As your child plays, the set will come apart every single time Thomas climbs the hill or goes down the dropoff thing.In fact, when he goes over the dropoff he flips over and your child will have to manually set him back up. Basically the set doesn't work in the way it was designed at all.

It doesn't fit together well. There are pieces that are clearly mean to snap together, but instead just kind of loosely fit. They're wobbly and fall apart constantly.

There is one piece that constantly falls off and doesn't seem...
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Micro Charger Track Time Race Track with 2 Cars!

A great price for a cool product.
I recently purchased this track after my kids found the ad on youtube. It has a four car charger so you can all race each other at the same time, we loved the finishing circle too (a gate closes so the winning car is trapped in the winners circle doing laps) It comes with 2 cars too so you can start racing right away. I haven't seen this much on shelves yet but it's pretty addictive so I think we'll start seeing more of the Micro Chargers soon!
Good, but not long term
My two sons, aged 5 and 7, really enjoyed this set out of the box. With just a little help, they are able to build the track by themselves. I am not sure if it is because sometimes they held the cars to the chargers too long, or not long enough, (you hold the cars in the charger for eight seconds to charge) but now one of the cars never charges fully and can't make it around the track. We have only had it for two months and one of the cars broke (doesn't charge) after the first month. They like it enough that I bought a new car for it for Christmas but am annoyed that I had to after such a short period of use.
Poor Customer Service
I purchased this with a gift certificate but it was cheaper at target. The time did not work and after 4 calls to customer service without a replacement (they just sent little tricks to try to get it working which were not successful), had to just write it off. Had I purchased at Target, could have just returned it without any hassle.
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Daron FDNY Ladder Truck with Lights and Sound

My son loves it!
As do his two other siblings. It has survived three kids and everyone loves it. The truck seems very accurately designed and seems to be quite well-made. One thing that I noted was that the sirens / sounds are just below the threshold of being annoying to adult ears, yet loud enough to sound awesome to a kid. Everyone is happy - what more could you ask for from a toy?
Grandson Loves It
Very realistic sights and sounds. Two year old grandson plays with it all day long. Very well constructed. Buying more FDNY products.
AWESOME fire truck! Durable, great features and sounds....
Really impressed with this fire truck. My 20 month old is fascinated by fire trucks and I wanted to get him a large truck. While it is plastic it is solid construction, great realistic design, the ladder extends and also pivots, plus the 3 sounds are exactly like a real truck. The price is spot on for a truck this sized and I haven't seen this kind of quality in the trucks at my Toys R Us. Highly recommended.... it's over a foot long and is robust enough to stand up to an active toddler!
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Play-Doh Trash Tossin' Rowdy the Garbage Truck

Awesome Toy
I bought this as an impulse buy today. Best impulse buy in a long long time. My 3 year old played with it for about 3 hours, stopped for about an hour and went back for about two hours. There are so many things to do with it. Hubby played with it for about a half an hour by himself after the little one went to bed. This toy is awesome.
A Video Review of the Play Doh Trash Tossin' Rowdy Garbage Truck

great toy
my little neighbor boy loves it. Keeps him busy and out of his moms hair for a while.good buy for sure
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KidKraft Ride Around Train Set and Table

Fantastic!
My kids recieved this as a gift from their grandparents. It is fantastic! Very sturdy, looks great, everything you need for a train table! This company shipped it very fast and packaged it well. Assembly was time consuming, but kinda fun to set everything up! The best part is that it goes with Thomas the Train and Brio stuff, so you can mix it up. 5 stars all the way around!
O.k. for the money - I'd buy Thomas brand if had it to do over again.
This set claims to be compatible with Thomas Train. Well for the most part it is, but not 100%, especially if you plan on using Thomas Engine motorized. There are some other drawbacks as well. The track is metric and slightly narrower than true Thomas track so Thomas cars don't fit completely down into the grooves. The supplied Chinese cars that come with this set do fit better, though their quality is not even close as good as Thomas brand. The bridge in the center of photo shown is positioned too close to the "downhill" slope of track and taller cars will not fit underneath it. Because the track is slightly narrower, motorized Thomas Tank Engine, especially, tends to run off of the track and will not stay on. I removed the "rubber band" edging on the front wheels only which allowed more slippage and kept Thomas Engine on the track more reliably. I know this set is not really intended per say for Thomas otorized engine, but a Thomas brand set would work much better being...
Lots of fun!
Bought this for my 2.5 yr old. He absolutely loves it. Keeps him entertained so I can make supper! That right there is a winner in my book.
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Hot Wheels Video Racer Micro Camera Car - Green

Yes, its neat!

Great Fun for 8 to 13 Year Olds

Most wanted item, never plays with
Wow, can't believe after paying so much for this car during the holidays that it's now marked half-off everywhere! I think I would have rather paid the $30 instead of the $60, but my son wanted this item more than anything else on his list for Christmas, so it was a must. Santa hid it behind the tree on Christmas morning and he thought he didn't get it, but then saw it and was thrilled! He immediately charged it and started making it go all over the house, watching the videos and getting a feel for how to delete, etc. He was so anxious to get home to his tracks so he could really watch it do some cool things. Once he found his tracks, that's when it was much more fun for him (and us). Going down a big track or around a loop really makes for fun videos to watch, but we really haven't done anything other than that, and it's stayed in the toy room, with no charge, for the last week or two, unfortunately. He does like it, he's just not as thrilled with it as he probably thought he...
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Hot Wheels Monster Jam Mini Monster Showdown Stadium

breaks easy hard to put together
typical plastic set, hard to put together, easily broken apart, hence losing parts
the trucks work well on it. pricey for plastic
Monstrously Fun!
My son received this for his 4th Birthday. It definitely keeps him entertained. As with any of these toys the tracks have a bit of a learning curve. There is never the perfect jump like the videos show, but the little cars go so fast that he loves it none-the-less! It does seem a bit pricey for what it actually is, but as far as getting it as a gift, he loves it!

