Reviews (2)

Holds up to daily playtime!
Santa brought this set for my 3 year old son last Christmas and he has played with it everyday since. With daily use, this wooden set is holding up to his rough play. His favorite piece is Cranky the Crane. It's easy to add onto as we have added the hospital and another bridge. We purchased a Nilo table to put the train on so it will stay together. Well worth the money!

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.

This is a nice layout that provides far more track than the usual figure 8 layout that gets purchased first. But it is very expensive. There is generic track available that costs far less. Our kids haven't noticed the difference. IT IS EASY TO CREATE ELEVATED TRACK AND BRIDGES USING LEGO OR DUPLO PIECES AS SUPPORTS. GENERIC CRANES ARE AVAILABLE FOR MUCH LESS.

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.

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. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Not just fun
This toy does what all toys should do! It doesn't just entertain a child it challenges him to be creative and resourceful.After he's jumped over just about everything in his room he can construct pyramids and walls of toys that he can then jump over or into.When the constructed walls get to big to jump he can buil a ramp to jump his truck even higher.After seeing how much fun this toy is I just had to write this review!!

endless possibilites for Excitement
This is a Awesome toy.Definately a BIG BOYS Toy for kids. It jumps almost a foot every time. Its just like going to the Monter Truck races right in our own living room. My 7 year old son loves to raise the bar every time he jumps it.First he starts with small cars and then he builds big walls. The excitement possibilites are endless.He sits for hours by himself or with friends either seeing how many things he can jump over or how big the crash is when he builds up walls.All of his friends love it too.You must make sure you read the directions on the bottom of the box so you know how to work it.Then let it rip!

Big air Fun!
Like the others it took me a little time to figure out how to get the truck to latch down, but from there I showed my two boys what to do and they were off jumping over and through all they could set up indoors and out.It's worth the time and money to get this and figure it out!!!

My 4yr old's b-day present.........
The weekend of our (Hot Wheels crazy) son's 4th b-day we
were playing with his new toys right away and our first
impression of this toy was also, take it back to Wal-mart. But then mom (me) played around with it a little bit and things started getting fun with this toy. One time we had it rolling down the hall and it went into the bedroom and under the bed when the truck jumped getting it stuck under there.
Dad had to lift the bed to get Grave Digger out. We where having a laugh with that one.We continue to have a lot of fun with this toy. It's very durable, little hard to get pushed down, it rolls a certain distance and then jumps. We set up things
for it to jump and its really fun. We give it a thumbs up despite
the price of this one.

Big Disappointment
I bought this for my grandson and I am returning it tomorrow. It's difficult even for and adult to use.The directions are not clear and when you finally get it locked down it does not jump like described. My grandson, who loves Hot Wheels and Monster Trucks, was bored and disappointed after only a few tries. Don't waste your money! (I paid $21.95 at KMart) ... 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

Kindhearted but noisy, Harold the Helicopter likes to drop in on the Island of Sodor to visit his railway friends. This 4-inch sturdy wood helicopter is white with a sleek red racing stripe above his name. With a rotating propeller and plastic landing pontoons, Harold is ready for action. Based on the popular Thomas the Tank Engine series by Reverend W. Awdry and the PBS television show Shining Time Station, this flying fellow is part of the much-loved wooden railway system, which is compatible with other magnetic train sets. You can reenact all the exciting stories in the series or make up new ones. Thomas fans won't want to miss out on any of these fun, well-built railway characters. --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Lots of fun, but easily broken
My 3 year old son did chores around the house to buy this toy himself. We were very disappointed when one of the rotors broke off within a month. I was with him when it broke. He was not doing anything rough with it. He didn't even drop it. We did not realize there was a guarantee. We've glued it back together at least 10 times. I don't know if that voids the guarantee or not.

Otherwise, it is a great toy. My son carries it all over the place. He says it is his favorite.

I guess the older propellers work better
I've noticed a bunch of complaints regarding the proplellers on Harold the Helicopter. My Harold is over eight years old and it still has his propellers in fine working order. My problem with Harold is the fact that there's not much to do with him. The new hospital track gives him a place to land but he gets boring quickly. Still a good buy though.

love it!
My son has this toy. He loves it. The plastic rotors keep breaking off,(we are on our 3rd Harold and have to get a 4th now.) I have had a hard time trying to find out who to contact for replacement now that the company has switched hands.

Harold's propellers break easily
I have a normal active three year old boy, who loves his Harold. However, the propellers are made of a hard plastic that snap if they are stepped on or smacked around - hard to avoid with a 3 yr old boy! Thank goodness for the lifetime replacement guarantee - that's why I continue to buy this brand. Harold has been replaced twice - my son thinks he goes to the repair shop! Overall the Thomas wooden train system is incredible, but like any brand, it does have it's glitches.

