Vehicle Reviews

When my sister plays express with Gordon and all the coaches she sometimes has a hard time pulling them. Then when I help her I realize how many coaches Gordon can pull. It amazes me how strong gordon really is. Like all Thomas trains the magnet is very durable and it can be used for hours of use.

Gordon is a big express engine who is fast. He is the same size as He is in some story stops like Gordon takes a dip and Henry and the elephant. He has a tender with the number 4 on it.

This huge toy is loved by many; you can roll it around, make a train, play games, and lots of other stuff with it.

Also, it is very durable.

This toy is great!

This was a gift to my newborn boy, but my 2 1/2 year old adores it!
Pros:
1. helps teach letters (each animal has the letter that starts its name on its back)
2. compact, portable
3. cute!
4. animals good for other play (my daughter likes to pretend to "save" them when they are stuck in a tree, or have them ride in her "airplane" (shoe)... and much much more
5. OK for babies (although the animals are smallish, ~ 3inches tall, they never presented a choking hazard for my son -- who likes to chew them)
6. The animals machine wash well (see chewing note above :) )
Cons:
1. Lots of pieces to lose -- we lost the lion for quite a while, but he showed up behind the entertainment center
2. Some of the animals are not so recognizable -- I think "N" is a newt, but it's hard to tell.

Despite the few cons, this is probably my favorite toy that my kids have. Thus, 5 stars all around!

I bought this for my daughter at 17 months and she loves it. Not only is it beautiful, it's the best quiet time toy ever!!

We've owned this toy for over 3 years. The manufacturer (Pockets of Learning) replaces missing pieces at no charge, not even shipping!

We bought this for my daughter when she was 18 months old, and now, almost a year later, I can see that it was one of the best investments we have made in toys. This set has grown with her, from interesting noise and music maker to inspiring genuine make-believe play. As she has discovered and explored different aspects of daily life in our home-the phone, computer, washing machine, etc, she has transferred them to her dollhouse. The most recent and handy, in my opinion, has been her teaching the daddy and mama figures to "go potty" in the little bathroom that comes complete with a flush sound affect when you put the lid down. I don't find the sound effects annoying, and though we leave it on all the time I have never had to replace the batteries. Word to the wise: the "play center" they advertise is actually a little walker type chair (I thought it was a playpen or something), but my daughter loves it because she uses it as a highchair, so the whole family can sit around the table together. And the rumors are true-adults like it, too. A couple of my single friends came over right after we got it, and I walked in the living room to find both of them cross legged on the floor, pushing buttons, opening doors, and making various assorted comments about how much better today's toys are then when they were kids. My daughter, by the way, was taking a nap at the time. (: This is one of the few toddler games I can enjoy for more than a few minutes with my little girl. She also has the minivan and I have just purchased the playground as well. I love that there are no small parts to worry about with these sets, but they are nevertheless detailed and complete. All in all, cozy, durable, enduring fun. Highly recommended.

My 1 year old just loves this little house. My other kids age 6-15 have fun playing with it also. I wish it had a garage like my house, the older one, did. Also, what happened to the doorbell?

Definitely recommend this toy for great learning fun!

I have gotten this as a gift for my daughter's first birthday. She doesn't "understand" it quite yet, but she has put the people and parts into the house and seems to sort of get it. She is excited when I bring it out and show it to her. I pointed out that the (play peices) mom is holding a bottle and that the dad is holding a phone, which she can identify with! This toy is durable, but might be able to be knocked over by older kids. Just put it a good place. I'm sure with being a stay at home mom, I'll have a great time with this toy and my daughter as she grows up! The sounds are realistic and the house is nicely designed. You can also put all the parts inside and close it up. There are not too many of them, and they are not too small.

I was really disapointed when I found my Lady's paint chipped off in most places. We need a new one now and that's a bummer becase I have at least 70 thomas trains and most of them survived pretty well .

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.

The only problem--if you can call it that--is that you can't just buy one! Your kids will want more and more. These are the most played with toys our son has. The characters are his friends, and we tell stories with Thomas, James, Gordon, and the rest of the gang.

