My son got to pick one toy to mark the successful end of potty training and give him something to work toward. The Spider-man & Friends Super Hero Playset is the toy he chose. I must admit that initially I was less than enthusiastic about the choice - the toy seemed so BIG and I wasn't sure it would have enough to really keep him occupied. I kept hoping he might find a different toy to latch onto before his training was done, but when he finally went diaper-free for good his mind had remained unchanged. I am pleased to report that the Super Hero Playset has exceeded my expectations, for the most part.

Product Description:

The Spider-man & Friends Super Hero Playset is a fun and colorful headquarters for the chunky, preschooler-oriented action figures from the ToyBiz's Spider-Man and Friends line. Because it is made for the larger characters, the playset is quite large itself -- it is uniquely shaped but at its widest/tallest points it is 2 feet tall, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet deep.

One of the toy's cooler features is that a lot of the fun is kid-powered via a Spider-man shaped air-pump. A kid friendly, spider-shaped dial allows you to toggle between the 3 air-pump features, each of which I'll detail further throughout the review below.

There are 3 levels to the playset. There's not too much to the bottom-most level other than the pump. Right next to the pump and above the pump's switch is the elevator. Due to the elevator platform already being elevated a bit, a flip-down ladder provides a way up to the platform and flips up to make a little wall/barrier while the elevator goes up. If you set the pump to selection #1, pumping will make the elevator rise up to the 2nd floor. A small release button is next to the pump, and when pressed the elevator will go back down to the first floor.

Let's skip the second floor and jump up to the 3rd floor for a minute. On top of the command center is a large search light that you can swivel 360º and shines brightly when a little button is pressed. There's also an air-powered gun that shoots a soft, nerf-like projectile (when you set the pump-dial to the 3rd position). The air-gun can also swivel the full 360º. The most noticeable attribute on the 3rd floor is the large yellow slide. It winds down around the playset and is definitely a high-point for my son.

Lastly is the second floor. It is circular with a control panel column in the center. There is a large button on the control panel that, when pressed, lights up a couple of lights on the column (it is rather unimpressive). The best thing on the second floor is the web-line! On the underside of the winding slide is a set of handlebars. You can set a character who is holding onto those handlebars in the chair that protrudes from the control panel, set the spider-dial to setting #2, then give it a pump to launch the character from the chair and down the winding zip-line that runs underneath the slide. This is my son's favorite part of the playset.

One Spider-man action figure is included with the set. He isn't the streamlined Spider-man most of us are used to - he's a cutsie, chunky version. He stands just over 6 inches tall with massive feet. As far as articulation goes, his legs move at the hips, his arms swivel at the shoulder, his head turns at the neck, his elbows bend (just barely), and his hands swivel at mid-arm. We have 2 other Spider-man figures already from this line, but what makes this one different is his metallic/sparkly paint. He's still the familiar red and blue with black webbing, however he's all metallic looking.

There is definitely assembly required (in fact, some pieces must be dis-assembled before you can assemble them). A small Phillips-head screwdriver is the only tool required.

The Spider-man and Friends Super Hero Playset requires 3 "AAA" batteries (not included) - although all they power are the control-panel lights and flood-lamp, so leaving them out doesn't detract too much from the fun. The manufacturer recommends this toy for children ages 3 and up.

Our Thoughts & Experiences:

We've had this toy just over a month now and my son is still crazy about it, so it has some real staying power. When I initially saw the Super Hero Playset I was not convinced that it would have enough features to keep my little guy entertained, and for a toy as large as that I wanted A LOT of features. Fortunately it keeps my son quite engaged! My son is crazy about the "web line" zip slide, the elevator, and the slide. He already had 2 Spider-man figures, The Hulk, and a Wolverine from the Spider-man and Friends toy line -- this toy got him so pumped about super heroes that he now must sleep with a Spidey, Hulk, and Wolverine in bed with him each night (and this is from a kid who has NEVER seen these characters in cartoons, movies, or anywhere other than the occasional TV commercial!) My son is so nuts about the playset that he wants it to be in whatever room he's currently in. Fortunately the toy is wide enough to be quite sturdy, yet is very lightweight (albeit bulky) when you want to pick it up and move it.

