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

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

Reviews (3)

I love this set it is wayyyyy cooler than slimecano.
I realy love this play set. It has a launcher, a swamp beast that trys to knock the cars out of the track and, a hyperpod vehicle that is used to defeat the swamp beast. On this playset the car has to keep going around the track until the way to the swamp beast is open. when its open the car goes to the hyperpod vehicle then the hypervod vehicle goes defeat the swamp beast. You have only 30 seconds to defeat him. each time you defeat him he takes out 2 seconds off your time and when you lose he puts 2 more seconds. Buy 2 alkaline batteries they work the best on this set. thats what it said on the box of the set. I think this set is very cool because


1. It has a very fast launcher.
2. I like the hypervod vehicle
3.you have to keep going around the track and watch out for the swamp beast's arms they will knock the car out the track.

4. you can connect other sets into it if you like.
5. You have 30 seconds to defeat the swamp beast.
6.I like how the track is designed.
7.It is very durable.
8.It is very fun trying to defeat the swamp beast.
9. I like the phrases the swamp beast says.
10. you can push the switch down so the car can go to other places on the track.
I don't realy like slimecano it is very messy because of the slime.

THE SWAMP BEAST PLAYSET IS THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love this playset. On the playset theres one booster a swamp beast with two arms trying to hit the car out of the track and you have 30 seconds to defeat him. Each time you defeat him he takes away 2 seconds and when you lose he puts 2 more seconds. I would recommend this item to anyone who likes hotwheels playsets

Way cooler than Slimecano!!!
We returned the Slimecano (see the 1-star rating it got) and bought this as a replacement for our 5-year old son. This is the Hot Wheels I remember! Plastic, snap-together tracks, motorized accelerators for propulsion, fast, high-banked turns. This product actually works the way it portrays on the box. The beast's arms really go up and down and sometimes knock the car off the track. The beast's voice is neat, it sounds like a swamp beast should (think Pirate's "argh!"). I really like the timer on it, you only have 30 seconds to "defeat the beast" which means complete enough laps to trigger the upper loop diverter so your car goes on the inner track, hitting the "hyper pod attack vehicle" which provides the car with enough mass to knock the trigger and causing the head to pop off. If you win the beast knocks 2 seconds off your time (lose and add 2) and starts another round. The victory sound effects are pretty cool, too. All in all I like this toy, it's definitely worth the $24 we paid for it. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Wooden train sets are a wonderful developmental toy, encouraging hand-eye coordination, creativity, vocabulary, and providing hours of imaginative play. This 34-piece construction collection includes an assortment of basic track pieces, a hardworking construction engine, a magnetic crane car that lifts cargo off of the flatbed car, a rail crossing, and a dump truck. A great starter set for budding engineers, this relatively inexpensive real wood set is fully compatible with other name brand wooden railway systems. --Deb Oroszlan ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A great toy for your little man!
We bought this wooden construction set together with my 4 year old son. This is the only toy out of the whole store that he wanted. It is a bit pricey, but very durable and worth the money. With time you can add the extension tracks and more vagons. My son did not want to leave the house for 3 days, just wanted to play with his train set. I like the wooden sturdy parts and magnetic parts are very cool. Like the previous reviewer mentioned, you have to follow the diagram in the manual exactly, or you will come short of parts. If your son loves the trains, he will definately love this toy from Imaginarium!

false representation
This set does NOT include nearly enough pieces to construct the pictured
train set. There are appr. nine pieces missing. Nowhere in the fine print is it stated that you need to buy additional track to construct the pictured set.

He Loves It!
We bought this toy for our 2 year old grandson and it immediately became his favorite toy. He is really getting into imaginative play now which the train set encourages. He also likes to put the track together himself...it's like a puzzle for him. The only problem is that there are small pieces so we don't let him play with it without close supervision. I can't wait to add to the set!

great fun
We love this toy. My 2 year old loves it and is learning how to put the tracks together. It is very easy to assemble and make various shaped tracks with. It is very durable and plenty of fun, even for the adults that are just "helping" (or should I say playing). I have more fun just seeing which way I can put it together next. We plan on purchasing additional track to extend the fun. The tracks stay together great.