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100 Pieces of Bulk Wooden Train Track by Conductor Carl. Compatible with All Major Brands Including Thomas The Tank Engine

Very Happy Customer
I have a 2 and a half year old and a 10 month old that love playing with these wooden train sets. (Sharing's not a problem since there is more than enough to go around!) We didn't have enough track with the wood train set we bought so I ordered these to supplement what we have. They are great! They match the other brand, and my kids and I spend hours building new and different tracks to put the trains on. I accidently stepped on one and the end broke off, so it's not completely unbreakable, but with all the extra track, it didn't matter. This toy is a great learning tool for my son, I plan on buying another set for my sister's kiddos for Christmas!
Full Box
I was impressed that the box was completely full...they could not have fit any more pieces in if they tried. Nice smooth finish. The curved tracks are two sided, the straight tracks only have "rails" on one side.
Exactly what I wanted
This track is fantastic. It's a great supplement to "Thomas" brand track systems, and if I had known about it before, a great alternative. It's the same quality as the expensive stuff, but for obviously much less. My four-year-old son and I had been wanting to build more complicated track courses for his Thomas trains, and we have many of the fancy bridges, etc, but we kept needing more curved and straight pieces to link it all together. This was exactly what I was looking for: 25 pieces each of two different sizes of curves and two different sizes of straights. We've had it for about a month now and have played with it a lot and it's great. It is durable - at times my son gets excited about what he's doing and tries to build really fast and rough - and it fits with no problem with the other brand track we have. I am so glad I went with this track rather than shelling out 5 times more for the same thing in a different brand.
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EZ-Peak NiCad / NiMH Charger with Traxxas Connector

Great charger for my Traxxas Bandit
8 hours charge time for the standard charger versus 1 hour for the EZ Peak?
It's a no-brainer.

Always make sure your batteries are cool before charging and your car's motor has cooled down before making another run.

The charger also comes with another charging line ending in alligator clips. Just wrap them in electical tape (or cut off the wires) to prevent shorting.
That line line is what appears to be the power cord in the photo here- the power cord is included, but not plugged in for shipping.

Plug the unit in, wait for the red light to appear, and then connect the battery- otherwise it won't charge. If you get a green light (meaning done charging) just retry the sequence. Once fully charged it drops power to contiously trickle charge, preventing over charging.

A solid unit that'll keep you racing :)
Must buy.............
This is a must have. It takes only 30 min to charger the battery compared to the charger that came with my Traxxas Slash that takes 8 hours to charge a battery......YOU HAVE TO OWN THIS
Good but finicky
When I first got this thing I don't know why exactly but it was really finicky. Sometimes it would charge sometimes it wouldn't. You have to make sure the lights are blinking red when you plug the battery in. Even then though sometimes it refuses to charge my son's battery, however it seems much better now than when I first got it.. It does charge his battery very fast though (maybe an hour or so compared to 6-8 hours with the original charger).
Anyways, it does work but sometimes it will think your battery is already charged when it is completely dead. You need to unplug the whole unit and plug it back in after waiting a few seconds, then make sure the lights are flashing red, and plug the battery in to the unit. Never plug the battery into the unit until after its connected to the outlet and blinking red. I think part of the original difficulty I had was I plugged the battery in first and it took awhile to reset the thing. Read the directions and it should work good for you.
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Hot Wheels Track Pack 39 Pieces - Includes Reuseable Storage Bag. Create your

A classic is reborn!
I am soo glad to see hot wheels bring back the "old fashioned" basic track sets. For years all they offered were the power booster-dinosaur-destructo sets where you set it up in a predetermined configuration,turned it on, and watched it. The basic sets lets the kids put the track together however their imagination directs them. And gravity makes the cars go. Beautiful! BTY I got the track pack for $15 at Toys R Us 12/09. It's worth about $20 +/-. Don't pay more!
As they all say...Toys R Us
This item is pretty well packed with what you need to rekindle your love of Hot Wheels after your parents asked you if you wanted to pick up your stuff from their house before they moved and took everything to good will, and you said that you wouldn't need any of that "crap" so they can do what ever they want with it...and then you grow up and have a child of your own and think, "what ever happened to all that Hot Wheels track I used to have that was so much fun when I was a kid"...

But I digress...13 pieces of track sounds like a lot but, with the new generation of cost cutting measures companies take these days, the track pieces are only a foot or so long each(still kicking myself). The loops and jump and connector tabs are pretty much the same, as well as the on the floor launcher and the gravity clamp.

If you are inclined to leave the house however and have a Toys R Us within a days drive...just yesterday I walked out of there with: this set, an extra loop,...
Great Toy, Terrible Price
Amazon's current price is so high, I was able to get *two* sets plus two day shipping and tax from Toys R Us for less than Amazon's price.
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Fisher-Price Disney's Spiral Air Race Planes

Disney Spiral Air race Planes
Gave this toy to my Grandson for 4th Birthday. He is just into the Disney Planes - so had so much fun playing with this toy. It is not that big - takes up little space which is great because his room is small. He loved to race the planes.
Varoom - great fun
Easy to use. My toddler grandboys love it! This is well built and whoever came up with the idea must have kids! Very worth buying!
Fisher Price Disney's Spiral Air Race Planes
I can't give much information on this toy as I bought it for my grandson 7th Birthday in November. Just looking at it looks like it will be fun and is made well. I am just going on looks and what to expect when he receives it as a gift.
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Tonka TS4000 Steel Dump Truck

Disappointed! Don't buy unless it's just something to look at
I had the original version of this truck when I was a kid (about 6 or 7) and had it until I was 19 (ultimately it was lost when I moved). For over 10 years, my friends and I Stress-tested it before deciding it was THE TOUGHEST STRONGEST TOY EVER! In September 2010, I bought this version for my 2 year old, he and friend opened it at 9:30am and by 12:15pm the dump bed was warped and bent!
Not the Tonkas I grew up with, but a good truck
The Tonkas of 20 years ago were made of quality metal with incidental plastic pieces. My brother and I had a couple of them and they held up where few toys. This truck has a few metal parts, including the thin sheet metal bed. There is more steel in this toy than most toys in production today, but to call it a "steel" truck is misleading. It is mostly plastic.

That said, the toy is great. My son loves it. When he was smaller, he enjoyed sitting int he back while I pushed him around in it. It was a great way to keep him entertained and more importantly, quiet while I made a phone call. It has held up well despite its high polymer content. Trucks are one of my son's favorite things now and this toy has a lot of entertainment value. It looks enough like the dump trucks at construction sites, even though it is modeled after those that work strip mines.