Lady only appears in the Thomas and the Magic Railroad movie. But she is an important character, and the kids adore her. My own three-year old son was so overcome with excitement at the sight of Lady that for a long time he couldn't watch her when she first appeared on-screen and wouldn't play with her when we initially bought him this toy. She is magical, and kids pick up on that. THIS IS AN ESSENTIAL PIECE IF YOUR CHILD HAS SEEN THE THOMAS AND THE MAGIC RAILROAD MOVIE. Note that durability is an issue: the smokestack is very thin at the bottom and can easily snap off.

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.

When I ordered this item, it was listed at $.... When I received the item in the mail, it was listed at $..., not what was shown on the website. Also, I thought this would be a metal piece, like the Thomas we already have, instead it is wooden.

This is a great thing to buy for boys. You have no idea how creative my son got when he found out he could be a farmer in town. But there is a few things you might like to know...My son played very hard with this toy and the wheels needed to be replaced long before they should have. I have no problem updating things but replacement parts are costly.

My 3 year old son recieved this tractor from Santa and my DS loves the tractor. Truly, I'd recommend this product for any 3-6 year old child.

I'm annoyed however for a couple of reasons, primarily as a result of the products quality and details. For instance, the decorative stickers have absolutely lost and/or never had any adhesiveness. The tractor has been out of the box 5 days now and the stickers don't stick. Basically, remember to bring on the super glue as you put this product together.

Another annoyance is the gas cap. The tractor is molded and cut for the gas cap to fit tight;however, the gas cap keeps popping off and is now broken. A 4" diameter hole sits in the side of this tractor just waiting for tiny toys to be dropped in and fished out.

This is not a complaint just something to keep in mind if you purchase this product. Putting the tractor together takes about 20 minutes. You need a block of wood and hammer to pound the wheels in place. DH and I didn't consider that fact when Santa called and we made quite a bit of noise.

We also purchased a trailer for the tractor and found the trailer literally within seconds of performing an Internet search. Attaching the trailer hitch required a 1/2" spade bit and a screw driver so tack on 10 or so additional minutes to put the trailer together.

Overall the product appears safe and stable. We've scrutinized the product and are satisfied outside the stickers and the gas cap.

Our almost 3yr old boy is obsessed with this tractor. It is his favorite ride on toy of the many that he has, including the battery powered car. This is his top choice hands down. We like it too because it seems sturdier than some other ride ons. I would not recommend it for much under 3 yrs or 3 ft tall, because you have to be fairly tall to pedal it. He got it when he was just barely 2 and has only recently grown into it. Buy the trailer that comes with it if you can because they love that too (good luck finding one).

I love this toy! Any of my other Rescue Heroes can ride on it. You can rescue people with the big hook and then carry them on the fold out stretcher. Their backpacks also hook on the back of the ATV. Very fun!

this rescue hero is great, the all terrain vehicle is really sturdy and bill barker is a cool-looking guy. before getting this toy i read the review in which the person said the knot on the winch came untied, so the first thing i did was tie an extra thick knot in it, now i am certain it will not come undone. so dont let that put you off purchasing this really great toy.

First of all, the winch on the front of this ATV isn't a problem to rewind at all, if the knot doesn't come untied. Yes! It came untied after much use. I have three sons (ages 6, 5, and 4), and the knot that ties the winch to the pulley inside the roller finally came untied. (These toys are built better than Tonka.) Now they can't use the winch. They only transport patients on the back of it when they bother to play with it. I can't begin to get my fingers back in there to try to get the nylon cord rethreaded into the hole. I have tried everything -- even a small crochet hook. But I cannot get that thing rethreaded. And the thing about it is, they got it for Christmas 2001. I would have thought it would have lasted longer than that!

Most of my trains are pretty old except for the new ones but Percy really hasn't had any scratches and i've had him for nine years. His magnet is still there and it's in working order. Percy is one of everyone's favorite engines and this one is a great buy!

My son is a big fan of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. His favorite is Percy. He takes his Percy trains with him wherever he goes (to bed, in the car, around the house, etc.). We even bought an extra for him just in case he loses one of them. If your children love Thomas (and what toddler doesn't?), I do have a piece of advice--get duplicates of the trains. You never know if one will get lost, or forgotten! I got doubles of most of the trains, Percy included, and it can be a real lifesaver when one gets lost or left behind!

