The Imaginarium City Central Train Table is a wonderful toy; children love to "operate" the trains, "fly" the helicopter, and pretend as they take charge of the world they create.Our grandson played with this toy every week after his swimming lessons, so his parents decided to purchase one.
Constructed of particle board finished like wood, the 3-foot by 5-foot base is sturdy enough to withstand enthusiastic play.A drawer on both of the 5-foot sides provides ample storage space for the multiple, small pieces.The stops on each drawer are one of the weaker points of the Imaginarium City Central Train Table.Of the four screws, two per side, provided with the set-up only one caught when screwed in.We anticipate having to replace these stops in the future.The top of the table, which is two separate pieces, is a thinner particle board onto which the base scenery has been applied.It appears this could be gouged or scraped, but should survive most children's play.
The wood tracks and buildings are well made; the finish is smooth and there is no firring on the end cuts.The train pieces are also finished well; colorful painting of the cars adds to the toy's appeal.The fact that all the pieces are included in the set-up makes this an attractive choice for those not wanting to have to purchase multiple add-ons.
Complete assembly and set-up takes about two hours.Instructions are clear and easy to understand.The most time-consuming portion of the set-up was laying out the tracks.To save time in the future, we marked the alphabetic identifier on each specific, discrete piece.Then we numbered the pieces, beginning with 1 and progressing through the final number.We then marked the number 1 and number 2 pieces on the set-up schematic so we could, in the future, identify the starting point of the layout.This has already proven helpful as our two-year old grandson loves to play "earthquake."
This Imaginarium City Central Train Table seems much larger than its 3-foot by 5-foot dimensions indicate.In my opinion, unless you have a playloft, dedicated playroom, or an enclosed, temperature and moisture-controlled space, the Imaginarium is not a toy for most homes.In my daughter's case, she now has a colorful coffee table and little floor space remaining in her family room.This is not a toy which can be put outside, even on a covered porch, or in a basement which is not temperature/moisture controlled as the particle board is likely to warp.
Finally, this is a rather expensive toy based on initial cost and the number of likely play-years.However, if you have multiple children and plenty of room, your opinion may be different.Toys `r Us has the Imaginarium City Central Train Table for about $130, so you should watch for a similar price if you do purchase this toy.
Because of the quality of construction, the complete set-up, and the enjoyment children do derive from playing with the Imaginarium City Central Train Table, I have rated it as a 5-star toy despite its few drawbacks.
My son's newest obsession is cho-cho's. We knew we had to buy him a set for his 3rd birthday. I looked around alot and this set looked great online. There was very few reviews which made me nervous but we made a great choice! I put most of the table together by myself, minus a few places where you need someone to hold for you screw in some pieces. it took about two hours total for both the table and train set. My son was soo excited and he could barily contain himself while I assembled it! After all together, my son is in love. I love the set as well, but there a few negatives. First the table is a particle board not solid woodbut it is sturdy and should last for years. My biggest negative is the train station on the set. It takes a while to get it alligned correctly and popped into place. I would like for it to have some screws to hold the roof in place. I think they may not have done this because you have to take the roof off to put batteries on the underside of it. I think unscrewing it every few months to replace batteries would be better then having to reallign that roof every time it gets knocked loose. But that would not be enough for me not to buy this set, its more of a just an annoiance. Other than that one piece, it is great! Almost every building has some sort of light or noise to keep your child engaged. So many great buildings to play with. My son loves the train wash station and the train shed!I would defently recommend!! Now if you live anywhere near a Toys R Usplease do not waste your money on Amazon. I bought this there for $159 and I picked up same dayno shipping! Great table but not worth almost $200 more than what I paid for it.
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just bought this @ a local Toys R Us.wow. great value and construction.was about to buy a larger mega blocks thomas set when i saw this for $130 (on sale).For double the price of the mega blocks i was able to get 6x the stuff.The table is solid and fairly easy to build (1 hour).Bring an electric screwdriver and you'll be fine.
This model is fully compatible with all brio and thomas sets.My son has not stopped playing with it since i setup it up 2 days ago.
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I also got this at Toys R Us, where it ranges from $99 (crazy deal) to $149 (regular price, I think).I think even at $149, this is a great deal!I did ALL of the research, trying to decide between a regular "train table" and an activity table from manufacturers such as Nilo, PB Kids, Land of Nod.I wanted something that did not scream "train table" in my living room, and even though there is no hiding what it is, the espresso color helps as it does not stand out in my living room.The drawers are not large, but that is actually my son's favorite part, he climbs in and sits in the drawers as he is playing with the table (surely not recommended, but he is 25 lbs, fyi)!I am very impressed with how sturdy it is, and I am even more impressed with the 100 accessories!The engines are great (totally on par with vintage Brio that we already had and a $15 Thomas engine), the tracks are great, and all of the pieces are great.If you were buying Thomas brand equivalents, well, that would just be super expensive.All in all, this was a great purchase and after all of my research, I am really glad that I went with the Imaginarium!
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Toys R Us has this on sale for $99! An absolutely unbeatable price! However for the quality and amount of accessories 130 or so isnt a bad price.
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This is a really nice game table, my Son in law put it together and did not seem to have any problems doing so.