3-year old son loves it!
Received this as a gift and my son loves it! Only thing is to get the track to look like the picture you have to put it together EXACTLY like it looks on the box - no variation! Hope to add some extra track and see if we can have some more options. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The worlds of toy racetracks and haunted houses have never exactly begged to be placed together but it's an interesting and highly entertaining match in this unique set from Matchbox. Part of the ever-expanding "Hero City" line, the haunted house features various secret traps and tricks such as a skeleton that launches cars with a good shove, a "Bones and Moans Bridge" full of scary sounds, and various other classic spooky bits. One car is included although the two required AA batteries are not. Classic racetrack fans will likely not be overly impressed by this simple and fairly corny setup but it's not really meant for the aficionado, rather for the younger children who love a gentle scare and an unlimited supply of trips through a haunted house. --Charlie Williams ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Fabulous!!
I bought this toy for my son who finally got to pick out a toy after potty training. It's now the first thing he goes to get in the morning and he plays with it for hours. The only bad thing was, no play mat was included and you can't buy it at the store, it must be ordered from matchbox.com. Highly recomended!!

Great for the Scooby Doo fans!
My 3 year old is a big Scooby Doo fan and just had to have the Matchbox Haunted House. He loves it. It is sturdy and easy for him to play with. The only complaint I would have is when the van goes down the staircase it tends to sometimes get stuck or come down on it's side. This doesn't seem to bother my 3 year old, but it may bother a child who is a bit older. Overall I think it is a pretty good toy.

Haunted fun!
My kids ages 3 & 5 just received this and it's great. It holds together fine. In fact it hasn't even come apart since I put it together. They are usually rough on most toys and this one is no exception. The noises are great also. I would recommend this for any child. Mine love it and I'm going to get another as a gift!

Spooky Fun for the Little Ones
This toy was a big hit with my 4 year old. He loves playing with his "spooky house" and I have to say no other toy has ever held his attention for so long. He too is a Scooby Doo fan so he spends hours pretending he and the "gang" are out solving mysteries. The toy seems very durable and holds together well considering how much he plays with it. Definately a keeper!

Neat-o
I bought thistand it was loads of fun.
Since I was 5 i've waited for a toy like this to come out! ... Read more

Editorial Review

A perfect compliment to most wooden railroad sets, this 21-piece expansion track pack is guaranteed to stimulate new layout ideas and creative play experiences. Including 17 pieces of straight track in numerous different lengths, two pieces of curved track, and two curved switch sections, this basic track pack can be paired with other name brand starter sets to create any number of elaborate and imaginative railroad systems. --Deb Oroszlan ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Delicate - Not for average boys
It was a lot of fun. However, the wood quality is not as good as the Thomas series. It is easier to break (after only one day, as oppose to 6 months or so of Thomas series we owned), and I do not know if Imaginarium carries lifetime warranty. They do not have their own website. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

you can not go wrong with Matchbox toys
My son received this as a birthday gift from a friend.(it was on his amazon wish list) This toy is very durable and with boys being tough on toys this is worth $20! I did read the reviews about younger children getting their fingers stuck in the turning scull but we have had no problem. I suggest a 4/5/6 year old child would benefit a lot from this toy. The sound affects are cool and the play mat is a bonus!

DANGEROUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Do not buy this toy. I completely agree with all the reviews about the finger trap. My son has gotten his finger stuck many times. If the car does not go in correctly the head will not turn. My son has been using the tv remote to get it to work correctly. Matchbox should recall these. This is NOT a good toy for any age.

Bought for 4 year old...
My son loves this toy.He has not "trapped" his finger in the skull like I have read in other reviews.I can see how it could happen though.It only has two removable parts, so less to lose.He can put the pieces together himself and uses the playmat even more than the toy itself.We have a lot of these car playsets and this one is one of the best.