This toy is great. My whole family has fun every evening playing with this train. The just can't get enough of it!

Also, it's able to withstand lots of rough playing.

This is a must!

My son rec'd this for his 4th birthday and can't put it down. He's having a blast with it and I recommend it to all !

Tonka never ceases to amaze me with the quality of their toys. I bought this for my son last year (he was 3) and it's consistently been one of his favorites. It doesn't even go in the toy box. It has a special place on his bookshelf next to his Matchbox helicopter. The features are cool. He loves the fact that he can make the blades spin with just the push of a button. He doesn't play with it constantly (anymore) but anyone who has a child in this age range knows that kids go in cycles. Unlike some other toys that have been long forgotten over the ages, this toy still gets regular abuse. And toughs it out, just like most of Tonka's toys. Nothing has ever broken. Even the winch rope is durable. I love Tonka toys.

I bought one of these 2 years ago when my son turned 2, and it has consistently been one of his favorites. He has never used the winch very much; he just flies it around the house, especially with the lights out so he could use the search light to see. My parents bought him another one last year, not knowing that he already had one. This one differed only it that it is now festooned with American flags (post 9/11 version, apparently). Now these helicopters are my 1 year old son's favorite toys; he likes to push the buttons as well as push it around the house after his brother. The toy is really tough, and I assume the 4-7 age range is out of concern about strangulation on the winch cord more than durability or age suitability. Bearing this in mind, the toy can probably handle kids at any age.

My son attached himself to the red and yellow car at daycare, so I bought a set for him to play with at home. He absolutely loves the cars! They're very durable too, since they've fallen off the couch, coffee table, back deck, etc and they're still in great shape. I would highly recommend!

We gave this to our 4 year old for Christmas. It is enormous! My son and his friends like to sit on it. The trailer part is a little unwieldy so my son usually plays with the cab part seperately, and he REALLY likes the cars. They are also quite large. Like all Little Tykes stuff they are durable plastic. Cool carrier. The size alone makes it impressive.

i bought this toy for my son for christmas and he loves it, it is very durable and he plays with it for hours at a time i would recamend it to anyone!

These are just great. Four 12-piece puzzles made out of very durable materials (see Pros below). The sturdy wooden box has four compartments under a sliding lid. Each of the four puzzles are theme related. These four are Fire Truck, School Bus, Steam Engine, and Jet Airplane.

Pros:
Easy but not too-easy puzzles.
Pieces fit well together.
Nice pictures.
Sturdy container.
Each puzzle has a different shape printed on the back to make sorting the puzzles easier.
Super durable. I did not realize just how durable they were until I found a piece in my dishwasher. Even after being washed the picture was fine and the wood in perfect condition.

Cons:
It may take a few moments to figure out how to fit an entire puzzle's pieces in a single compartment.
Lid does not lock closed.

My kids love these and you will too.

My 2.5 year old son received this toy for christmas. Not even two weeks later, we have already had to fix four of the puzzle pieces. The pictures are coming off the "wood". The wood is more like layers of wood (reminds me somewhat of cardboard), which is probably why they are falling apart so easily. As another reviewer mentioned, it can be difficult to get the pieces apart after the puzzle has been put together, which also can be contributing to the layers of the pieces coming off. Also, it can be difficult to slide the cover back on, unless all of the pieces are laying a certain way in the box. This can be time comsuming for an adult to do, and nearly impossible for a two year with no patience. Overall, I like the theory of the product, but I doubt that it will last much longer unless we stand by with a bottle of glue at all times. I am most upset about the poor quality of the product since I gave several of these as gifts over the holidays. It is embarrassing to give a child a gift that turns out to be junk.

My one dissapointment is that the puzzles are much smaller than they appeared to be in the picuture when I bought this product.

My two-year-old doesn't seem to mind though.

Otherwise, this is a great deal. This is the next logical step for the 2-to-3 year-old who likes peg puzzles, especially the ones where there is a single image divided up into pieces, and especially if you've got a little guy who lives for fire trucks, school buses, airplanes, and choo-choo trains!