Editorial Review

Fully equipped for the uber rescue mission, this souped-up spacecraft doubles as a jet and a Rescue Heroes command center. The top of the jet flips open to reveal an electronic screen and an operations deck, where Keytron, a robot, plugs into the control board to relay missions to the team. Included are two tethered backpacks which, as Rescue Heroes fans know, allow the action figures to communicate. What's more, the jet itself transforms into a giant robot, with a deployable space pod as the head and a tank-like tough-terrain vehicle down below. This is a sturdy, sizable toy that those who enjoy Rescue Heroes ought to love, and it contains plenty of moving parts. Also included is a C.D. Moon action figure in a red space suit. --Andy Boynton ... Read more

Editorial Review

Fully equipped for looting and plundering across the high seas, this pirate ship sports a massive wooden hull powered forward by six sails, three adorned with skulls and crossbones. Triple-firing cannons lay above and below deck, while a sword-wielding captain commands two crew members. A parrot can rest atop the captain's shoulder. There's also a working wench for hauling up all that misbegotten treasure and a removable dinghy for one-off raids. Other elements include a deployable anchor, a walking plank, and a yellow guard rail that circles the deck. The boat measures over 2 feet long once assembled, and can be put together in several ways, outlined in the accompanying booklet. --Andy Boynton ... Read more

Editorial Review

Getting young children interested in toy trains is a wonderful way to teach as well as to have a lot of fun. By playing with train sets, young minds learn how to fit things together, how transportation works, how cities and communities are created, all the while enhancing their imagination through pretend play. This sizable and table kit features a smooth, easy to clean melamine surface on the top with convenient storage compartment underneath. The 83-piece train set sports a wide variety of train cars plus buses, police cars, dump trucks, and other vehicles to operate on the pieces of road, which are included in addition to the track. Filling stations, gates, buildings, bridges, and other modular components add to the magic. Since all the pieces fit together so handily, young train enthusiasts can spend hours designing their own sprawling networks and configurations. We liked how complete this set is and how handily it all stores when playtime is done. Compatible with Thomas the Tank Engine and Brio train sets. --Charlie Williams ... Read more

Editorial Review

Just like the real front loaders you might see working along the highway, the Mighty Front Loader was designed to dig, dump, and haul. With its large working bucket, deep-cleated tires, and heavy-duty steel construction, this solid truck is guaranteed for life and built for endless hours of fun in the sandbox or yard. Two handles let you control the angle of the work bucket so you can dig or dump sand and dirt, or move rocks around. Or you can set the bucket in a middle position when you want to haul things for a while without holding the handle. The cab and engine sections swivel, making it easy to steer the front loader to where the work is. The large wheels (4.5-inch diameter) have been mounted over strong steel axles, tested for up to 50 pounds. Realistically styled, the front loader measures 22 inches long by 8 inches wide by 9.5 inches high. --Chris Burns ... Read more

Reviews (19)

LOTS OF FUN FOR BOYS AND GIRLS!
I PURCHASED THIS TOY FOR MY 2.5 YR OLD SON AND HE IS HAVING A BALL WITH IT!I THINK HE LIKES THIS TOY BECAUSE IT LOOKS JUST LIKE THE REAL ONES HE SEES ON THE ROAD.IT'S TOUGH BUT LIGHTWEIGHT AND EASY FOR LITTLE ONES TO PICK UP.IT ALSO HAS WORKING PARTS WHICH AIDS IN MANUAL DEXTERITY AND IMAGINATIVE PLAY.I APPRECIATE THAT THIS TOY HAS A LIFETIME WARRANTY AGAINST MANUFACTURAL DEFECTS SO I KNOW MY CHILD WILL HAVE THE BENEFIT OF THIS TOY FOR A LONG TIME TO COME!

Too Much Plastic Too little metal
The front loader has too much plastic on it. 10 years ago it would have been made mainly of metal and very little plastic used. Of course today it is all about maximizing profits at the sake of durability. Steer Clear. There are still products like this made from metal on the market and I would rather pay a little extra for the quality. Obviously Tonka has lost touch with its customer base.

