Most adults have a similar goal at Christmas: to give their child a gift that they will play with for hours and hours.Thats exactly what this train provided.
Before I bought the item, I read some of the negative reviews.And then there were some positive ones.So I gave it a try.
The main reason this toy worked is because my son is NOT AN ADULT.My son likes fiddling with it constantly.Do you think my son wants a train that runs perfectly around the track and never needs to be touched?Well, as contrary as it may seem, the answer is no.My son wants to manipulate that train every 30 seconds.
A lot of the poor reviews come from an adult's perception of "hey this isn't perfect."They are 100% right.It's not perfect.But its imperfections can make it nearly perfect for my little boy.
The real scoop:
1) Sometimes the track switching didn't work, sometimes it did.When it didn't, it gave my son something extra to do.He doesn't mind when it doesn't switch, this gives "little Mr. Engineer" something to work on.
2) The conveyor works well, but my 2.5 yo doesn't quite understand how to use it.You have to a) have Thomas stop at the first position.b) leave Thomas there as the log climbsc) when the log goes over the top you flip the switch so Thomas moves to the second position d) you cut the wood e) you flip the second position switch and off thomas goes f) as Thomas goes around the track my son has to flip BOTH position switches back to "stop" so that he can repeat the process.Honestly, he doesn't get it right very often.Its really too complex for him.But as strange as it sounds, if the train ran completely autonomously and perfectly he wouldn't enjoy it half as much.
3) Half the time the 2 magnetic wood pieces recombine in the chute and land in the car as a single log again. But he doesn't mind.Thats the sort of thing that bothers an adult, not a child.
4) The track is hard to put together, and when you do put it together you have to tweak it until it sits just right.If the track is disturbed my son usually cannot fix it, but he seems to like trying to.
5) The zip line is very cool and fun.My son liked seeing Thomas "crash" sometimes.it added drama to his play.
6) Sometimes Thomas derails because the track starts to come apart, or Thomas rides up on the track switcher.But often Thomas realigns himself.My father was watching and said "its pretty good at self-correcting".But guess what?My son doesn't like for the train to go around the track more than once or twice without picking it up anyway.So, odd as it sounds, derailing doesn't end up being that big a deal for him.
Overall I would say this is an excellent buy at the price that it is currently offerred at.If you are very particular then you should not buy this item (you know if you are).Its not perfect.But for some boys, imperfect is better than perfect.If you want something that he doesn't have to manipulate buy him one of those penguin stairs/slide things that runs for hours without any interaction.
I agree with the idea that your child can receive this and play with it for hours in a row without a break.Its because all the themes in it are extremely compelling to a child.Including the idea that its not perfect, and he has to keep tinkering with it.
As unlikely as it may sound, I think the people who designed it may have understood the mind of my little boy.
Buy Thomas the Train: Zip, Zoom, and Logging Adventure Now
We have a bunch of Thomas trackmaster sets and expansions. They all have the same curve radius and a full, half or quarter length straights. This makes it easy to recombine and build your own track layouts.
This set on the other hand breaks all that. Each piece has a specific length and curvature that isn't standard and so only fits in a specific place on the layout. The instructions come with two example layouts but good luck trying to build your own closed loop track.
The switches on the track are poorly designed and the train will climb over them most of the times and continue straight ahead. Others it will slightly make it turn but that will only result in derailing the train. I am yet to see it completely make a turn.
The logging house doesn't always work with the log being jammed or stuck at the top. The slide is off center so when the train reaches the bottom it doesn't align with the connecting track and derails almost all the times.
We are happy with our other trackmaster systems as they allow many different track layouts and the trains run on it without derailing. This system is quite the opposite. While the tracks can be combined with other trackmaster tracks, you won't want to. As said before, the tracks in this system are in off-standard lengths which makes it hard to create closed loops different from the one on the box. The track pieces are also twisted, bent and sloped so you need to use the raisers in a very specific configuration for it to lay straight on the ground.
The price for the set is interesting (compared to other trackmaster sets) but I'd recommend avoiding this one. Instead, buy a train and a couple of expansion packs for about the same price.
Read Best Reviews of Thomas the Train: Zip, Zoom, and Logging Adventure Here
This product was a disappointment for the following reasons:Low level risers did not CLICK into the track. They are supposed to put the side fins that are supposed to click in were too wide apart. This leads me to believe this was some kind of manufacturing oversight possibly.
Motorized log splitter did not work at all. It is supposed to run based on the battery engine of the motorized train. It simply did not work.
The track did not seem to fit together well and parts with the low level risers did not click in resulted in parts of the tracking hanging unstably above the risers. The whole track seemed flimsy and Thomas would often fall off the track.
It is just not well thought out product.
Buyer beware, my son was very disappointed.
Want Thomas the Train: Zip, Zoom, and Logging Adventure Discount?
Thomas the Train has been around for quite a while though it has made some changes over the years.This play set is fantastic for any kid who is a Thomas fan.The Thomas the train that comes with it is motorized.Kids can watch Thomas go around the track, transport lumber to get cut, then take it back!Here's a video showing the set in action.
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