Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Action Figures
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Action Figures
I bought this set yesterday, and I just wanted to leave my two cents for all parents to hear when deciding whether or not this is a good choice for their children. The set itself is actually rather difficult to assemble, and the instructions are in black and white which further adds to the difficulty. However, every piece is labeled in the manual and on the piece itself, so getting the track pieces together as well as building supports can be easy at times- until the items start to stack. (Most evident in Blue Mountain Quarry). The labels start to become clustered and jumbled and the lack of color makes the multi-colored pieces indecipherable from each other. But since it only takes effect on so many of the pieces and I've seen worse, this is something I can get by with little trouble. Once you have the set put together and all of the decals applied, you're ready to go! To explain, it starts with watching Thomas go up the inclines and down the slopes, around bends and through buildings is some of the most fun I've had with Thomas The Tank Engine in my fifteen years of play. The boulders and barrels that come with the set drop from the hopper easily and when Thomas reaches the quarry, they drop down the slopes and down to Brendam Docks where Cranky resides. Cranky then swings the cargo around and sets it up, ready for Thomas to pick up with his wagon. The set comes with two barrels and two boulders, so your child can swap loads for endless fun! So what do I think of the features above? Well, what else can I say other than they're great! It was a very creative decision to combine the docks and Blue Mountain Quarry together and have Thomas deliver goods from one place to another. The hopper functions as it should, but ONLY with the wagon provided in the set. I will repeat: all other rolling stock will not work with this aspect of the set. So after Thomas drops off his barrel, it rolls down to Cranky. Now this is why I didn't give this set a full five star rating; It's because of Cranky the Crane. Cranky is supposed to stay in place while the cargo rolls down the slope, and then take off by a pressure-plate activated piece connected to him, but my Cranky never snaps in place. I have to reset him and push him down in order for it to work as opposed to simply swinging him around to reset him. I'm not sure if this is only me, or if it happens with other people too, but the area Cranky latches onto to stop him from constantly resetting is just far too small and does not catch easily enough. However, Cranky is NOT, I repeat, NOT necessary to have the set go around and around! Thomas can move along the track going up and down inclines without taking a detour to deal with Cranky, so it isn't even a bother a majority of the time! Another great aspect of this set is it's compatibility with other Trackmaster or Trackmaster 2 sets and it's reverse-playability! There are two tracks that lead off of the set that are stopped by buffers, but the fun doesn't end there! You can buy other Trackmaster sets and connect them to this set to add for more playability and more fun for your child. It also has two adapter pieces so it can connect to older Trackmaster sets too! (The brown-track sets). This is honestly one of my favorite details about the set, but that doesn't compare to it's reverse-playability. My upmost FAVORITE thing about this set is the fact that is can do the following: *Work with other engines and rolling stock *Work in reverse (Thomas can go both ways!) *Can be built into other sets and designs. Granted, the only flaw is the fact that the wagon included in the set doesn't flip the boulders and barrels onto the slope when playing in reverse, which can be a bummer at times, but that also means that you can have Thomas go around and around again and again without having to reset anything. You can just sit back and watch your child play with Thomas again and again nonstop! The set also functions just as it should with any amount of engines or rolling stock. So here are my final thoughts: Pros: *Great retail price for what it is. *Can work with other Trackmaster 2 engines and rolling stock. *Great detail on the building pieces and track. *Thomas can go forwards and reverse as well as stopping via the remote control. *Utilizes reverse-playability. (Can go both ways) *Very fun and entertaining to watch. *A very interesting mix between the docks and BMQ. *Includes Cranky The Crane for more story value. *Fun and easy to play with. Cons: *Cranky does not reset easily. *Remote control doesn't always have good signal. (Minor problem) *Rather difficult to assemble. *Cranky does not reset automatically/has to be done by hand. *Barrels sometimes get stuck in the middle of the slope. (Although rarely) Overall, I give this set: 4/5 Stars 88.0/100 Mattel has really done good with this set! Definitely one of my personal favorites.Read full review
Verified purchase: No
This is the biggest of crap I have ever seen....Day two and not even 1/3 done w/ the assembly. you need a whole group of mechanical engineers to assemble this is a joke. DO NOT BUY THIS UNLESS YOU DON'T ANYTHING TO DO FOR A WEEK OR TWO. THE INSTRUCTIONS ARE A JOKE, WE HAVE BEEN GOING BY THE PICTURE ON THE BOX!!!!!!!!.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Great Price. Your Gonna Have Fun Building This Set.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Love it
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New