Buy it
These are the BEST toys in the world for kids who love transportation. I got this on special with the free dump truck and they have been all over the house, yard and even went on display for show and tell in grade K. All the kids love it.

If this is on special with the free dump truck as it is several times then don't hesitate get two and save it for a birthday gift. Both girls and boys love 'em. Great buy.

Built Tonka Tough
What a great toy! Talk about imagination! And then again, there's the Tonka quality. This guy gets slammed around quite a bit and still looks brand new. Plus, it's great imaginative fun in the sandbox and in the house. Don't pass this one up!

YESSSSSSS!
My 2 1/2 year old son loves this truck! He didn't want to open anything else on Christmas morning, and this was one of the first gifts that he opened. He loves it. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

My Grandson Loves it!
My 15 month old grandson simply loves this toy. And though he doesn't "squeal" with the ride...he always insists on riding until the battery is very low!! I beleive he could ride it all day! Great toy...but it does take up quite a bit of space.

roller coaster
I got this for my 8 1/2 month old son, ,, he loves this, this is one of the few things that can hold his attention for more than 2 minutes and he crys to get in it...

Very disappointed. What a dull toy
You need to push a button near the bar in front in order to play the music. Keep in mind you must push it while the ride is going. Quite annoying. My 10 month old is just bored by it. From the start, he would just stare at me as it went in a circle and yawn. It was so "thrilling" that he fell asleep on it twice. Other children in the neighborhood (from 7 months to 2 years) have ridden it and also not liked it at all. To be blunt, I could not even give it away. For people interested in buying it, I would suggest waiting and getting the Perego train.

My son LOVES it!
My parents bought this for my 10 month old son for his upcoming birthday and of course, we couldn't wait to open it already... He loves it dearly... He loves ride-on toys and this is the best one of his little collection. He likes to go up and down the track and even waves "bye-bye" as he goes by. It was very easy for my husband to put it together... we couldn't wait to see him on it! Note: you do have to charge the battery for a minimum of 18 hours beforehand. Too bad they didn't have this toy at the store, so we ordered it online, which took a while. But I'm really glad that we got it, well worth it.

Music in Motion Roller Coaster
I bought this for my triplets when they were 10 months old. They all enjoy it so much. They are now 2 years old.They keep asking for the "car". Although, it is hard for them to share, they do get 5-10 min. increments on the "car". We keep it in a separate room, so they won't try to start it up when another is in the way. I think it is an excellant toy and one I would sincerely encourage parents to buy it for fun and entertainment. Not to mention they learn at about 1 1/2 years to operate it themselves. The seat belt is super for safety. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Caleb loves it
My son (3 yo) has had this for about 8 months now and still loves it. Whenever his friends come over to play, they all inevitably end up inside the toy and take other toys in to play with. It is fairly durable and has been fought over and pulled from room to room many times. If your child loves Thomas, this is a good (if fairly large) toy to have.

Kids LOVE it!
I have not had the bad experience as the customers below. My son got it a year ago when he turned 3 and my daughter was 1 and they both love it. So does the kids that come over to play. Now a year later and they still love it, also it's still in great shape. I am now getting it for a friends son. I find that it's easy to fold up, although the kids don't leave it like that very long.

This tent is AWESOME!!!
My husband and I ordered this for my daughter's 2nd birthday. Let's just say she doesn't come out of it much. She Loves It!!! It is so cute and worth every penny. She has gotten so many hours of enjoyment out of it. She likes to take her books and her Thomas trains in there as well. If your child loves Thomas, they will love the tent.

HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED
I bought this for my 14-month old because he likes to crawl under tables, chairs, etc. I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened it - what a piece of GARBAGE!!! It is made of some paper-like product (like a Bounty paper towel) and it smells horrible. My son had ink all over his fingers after playing in it for just a few minutes. I am definitely returning this item. How annoying that the material of this product is nowhere to be found on the box or in the online description.

confusing
My 2 year old son got this for a gift, he loves it, but it falls over very easliy, and I spent half the time standing it back up, also the directions on how to fold it and put it back in the bag are not very clear, ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Great fun, but....
OK, my son loves Thomas. He really, really loves this starter set. STARTER SET! I had tried to avoid the whole Thomas thing because it is kind of a money pit, but my husband said, "it's just a train, he won't need any more than this" - famous last words. Truth is - he loves it, he plays with it, he wants all of it, every accessory, every car - EVERYTHING!!! It is another in the long line of toys that require fifty additional purchases at 30 bucks a pop - but it is durable, fun and has alot of repeat play value - and collectibility. Someday we can sell it all on eBay! :)

A great educational toy
This was bought this for my little boy at 18months and whilst he was fascinated he hadn't yet developed the patience to use it as probably intended. As such the pieces were often pulled apart or he got frustrated when pieces were knocked out of line. However, the train going under/over the bridge proved an enormous attraction.
Now, a year later it is coming into his own and he constantly plays with his 'Choo Choo truck'. He has learned how to move around the track and keep it in one piece, pretend to start and stop, make various noises and generally capture his attention for at least an hour at a time. He is also keen to get me to play with him at the same time.
So:
An excellent educational toy as evidenced by his use over the past year. It has encouraged hand/eye, patience, construction, imagination and sharing his track with others.
It is great fun to play with. There is a great variety of colours, actions, etc. etc. for my son.
Its only minor issue is durability, particularly when used by a very young child. The pieces do last, but become a little battered around the edges. If you have a table then this can be minimised, but if it's set up on the floor it inevitably gets taken apart and pieces go under sofas etc. etc
Nevertheless, I cannot rate this too highly as both a fun toy and an educational means. And, you can buy all the extra bits to make a truly great train set.

A lot of fun.
I brought this toy for my 3 year old daughter after, a little boy I knew liked Thomas. We went to his house and there was Thomas stuff everywhere. Well she fell in love it. And when ever we go to his house all she wants to do is play with his trains. So I got her her own.

W e Love Thomas!!!
My son got this train set for his 2nd birthday.At first I wasnt sure if he was old enough to enjoy it.After we watched a few Thomas videos he totally fell in love with it and all the Thomas characters!!!We play with it everyday and I think it is safe to say that it is his favorite.I wanted him to have a train and this one is great because his grandmother can add to it for specail occasions!!!With all the different engines/vehicles and locations it will be something to collect for years to come!!!!

Great for 18 months to ages 8 or 9!
We bought this set for our son when he was 18 months old. He immediately loved it. Three years later, he has enough track and cars to occupy our entire dining room table. He plays trains every day--no kidding.

The Thomas train collections are durable toys. Their real value, though, is that playing with the toys allows children to act out the great Thomas and Friends children's stories they read and watch.

Purchasing recommendation:
* Choose which type of Thomas trains you will 'standardize' on. There are three kinds: This size of wooden trains from Learning Curve; larger, plastic, battery-operated trains from Tomy; and smaller, die-cast metal trains from Ertl. The wooden trains have the most products and accessories available.

* The clickety-clack (grooved to look like real railroad) track in the Thomas series is great, but it's expensive; ...

* Buy the Thomas and friends engines separately--and wait for sales. The kids care about the characters, so no short-cutting (ie., Brio or generic trains) here.

* Look for trains bundled with VHS videos. You can get a video and a train (on sale) for about what a train costs all by itself. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Expensive, but great quality
I was really torn over whether this table justified it's price; especially since it doesn't include the play top, which you have to buy seperately. Despite the price, I do have to say, I'm very happy with the quality of the product.

When the table arrived the box was dinged, but thankfully the contents inside were well packed with styrofoam and cardboard protecting each piece.

The wood is high quality with easy to connect fastners. Very stable. The train images on the side of the table and on the legs are great. They weren't stickers, but actually some kind of high quality painted image that has a very durable finish on it. Some of the train images even have a full plastic face piece for Thomas and each of his friends.

The table is well designed for a toddler's height and the allows them to reach to the center.

Needless to say my 2 year old son loves it! He wakes up in the morning, says choo choo and runs out to go play at the table.