I agree to the finger trap!
I agree to the finger trap, it even hurts an adults finger, my husband and I have had this toy it snapped at both our fingers, I am taking this toy back to the store tomorrow..

Finger trap
I cannot believe that I didn't see a single review about the trap that this toy is. I got this toy for my son who is 3 years old. He keeps watching the commercials on tv and decided to get it. As soon as I got it out of the box he started playing with it and no more than 5 minutes later got the first scary moment. He was scraming because his fingers got trapped on the skull. The toy works this way: On the left side of the toy, there is a "elevator" for the car. Whe this car gets to the top, the child is supposed to turn the skull toward the elevator for the car to get in. Sometimes the car does not go all the way inside the skull and the child has to push it in with his fingers. Well, when the car touches the opposite wall of the skull, the skull itself turns very fast toward the front of the toy. The fingers of the child then get trapped between the skull and somekind of bars. I was very scared because for a moment I didn't know which way to turn the head to release my child's fingers.
I know children love this toy but as a parent I would not recommended. I bought one to give as a gift for a friend, and there is no way I am going to do so. Both boxes are going to be returned to the store A.S.A.P.

... Read more

Editorial Review

Half road-construction project, half skateboard park, this curious toy features an unfinished highway in the shape of a halfpipe. Two windup cars, Police Car and Street Racer, chase each other around the track with the press of an activation button. A jump propels the cars over a missing section of road, while a roadblock net helps the cops capture the Racer. All in all, it seems like trouble waiting to happen. There's also an "underground tunnel"--in the center of the track, below street level--for the cars to whip through. A carrying handle helps you take the track with you, and its ends fold up for easier transport, but the toy does take up a lot of room. There are storage cubbies for the two cars, and their chassis are interchangeable. No batteries are required. --Andy Boynton ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Favorite Track Add On
This is our family's favorite!It makes the coolest sounds when the trains pass through it.This is a must have for the geotrax fan! ... Read more

Editorial Review

It's a really noisy day at the quarry. The" blastable" mountain has just been detonated and there is plenty of exposed rock to load up and haul away. Help the enormous rock excavator load up the dump truck and flatbed rail car. Then give it a push and watch the rock quarry rail move tones of rock down the mountain. Complete with an operational battery-operated detonator capable of blowing up the mountain and a wonderful assortment of track, this comprehensive 62-piece set is sure to excite any budding engineer. This relatively inexpensive real wood set is readily expanded and fully compatible with other name brand wooden railway systems. Two AA batteries required.--Deb Oroszlan ... Read more

Reviews (19)

This rock quarry does NOT rock!
(...)This set is horrid. The mountain blaster works with generic batteries but the blasting part is a ...joke. Place the rocks on the mountain top, push the TNT bar with your hands and the 3 tiny fake rocks that will fit on top... dribble or roll gently down the mountain side. Pop-up pirate is more thrilling in our opinion. (...). I know that the rocks cannot blast or someone will get hurt but this toy is un-thrilling. There is a lot of track included...really big tractor too! The train engine is nice I have to admit but the overall is a bore. Look on the net and find off brand sets that will rock your world for 29.99$...We did! The train set in the box was heavy and when together fits on a standard board. The illustrations are bland in the one page instruction sheet....The instructions seemed lacking and we had one extra peice left over. Most of the peices are wraped in plastic so the children will enjoy the thrill of unwrapping! The greatest joy for our 2 1/2 year old was the unwrapping...after that good night Irene.
We took it all back to Toysrus that same night and they refunded my money without question.
That is nice!

Rock Quarry-r-us-...
The rock quarry stinx. If I have to go find a certain battery that works, then I want to know why. Does the manufactorer also make the batteries or own stock in that company??? It is ridiculous. Instead, I have decided to hold an implosion of the rock mountain in front of my home. This way I will get more enjoyment than the frustration I have felt trying to figure out a 3 year olds malfunctioning toy. I will never buy a product from this company again.