Great toy but breaks easily
My kids have several Thomas toys from Imaginarium and they LOVE them. This one is the least durable of the bunch. 2 blades have broken off of Harold, so his flying is a little lopsided these days. I think they need to try another approach for the blades. ... 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

Reviews (25)

She laughs and dances
When we play with this toy ... and she is only 1 .... she loves "chewing" on the people, and playing the music.

I just wish that there was more options to the sayings/music or at least the music played longer than just sampling it.

A great toy for your own Little Person!
My mother got this toy for our son at his first Christmas, when he was 4 months old - - he's now almost 11 months. He wasn't too interested in it at first, but over the past couple of months, it has really become one of his favorites. I know it is intended for toddlers+, but my little one really likes to take the people in and out of the bus - - the top is open so it's easy for him to do. He loves it when we push the button to make the songs play. And he likes to open and close the doors. I think he will enjoy this one for a long time to come, and we're planning on getting him other Little People sets for his upcoming birthday.

My two year old loves this toy
I got this for my two year old daughter 8 months ago, and she still plays with it almost daily. She just loves it.She lovesthe music too!

Fun for toddlers
Both of my girls, ages 2 and 4, enjoy playing with this bus. It comes with about four Little People and a wheelchair. The side door and back door open (for wheelchair access), the headlight/eyes move as the bus rolls, and the stop sign can be pulled out from the side of the bus. It plays two songs, beeps, and makes a "voom voom" sound.

One thing I like about this bus is that it moves only by kid-power, not a motor or wind up, so it can't go too fast and bump into things. It tends to engage the kids in more quiet play, rather than some of the motorized toys that zoom around the house. Also the noises that it makes are not too loud.

This toy has paid for itself in terms of the amount of use it gets. If I could only afford one Little People toy, I'd choose the Farm, but the bus is reasonably priced and the kids love it, so if you can afford it, get it!

Wheels on the Bus!!!
This doesn't keep my little one entertained for hours but she is a girl, so that might be why. Her favorite song is the Wheels on the Bus, so she'll press the little horn button inside the bus and sing and dance. Really cute!! She's only 2years old and she's never played with or shown any interest in Little People and I believe that I read somewhere that they don't get into imaginary play until they're closer to 3. Not for my 2 year old but very cute nonetheless. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Looks like the boat my dad wants
The boat is fast and fun. My little brother always trys to take the remote control box from me! No Way

weak battery life
nice boat. fast but not very fast, and the battery if gone in no time!!!

Mega Deprasor
I bought this a month a ago then bought a mega -gator. They worked for two days. Then I returned them. Then I bought a T-maxx. I was more thilled with a 40+mph car than 2 corny boats.
I saw Buy a Maxx

Speed Quincher
This thing goes as fast 34 in rc battleship! The coolest thing about it was when I took it to Hawaii. I took it in the tunnels.

great boat
This boat is great! It is fast, durable, and handles like a dream... ... Read more

Editorial Review

Okay, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense that SpongeBob SquarePants and his starfish friend Patrick are racing around in cars. They live under the sea, after all. Wouldn’t the cars, you know, float away? But "sense" is something best dispensed of when exploring SpongeBob’s world. We are, after all, talking about a necktie-wearing kitchen sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea. This cool little racetrack is sure to please the SpongeBob faithful with thoughtfully detailed set pieces such as the Krusty Krab restaurant, and the homes of both SpongeBob and Patrick. The set features many pieces and takes a while to set up. As for the actual racing part of the set, it works fairly well, even if the cars are on the pokey side. --Charlie Williams ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Just not worth it
My son recieved this for Christmas. Most of the time the cars simply will not move now because of the poorly built cars. I remember as a child instead of these quickly degrading bits of metal twisted together there were actual metal bands which would make the cars move. The track does go together well, and stayed together for me. But when you first try the cars out they move much to quickly and fly off the track(until the braids wear out and they refuse to move-which takes only a few days). I have yet to find any race tracks these days which are made properly.

Is playtesting before marketing a lost art?
Doesn't anybody playtest toys anymore before they toss them onto the market? Or is it enough that they look great and have a sure-fire cartoon character tie-in?

I ask, because as great and seemingly durable as this little SpongeBob race set is, had anybody in the Mattel boardroom actually tried to play it they would have quickly realized what a Festival of Frustration it is.

When you open the box, you're bound to be delighted by the brightly colored cardboard punch-out set decorations and the really super SpongeBob and Patrick "boats" (slot cars), which feel nice and hefty and solid. Once you've figured out how to put the track together (was it too difficult to actually label the tracks with the same letters by which the instructions refer to them?), and hooked up the power pack and the controllers (kudos for being battery powered, rather than requiring a wall socket, though the option for both would have been nice -- four "D" batteries ain't cheap), the next thing you're going to do, logically, is place the cars on the track and give a controller a squeeze.