Not a sturdy table
My sister in law bought this table for her 2 yr old son for Xmas....it is way overpriced for what it is....i wanted to buy one for our sons but could not see spending that much money on such a cheap table. So my husband ended up buying plans to build your own train table and built our sons their own with built in drawers and (...) and it is way nicer and sturdier than the Thomas one. Yes they can all stand on it...! We painted it in Thomas colors and decorated it and it is the nicest looking table i have ever seen and all the kids love it!!!! you can build one in about 8 hrs or so....worth it!!! this will be handed down to the next generations...

Substitute for the table/frame/
We admired the table for really long time and saw that it's worth spending money but decided to figure out smth cheaper. So we painted our old coffee table almost the same Thomas blue color and attached the board to it. Our 2year son loves it and doesn't really care if it's the same table/frame/or not. We spray painted the table and hope it will work for a long while.

AWESOME TABLE!
Toys r us had a super deal where you buy the table and get the top free. With the price being so high, we feel we got a GREAT deal. My son loves this table. We got for him for his 2nd birthday. It was simple to put together and is so durable. Not like the other cheap pine/particle board tables you see. The graphics are so bright and my son is always pointing to the sides and saying choo choo. Great investment.

Expensive - but worth the money for it's durability
I umm and aahh about spending this sort of money on a train table for my children but after doing my homework I decided this is the one I would buy.

Other train tables I have seen in stores are often wonky and seem quite unstable - and this is after they've been played on in the stores. So after seeing poorer quality tables for similar prices I decided to save up for the Thomas branded one (also bought the one-sided play table board to go with it).

Yes, it's expensive, but as with all any "brand", it's the name you are paying for. If you want a Thomas collection of trains and accessories you are going to have to pay. I'm just starting our collection and am buying the "Thomas" trains and buildings, but found a compatible generic track for less than half the price. I was lucky enough to get this table at almost half price at a after Christmas sale. It's worth waiting for sales and price comparing.

Having said all that - we have found the table to be excellent. It's at the right height for all our children (4, 3 and 1 year old) and me when I'm sitting on the floor playing with them. There is also plenty of room underneath to have some good sized storage containers for all your pieces of train track and other accessories.

The table frame is packed very well to protect the 3D train faces that are on two sides of the table. It's beautifully painted and when it's put together is extremely strong (although I wouldn't recommend standing on it).

Now that we have this table I no longer have to nag the kids about getting their train tracks off the lounge room floor, they can leave their "town" up for days until they want to change it. We also have a great table for their other car/train sets, or Little People towns or Duplo Creations.

It's up to you to spend to decide if you want to spend this sort of money but I see this as something I won't ever have to replace and it's something my son can keep for his children. Toys like this will last! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Nice picture making for an easier puzzle
My 2 year old daughter has this puzzle and thinks its wonderful.

Unlike many puzzles, with just one character on it, the picture is brilliant having lots of different trains, etc on it. It is easy to fit togehter, with parts of a different character or scene on every piece. She can easily put Thomas, the sheds, Harold, etc together thus eventually making the whole puzzle.

This is by far her favourite puzzle. For one, it's Thomas! And for 2, it's well-made and 'easy' to work out how to put together.

Most Beloved Toy
My son who just turned 4 years old in December received this for Christmas. I'm amazed at the beauty and durability of the pieces. He put it together about three times (with help) the first time we opened it! I never seen him so excited about a toy and to my greater surprise--a puzzle! Each time he placed a new piece in (sometimes with my assistance and sometimes not), he'd ask me to turn around and then ask me to look. When I looked I praised him for his accomplishment and he squealed with excitement. He literally jumped up and down almost after each piece was placed! He told me this was his favorite gift for Christmas and believe me he had quite a few more that were more expensive. I'll be buying more Thomas puzzles from this company in the near future as I'm very impressed.

Easy enough for young kids to solve by themselves
My son and I have been doing puzzles together since he was two, but most of the puzzles that claim to be for kids are too complicated or have pieces that are a little too small for him to work with; so he usually "helps" me by talking with me as I do the puzzle and occasionally placing a piece. He likes this big Thomas puzzle because, at age 4, he can do it all by himself. The pieces are big, which not only makes it easier to grasp and manipulate, but easier to comprehend the shape and the picture pattern as well. Of course, he likes that it is Thomas, and he even likes the "cool" box it comes in.