BOOO to Imaginarium
Like everyone else I'm miffed. Try explaining to a three year old why the new toy ---that they're so excited to receive --- doesn't work. From reading these reviews, I've --thankfully-- found out it's probably the batteries. Do they have R&D in China? Does Toys-R-Us test any of the products their Product Buyer suggests? I don't mind getting and using specific batteries, but it is the company's responsibility to inform the public. I will think long and hard before buying any Imaginarium product again.
Shame Imaginarium. Shame Toys-R-Us.

New Present
We just got this for our 2 1/2 year old son for Christmas, so I am not sure of all the ins and outs yet. We were very disappointed to find that the rock quarry didn't work. I kept telling my son that I would try to call the company, etc., but finally today sat down at the computer to figure out what to do. I finally ended up at this page and all I can say is what a relief!

One thing, THANK YOU to all of you kind people who mentioned the Rayovac Max Life batteries. I just read about them this morning and went to 4 stores before I found them. I ended up having to buy a 30 pack, but it is well worth it!!! My son is so happy that we finally got it to work.

To those of you who want to just sit and feel sorry for yourselves, make a trip to the store for your kids. They will be happy to have a working set and the batteries are not more expensive than regular ones (duracell, energizer). It sounds to me like some of you just want to be angry.

Upset parent
This train set was a gift for my 3 year old. The rock quarry does not work. I am very upset. I refuse to buy special batteries that probably in time will fail also. One sheet of instructions is not enough. There isn't a customer service phone number in the box either. I will take this entire set back to Toys R Us and request a refund. I will then buy my son a different set, by a different vendor. This is very dissapointing. Toys r Us should take the set down that is on display in the store, and not sell this type of toy anymore. Imaginarium is making Toys r Us look bad as a retailer. The children go into the store and play with the display and when we as parents buy it for them, it doesn't work. This is just SAD. ... Read more

Reviews (28)

toy to make a kid smile
I am a grandfather of 4 and my 2 year old grandson just loves this item. We got it for him for his birthday and he has not stopped playing with it. He could race the cars for hours and hours. This toy is worth it.

The gold car always wins!
I bought this for my almost 4 year old and 17 month old daughters to play with together. They share it pretty well, but my 4 y.o. has figured out that the gold car ALWAYS nudges out the silver one and so, naturally, that's the car she always wants to play with. Luckily, you can use other cars (Matchbox clones) in there - as long as they're not too tall or long (the 1959 Lincoln is a little slow!) - so my toddler isn't always the LOSER. Like other people have commented, we have also experienced the sound going off when no one was around (not even the cat). I probably would take the batteries out if it went off more often but so far it's only happened a couple of times. If you're trying to keep it secret from the kids, though, note that the toy comes with batteries already installed, and the box DOES emit noise! (The UPS man was laughing when he gave it to me!)

The kids love it (even though Mommy doesn't!)!
This toy annoyed the heck out of me (I hear the noises it makes as the cars race down the speedway in my sleep!) but my kids love it.

World's Most Annoying Toy
I bought this for my son last Christmas. He enjoys it but the toy is about to meet Mr. Garbage. This toy has a feature that simulates the revving of a racecar engine. It's supposed to rev when you release the cars or when you pull the release in the opposite direction. However, at any given time (day or night) the revving of racecars can be heard. The least little bump to the toy, slightest breeze in the air or walking across the floor can set the thing off. I have to store this toy in our den downstairs or it will wake up the entire house at night. If Fisher Price hadn't designed it in such a sensitive manner, it would be a great toy; but it is EXTREMELY ANNOYING. Don't waste your money.