False advertising aside, the toy is a good value and a great truck.
Not as good as the original one I had as a kid, but as close as you're going to get
Con: It's not as good, as big or as deep as the steel Tonka dump-truck I had as a kid.
Pro: That being said, it's about as good as you're going to get in these days of cheap imports. I gave it to my three-year-old nephew for his birthday. He loved it. It also has a nice hydraulic feature that I don't recall the old model having. After you dump something out, the bed slowly returns to its original position. I don't recall that feature being on the old truck I had as a kid.
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Battat Take-A-Part Airplane & Roadster Exclusive Combo Pack

My son loves this
My 3 nearly 4 yo son loves these toys. Sturdy and fun. Bought the SUV first and now the airplane and roadster. Highly recommend if your child likes to tinker and build.
Faulous product!
I purchased the airplane and car for our 4 year old grandson, and he loved them the minute he saw them. He went straight to taking the airplane apart right away, and after a few times, we both became proficient at it!! He continues to play with it every day.

The car is less interesting. Less to do and doesn't hold his interest or attention as long. Instead of the combo pack, I would recommend buying the airplane and another vehicle separately -- or just the airplane to start. My only complaint is that the product doesn't come with extra screws. They are so easy to lose, so be very careful from the beginning to have a container to put the screws into when taking the toy apart. It's easier to keep track of them that way!
Did not come in Retail Box. Terrible presentation for a gift.
This did not come in a retail box. Such items should be more clearly highlighted as it is not a nice way to give a gift. The toy is well made so I would give the toy 4 stars (it is far from a favorite toy) but took away one star for packaging.
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Plan Toys City Series Parking Garage

Wonderful toy!
We got this for my son last week for his fourth birthday. He loves it! It's the pefect size for all his Matchbox, Hot Wheels, and other diecast cars. It was also amazingly easy to assemble and seems sturdier than some of the other toy garages I've seen. This one's a winner at our house!
PLAN Toy Parking Garage
Wonderful, wonderful! I had never heard of PLAN Toys prior to purchasing this garage for my twin grandsons, but I would love to buy ALL of their products. It is wood, not plastic, great colors, easy to assemble and unbelievably sturdy. The elevator structure is amazing and the boys were thrilled with it. An absolutely first-rate toy - forget Fisher Price or any of the others. Am on a search for more PLAN toys! Worth twice as much as I paid for it if not more!!
Wood splintered after a week of occasional play
I really wanted to like the Parking Garage and PlanToys as a company. The company is eco friendly, has good looking toys and uses real wood. The concept is excellent -- a moving elevator, ramps for parking on multiple levels, well marked parking spots, a parking attendant that sits and stands, gas pumps, a car wash and a heli-pad. What's not obvious is that only a single car is included. This should be clearly marked. There is no helicopter either. Ever see a single car in a parking garage. It's lonely. Despite this, my son has been playing with the garage on and off and seems to enjoy it. One design issue is that the gas pumps are very difficult to reach. They are exciting but impossible to play with. My big issue with the toy however is that the red wood has come apart from the second floor after about a weeks worth of occasional play. In contrast we have many Haba toys that are true quality wood and last forever. I was expecting significantly more given the price of...
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Matchbox Smokey The Fire Truck

The strangest fire truck I've ever owned!
Smokey the Fire Truck in one of the strangest toys I have ever received for my two young boys. My Father is a retired Captain from the Boston Fire Department so I basically love anything to do with fire trucks since I grew up around them.

Matchbox has clearly designed a toy that goes beyond the basics of a regular fire truck that kids usually play with. The closest way to describe this toy is a cross between a tonka style truck, a transfomer toy and talking robot type toy. In its simplest form, Smokey can be used as a regular fire truck and can be pushed around a room like a standard truck toy. In this stage, Smokey's personality will still be in full force as it will sing, make jokes,and do about 100 other things with its built in recordings. The one item that my kids were laughing so hard is watching Smokey's mouth move while he talks. It is quite funny.

From here, Smokey can be turned into what Matchbox calls "character mode". Using a handle on the side...
Cool at first, but not a lot of staying power
Initially this toy has a lot of "wow" factor going on, primarily due to the fact that the grill of the truck moves like a mouth in sync with its (incessant) talking.

But this is not one of those toys that your kid will play with for long periods of time (YMMV of course, depending on your kid), like Legos, or matchbox cars, or Lincoln logs. It's more of a stand alone toy that you watch and listen to rather than something to really interact with.

PROS:
- initially very cool to see the robotics technology implemented
- design is cool, looks good, I like the three wheels
- I actually like the concept of the "water" gun since it's got plenty of shooting power, but harmless due to very soft ball

CONS:
- Freaking packaging is HORRIFIC, maybe some of the worst I have seen. You better have some serious cutting tools to get this guy out of his cardboard jail.
- After a while, the style of the toy's voice (very macho, talk-show...
You Will Hate It, Kids Will Love It
Please, Smokey, stop talking...

Smokey seems to have boundless energy. Whether he is in traditional fire truck form or standing up like an Autobot, he always has something boisterous on his plastic lips. He is like a crazy uncle to play with your children, and hopefully keep them entertained. Hearing his constant flow of sound may drive you crazy, but your children may just love it. Additionally, he shoots balls! Chances are that these will be aimed directly at you, but no worries -- it will only be a flesh wound. They shoot with a satisfying click and will help smaller toddlers learn manual dexterity. I'm sure many children will set up targets to shoot down as well and pretend (let's hope) that they are putting out fires.