So this puzzle has a lot of replay value, because whenever we start a puzzle session, he will eventually move to this one to show mommy and me that he can do it all by himself, and that makes him feel good.

Big, bright puzzle
My son has enjoyed this puzzle since he was 3! It features a bright picture of his favorite engines. The pieces are large and easy to handle- perfect for a younger child who loves puzzles. It has been great for spacial learning. My son would put this together, again and again. He is almost 5 now and still plays with this. The pieces have lasted for almost 2 years and still look new! (They are a heavy cardboard.) ... Read more

Editorial Review

Mighty indeed! This Tonka backhoe is aptly named. Riding high above the ground (11 inches) on large, rugged tires (4.5 inches indiameter), it's constructed of heavy-duty steel and durable plastic. Realistically styled after a full-size backhoe, it has a long steel arm for digging deep or scooping up rocks and dirt. The backhoe can swivel a full 360 degrees on the truck bed, making it easy to load dirt into other trucks or get to those hard-to-reach rock piles. There's a sure-grip handle on the side of the arm for lifting and lowering, and another handle at the base of the arm lets the "driver" extend or retract the work bucket for scooping and dumping. The backhoe sits on strong steel axles that have been tested with a 50-pound load. With a lifetime guarantee to back it up, the Mighty Backhoe is built to withstand all the rough play your kids can dish out. --Chris Burns ... Read more

Reviews (12)

The way Tonka ought to be!
I got this backhoe for my 3 year old last year and it has put up with more abuse than any toy should have to face -yet it still works well & looks fine. My son has had an enormous amount of fun playing with it, riding on it, attacking his sister with it, etc. and it keeps coming back for more. Don't bother with motorized plastic, this is the real thig!

My 3 year old grandson loves favorite trucks
I bought the backhoe, dump truck and the back loader and recently purchase the crane for him. He takes them everywhere he goes. His father takes him to see the real ones at work and he know what each one is called.

They are very durable. Great trucks.

Great toy
My boys (2 and 3) love this!!!
(It's metal, so not great for really little children.)

Your kid is going to LOVE this!!
I bought this backhoe, the front loader, and the dump truck for my 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old boys. The quaility is great and we love the steroid size of these classic construction vehicles! My children really dig these huge toys. They get lots of imaginative and creative play with these construction toys as well as practice with hand-eye dexterity and manipulation. There is so much fun to have in piles of sand, rocks, gravel, or plain old dirt!

Fun and leaning in one toy.
This is a toy that works great in combination with the Tonka Mighty Dump Truck.

My nephew normally is glued to computer games, but this toy actually got him to play outside for a change.

It is durable and works best when the child has access to dirt/sand. ... Read more

Editorial Review

As kids move their Matchbox cars along this circular snowy mountain road, the cars hit the hazards along the way. This playset lets your child control the rescue mission. Easy-to-work knobs operate the motorized lift, which rescues cars that have crashed or sunken into the pool of thin ice in the center of Ice Mountain. An included rescue vehicle assists cars that have been buried under the avalanche on the lower level of the roadway. Kids can use this set on its own or combine it with other Hero City vehicles and play centers to create a bigger city. This set requires three C batteries (not included) to operate. --Cristina Vaamonde ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Must be COMPLETELY & SECURELY assembled to work
I bought this for my 3 year old for Christmas. I spent an hour putting it together with all the stickers. It didn't work. I changed the batteries to be sure. I braved the lines the day after Christmas to exchange it. The first thing I did was put batteries in the control part to see if it worked. I did NOT. I was EXTREMELY frustrated. I came online to see if others were having problems. I found I was not alone. One review said to make sure that all the connections were secure. So I put the new one together checking all the connections. Still it did not work. I then got on my knees beside the toy and put my body weight on it at each joint. I finally got it to work. My son absolutely loves playing with it. My advice is even when you have "snapped and clicked" it together and it still doesn't work, put your weight into it and make sure it's really together. I found that there was one connection that I had heard click together, but the toy didn't work until I pressed down on it REALLY HARD.

