Reviews (1)

saving the daywith a fire truck!
For my birthday today I got this lego set.It was really fun to build so I liked it.I played with it for 2 strait hours.Legos are my favorite toys.Overall this was a really really fun set. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great combination of a train and a puzzle.
My almost 2 year old daughter received this for Christmas this year (1 month ago).

She loves to play with it as a train - she lets her stuffed animals ride it and even tries to ride it herself.

As a puzzle, she has mastered the 'take it apart' aspect, and is learning to put it back together. It is a well designed puzzle that will be challenging for younger toddlers - some of the reasons that you'd choose block X over block Y are subtle - but it is still a serviceable train most ways you can put it together, although it might look odd.

It is very durable and safe. My daughter has sat upon it, stood on it, and dropped it on a wooden floor. So far it is still completely intact. Nothing has chipped or come loose.

This is another great Melissa and Doug product that will be enjoyed for many years, provided we can avoid losing the pieces. Toddlers can play with it on a simple level - it is a train - or a more complex level as a puzzle.

The Stacking Train is HEAPS of fun!
At first, I wondered if the Stacking Train was ever going to entertain my son. You see the cars slide off the linking dowels, if pushed down too hard. Well, at least when traveling on carpet, which is the main playing surface in our home. What's more, the order in which the blocks stack onto the cars is essential for movement. The blocks don't have to stack in perfect order, but certain blocks must be stacked in the appropriate places, otherwise the wheels cannot rotate. My husband and I noticed how aggravated Will became when he first started playing with the Stacking Train; thus, we intervened as the toy frustrated him so. Once he became familiar with the puzzle, (2 weeks later) he began to enjoy playing with it. The Stacking Train soon became a favorite, and now, 7-months later, it still amuses him for 30 minutes or more a day.

I have found that sometimes the age recommendation on toys is not always accurate. This plaything is appropriately labeled for 2 and up, and will probably continue to entertain my son for another 6 months or more. As a side note, the stacking order is quite complex for little minds. Although this does not take away from the fun-factor, it can add to the level of frustration. This mommy had to go on-line to see the stacking sequence so she could teach her son.

The Stacking Train is a well-built puzzle! It has been tossed around, stepped on, and even chewed upon, yet keeps on rolling. There are NO sharp edges on this toy, but we have had a few minor mishaps when my son, who plays rough, has pulled the dowels off the cars. We glued them back with wood glue, and the following day this choo choo is back to rolling around on the floor. Recently, my son lost one of the blue dowels, which links the cars together. I called the customer service number, found on the bottom of the toy, and the company replaced the entire train for nothing. Now that's excellent customer service! Overall, I recommend the Stacking Train as it's engaged my son for hours on end, plus the educational values are significant.

Other Points of Interest:
· No batteries required
· There are NO safety concerns with this plaything, i.e. strangling, smothering, cutting, or swallowing
· Gender neutral plaything
· No assembly
· Lifetime guarantee

Happy Playing,
Mary

reaches for train again and again
My child loves this wooden train set.
She started playing with this at 21 months
and still loves it at 24 months.
Great job guys!!!

Great durable toy
My son ended up getting 2 sets of these trains. I can't tell you how much he loves them. The first set he got as a gift last year when he was 10 months old. He got a second set as a gift a month ago (at 20 mos) and we were going to return it, but he became so excited when he saw them, we let him keep it. I am so glad we did, he has combined the trains, can now sort the blocks by color, "parks" the trains and takes them everywhere. Our Parent Teacher Educator commented that he plays really well by himself, ESPECIALLY with the trains. They look simple, but they are great for children to develop imaginitive play.

Brandon loved this toy
I first saw in the store I didn't buy it because the 2 age was older than my 16 month old, but then he played with it at his cousin's house. I couldn't get him to let go!

He loves this train at 17 months, he plays with it everyday, he takes the blocks off and puts them back on. He also is learning his colors.

Great toy! We have quite a lot of Mellisa and Doug products in our house! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great for imaginative playing
This was a gift for a "mature" three-and-a-half-year-old boy with a very active imagination and a passionate enthusiasm for all things pirate. He loves pirate adventure books and already had many of these stories in his head before receiving this Playmobil set.

The set includes enough accouterments to keep this young child entertained for a relatively long time. Some of the smaller, "precious" pieces of the set have allowed him to grow into a more conscientious toy owner, as he actually takes the time to put away these parts safely.