Smokey moves his tire arms, sings, and has plenty to say. If you have a child in that age of loving this sort of persistent stimulation, this would be a fun interactive toy to consider.
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Bruder Toys Linde H30D fork Lift with Pallet

Durable Working Forklift
This is a great forklift. Its two forks can slide back and forth to different widths, and the mast can slide up and down as well as tilt the forks up (crucial if you want to actually lift anything with it). It also has a little knob on the back for turning the wheels, but my boys (ages 4 and 2 1/2) didn't play with that part too much. The forks aren't the sturdiest ever (ours broke when the forklift fell on a hard floor), but replacements are available from the manufacturer's website very cheaply (with free shipping). The pallets are fun to lift and can carry small toys.
forks broke IMMEDIATELY
My 3 year old son played with this toy for 5 minutes, and both forks broke. Can't imagine even at 10 year old not breaking it. It looks great, but you better leave it as a display piece. On a high shelf.
Great idea, but poor quality and durability.
The Bruder Fork Lift is a great idea, but is very poor quality. The forks are not durable and break easily leaving a very sad and disappointed child. The forks need more durability since they are marketed for small children. My grandson loves construction vehicles and was very excited with the fork lift until one of the forks broke. Purchasers should receive replacement or refund. I would never again purchase a Bruder product.
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Hot Wheels Monster Jam Triple Blast Arena

Smashing good fun!
I try at all costs to avoid commercials on TV, but my son saw one for this toy and announced, 12/23, that Santa was going to bring it. We had visited Santa twice, and I told him that may not happen, because he hadn't asked Santa for it at either visit. Santa did, on 12/24, try to find it at a toy store, but the shelves were bare. No Christmas miracle, this year! But my son had received $20 for Christmas from a relative, so I let him learn about ordering online from Amazon. Even with my quick shipping for being a Prime member, and even with ALL the excess of Christmas in between, the wait for my 4 year old was torturous. I tried to warn him that TV very often makes things appear more fun than they are, and prepare him for dashed expectations. My warnings were wasted and there was no lesson in the downfalls of "As Seen On TV." He was THRILLED to have his own personal delivery, and sat down and played with this thing for 2 hours straight, napped, and went right back at it. This is a very...
gift for a 6 year old boy
He was thrilled! The tanker in awesome!!! Every little car loving boy should have one! I was told it was the favorite gift overall. :)
Hours of Fun!
Firstly, my son wanted a more expensive, but more cheaply made, track! I saw this online and convinced him to try it! We have had HOURS of fun flipping, smashing, and flying through screens!

The one thing I would caution parents, though, is that it requires a 1:64 size truck! I didn't know this was a smaller size than the ones he already had, so it has been a little more costly adding trucks. We use them as an incentive. He earns a quarter a day for doing small chores and helping us (he's only 4). So he can buy his own trucks about every 2 weeks!
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Dreamworks Turbo Shell Racer Ultimate Speedway Track Set

Excellent
Excellent. Too good. Excellent. Marvelous.It is a good toy. My son loves it. If I would need other one I ask for it as soon as possible
Turbo Shell Racer Ultimate Speedway Track Set
My grandson loves this toy. I am a grandma and I assembled it myself with his help. It wasn't hard at all. It is very fun and the shells can get going around the track pretty fast. I am grateful it doesn't take batteries. You wind it up by hand and it is good for the kids as they can do that themselves. My grandson is 7 and my granddaughter is 5 and she can wind it up. Fun toy.
really fun race track
Especially compared with the recently released "Planes" play sets, this is a really nicely designed toy. My son received it for his 4th birthday and it was a huge hit. Not only has it kept his attention but it has stayed together through moving from room to room and a couple of "accidents".
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Bruder Mack Granite Liebherr Crane Truck

Good age appropriate toy
I bought this toy for my three year old son as a present from his newly born baby sister. In a word, he "LOVES" this crane truck. He has played with it incessantly since he received it a few days ago. He even tried to sleep with it one night. Unfortunately (or fortunately), this truck is so huge that he had to settle for having it by his bedside at night.

While my son's enjoyment of the truck is ultimately paramount, as a parent I have the following comments for other parents who may be thinking about investing in this truck for their child.

THE GOOD:
- Truck is HUGE (boom is 53" tall when fully extended)
- Truck is a highly accurate model. Right down to the counterweights.
- Although made entirely of plastic (with the exception of the tires), the materials are thick and have put up with some rough play for a while.
- Bruder offers spare parts at relatively good prices.

The BAD:
- Price. Although big and accurate,...
Awesome Crane!
Purchased this crane on Amazon for my 4 yr old son.

The detail and functionality are awesome.

It's not inexpensive but it's worth the cost.
Amazing truck
My son has an intensive collection of Bruder toys and this truck is the biggest heaviest and best looking of all. For $83 it's a steal. You will not be disappointed. Buy this truck and the Scania dump truck. You'll soon find your inner kid again.
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Medieval Castle Playhouse

Corrugated Castle
I purchased this for my 5 year old daughter for Christmas. I am very happy with this product. It was easy to assemble. It is very durable, and it is roomy on the inside. My daughter and a friend (and the cat) can easily fit inside. I was also happy that it came with markers for decorating. I plan to leave the castle intact and not take it apart, we have a roomy area where it can stay. If you are pressed for space, be aware that this item does take up a good bit of room.
Fabulous castle
We used this castle for a party with about 10 3 year olds and some older siblings (all boys). Everyone, including the 5 year old boys, loved the castle. They were in and out of it, putting stickers on it and coloring for 2 hours. After 2 hours of "abuse" on the castle, it had fallen over a couple of times (hard not too given these kids pushing on it), but there wasn't a single tear. Even though we had other fun crafts, this was definitely the highlight of the princess party.
Great Cardboard Play Space - Beware it is BIG!
We love cardboard play houses. This will be our fifth. We have had three houses & one ice cream truck. The houses have all been well played with much loved some being easier than others to assemble. We keep ours in place until they collapse. Average lifespan is around 6 months with daily play. The ice cream truck (a birthday gift chosen by our eldest) was a total bust. They really didn't dig it and after 5 weeks we took it down.

So going for something other than a house was a bit of a risk as lets be honest these things are not cheap. Do note the structures dimensions because it is really big. Well it's been great. Very easy to put up (we don't take ours up & down and I've learnt some tricks along the way to solidify the stricture to increase durability, more about that later for those interested) From my kiddos perspective two doors are essential for that all important "charge through". This castle has the two doors. The turret is quite a narrow space but...
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Brio Battery Operated Action Train

Gorgeous, well-made little train.
One of the gifts for my son's second birthday. The locomotive has decent power and acceptable train battery life. It can pull or push a couple-three cars, even up a little hill. It's cute and well-made. The little freight cars, however, are truly adorable: the cement mixer turns as it goes, and the little coal car rocks from side to side.

