We bought this playboard to replace our previous playboard that had endured almost 10 years of abuse. It was intended for our 2yr old son who wasn't old enough to build the tracks himself and because I was getting weary from constantly fixing whatever layout we built for him. The idea of the pregrooved track side is brilliant. This board fit nicely into the older Thomas the Tank table and was a great way to refresh the older table. Sadly, this is the extent of the positive things I have to say. This playboard is turning out to be a great disappointment.
This board is made of paper covered particle board. My old board was also made of particle board, but had some serious lamination to protect if from some moisture and to endure train play. Depsite my no food/liquid rule, a sippy cup was set down on it and the table now has a unsightly moisture blister. A sticker was stuck on it, and when I removed it, part of the scenery came off! My older board better endured normal stuff like this all the time.
It arrives from the manufacturer in two separate pieces. I'm sure this helps reduce the cost of shipping. Since there are grooves for tracks on one side, if they are not aligned perfectly, the trains, especially the motorized Thomas trains, get stuck.
This board is only about 5/8" thick. Especially since one side is grooved, its too flimsy.
What an overall disappointment. It seems like in an effort to meet the pricepoint, Learning Curve has really sacrificed the quality that we've come to expect from the Thomas Wooden line. Like the other reviewer, I am SO glad I didn't pay the full $99. However, I would have been willing to pay the full price if I were to be guaranteed a better product. We have had it for 6 months now and it is already showing a lot of wear. My son is actually on the calmer side when it comes to train play. Nonetheless, I do not anticipate that this will still look pretty in a year.
We sent this back immediately as it was obviously very poor quality. The board is in two pieces to save shipping costs but the two pieces don't fit together properly and this means that track for the trains does not line up. I am surprised that the Thomas organization is willing to have their brand on such a low quality product.
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I really debated whether to buy this board with two sides and the track grooves, but two halves, or the one-piece board with only one side and no grooves. Opted for this one and I'm very disappointed in the quality. Should have listened to the other reviewers. The two halves do not align at all, and if you line up the two pieces so the tracks match, the other features (buildings, bodies of water, roads) do not match. The two sides are even different colors, like it's a mismatched set. We will be returning this and sticking with the board that came with our Nilo table.
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it works perfect for the Thomas table! so happy with my purchase! My 2 yr old boy and 3 yr old girl love it!
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We put this and the table on our Amazon Wish List because it's honestly something in a price range that wasn't in our budget.We have come to expect high quality from Thomas wooden train sets.
It has two sides as mentioned, which makes it more fun.We have several different sized Thomas and Friends trains...wooden, TrackMaster, Take and Play, and Mega Blocks.The Take and Play trains are too small, but the wooden and TrackMaster trains fit.The TrackMaster motorized trains will only go around the outside track while motorized and can't corner the tight corners if you start it off on the inside tracks.Of course, they aren't meant for this board, so that's not really all that important.
The boards fit easily into the table but not snugly, so there is a little bit of give if you move it.That give means that sometimes the two boards don't align perfectly and our three year old has problems crossing from one board to the other.There are many different ways that we can address this including inserting a small piece of wood along the side to keep it snug, so this really isn't a problem.
Both sides are vividly colorful and help us narrate tales of Sodor for our son.The flat side allows us to do a lot with the table outside of putting his wooden sets there.And, thankfully, all of his various wooden engines get parked along the sidelines and not all over my house (happy mom).
We already have a small scratch on the board so the durability / finish isn't spectacular, so we are hoping that it doesn't show too much wear as the resale value of these tables is extremely high (board and table set never go for less than $100 in our area on Craigslist).It doesn't seem worth the price, but then again, all of the Thomas wooden train elements are prohibitive!
The equipment was ideal for those just starting up playing pickleball; the veteran players might question the quality of the paddles. The balls themselves are very sturdy and take a beating; much more serviceable than the old whiffle ball we used in the formative years of the game. The set seemed a bit pricey to me, but I'm a cheapskate and always look for more quality for the dollar.All in all, a good buy with much fun for the family.