I look forward to adding to his collection with other Playmobil sets. I hope that his love for the pirate theme lasts a few more years, when I think the more intricate Playmobil Pirate Ship will be better age appropriate. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great for the imagination
This toy is great for young children's imaginations and creativity. The story book is short and simple, perhaps by too much, but I guess that leaves more room for imaginary play. The pieces seem to be durable and my five year old has no difficulty putting the pieces together. She really enjoys making new animal creations out of them. The pieces are, however, tough for a just-turned-3 year old to put together. She still enjoys playing with the creations once they have been assembled.
Overall, this toy provides a lot of creative fun for kids. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Really Fun
My six-year-old helped me build this a few days ago and we had a lot of fun with it.It has some easy assemblies that are great for young kids who can't build the whole wheel themselves.Build time is around 3 - 4 hours and the result is well worth it.It's a lot of fun to sit and watch when the music is playing and the wheel is spinning.My only complaints are that the motor is too loud and the design doesn't allow for easy disengagement of the gears for manual spinning.And don't forget:there are instructions to build two other amusement park rides with this set for a total of three rides (but there are only enough pieces to build one at a time).Overall this is a must-have K'Nex set.

Better than the real version!
My daughter (9 at the time) received this last year and absolutely loves it! She started on building it one day and finished the next, the instructions were easy to follow and she loved the building process more than playing with it at the end!
She has built the other 2 rides as well, but enjoys the ferris wheel the most. ... Read more

Editorial Review

LEGO NBA Challenge (3432) This is a real, functioning table-top basketball game made entirely out of LEGOs. The surprising thing is how well it works--you can stage your own 2-player tournament of little red men versus little blue men, or practice free throws solo. Here’s how it works: you make your men, who are mounted on a spring mechanism, and then shoot or pass by flicking the ball in the direction you want it to go. Each little ball player is mounted in a dimple on the court, allowing the ball to roll to him. There is also a defensive player at each end of the court who can be hoisted up and down with a lever to block shots. Not exactly a realistic simulation, but really fun nevertheless. It is quite a task to assemble the thing, but the text-free instructions allow for kids to do this themselves. If there is one downside, it’s that pieces tend to fall off with overly enthusiastic play, but, being LEGOs, they snap right back on. --David Stoesz ... Read more

Reviews (6)

NBA Challenge - try putting it together in the first place!
I had great fun putting it together, but it took me over an hour to do so. The instructions are clear although some of the colours are confusing (black pieces looks grey in the booklet). Younger children will probably need help setting it up - and some adults too. I'm hoping the basketballs will last till the new year...

this toy stinks.
I bought this thinking it would be cool. it sort of is,but is is so hard to put together to do.Lego soccer is so much easier to put together.
I havn't played with it yet. im still putting it together.

I bought it 3 days ago, and im still not finished.

mixed feelings
Ok
at first you think it is the best. if you don't have anyone to play with you, you get bored easily like me. I got it, built it, played for awhile and got bored. if you want to you can make the court nearly unbreakable. i really like it but i get bored easily. all in all i am happy i got it but i wish i had someone to play With in my family. do not think it is like other legos where they break easily b/c it doesnt break that easily as you may think it is.

PROS: fun to build, easy to play with, pretty durable

CONS: boring when you are by yourself,

Basketball for Lego
this game is awesome and has a ton of acceseries

???????
It isnt Fun,I built it 3 times and it fell apart every time.
you should just stick to megabloks they have a lot cooler and alot more durable!!!!!!!!!!!!and fun!!!!!!!
lego hockeyis going to be alot better[I hope]!!!!!11 ... Read more

Editorial Review

This light gray 15-by-15-inch LEGO base plate makes a great foundation for all kinds of fascinating LEGO creations. LEGO pieces snap easily onto the textured surface of this flexible plastic board, which is large and sturdy enough to support even your more elaborate scenes: space stations, launch sites, castles, forts, and cities--whatever you can imagine. The base plate holds your LEGO creations together and makes them easy to move around and display. (LEGO pieces are sold separately.) --Elisabeth Fredrickson ... Read more

Reviews (3)

It's not what I remember.....
Yes, it's a grey 15" square Lego plate. But I seem to remember the "baseplates" being the same thinkness as a regular Lego piece. ...the base plate is a thin (1/16"?), flexible Lego baseplate that will allow you to build really big stuff, but it's tough to use on the "living room carpet" because it is so thin it flexes into the carpet when you try to press a "house" onto it. The result is that either only one corner of the house sticks, or it sticks fine, but all the other structures you've put on, flex off.

Anyway, it's a vital item in any kid's (or adult's) Lego set....

Big board is the biggest fun ever!!!!!
The replay value of the big blank board is unbelievable. I've spent hours playing with just this piece.

A big blank canvas always presents a challenge
And this is the biggest one Lego offers. I still have mine from childhood, so it does last if you are careful with it, but any child old enough to play with it could snap it in half without too much effort. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Dora Legos are Adorable
Our family loves legos and my 22 month-old daughter loves Dora so it is a great combination. One thing I really like about this Lego set is that the Dora and Diego figures look like the cartoon renditions. There are so many Dora toys out there that are just ugly. These are cute and of course since it is Lego it is extremely durable. ... Read more