Fits our Melissa and Doug railroad, the locomotive and the car can also be mixed and matched with other trains--Maxim, M&D, and Thomas.
Great battery operated train.
My son loves this train. The cement mixer turns and the coal car wiggles on the way down the track. The colors are vibrant. It will also pull other trains along with it down the track. It can go in reverse direction and has a headlight as well. It is a bit slow, but it is still a hit at our house.
NO COUPLING ON THE FRONT OF LOCOMOTIVE
The toy is well constructed and works well. My only criticism is that no coupling exists on the front of the locomotive. I had purchased two locomotives and was unable to connect them because both lacked frontal couplings.
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Ertl John Deere Power Drive Barn

Some design flaws
This toy is ALMOST great, but unfortunately the designers didn't test it very well, if at all.

The pros:
- The barn is one of the best parts, with several doors that open and close.

- The vehicle has two modes, one for driving or one for operating the equipment. It's fun and easy to push the toggle on/off button to make it drive autonomously, and then push it again to stop it. There is a separate switch on the back for changing the modes between driving the vehicle and operating the equipment.

- You can manually turn a dial and operate the crane and conveyor belt, which is a nice alternative.

The cons:
- The packaging (we purchased this at a store) clearly shows multiple green barrels of hay for loading, and my son was very excited about having several barrels. Perhaps to save 5 cents, the company decided to only include one barrel of green rectangular hay, which is not nearly as fun as even two would have been.

-...
Birthday hit!
My 3 year old nephew is crazy about farms, so this was his favorite gift at his recent birthday. I showed him once how the jeep hooked up to the conveyor and he took over from there. The hayloft doors swing open with a twist of the cupola, much to his delight.
This is a darling farm set with lots of room for the child's imagination. It is just as described and delivery was very prompt.
Gift
This was a gift for my 3 year old nephew for his birthday. It was the hit of the day for him. He just loved it.
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1/18 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera Radio Remote Control Car (Color is either yellow or orange)

Looks good
This is a fun little car.
The thing I like the most about this RC car is that you don't have to charge it, every other RC toy I own has to be charged and requires batteries. In the product description it says that the car will goes 8mph. It won't. It's top speed (on the treadmill) is 5.5 miles per hour. That's good for an RC car, but it isn't 8mph.
I would say that this car is very durable. I've crashed into just about everything from brick wall to down a small flight of stairs.
Fun little car, looks really sweet, good buy, and worth the money.
Recent Purchase
We bought this for our 9yo son who happens to have Asperger's Syndrome. He loves the fact that it's a remote-control Lamborghini and we love the fact that he's learning hand-eye coordination. The toy appears to be of good quality and we're pleased with it's performance the past few days since we've opened it up.
Marvelous!
This rc car is a lot of fun! I have smashed it into walls,and made it fall of ledges. The car has gone through a lot, but so far, it only has a few scratches, and that was impressive. The car can also go pretty fast too. And the batteries lasted for a week, which is longer than others I get, which last for a day or two. This is a lot of fun, and I hope you have fun with it too.
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Bubbleicious Balance Bike

great balance bike
bought this bike last summer for my then 2 year old, she was able to use it right away. Easy to assemble and very good quality. It went through a whole year, and she is still using it now and she is 3 1/2, and 39 inches tall. All we had to do was raise her seat. This bike has been left out in the rain, and is still great. I am now going to order another one of these for our youngest daughter to ride.
Fun, and easy to assemble
My daughter is 4 and this bike is a bit small for her, but within 1 day she has learned to balance quite well and she can "scoot" along for 20' without using her feet. Transitioning to a larger bike without training wheels will be a snap. The seat has several height settings, so any child under 42 inches should have no problem. I wish I had started her on this bike when she was 3. The color is what sold me on the bike. My daughter LOVES anything pink! It's a home run!
Great great tool but boy that seat is painful
OK no I didn't ride the bike myself because it would be in a pile of wood right now but my daughter kept complaining about the comfort. When I looked at it, sure enough the seat looks as though it would be painful. Not much padding and perhaps too wide? Anyway everything else is great which is why 4 stars.
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Schwinn Roadster 12-Inch Trike (Blue)

Perfect for a 3 year old!
This bike is beautiful, well made, and well loved by my son who just turned 3. I had to write a review to combat another review that states that there is a height restriction of 38". The box does have a height chart on it that says Ages 2 to 4, 26" to 38". Since my son is 38" tall and just reaches the pedals on the seat setting closest to the wheel, I emailed the company to let them know of the problem and this is what they wrote back:

"Thank you for contacting us. The minimum height and age recommendation for the Schwinn Roadster is 3 yrs, 38" and up. I will be sure to have the boxes looked at to verify what they say."

Yes, apparently they've made a pretty big mistake on the box, but the fact that the minimum is 38" makes total sense. I hope this helps.
Very well built tricycle, excellent!
I am surprised that Schwinn trikes are not available at conventional stores. This is an excellent product that should definitely be on top of every parent's list. We decided on the Schwinn roadster after exhaustive research considering among other trikes, Kettlers, Italtrikes, Radio Flyer, etc.. but found this to be the best not just in build quality but also great value for the money you pay (Kettler is just too expensive). Our son just turned 2 and we first thought that he might be too small for this trike after reading other reviews. For now he does reach the pedals (he is 27" tall) but has yet to learn how to pedal. He scoots around easily, as the seat is low enough. Assembly was extremely easy - 4 steps, took me all of 10 minutes. It rides so smoothly. We are as excited as our son is with this trike and cannot wait for him to learn to pedal around with it. Excellent trike and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Schwinn Roadster Trike
A quality product. Low to the ground so very hard for a little one to tip over. Easy to assemble. Can't wait for the snow to disappear so we can take it outside! Have been riding it inside, mostly using our legs (we're not yet 2 yrs old) to scoot around. However, our bigger cousin (just turned 5 yrs old) had a blast with it and could still peddle without grinding his knees into the handle bars. This trike will last a long time and thru many kids!
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Plan Toys Cone Sorting