Yes, there were some things I was worried about, must most of that worrying was for nothing. My little guy is just 3 years old. After testing some of the air-powered features, I was concerned that he wouldn't be strong enough to depress the pump's plunger with enough force to fire the projectile or eject the figure sitting in the chair (the elevator is pretty easy to pump, requiring very little force). Fortunately it didn't take him long to figure out how much force to apply, and he can work all 3 air-powered features with no problems. It also didn't take him long to associate the 3 spider-dial positions with the features they control (although it was a bit frustrating for him before he got it all figured out). My son is crazy about putting characters on the zip-line and having them zoom down under the slide. The Spider-man that comes with the set (as well as the other Spider-man figures we already had) fits just fine because he can swivel his wrists and hold onto the handlebars, but I was worried about his other characters -- namely Wolverine with his long claws and The Hulk with his extra bulk. I'm happy to report that Wolverine rides down just fine, claws and all, however The Hulk is far too bulky and his wrists don't swivel, so he cannot ride (luckily my son is happy to send The Hulk down the slide instead).

One of the reasons I think my son really wanted this playset is because so many super hero action figures are pictured on the box. My son thought they were all in there (they are not). We had to keep explaining to him (after he had selected it as his ultimate potty-training prize but before we actually purchased it for him) that the other characters really weren't in there. He finally got it though his head, but it took a while. Luckily for us we already had some additional characters, as I do think having more characters makes this set more fun.

I won't say assembly was a nightmare, but it certainly wasn't the easiest toy I've ever put together. The instructions were very clear (a mixture of pictures and text descriptions explaining what to do) but they are quite involved, including running wires and air-tubing through the appropriate holes. Overall the pieces went together very well and feel quite sturdy once in-place (with the exception of a brace for the slide - that's the only piece that is not solidly connected hence it does tend to fall off when we're moving the playset - it's not a big deal). My one complaint where construction is concerned has to do with the air hose up to the gun on the top level. After assembling the whole thing I started testing everything out, only to discover that when I put the top together I had pinched the air hose that leads to the gun -- so when the air pump was pressed the nerf-like projectile would barely move. I ended up taking the entire top level apart so I could re-align that floor in an effort to get kinks out of the air hose. My advice to others who buy this playset: Test out that gun before you screw down anything on the top floor to make sure you aren't pinching the air hose anywhere. If you are buying this as a Christmas gift or birthday present, I would advise assembling it the night before you give it to your child.

There are some "issues" with the toy. If you swivel the gun too much you will end up with a pinched air hose no matter how careful you were during assembly. It is easy enough to fix though -- if you notice that the gun isn't firing as well as it has in the past just try turning it a few rotations one way or the other until the projectile fires normally again. One issue we still have is the fact that the set is so large, my son often has a hard time getting the web-line handlebars back up from the bottom of the slide to the top. The slide is quite long, hence the handlebars have a long way to go -- longer than my son can go while sitting. He tends to crawl along as he pushes the bars up with one hand. It is easier for a parent with longer arms to help him out and set the web-line up for another rider. My son can do it by himself, but he sometimes lets go mid-way, letting the handlebars slide back down to the bottom and frustrating him greatly. Lastly, putting batteries in the set is "almost" a waste. The lights in the console are barely worth mentioning, they are absolutely nothing special. My son does like the search light, however. It just seems that if they're going through the trouble of requiring batteries they could have done something a little more impressive on the console or had some additional buttons with some sounds or something (although some parents might appreciate the fact that this toy make no noise). You can certainly leave the batteries out and not affect the play-value much at all.

Quickie Summary:
Pros:
+) Includes 1 Spider-man chunky action figure
+) Roomy enough for lots of action figures to "play" at the same time
+) Kid-powered air-pump powers many of the fun features
+) Search light at top of playset
+) Large winding slide
+) Pump-powered elevator between 1st and 2nd floors
+) Zip-line runs along the underside of the slide (with air-powered ejection-seat to launch characters)
+) Air-powered gun shoots a nerf-projectile
+) Stays together well (with the exception of the slide-support piece)
+) Lightweight, sturdy, and fun!
Cons:
-) A bunch of super heroes are pictured on the box, but only Spider-Man is included with the playset
-) Rather large footprint
-) Assembly is quite involved

Final Thoughts:

My son really, really, REALLY adores this thing. He wants to take it everywhere with him, but unfortunately (or fortunately, depending upon how you look at it) it is far too big for that. This set is lots of fun and has certainly encouraged imaginative play. I love the kid-powered air-pump aspect of this toy. My biggest complaint is definitely the size, simply because we are running out of room for big toys, but as much as my son loves this thing I'll put up with it.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 39.99