My son obsesses over the oddest engines. We had never seen Duck in a video, but we read just one story involving him and he was hooked. The story we read involved Duck running off the rails and into a barber shop, where the angry barber lathered him up with shaving cream. My son was so amused by this single story that he just had to have Duck.

Duck the Character
Duck's real name is Montague, but he is never called that. I'm not sure why. He's a small tank engine and - like Thomas - he runs his own branch line. He's a bit pompous and overly proud of the fact that he comes from the Great Western Railroad, and he never tires of reminding the other engines about this. He says things like "I'm Great Western, and everyone knows that the Great Western way of doing things is the best way." Nonetheless, he's generally kind and always tries to be really useful. He also has no trouble at all standing up to larger engines like Gordon who try to order him about.

Duck the Toy
Like all of the Learning Curve engines, the 3 inch long Duck is sturdily built of nicely painted maple, with a molded plastic face and wheels, and a bit of steel holding it all together. No matter how many times he crashes to the floor, he's not going to break. Though his paint might chip a little. If ever any damage does occur, you needn't worry because of Learning Curve's unconditional lifetime guarantee against damage of any sort. This includes the inevitable paint chipping. Yes, I asked them myself. Duck has a strong magnet on his front and rear to attach him to cars and other engines. He's the same color green as the toy Percy, Henry, and Oliver.

"That's Not Duck, Mom!"
When we took our trip to the train store to purchase Duck, there was an unexpected wrinkle. I'd called ahead to make sure they had him, but when I picked him up, my first thought was "Where's his big smokestack?!" and the first words out of my son's mouth were "That's Not Duck!" The "real" Duck has one very distinctive feature. A big black smokestack that is much larger and more prominent than most of the engines possess. For some reason, Learning Curve decided to provide Duck with a tiny green smokestack. Otherwise, Duck looks like Duck. They've captured his shape well, and his unique face is just right. But without his tall smokestack, I have to agree that "Duck" isn't Duck.

Our Experience
Since my son got over his initial disbelief that this toy indeed was Duck, he's played with him quite regularly. We've owned him for several months and he shows only minor paint chipping, which is par for the course if you are going to actually play with these toys, not just display them. My son plays with Duck at least a little bit almost every time he plays with his trains, which he does every day. He usually pairs Duck with Oliver and the brake van Toad, who work on his branchline.

Final Recommendation
Duck is seen in a lot of different Thomas stories, and therefore adds a great deal of pretend play value to any Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway set. He's a very interesting character, and the toy - although not a perfect likeness of the "real" Duck - is unique looking compared to the toy other engines. Don't make Duck one of your first Thomas purchases, but once you have a collection going, he makes a good addition.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 8.99
Type of Toy: Trains
Age Range of Child: Other