Best Toy We Own
I was looking to buy my son a typical ring stacker but saw this in my searching and got it instead. I'm so glad we did because it's the best toy we own. I bought it when my son was 12 months old and it's been his favorite toy for the last 3 months. I thought it would be too advanced for him but he figured it out right away. And then he started trying to put it together in different ways. He is fascinated by trying to put the pieces on in different orders or seeing if he can put them on upside down. Because there are so many more ways to put the pieces together (some that work and some that don't) he has a great time exploring. He also uses some of the individual pieces in different ways like using the green tube as a telescope. The toy itself is very attractive looking and very sturdy. It's solid wood but the pieces aren't too heavy for a young child to manipulate. The pieces are stained and not painted so I don't worry about my son chewing on any of the pieces. I can't say...
Like a ring stacker, but so much better!
My son has a couple of basic ring stackers, but this cone sorter by Plan Toys, while using the same concept, draws his attention and holds it for much longer than his basic ones. The interior tubes must be assembled by size before the outer rings can be added. At 12 months, my son definitely needs help in putting it together, but he is absolutely fascinated by the way the tubes slide into one another, as well as the way the outer rings hide the tubes. This toy will be excellent for teaching colors, size differences, and spatial relationships. And when we don't want to take it that seriously, the tubes are great for rolling on hardwood floors. This cone stacker provides a unique challenge that no other toy we've found offers!

**Now at age 3, my son still enjoys playing with this. It's a toy that I rotate in and out of his collection, so that it seems "new."
If only we had given it to her sooner!
I bought this toy during a sale months ago but followed the box and held off on giving it to our daughter until she turned two. Now that she is playing with it I am regretting not giving it to her at least ten months ago. I would not hesitate to give this toy to a one year old. Our daughter had it figured out in a day but continues to creatively play with it. Sometimes she makes a mistake but she problem solves and fixes it. And this is such an elegant looking toy as well. I actually love looking at it!

My inlaws gave us a traditional plastic set of stacking colored rings which she got about a week before I remembered that I had this in our closet. She showed very little interest in that and wouldn't learn from her mistakes like she does from the much more complex Plan version. I noticed that Plan offers a more traditional ring stacker, I would take this over that any day!

We have a number of Plan toys but so far this is our favorite. I expect my daughter to be...
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Fisher-Price Thomas the Train TrackMaster New Friends/Greatest Moments - Connor's Race to the Castle

My grandson is crazy about Thomas and all the trains.
Good quality. My Grandson is happy with the new train. I am always on the look-out for ones he doesn't have.


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WOW Flip 'n' Tip Fred - Town (6 Piece Set)

Worth the money
The price seemed a bit steep, but this toy has proven its worth. The toy has many pieces and functions that make it a great toy to share and a great toy to keep a kid busy. My [...] son enjoys it, but it really fascinated my friend's 3 and [...] sons. It seems sturdy enough to outlast a decent amount of rough play.
Instant Hit! Favorite Toy for 18-month Old
This truly is the first toy that has really excited my son. He is obsessed with the neighborhood trash and recycling trucks and plays pretend with the trash cans in our house, so I wanted to get him a more appropriate toy than our real garbage. He loves this "trash truck" and plays with it well by himself. He uses the little people to play pretend and has fun manipulating the different parts and dumping the trash cans. I love that it is kid powered and doesn't use batteries and he loves that it moves and makes sounds (it is quite loud) - wonderful innovation.
Great garbage truck for little recyclers
My kids, 2 and 5, both play with this truck. It isn't battery powered and annoying like other trucks. Yet, this thing can really take off when the kids push it. They like moving it about the house and taking the cans and people in and out of it. If your kids like garbage trucks and have good imaginations, they will probably like this truck. (My kids run to the window upon hearing our neighborhood garbage truck.) If not, they may be bored.
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Bruder MAN Fire Engine

A year later still a favorite
This is my son's favorite fire truck, and he knows a good fire truck when he sees one. It has held up AMAZINGLY to the rough and tumble play of a three year old. The ladder extends and retracts, the hose actually can shoot water, should you choose to show your child. Unfortunately my son figured it himself and has extinguished many a "fires" throughout our home. Worth the money.
A great toy for a firefighter to give to his grandson
The size of this truck is impressive, I am a firefighter and have many other fire trucks and fire vehicles in scales from 1:64 to 1:18. Size-wise this one puts all the others to shame, and has a lot more features than a comparable Tonka toy. I also bought the fire service crane truck so they look pretty impressive side by side on the floor in my home office. Everything works great on it. It is a bit pricey but but I feel worth the price with all the features it has. I bought this truck for my 5 month-old grandson. Since the product description lists ages 4+ I will take care of it really well for the next 3 1/2 years :)
Wanted to like it. . .
I searched and searched for the perfect fire truck for my little guy. The price of this was quite a splurge for me, but I wanted him to have something I thought was special. Well, he likes it. So that part is good. But I cannot believe it costs what it costs. The quality is sincerely lacking. Every time I look at a new broken piece of this thing, I feel a bit more ripped off.

That is a shame, because it was like Christmas for me when it was delivered. I was that excited. Since then, both ladders, the hose, and a couple other small pieces have broken. And my son was not overly rough with it. I see on the Bruder site I can order replacement parts, so I will probably break down and do that (pun intended), since the ladder and hose used to be the two favorite features for my son.

I believe the first piece broke after about a month. We haven't even had it a year yet and it's in a really sad state. And it doesn't even receive particularly heavy use...
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VTech Switch & Go Dinos - Span the Spinosaurus Dinosaur

Exciting and Interactive Toy for Boys!
We currently have 4 of these Switch & Go Dinos, and my son absolutely loves them! Span is pretty awesome because he is not only a ferocious dinosaur, but a jet fighter too! This dino can be switched into vehicle mode and then back to a dino in just a few easy steps. My 3 year old needs a little help with the transformation, but he will figure it out soon.

Span comes with food discs that shoot out from in front of the jet fighter's wings, and this is my son's favorite part. He can easily load the discs and launch them with the press of a button. It also comes with a crane, cage, rescue lift and a baby dino. My son has a great time carrying his smaller Switch & Go Dinos around on the rescue lift, and flying the baby dinosaur to safety.

