We got the Tomy to replace the mainstream USA magnetic doodler that we ordered for our 4 year old for Christmas. That one was disappointingly cheap and developed permanent dark spots within minutes of her opening it. (She's a gentle kid, too.) I was pretty frustrated until I saw the Tomy reviews here, and I really wish I'd seen this option sooner.Like other reviewers have noted, this board lacks the annoying cell configuration common to every other magnetic doodler I've seen. It's a smooth writing surface that allows for finely detailed drawings. We've been able to perfectly replicate the drawings on the box, which is pretty exciting for my daughter. The screen is a great size, and the four magnets provided are well-chosen, versatile shapes. It's easy to erase, though the first time you run the erase line down, it just lightens it. My daughter actually loves this function, and has been creating gradations of sorts. Once it's completely erased, it looks brand-new.
The frame is nice and sturdy. The only (possible) flaw I've been able to find is that the little clips that hold the magnets are really stiff, and took some getting used to for little hands; I will say, though, that it's wonderful not having the magnets go missing all the time.
Shipping from the UK took a while, but not nearly as long as predicted. It arrived safe and sound, though it was only packaged in thin, papery cardboard and bubble wrap. My daughter was lukewarm about the previous doodler, but she's completely enamored with the Tomy. I feel like I need to buy a half-dozen and keep them on hand for birthday presents for her friends! It's that awesome.
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Absolutely.So, I wondered if it was worth the cost. And then was it worth the estimated ship time. But the ship time (to HAWAII from UK, none the less) was half of the estimate. And I wondered if it would hold up to the stress of shipping. And it did fine, even though it just arrived with a corrugated cardboard envelope marked FRAGILE around the original manufacturer's box.
We really, really like it. At first I thought they did some kind of trickery with the pics to make it look huge and I wasn't expecting it to be as big, but the drawing surface is really generously sized in the proportions of a movie screen. The other thing I liked was that it said it had a smooth drawing line, and it does! It doesn't have the little cells of magnetized pigment that the etch-a-sketch type doodlers have, it's a much thinner film that makes a smoother line, not sure about the technology exactly. There's no pixelated effect that you get with the doodlers. It's like drawing with a fat, hard-graphite pencil. Also, the pen is leashed in a sensible way, plus the point of the pen gets pushed into the body of the pen if you apply more pressure, so that it reduces the chances of puncturing the surface. Another thing that's different is that the erasing knob needs a few swipes up and down to completely erase, but actually I'm excited at the possibilities for layering that that creates.
We put the stamps away within 5 minutes of getting it because we have a 18-month old but we tried them a couple of times and they worked OK. One thing I noticed when we first got it was that it SEEMED to have a very light drawing line, but either the pigment settled and the lines got darker or we got used to it quickly and don't notice any more. Baby's stepped on it a few times but it's been OK, although I don't let him walk on it or pile stuff on it. The drawing surface is firm and secure enough to trace hands and other objects on. We've only had this for about a month but I'm pretty sure that if we don't wildly abuse it (although I did read that it stands up to kids walking on it), this will be one of those toys that just gives and gives. Our boy loves it too..it didn't take him long at all to learn "sketch pad!"
Made in Indonesia if anyone was wondering.
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I first bought this toy about 5 years back for my 1 year old son, to enable him to draw as much as he wants while minimizing wastage of paper. From then till now, it's his absolute favorite toy. It goes with him for all his vacations. He draws on it at least 3-4 times a day. Of course, after so many years, it's darkened a bit with a few splotches, but it's still usable. I have already gifted this to a couple of good friends when their kids turned 1. A wonderful educational as well as recreational toy, and as I said, for all ages. Whenever we have any visitors, whether kids or adults, all start doodling on it right away. The smooth lines without the cells (as compared to other doodlers) make a big difference to the final quality of the picture we make. I just bought a new one (Classique), and the eraser is better in that it doesn't make a loud noise on erasing any more. The earlier one had an automatic spring action to pull it back, which would make the loud noise. While erasing, do a slow drag to make sure it erases completely. Otherwise it needs to be done a few times.Want Tomy Megasketcher - Magnetic Drawing Board Discount?
Sorry to be negative. I thought this would be one of the best as indicated, but you need to slide the slider many, many times before it erases the image. I am keeping it, because the return is not worth my effort. I am very disabled and want this for my 2 yr. old grandson.I would say if you don't mind sliding repeatedly to erase the image, the size is very nice.
