"Let's Have a Race!"
Written: Feb 15 '03 (Updated Mar 26 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
|
Pros: A neat character, new and improved design.
Cons: No magnet on the front, and Bertie's nose chipped rather quickly.
The Bottom Line: If your child really likes Bertie, get him. But ONLY the new version because that one magnet makes all the difference in the world.
|
|
|
| dagny21's Full Review: Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends: Bertie The Bus... |
The Character
Bertie the bus is a kind red bus and a good friend to Thomas. We've seen Bertie in three stories on video so far. In "Trust Thomas" Bertie starts out believing that anything that runs on rails in not to be trusted, but then Thomas keeps a promise to help Bertie get the holes in his road fixed and from then on Bertie knows that there are engines he can trust. In another story, Bertie and Thomas decide to have a race. Thomas wins, but just barely, and they both develop a respect for each other's way of travelling. Finally, on the Best of Thomas DVD there's a story where Bertie and Thomas work together to see some school children safely home after their schoolbus breaks down. In all these stories Bertie is a likable, distinctive character and my son has grown to love him.
The Toy
We have the newly designed Bertie the Bus. Unlike the old design, our Bertie does have a magnet on his rear so that he can pull cars or even whole trains behind him. Even though Bertie is obviously a road vehicle, he works just fine on the wooden rails. This new Bertie also has a slightly different paint design than the older model. Instead of having several passengers, Bertie appears to be empty except for his driver. Finally, the shape of his rear is a bit different, I assume to accommodate his new magnet. Otherwise, Bertie is just what I've grown to expect from Learning Curves Thomas & Friends characters. He's almost all wood, with a molded plastic face and wheels. His face is an excellent likeness to that of the Bertie in the books and videos, his magnet is strong, and he's very solidly put together.
Our Experience
Personally, I didn't want to buy Bertie. He's a nice character, but I thought "This is a train set. Bertie's a bus." I figured my son might be disappointed with Bertie because he doesn't work just like the rest of his trains. But, my son had other ideas. Right after we started purchasing the Thomas & Friends wooden railroad system for my son, he started asking for Bertie, and I couldn't resist. I found him on eBay for the bargain price of $6.99. Even after shipping I was happy with the price
because I bought several other items from the same dealer to stash away for later and got a great deal on shipping.
When my son first started playing with Bertie, even though he'd always known he was a "Bertie the Bus" he still asked me several times "Bertie train?" and I had to explain that Bertie was a bus and didn't run on rails, but that he could pretend Bertie ran on the rails if he wanted to. He also had to figure out and accept that Bertie only has a magnet on his rear and not on his front, so if he's going to be part of the train, the only spot for him is in the front. After a bit, he wasn't too bothered by this, and now that we have a train table with a nice slick play surface, he's happy to have Bertie drive alongside the rails when he doesn't want him as the head of a long train. Even at two, my son does recreate some very simple Thomas stories that he's seen on video and read in his books. He loves to run Thomas and Bertie side by side together on the carpet, couch, or wherever and sing a simplified version of Bertie and Thomas' "Let's Have a Race" song. He also gets to take two trains to bed with him at night and during his naps, and Bertie is a popular choice.
My only disappointment is that for some reason our Bertie's nose has chipped. This is the first Learning Curve vehicle we've bought that has done this so far. It might just be a fluke, or it could be because Bertie has a very long, pointy nose, and without a magnet on the front it's the part that sticks out the farthest. These trains do sometimes take a beating as they chase each other around the tracks. It's not a big deal, and I know that Learning Curve would send me another one if I asked. The only problem is, I'd have to send Bertie back to them and he'd be without him while we waited for the replacement. So, even though my son has noticed the damage, since he's not too bothered by it we'll just keep our slightly damaged Bertie.
FIND RELATED REVIEWS BELOW
Wooden Railway System
Annie - Thomas' Beloved Coach
Barrel Car
Clarabel- Thomas' Beloved Coach
Edward the Blue Engine
Gordon the Big Express Engine
Harold the Helicoptor
Henry the Green Engine
James the Red Engine
Lady
Percy the Small Engine
Rusty with Construction Cars
Thomas the Tank Engine
Tidmouth Milk Tanker
Toby the Tram Engine
Arched Stone Bridge
Single Stone Tunnel
6.5 inch Curved Switch Track
6.5 inch Curved Track
Circle Set
Books
Diesel's Devious Deed
Thomas: The Really Useful Engine
Buying Thomas
All Aboard Toys
Train Table
Nilo Train Table
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 6.99
Type of Toy: Trains
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
dagny21
|
 in Kids & Family |
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Christine D
Location: Alaska
Reviews written: 388
Trusted by: 66 members
About Me:
Happily married mother of one boy.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.