And then the NEXT thing you're going to do is get up off your knees and go get the car and put it back on the track. Another squeeze, another track departure, another retrieval. Repeat ad nauseum. Or at least until your kid decides it's more fun to throw the controller at the little cardboard set decorations -- something which you may find yourself in agreement with.

Put simply, these sturdy plastic boat cars are ponderously heavy and too fast for their own good, which means they are highly susceptible to inertia: squeeze lightly and they do not move, just buzz plaintively. Squeeze just ever-so-slightly too hard and they go from standstill to Mario Andretti to Evel Kneivel in under a second, forcing you to spend 80 to 90 percent of your time crawling over to them and putting them back on the track.

And if YOU think that sounds annoying, wait until you see your preteen's reaction.

I did not personally experience any problem with the track coming apart, as some reviewers have mentioned. But that may be because Patrick and Bob spent the lion's share of their time extratrackular.

Don't bother
Honestly...this is one of those toys that is a big waste of money. The cars fall off the track too easily, the cardboard scenes are a major pain and just fall off and don't stand up properly and the overall track isn't very durable. It was a huge disappointment.

My son likes to play with the cars without the track because it just doesn't work well enough with them on the track.

I should have returned this.

Try Something Else
My son got this for Christmas and he was very excited. The assembly was easy enough, but the cardboard cut-outs would not stay up. It was also difficult to keep the braids under the cars in the right position so the cars would even go. I'd try another track before I wasted money on this one!

Too Much Fun !!!!!
I bought this for my 6 year old. I put it together myself (not very hard)and we just love it. You have to learn to slow down around the curves so the cars don't fly off. After a few times around the track it's alot of fun. I would buy this for any spongebob fan.... ... Read more

Editorial Review

The young builder in your family will appreciate the realisticdetails built into this Mercedes Benz Cement Mixer. Measuring animpressive 22.5 inches long, the truck is equipped with a hand-powered,spinning cement drum and a three-piece extendable dispenser chute thatswivels up to 180 degrees off the back of the truck. When not in use,the two extra chute extensions clip into place on either side of thetruck, and the cement mixer handle on top of the truck can be tuckedaway neatly. Made of sturdy plastic, the truck rides smoothly on eightrubber tires, and when it's not moving you can tilt the front cabinforward to reveal a large truck engine underneath. Both of the sidemirrors on the front of the truck are adjustable. --Chris Burns ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great truck!
My son got this truck as a Christmas present and he plays with it every day...he loves to look in the window and turn the crank that makes the mixer spin. He looks at the 'engine' and pushes it all over the house. He's 22 lbs. and sits on the mixer daily and it's still as good as new!

Model like toy
This company really deserves and award! They have made a toy that really works, and yet it looks like a model! My kid has banged it around , and yet it is still holding up! Good job bruder! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Those of us who spend a lot of time looking at, evaluating, and playing with toys often complain that they all start to look alike after a while. After all, a racetrack is a racetrack and a doll is a doll right? But once in a while, a toy comes along that really makes us sit up and take notice. In that vein, the Hot Wheels Slimecano is easily the weirdest toy we've seen in a long time. The idea is to power up your Hot Wheels car (none included) using a special charger at the base of a big brown mountain with a creepy snake face carved into it. Then while the mountain starts spewing slime, you race to the top, avoiding falling boulders and trying to successfully jump over a pit of goo. The mountain shakes periodically and plays five different sound effects. The Slimecano promises a lot of action and happily it's well-designed so everything works pretty well. Although we're not sure how much sustained play value the Slimecano will have over the course of months and years, it at least brings a unique and bizarre element to the racetrack category. --Charlie Williams ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A Waste of Money
This is the worst Hot Wheels toy on the market right now. I am stunned that this product was allowed to enter the market with all of its flaws. It's flimsy, hard to put together, and lasts for about a day before it falls apart. Shame on this manufacturer!

lm
My son picked this out for his 6th birthday. It did take me about 45 minutes to assemble and it's not really sturdy, but he has enjoyed it. He loves the slime mostly. The pieces do come apart alot but otherwise it works well. Don't know that it is quite worth the price, but fun--just remember to have them play on a washable surface. We set it up on the kitchen floor.

Terrible Quality
The quality of this toy is so bad that my 4-year-old son recognized that the toy wasn't made well. It takes an incredible amout of time to assemble and falls apart easily. I took it back to the store because my son was so frustrated I couldn't take the temper tantrums. Hot Wheels needs to review the quality of this toy before it damages the reputation of their entire line of toys.