Our 4 year old loves this
Ice Mountain has been our son's favorite toy since the moment he opened it 4 months ago. He plays with it by himself, with his 2-year-old sister, with his friends, and even proudly shows it off to any visitor who happens by. We like the noises that it makes, unlike other battery operated toys, these sounds have not yet gotten under our skin.

Not Boy Proof
My 4 year old received Ice Mountain as a Christmas gift. By the next day it was already running sluggishly on a new set of batteries. The gears that run the "ice ring" slipped and made a terrible grinding noise. The problems persisted even after a change of batteries. It totally stopped working, noises and all, about a month after Christmas. Although he continues to play with it and enjoy it, as a parent I was extremely dissapointed with the durability and longivity of the toy especailly for the price.

Bummer for a 3 year old
Hero City Ice mountain was the only toy my 3 year old wanted, We got it for him,put it together with no help from the instructions because they were very hard to understand.The darn thing would not work, wish I new about the secret reset button!
I sent it back to Walmart.com. got credit because I thought I could buy another. Not. It is impossible to find one in stock or have to pay a fortune .Mattel was of no help. ...

Neat
As the other reviewers have pointed out, the instructions are very poor. The poor written instructions don't help with the not to scale diagrams. However, we got it together and it worked! Then a few hours later it wouldn't work. I took it apart with no luck. We wanted to return/replace it finding out like the other reviewers that it can't be replaced. My wife called Mattel and they revealed the secret reset button underneath the crane which solved our problem. Why isn't this in the instructions? Anyway our 3 year old likes it but not as much as his Dad. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Cool but I only wanted the construction cars
What I meant by my title is that I already had Rusty and I just wanted the Construction Cars. The cars sway from side to side and they can survive a lot of damage. I was suprised at how durable these were. The sets are a lot of fun because you don't need any additional things to go with it for immediate fun. These toys are really good for a car trip to keep a child busy when they are bored. I would higly recommend getting this set but don't buy Rusty first.

Rusty is good
Rusty is great. i got him as a present for christmas one year he has 3 cars - rusty a dumper and a cement mixer you can use him with cranky or anything with a magnet. he is also in some episodes on a video.

Rusty & Construction Cars!!
The Thomas & Friends wooden railroad gives you Rusty and 2 Construction Cars. This set provides hours of fun for your children because they can use this set to recreate stories about Rusty and his construction fun. Its educational value shows children how man-made things are built and they will probably use this set with thier Lincoln Logs and other construction kits. This is also a very sturdy set, but sometimes the mixer's top will come off and will need a frequent fix-up! Other than that, it's a wonderful set and a great gift idea!

Great addition to Thomas collection
If your child likes thomas the tank, they will love this little set. My son is crazy about it. He makes little construction sites out of his lincoln logs along his track and then delivers the necessary supplies for building with these trains. What fun! ... Read more

Editorial Review

After longs days of travel and adventure, Thomas the Tank Engine and friends need a place to rest. The Roundhouse is built in exactly the same way as it was when part of the British Railway, solidly constructed in wood and decorated with brick decals. Five trains fit inside the wooden train shelter, and the green plastic doors open and close. It connects to any of the Clickity-Clack Tracks from the Thomas Wooden Railway System with a five-way switch track. There are almost as many pieces to this line of train sets (sold separately) as there are books in the Thomas the Tank Engine series--all contained in carrying cases. All of these toys allow children to engage in imaginative, thoughtful play. --Lynne Sampson ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Excellent, durable, fun
As an avid Thomas fan, my son (4) loves this roundhouse. For the unenlightened, this is the house where the trains "sleep." It is durable and easy to put together and immediately adds to the complexity and fun of any track combination. It allows my son to engage more easily into pretend play, as he can put differnt trains back to the roundhouse to take a rest while he plays with others. The only minus of this building is its size--it is quite big and cannot be put apart. But again, as all the Learning Curve Thomas series toys, it is durable (wood), fun, easy to put together and a long term favorite.

