Price Tag: $9.99
Official URL: thomastrackmaster.com
Ages: 3+
Rating:

My son’s obsession with Thomas made this little play set seem like the perfect thing to keep him busy on the long car rides that he’s taking while we’re on vacation. At least this was what my sister hinted at when she dangled it in front of him and said “Do you want Auntie Lisa to pay for it?”

The Thomas Rev ‘n Go Round the Island Playset is a small plastic “Thomas the Tank Engine” play set that folds into a carrying case to carry all the little pieces. It is “toddler lap sized”.

QUALITY & CONSTRUCTION

The little train that is the star of this set is a mini Thomas the Tank Engine. He has six wheels that are set at slightly different heights so as to grab onto the track properly. The rear set of wheels has a black ridged center. When these wheels are moved backwards, the train revs up so that when you release it, it moves on its own. The ridges on the rear wheels correspond with the ridges of the track. The details on the train are a combination of painted plastic (the face, top details, edging, and roof), and stickers (the round “porthole” windows at the front of the train, and the sides of the train that have the windows and the signature Thomas “1″.)

The carrying case has two inset areas, one on either side. In each of these areas is a large sticker. On one side is a lake scene with water, rocks, and plants. On the other side is a farm scene with a barn, silo, haystack, and other details.  When opened the case is an elongated oval-shape with a figure 8 track that cuts through the center, and a track that goes around the full perimeter of the oval. The two tracks take up the same space, and have built in “switches” that cause the train to either go around the outside of the track, or cut through the middle in the figure 8.

The carrying case is made of a hard green plastic with a variety of ridges and notches that make up the tracks and the attachment points for the different accessories that come with the set. The included accessories are a tiny black and white calf with a pink muzzle, a blue water pump, a blue bridge, a red “station” with a yellow roof, and a tunnel.

The little calf is made of white plastic, and has black and pink painted details. It is made of a less rigid plastic than the other parts of this set.

The “station” is either a red station with a yellow roof, or a yellow station with a red roof. The station and its roof are two separate parts that snap together. Once they’re snapped together, they continue to be stored that way inside of the case. The station has two windows, one on either side, which are stickers. When you first assemble this set, press down on the edges of the stickers to make sure they’re securely fastened, otherwise they sometimes peel off.

The tunnel is made of a brown plastic and it has “rocks” molded into its surface. It comes in two pieces and must be snapped together each time the play set is assembled.

The bridge and water pump are made of a blue plastic. The bridge fits into the handle area, and the water pump fits into a little “D” shaped notch on the play surface.

EASE OF USE

This toy is easy to use: You open up the case and dump the parts out, and then put them together on the other side of the play set. To assemble you place the water pump into the “D” shaped groove, the bridge goes onto the handle area, the red roof snaps onto the yellow tunnel, and the two halves of the rocky tunnel snap together. The parts go together easily and come apart easily. So simply, in fact, that my two and a half year old is able to put it together himself.

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The manual is a simple setup instruction sheet that shows you how to put the parts together. The instructions are black and white with black and white illustrations. While the toy set is easy to assemble once you’ve done it the first time, the first setup is a bit less easy to do. The manual has no text to explain the steps, and the drawings are not overly clear. I was able to figure it out, but then I’m able to figure out electronics manuals, and furniture assembly as well. My poor sister was stymied.

BOTTOM LINE

While this playset does keep my son entertained, it also keeps him frustrated. Part of the fun of a play set is being able to PLAY with it. The little pull-back car cannot be pushed forward, it can only be revved up to go. This caused my son to grow bored with the toy quickly and become frustrated that he couldn’t push the train around. The tunnels and the water pump-like thing also tend to come off of the play set way too easily, and need to be frequently re-attached. The case opens up to be a play surface, but it doesn’t have any mechanism to lock closed (It snaps shut but easily falls open) or lock open, which means that it’s likely to either fall closed on a child’s lap while they’re playing, or it’s likely to fall open when it’s in transit.

I like the basic idea of this playset, it is very durable and I love that all the pieces go inside, but the downsides of this toy seem to add up quickly. Rather than being the perfect travel toy that I had imagined, it seems that this toy is much better suited for at-home play where the different parts are less likely to fall off and get lost quite so easily.