Toy is still in one piece
I am sure most of you can relate that toddler boys take everything apart and leave them in shambles around the house. Not this one. It comes in one piece and has stayed in one piece. The only complaint is the noise, but that can be remedied. The educational value, I suppose, is seeing how cars go down and seeing which is faster. My son has had it for a year and still plays with it from time to time. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Nice case, but not real durable
This case is a good first case for your little one. However, it's not very tough so it can be damaged very easily. And by ALL means, be sure to keep those removable trays inside the box. My husband stepped on one and punctured his foot! It holds 24 cars but the slots are different sizes for the different cars which is nice too. The sides are split already on ours and we've had it for only 7 months. It doesn't keep the cars from moving around once it is picked up and they completely are messed up and need reorganized if it is moved via the handle. ... Read more

Editorial Review

With so much going on in this multi-level parking garage, kids could be occupied all day. The first level features a convenience store with gasoline pumps for fueling up. Kids can park cars on one of the three upper tiers and send them zooming down again to exit at either a drop-down ramp or a switch-controlled ramp with a lift-up barrier at the end. A flip-up car launcher on the third tier gets cars up to the very top to meet guests on the helipad where the movable helicopter arrives. A lane switching gate on the third floor blocks one of the two exit ramps on this tier to prevent accidents. The accompanying pretend two-way radio has a light-up antennae and plays four realistic sounds, including a car horn and a helicopter motor. A working microphone on the radio lets kids give instructions to the parking attendants and store employees. The garage comes with 12 die-cast vehicles, ranging from 18-wheelers to sports cars—and even an ice-cream truck. This toy requires three AAA batteries for operation and a parents’ assistance for assembly. --Cristina Vaamonde ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Garage Playset Review
This toy is loads of fun, if only it wouldn't break. Within a day of having it, ramp pieces broke off, and broke where they affix to other parts, so that they could not be used anymore. This toy is not durable, nor do the pieces stay together well even when they're not broken.

delicate
My 3 year old son loves this toy but cannot manage to assemble it himself. After ours of adults trying to assemble it, I had to download a picture of it assembled to figure it out. The plastic tabs that hold the pieces together are fragile and break off easily. The other plastic parts are durable and the diecast cars are great. They are not much use if I have to glue the pieces together just for him to play.

Cheap Plastic
My 3 year old son received this as a birthday gift 3 weeks ago, he had wanted it after seeing the picture on the box. It took quite a bit of time because there were so many pieces! One of the ramps, the tabs would not clasp together, so my husband put tape on it to make it stick. The yellow base constantly breaks apart, which then makes the whole thing fall apart. My son played it with only 2 days before he became frustrated. A better toy is the Fisher Price Little People Ramps Around Garage, which he received for Christmas. It's very sturdy, the tabs are thick and lock properly, and assembly is fairly easy.

Piece of JUNK!!!
My very first review ever - never hated something so much that I felt I ought to let the public know so they don't make the same mistake. Read these other reviews - they're a lot nicer than what I'm going to say here. Not only do the ramps fall apart and the thing is like a HOUSE OF CARDS, but the stickers/decals on this thing is also CHEAPPPPPPPP! They keep peeling off or falling off. It's like George Costanza got the cheap wedding invitations and the glue on the envelopes were poison. They must have used the same adhesives on their decals. NOT WORTH THE MONEY OR THE AGGRAVATION. I'm wondering how I can get rid of this P.O.S. that is less than a month old (today is 1/13/04 and he got it for Xmas). Already one of the ramps is broken and I've used Elmer's glue on about 4 or 5 of the decals/stickers to keep the stupid things on.

Faulty
This toy falls apart frequently. The ramps come off often. The small pieces that attach the ramps break. The plastic is not durable. My 3 yr old daughter broke a small plastic lever that starts a car on it's way down the ramps. My daughter is often aggravated by this toy. She would really like the garage if it was more durable. ... Read more

Editorial Review

What good is owning a whole fleet of die cast racing vehicles if they end up sprawled across a bedroom floor or buried in the bottom of a toy box? This clever toy within a toy system features 18 racecars of varying shapes and sizes as well as a sizable truck to tote them around with.The truck, which wheels about quite nicely on its own, has 18 individual clear plastic compartments, each of which could probably also hold most Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars. The smaller cars rolled about the tabletop quite capably during our informal test and we liked the idea of a convenient storage system that can join in the fun and excitement of pretend play. --Charlie Williams ... Read more