This educational toy teaches kids about dinosaurs by saying fun facts about the particular dino. When in vehicle mode, you will hear sound effects that the vehicle makes. In this case, the sound effects resemble that of a jet fighter...
Great toy!
My 4yr old loves this. He's able to transform it by himself and loves the fact that he can change the eyes and driver!
Broke after 3 days.
My boys loved this toy. They still do, but my 6 year old won't play with it now because the little piece that holds the jaw in place broke. I watched it happen, they were not being rough with it. I emailed VTech to try and get a replacement part and they suggested I return it to the store. Well, I might have done that if it was still just 3 days after they'd opened it, but VTech didn't respond to my request until a week and a half later and now I wouldn't feel right about trying to exchange it. And frankly, knowing stores, I would guess they would not exchange it for me.

As of Christmas morning my boys will have all the Switch and Go Dinos because that is what they wanted for Christmas, but I'm certainly going to be thinking twice before buying anything else from VTech...and I used to love them!
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Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway Flynn

Firey Flynn to the rescue!
My son had some birthday money from an aunt, so I let him get on Amazon and look up some Thomas trains. He was so excited to find Flynn. It's exactly as pictured/described and we're happy with it!


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Melissa & Doug Whittle World Plane and Luggage Carrier Set

Another great Melissa and Doug toy!
My children (2 and 4 year old boys) really like this toy. The construction seems durable and the design is relatively detailed. The pieces hook together or you can take them apart and play with them seperately. The figures included with the set are diverse. One thing that I think could improve the toy is making a sliding door on the luggage carrier so the luggage doesn't fall if it tips a bit during play. Two concerns about durabilty: the paint on the toy seems be a bit prone to scratching. It has been gently played with since getting it a few days ago and there appears to be a scratch across the paint on one of the figures. Granted, I noticed this, not my children. Also, the wings of the plane are attached by a thick elastic band (allowing the wings to flap up and down). Perhaps it won't ever be an issue, but it would be unfortunate if the band broke and the wing fell off. I guess that is where a hot glue gun could come in handy. Overall, cool toy for pretend play! I also...
Great for kids who love transportation
This is a great toy for kids who love transportation. It has enough movable parts to keep a kids imagination engaged, light enough to have it "fly" in a kids hand, and realistic enough that kids will know what they are playing with.
Good quality wooden toy for imaginative play
The World Plane and Luggage Carrier Set by Melissa & Doug is typical M&D quality, which is to say, pretty solid. The wheels on the vehicles roll well and seem durable. The plane's wings fold up and are attached via a thin, yet strong bungee cord. The finish on all vehicles, luggage, and people are nice and smooth. However, I did notice a small area underneath the rear wings that was chipped and reveled some splinters. I'm not sure if it came this way or if my kids did it because I didn't inspect it that closely when it first arrived. I let my kids play with it first before reviewing it. That said, I smoothed it out with some sandpaper and it's all good.

If your 3-6 year old kids like planes, this is a durable and safe toy for imaginative play. The price seems reasonable as well, given that all the pieces are made of wood, rather than cheap plastic and cheap stickers. I recommend it.
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Fisher-Price Shake 'n Go! Disney/Pixar Cars 2 - Lightning McQueen

Excellent toy
I got this fro my 3 yr. old son, who is a huge Cars fan.
This is one of the most durable toys we have gotten in along time. I can't count how many times it has been droped, crashed, etc. and it is still going strong. I would definately recommend
best electric car toy I've seen
Got this for a 2 1/2 year old grandson, and he picked up on the shaking action right away. More durable than the other cars he has, a good feature since it will bump into things a lot, and it's faster than I expected. Works great on hardwood floors, but I doubt it would do well on carpet, typical of small electric vehicles. It's by far the little guy's favorite car, even after a couple months. Be warned, it "talks" with a variety of phrases, one phrase per shaking, and you can't turn that off independently; the 101st time might get on your nerves. But from a little guy viewpoint, this is a 5 star toy.
Too Cute Car
I purchased this car for my 4 month old grandson. I know very young, but he loves to watch it run across the floor. I wanted to purchase Lighting McQueen because he will be an antique before my grandson is 4 and can really appreciate just how fun Lighting McQueen can be.
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Kid Galaxy Robot Data

Fun for Tots
The little robot pal is a hit with even a two year old! It is so simple and durable for the little learning fingers to operate.
The speed of the quick action of the toy easily entertains for many play times.
Sturdy Sturdy Sturdy
I purchased the robot for a rambunctious 3 yr. old, with an equally active 5 yrs old brother. Having bought many remote control toys in the past, I was prepared for an average, hope for the best product. With the low price, I had low expectations. Was I wrong! This little gem has held up better than any high priced, bells and whistles remote control toy on the market. It is well worth the money. Easy controls for small fingers. Durable and sturdy. Quirky and cute. They have had hours of fun with this robot.
Awesome toy and great value!
I picked this out for my 2 year old son because he's obsessed with robots. There really aren't many choices out there for robot toys, surprisingly. I opted for this one because it looked easy to use and 2 year old boy friendly. My son loves it. It's very simple and straight forward, and he can navigate the two buttons (one for forward and one for turn in a circle) well. The plastic robot is well made and has been dropped and thrown several times and still works fine. It lights up and makes robot noises and the eyes move back and forth. The only thing it could use is an automatic turning feature if it hits furniture or a wall. My son has gotten frustrated if it gets caught in a corner and can't figure out how to press the buttons to get it out quickly. The price is great, and cheaper than a lot of the rc cars out there (we have a Rory rc car). I would definitely buy this toy again as a gift for another toddler.
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Disney Planes Deluxe Talking Dusty Crophopper Plane

Faulty. 3 of 4 came with dead batteries. I put in new batteries and 1 was dead within a day.
There're broken. I put in fresh batteries and they were burned out in 1 day...and I only pushed the button a few times. The 1 plane worked when I got it and continues to work just fine. It's just the other 3! Frustrating b/c I bought them to take to Europe as a gift and I'm leaving next week. I bought 2 more b/c I figured I'd get a good one!