Fantasic but Pricey!
When I ordered the roundhouse I believed that the red 5-way switch track was also included, especially when it is pictured on the box, but was disappointed to find that it wasn't. As my 4 year old son believes, as I am sure most do, that this is a very necessary piece of the building he will have to wait until his birthday to receive it (...). A little upsetting.
Apart from this one thing the Roundhouse is a fantastic piece to have on any Thomas layout, my son loves it and plays with it for hours.

ROUNDHOUSE FUN!!!!!
This is a fun piece. You can put your trains to sleep behind 5 different doors (the Special Engine Shed only has room for one train). It is fun to open and close the doors. You can play hide and seek!

Great for 18 months and up! But expensive...
The Thomas train and train collections are durable toys. Their real value, though, is that playing with the toys allows children to act out the great Thomas and Friends children's stories they read and watch.

Kids' imaginations can remarkably supply buildings and water towers and cranes, etc., so that they won't even miss what might be lacking from less expensive sets. And families can build some of these items themselves out of old boxes, etc. BUT I HAVE YET TO MEET KIDS THAT LOVE THOMAS THAT DIDN'T WANT A ROUNDHOUSE.

This is the 'official' Thomas roundhouse, but it is very expensive. YOU PROBABLY CAN FIND A GENERIC ROUNDHOUSE FOR A LOT LESS (MAYBE EVEN 2/3 LESS!) WITH A LITTLE LOOKING.

Purchasing recommendation:
* Choose which type of Thomas trains you will 'standardize' on. There are three kinds: This size of wooden trains from Learning Curve; larger, plastic, battery-operated trains from Tomy; and smaller, die-cast metal trains from Ertl. The wooden trains have the most products and accessories available.

* The clickety-clack (grooved to look like real railroad) track in the Thomas series is great, but it's expensive; I recommend buying generic track. ... You can literally save hundreds of dollars by buying these kinds of sets.

* Buy the Thomas and friends engines separately--and wait for sales. The kids care about the characters, so no short-cutting (ie., Brio or generic trains) here.

* Look for trains bundled with VHS videos. You can get a video and a train (on sale) for about the same price as a train alone.

* Only buy the official accessories (buildings, tables, etc.) if you cannot find generic substitutes for less or cannot make them yourself.

Comes as Shown in the Picture
My kids absolutely love playing with this, and we had no issues with missing parts. The biggest issue with it is the cost. Face it, it's a lot of money. However, if your kids are beginning to get into Thomas, then you're better off buying this than buying more and more of the trains. You can easily spend the same buying four or five of the lesser known trains, but I think that your children will have more fun with this.

I also looked at the Roundhouse by Brio. The Learning Curve Roundhose is less expensive and it is very solid. The Brio Roundhouse has doors at the back of the Roundhose whereas this is open. My children don't mind one bit that it is open in the back. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The starting point for this Fisher-Price train-track set for toddlers is a mountaintop chalet surrounded by lush, green pine trees. Tugging a crate of goods, the blue loader-engine train departs the chalet, winds down the track, kept securely on by a yellow guard rail, and whizzes through an underground tunnel. It's a relatively one-dimensional toy, though the layout can be rearranged to connect to other GeoTrax sets. --Andy Boynton ... Read more

Reviews (3)

rear wing falls off
My son was SO excited to get this for his birthday. I put it together with ease.However the rear wing keeps falling off.It fell off within thefirst 5-10 minutes of EASY play.It does click back on but continues to fall off with ease.The front wheel has also come off.The ear muffs and hat do not fit the ground crew man very well.There are very cute mugs and juice boxes that store in the plane that are very easy to lose.One of the juice boxes is actually stuck in between the rear seat and the wall and we cannot get it out.Anyhow We did take the mugs and drinks away and have just been dealing with putting the wing and wheel back on. For the price I would think it should stay on much better.If I had the choice to get another one of these I would not.This was a gift and had I known it would fall apart this easy I would have returned it without opening it and gotten something different.

falls apart
My son recieved this airplane as a gift because he loves airplanes.However much he liked it I didn't like it at all because he was constantly coming to me to put the wings back on or the tail or the door.It was very annoying and eventually the parts begain to come up missing.There are tiny little red squares that keep these parts on and they began to come up missing first.My son loved it but we had to throw it out because it was in pieces in the end with no way to put it back together.I won't buy this or any other playmobile products for this reason.