Slimecano is not a good time
Ok, i have to tell you, this toy is not a kid-friendly toy what so ever. It felt like we put more time putting this thing together and put together again (after falling apart over an over and over again)than we did actually playing it. This toy is highly NOT RECOMMENDED!!!!!

Very misleading
I was very disappointed with this product. I purchased 15 different Hot Wheels play sets for my son and on the back of the box it showed how you could attach it all to make a realistic town for your child to play with. The pieces easily fall apart and you spend more time putting it back together than playing with it. I also couldn't find the additional track to connect this to other playsets as displayed on the back of the boxes. It turns out that Mattel does not sell this additional track in stores and you have to order it direct from them. The sales people that I spoke with at Mattel had very little knowledge of their products and to top it all off...when I rec'd my additional track (which was very expensive) it didn't come with the stickers that actually make it look realistic. The road displayed on the boxes show stickers and look realistic but that is definitely not what you will receive. The Mattel rep informed me that they do make stickers for their replacement track which to me is very misleading. You are expecting a certain quality of product when you invest in these toys but are certainly not receiving what you are paying for. I would recommend not investing much money in the different world play sets offered by Mattel. Don't expect to be able to make the big elaborate towns for your child that Mattel leads you to believe you can make by purchasing all of their different playsets! Very disappointing!!! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Watch out for falling rock! Railroad construction ahead!Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends Big Loader will bring out the train conductor in any child. When the big loader is running, use the control buttons on the track to make the train change direction. Itsy-bitsy engineers control whatever it does next. The track includes hoppers, loading docks, and transfer ramps. The motorized chassis fits under Thomas, Percy, and Terrance, the toys' included companions. After parents take a few minutes to read the simple instructions, make sure a 2-by-2-foot space is available for construction. Requires one AA battery for operation. --Andrea Linsky ... Read more

Features

• Thomas, Percy, and Terrence cars included
• Requires at least a 2-by-2-foot space

Reviews (85)

Not very happy
We got this train for our daughters 4th Birthday and when we took it out of the box the main train that pulls the rest was broken. We tried to figure out how it goes together and never did so she has not got a chance to play with it! The box was in great condition so I really do not know how it was in so many pieces when we got it! I am not happy about that, but as far as fun...can't say due to it never working!! I hope others that purchase this toy have better luck that we have had.

GREAT GIFT!!!!
My son received this toy for his 3rd birthday- and it is, by far, his favorite gift. He loves watching the trains do their jobs loading and unloading the "rocks." And, after it goes around the correct way a few times, he likes to switch things up and see what happens if he puts the trains in the wrong places. The parents who are complaining that this is not an interactive toy need to realize that it is interactive if you let your kids try different things with it. It doesn't always have to work in the right order for the toy to be fun. As a matter of fact, by putting things in the wrong order to see what happens, my son gets a great lesson in cause and effect.

Took a while to assemble but IT WORKS!
My son is 2 and a half. I'm a 34-year-old Network Engineer. I had not heard of the original "Big Loader" toy or how it worked, but my son saw the box in the store with Thomas, Percy, and Terence the Bulldozer - and that was it. He was sold. He didn't care what the toy actually did, as long as it had these three characters. So I figured "What the heck" and purchased it.

First off, I will also agree with many of the opinions - the included instruction page (note: singular) needs some more detail. I also had to resort to the box illustrations for help.

However, I *DID* manage with the instructions. I didn't have any problems with the battery compartment, the tracks fit nicely, and the whole track stayed assembled.

The next challenge was to figure out the motorized routine. After about 10 tries, I finally was able to coordinate the motor's direction, orientation, and the train-cover layout to get it all working.

And me and my son just stared at that toy for ten minutes straight. Whenever the train changed from Thomas to Percy, he would giggle. Same for when the bulldozer activates. He does appreciate the "fragility" of the system by telling everyone to "stand-back" while it runs. I also think a lot of it had to do with me having fun with the toy as well. Since I didn't get (too) frustrated with putting it together, he wasn't afraid or put-off by it either.

Tomy also has an even larger kit that adds-on to this one. I might have to save that for another day....

BOTTOM LINE: Not a typical train-set. Takes some effort to construct *AND* operate. Features 3 popular Thomas characters.

He played with it once & all the pieces are everywhere
My mom bought this for my son. It never really ran right, wouldn't stay on the track, & the pellets go everywhere. He would get frustrated & so did I. We put it away the first day & no one ever asked for it again, thank goodness.

Happy with thomas
Our 3 year old son got this track a year ago and hardly played with it because we only let him watch and touch the levers. However, once we stopped worrying about what happened to the toy and let him be hands on, he has played with it nonstop for two weeks. He doesn't even need the train to be turned on, and will push it around manually. It is incredibly durable to deal with his handling, and after the first couple times to figure it out, very easy to put together-he even knows how it works. Great toy! ... Read more