A Railroader for Me - Thomas Adventure Set
Written: Mar 01 '04
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Pros: Sturdy, durable, easy to set up, battery-operated, lots of expansion potential
Cons: Tiny action figures; can get loud and annoying after a while
The Bottom Line: The Thomas Adventure Set is a perfect starter set for about ages 4 and up, and an excellent addition to any Tomica sets you may already have.
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| jaxmom28's Full Review: International Playthings Tomica World Thomas Adven... |
A railroader, a railroader, a railroader for me
I live with three train freaks: my husband and two sons. I don’t get the fascination, really, but there are certainly worse things in life than a rapturous attachment to trains, so I’m willing to cater to the addiction to an extent. Anything that manages to keep all three happy and engaged together (that doesn’t destroy the house or yard in the process) is certainly worth supporting in my book.
Why Tomica World Thomas & Friends?
If I ever marry in this wide world, a railroader's bride I'll be.
Upon discovering Older son’s penchant for train spotting, I set about looking for a good, solid model train set as a gift for him and, by extension, my husband. But what to choose? Certainly, it had to be suitable for a toddler, but it also had to keep a grownup’s attention. It needed to be able to grow with our little boy, allowing us to add on as years passed. It had to be sturdy, and take abuse well. And, above all, it had to be economical. We thought Lionel and similar model train sets were probably too advanced for Older son, though Hubby would dearly love an official Lionel set up. We checked out various wooden sets, too, but everything was terribly expensive once you started calculating add-ons and supplemental pieces, and most of the wooden sets, while apparently very sturdy, wouldn’t run under their own power – something hubby was really looking forward to.
Then we found International Playthings / Tomica World’s Thomas Big Set . Wow! Durable plastic, battery powered, with practically unlimited expansion. Once you look at branching out from the Thomas co-branded set, Tomica has tons of stuff to offer, and it’s all interchangeable!
Contents and Assembly
Now I would not marry a blacksmith, he's always in the black
Suggested for ages 3 and up, the layout is approximately 31.1" x 67.3" and contains a total of 59 pieces: (1) Annie, (1) Clarabel, (1) Bertie, (1) station w/ moving Harold, (1) signal, (1) tree, (1) Conductor, (1) Workman, (1) Sir Topham Hatt, (5) straight rails, (4) curve rails, (8) slope curves, (3) straight half-rails, (1) trestle bridge, (1) railway bridge, (12) bricks, (2) bridge girders, (4) straight roads, (4) curve roads, (2) T-junctions, and (2) points rails. And stickers, feh. Requires C, AA and AAA batteries (not included).
Assembly is easy enough that even Older son (Four) can manage it. Tracks and pieces simply snap together, requiring no specialized tools or degrees in advanced aeronautics. The instructions aren’t that great and can be a little confusing, especially given the distinct lack of words. As has been the case with every Tomica set we’ve purchased, and even though the Adventure Set is one of their more complex offerings, it was easier for me to set up using the picture on the box as a guideline.
Likes
I'd rather marry an engineer that throws the throttle back
With relatively complex switching and breaking, the Adventure Set is certainly more hands-on than the Big Set we first purchased. All of the Tomica sets work together, too, so the more sets you own, the more possibilities for unique track and road layouts. With several packs to our name, we sometimes have track and road consuming the entire living room and breakfast area – often single-handedly designed by Older son himself. It’s great to have a trainset that such a young fellow can mange on his own if he likes, but that also allows for adult involvement at his level, rather than having to take over the project and then hand it to him upon completion.
Though not billed as an “educational” toy, the variety of tracks, stations, whirligigs and engines encourages creative play and problem-solving, which I appreciate. Older son likes to work out his own layouts and tries to use every inch of track in the doing, which makes for some pretty interesting track design!
At roughly $40.00-$70.00, depending on where you purchase, you get a lot of train for your money compared to other sets, and the plastic tracks have held up very well over time. Not a single broken piece yet, and we live with two very enthusiastic boys who don’t yet know their own strength. Most toys go the way of all flesh within just a few weeks, but the Tomica tracks have all withstood the Toddler Trials with grace and good humor. Tomica’s wide and varied expansion possibilities, both Thomas and otherwise, make upgrading and augmenting the set easy and relatively economical, as well.
Dislikes
I would not marry a farmer, he's always in the dirt
Smaller than even the famed Thumbellina, the people that come with the set are about knuckle to fingertip high. Younger son frequently mistakes the tiny “action figures” for candy, and even Older son was often prone to trying to eat them, so the little guys had to be put in a “safe” place. Half of our little men (from various sets) are very, very safe, having consequently been lost to human sight. I hope they’re happy in their teeny tiny Action Figure Shangri-La as I doubt they will ever be recovered.
Loading Thomas’s batteries can be a challenge. You have to pull his wheels down while also pulling up on his top, essentially splitting him in half, and he’s a hard nut to crack. Getting the battery in once you’ve accomplished the feat isn’t difficult at all, but putting him back together can be tricky. It’s not that big a deal in the great scheme of things, but it can get annoying when your four-year old is clamoring impatiently for Thomas. We have enough now that we always keep one backup Thomas loaded and ready to go.
Most of all, this set is noisy, especially with everything (Harold, Thomas and other trains, Bulgy the Bus and whatnot) all running and chugging and chirring together. It’s a sort of low-roar white-noise background hum that’s fine for a while, but once you really notice it, it never goes away. Like a TV with broken volume on a static station you can’t turn off. It’s okay with one or two items, but as we’ve added expansion packs and more batteries, the low hum has become a rather distinct roar, and I can only take so much. I have to limit the boys to about four running contraptions at any given time. Either that, or banish them to the basement.
Final Recommendation
I'd rather marry an engineer that wears a striped shirt
It can get noisy, so either limit the number of battery-driven Friends in operation at any one time, or set up a train room in another area of the house. But otherwise, if the price of those fancy wooden train sets has your eyes bulging, or if you’re looking for a motorized set with good expansion possibilities, Tomica’s Thomas sets are certainly worth a try. The Thomas Adventure Set is a perfect starter set for about ages 4 and up, and an excellent addition to any Tomica sets you may already have.
Looking for more Thomas?
♦ Thomas Big Set
Note: Headers taken from the traditional American folk song “A Railroader for Me,” author unknown.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 39.99
Type of Toy: Trains
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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jaxmom28
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Location: Somewhere in the south
Reviews written: 78
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Whatever you are, be a good one.
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