Sturdy, high quality and lots of fun!
This playmobil airplane is a really great toy. It is made out of high quality plastic, is easy to put together, and stays together (pretty well) during "enthusiastic" play. It comes with the two airline employees (pilot and steward/co-pilot) and the orange-vested tarmac agent. So funny! There are three little play cartons of juice, and four little cups for attending your customers (easy to lose), the tarmac agent has those yellow paddles and ear protectors for guiding the plane in for a landing. The plane has a side door that opens up but also the entire top comes off for easy passenger seating. There's an undercarriage storage area for any luggage that your passengers might carry.
My boy absolutely loves this airplane toy. He has gathered up a whole airport utilizing his Playmobil taxi, some generic helicopters and passengers from various other playsets (Lego, etc). I think the Playmobil Airport Security Screener set is in his near future (yes! I kid you not!). I am happy that he prefers imaginative play with this airplane than with his structured Hot Wheels playsets. A bit thumbs up!
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Editorial Review

While Thomas the Tank Engine and his various friends have been featured quite nicely in a variety of toys, games, stories, videos, books, and pajamas, it's as a train set that Thomas really makes the most sense. And this sprawling ensemble is certain to delight any Thomas fan. Measuring 62 by 90 inches when laid out in full, it features Thomas and several of his pals including Percy, Harold, Annie and Clarabel, Terrence, Trevor, and Cranky, all of whom are motorized. Tunnels, bridges, and houses add to the authenticity of the set as do three engine sheds positioned around a large turntable with directional switch. 26 pieces of road let you arrange the town according to the prescribed plan or design your own unique layout. --Charlie Williams ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Wanna keep your kids entertained??
My Goodness!We started with such a small little Geotrax set and look at what we wound up with!!My 3 year old got a small set right before his birthday and played with it quite a bit.Then he got MORE for his birthday...and NOW, it is the first thing he plays with when he wakes up and the last thing he play with when he goes to bed!The airport set is probably his favorite by far!But he and his big sister LOVE to take it apart and make new creations with all the tracks and play with the battery operated train, fly the airplane, load cargo, you name it!They really use their imagination and work together with all this stuff!

The only downside is I had to buy a REALLY big tub to put it all in when we don't want to look at it all!The control center, construction set, airplane set and all take up quite a bit of room and there are times when we want it just "put away" for a while.But that's the only bad thing I can say about it...this stuff is just COOL!

I recommend this for ANY kid, probably ages 2 and up.I bought a set for my 2 year old nephew in March and my sister says he LOVES it.If your kids like planes, trains, and automobiles, this is the toy for him!

Another great addition to our geotrax set-up
This is a fun addition to the system.Set up time is less than 2 minutes.My girls love it.The only problem is the fight that sometimes happens over who gets to fly the plane.

To infinite and beyooooond !!!!
To wait for new Geo Trax series... some months.

To deliver it at home... less than a week.

To assemble it ... half hour.

To see the happiest face from my child, when he saw the plane flying... Priceless...... 10 Stars !!!

Great as an addition to your train or as a stand alone toy.
This is a very fun toy.I would consider it a stretch, however, to say that this is a necessary addition for your train set.I would say that this is a great toy on its' own merit.The airplane is a big hit.It flies in circles with the control of a hand-held lever.As it flies the propellers spin.There are three different sounds (a jet, helicopter, or propeller plain.)There is a luggage carousel that spins around for cargo.As I said, my son plays with this independently from his train set.It can be incorporated.I would not hesitate to purchase this even if I did not own any other pieces from geotrax.

Like it but prefer some of the other addons better!
My son recevied this for Christmas as an addition to his Geotrax system.He loves to play with it and loves the sound effects it has but, I found it to be more of a play alone part of the geotrax system than an integrated piece.Other add ons like tower clock, rescue squad, etc. are combined into the train system while this is not. It connects to it but the train portions pass by it rather than be part of it. Still a great piece but I think that if you have other toys like my son does his little people airport would have worked just as well by setting it up nearby. ... Read more