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Matchbox Cliff Hanger Shark Escape Playset

Not too shabby for the money
This was a Christmas present for my 4 year old son, who for some reason thought it looked like the coolest thing ever. I didn't have extremely high hopes since some of these sets are pretty flimsy and don't work as they show, but it has worked pretty well for the money so far. We attached it to a glass table with no issues, and it is sturdy enough for him to use pretty much any car on. It doesn't keep his interest for hours on end- but he has went back enough for me to know we'll get our moneys worth- then pass it on to another boy or girl who can enjoy it when he's bored with it.
A Little frustrating
Nice that it takes up minimal space on table or door. Easy enough to put together have to really pay attention to instructions. I am amazed at the engineering it takes to manufacture the product. Only complaint is that sometimes it does what it supposed to do (drop down the lower shark level) and sometimes you have to "make" it happen yourself. Does not bother my son so we just play with it like it is.
Poorly made
Made with very flimsy plastic. Releasing toy into different positions is not easy. Screw on back gave way after two weeks of play.
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Quercetti Skyrail Mini Rail Rollercoaster, 150 Pieces

Super-creative toy
This toy was an instant success with my son, who is six. He figured out how to put together the track in minutes. Unlike other construction toys, Skyrail is not limited to one or two designs. My son can create endless configurations, including loop-the-loops that really work. This toy is also easy to disassemble. The track and connectors seem a little flimsy, but so far -- after many, many uses -- none of the pieces has broken.
Finally, a great toy that is not junk (and NOT made in China!)
So many toys these days are just complicated junk made in China. This rollercoaster is very simple, but offers incredible versatility. Unlike K'Nex roller coasters that are incredibly complex and can be built only one way, this rollercoaster set is amazinginly simple but offers unlimited possibilties for building and experimentation. No instructions to follow... just build. Our 6-yr old has spent at least 8 hours over the least two days coming up with alll kinds of creative coasters. Awesome product. We're going to look at some of the other offerings from this company.
GREAT marble run, fun to build and cool to use
This is a toy that will have a looonnnng life span, especially if you are buying it for a 6 year old child! My son is 10 and still plays with his, and we've had highschool kids at our home who also love this marble run. While it seems flimsy, the pieces are really quite durable, and it is the "flimsy" look that makes the marble run look so cool when marbles are racing around it (and the marbles will go fast) - compared to say, the chunky wood ones.

We have the equivalent of two of these sets, my son got one for his birthday and I picked up another at a yard sale. He and his younger siblings play with these constantly, making truly impressive marble runs. They are into experimentation too, "What if we take out this section and add in these two pieces".

My only suggestion, if you are buying for an older child, is that you might want to consider a larger set.

Also, just FYI, my younger kids have some trouble setting this up on the rug. A flat surface...
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New Bright 1:14 Radio Control Harley Davidson F-150 (Frequencies may vary)

Know what you are buying
Ok. I was trying to find an RC "monster truck" for my 3.5 year old and did a lot of shopping around online. Before I could buy what would probably have been a better option, the kid melted down and demanded his monster truck TODAY! so we went out and picked this one up at toysrus. We have only run it once, so I can't really comment on its durability, but here is my impression thus far.

1. We picked this up at 5 pm and when we got it home, the kid was super amped to play with it. unfortunately, the battery does not come charged. The instructions say that you have to charge it 8 hours the first two times you charge it, and then four hours on each subsequent charge. Of course, that meant that this truck could not be played with until the morning. This news was met with pretty extreme disappointment and whining. If you are buying this for a small child, make sure you take into account that you will not be able to drive the thing for 8 hours. If you need instant...
Bad turning radius
Looks great. Durable so far. It is what it is, a cheap RC. Bad turning radius but looks nice and kids can have a little fun. Will not run in the grass or go over the smallest of objects, it just gets stuck/stops.
BEWARE!
Beware of this toy! After smelling a hideous melting plastic/burning wiring smell in my child's room this morning, I unplugged everything from the electrical outlets and cut the breaker. I then tried each item in the outlets one at a time. I had put this truck in the closet to get it out of the way. After over an hour of testing every electrical item in the room and not having the smell return, I was puzzled. My son opened the closet door to get a toy and yells "Mom! The smell is in here!" Turns out it was the truck, particularly the battery compartment. This could be awfully dangerous, I am contacting the manufacturer. Don't take the chance!!!
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Castle Logix

Yes, Your 3 Year Old Can Think and Problem Solve.
Jigsaw puzzles are great for kids, but what do you do when your child is ready to move on to something more that will challenge them once again? If you are reading this review, you know the answer.

Castle Logix is probably the best puzzle/game that you've never heard of. So simple in concept and yet so thought provoking for your child. The 12 "starter" challenges use 3 of the 4 blocks, and all 3 of the towers. Your child stacks the blocks to match the picture in the book. 12 "junior" challenges add the 4th block into the mix. The 12 "expert" challenges involve balancing the blocks and towers in some way so that they don't fall rather than just stacking them. Finally, the 12 "master" challenges use the non-painted side of the blocks, forcing your older child to really tax their brain to match up the blocks.

For my child, 3&1/2 was the perfect age to start with these. We start with the first challenge each time and build up to the stopping point every time we...
Another happy parent!
My child (3.5 yrs) spent a good 30 minutes when she first received this puzzle toy. She continues to love it and, more importantly it seems, it makes me feel good that she has an educational toy. At the end of the day, I'm not sure how much of these edu toys are really going to enhance my child beyond what she would have achieved without it and through play with non edu toys, but what the heck - the marketing people have got me. On the more serious side, it is made well (although I didn't have the toy tested for chemicals) except that for certain lots, the coloring of the orange picture is sometimes represented as yellow in the book.
Fantastic, well made building puzzle for little ones and up.
Castle Logix is a spacial puzzle recommended for children ages 3-8. There are four blocks of different sizes (all square or rectangular) with colored castle structures on some sides, blank wood on some and holes through others, and three towers of different length that are placed through the holes. The goal is to figure out how to fit the pieces together to match one of the pictures of built castes in the instruction book (solutions are on back pages). There are four levels of difficulty, increasing gradually from puzzles to delight and teach toddlers to ones that will challenge older children (and possibly adults).

The pieces are sturdy, the concept ingenious and the puzzles appropriately scaled for difficulty. I got this for a three year old, who while not exactly always trying to solve the puzzles "as intended" loves it and is getting a lot out of building her own structures. The great part about this is as she gets older she'll play with it differently, but will...
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