Learning Curve Thomas & Friends Spencer: The Newest, Biggest Engine That Could
Written: Apr 16 '04
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Pros: different look than other Thomas trains, comes with extra car
Cons: ongoing Thomas marketing, longer train design can derail
The Bottom Line: Not without its faults, but Spencer is a cool addition to your Thomas collection.
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| pippadaisy's Full Review: Learning Curve Thomas and Friends Spencer |
Although I've never let a Thomas the Tank Engine video into my house, my children are both huge fans of the Learning Curve Thomas & Friends trains. My daughter has had several Thomas trains for a couple of years now, but now my two-year-old is getting into them as well, and OF COURSE my daughter doesn't want to share, so the Easter Bunny was kind enough to take pity on my family and bring Buster some trains of his own. One of these trains was the Learning Curve Thomas & Friends Spencer.
~&~ The Basics ~&~
Learning Curve Thomas & Friends Spencer is, like all Learning Curve Thomas trains, mostly wood. His body and the blocks his wheels go through are wood, while his face and wheels are plastic, and the axles are metal. Spencer has a sleek, fast look about him, reminding me a bit of the look of the Japanese bullet trains.
I don't know much about the character, as we don't have any of the videos (and please don't send any our way!), but the Collector's Card that comes with the train says,
"Spencer is just about the shiniest, sleekest engine the Island of Sodor has ever seen. A striking silver express engine, Spencer was brought to the Island as the private engine of the visiting Duke and Duchess."
If the Spencer of the videos is supposed to be silver, your Thomas fan is likely to be disappointed, for the Learning Curve Thomas & Friends Spencer is actually grey. The front area around his face and smoke stack are black (his face is the typical Thomas-friend grey), and the main body of his engine is grey with darker grey stripes and whitish racing stripes along the top. His name appears on both sides of the train in yellow writing in a red box, with a yellow border.
The rear section of the engine (where the engineer would sit, I assume), is grey with a black top and two black windows on each side.
Also included in this set is Spencer's Coal Tender: a small additional car that attaches to Spencer via the magnets that are on the front and back of all Learning Curve Thomas Trains. The Coal Tender is the same grey painted wood as Spencer, with a black rectangle outline painted on each side. On top, there is a small painted black circle outline, along with a bumpy plastic piece made to resemble wood.
~&~ Parents Perspective ~&~
Learning Curve Thomas & Friends Spencer is one of the longer trains, and if you are a Thomas fan, you know what that means. Rather than having the standard three sets of two wheels each, Spencer has four sets: two each are set into a rotating block underneath the train. This is supposed to help the longer trains corner the tracks better, but it usually ends up derailing them if you have them being pulled behind a battery-powered engine. It also limits your track configuration, for I've found these trains can't make it around a tight curve.
My other gripe is with the whole Thomas phenomenon in general; I have a problem with any video that is actually a commercial for more products. From my understanding, Learning Curve Thomas & Friends Spencer is actually a fairly minor character, but of course, children must have them all!
That being said, Spencer really is a cool-looking train, which is why I got him despite my overall reservations. His face is molded in a wry sort of smile that appeals to me, and the long train coupled with the tender made this an excellent variation to my son's beginning collection. In addition, not only is Spencer labeled on the bottom with his name, but his tender reads "Spencer's Tender" so there is no confusion over the ownership of the "extra" (and for airheaded moms like me, so you can remember who is who when your child is yelling for one).
~&~ Kid Value ~&~
My son was immediately enamored with all the trains he received Easter morning, and Spencer got special attention from my daughter. He really does have a different look to his express train design, so he's easy to pick out in a crowd of trains.
Over time, Thomas trains might chip a bit, but Learning Curve has a 100% Satisfaction Policy, and if they get too awful, they will replace them. Only problem is, if you have kids like mine, they love their trains warts and all. I'm sure Spencer is happy to have a home here.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 14.39
Type of Toy: Trains
Age Range of Child: Other
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pippadaisy
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About Me:
Divorce seriously cuts into the amount of time for reviewing.
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