On Christmas, our son was very happy, to receive a Tomica Super Freight Liner for his Hypercity Set. I thought it was pretty cool, as the purple locomotive, is at least a bit more original than CSX or Norfolk Southern colors. He must have got my side of the genetic table, with trains at least, and I'm thankful for that. His passion runs deep already, as proven by his hours of playing with his Tomica set. It was a nice gift from his Godmother, who's always good with finding something he will like, and our family is grateful for her kindness. This will work for a lot of families, and their kids for that matter, but there are some issues with it. With that being said, I first want to commend the engine.

That is very well made. This is produced with high quality metals and plastics, that will take a beating. Small kids are brutal on any type of toy, and railroad equipment does not get a break from this. I do not know how this locomotive is still running. You turn it on with a switch, and its powered by a C battery, that lasts a long time. If your boy or girl plays with it a lot, it will easily go a month without a replacement battery, making it a cheap date as far as toys go. The battery is simple to take care of, and this engine is built to last. Even the stickers on the side are impossible to remove, and after crashes and a few times being thrown around, it still plugs away at good speeds on the plastic blue train tracks.

I like how it is fairly quiet too. This is no where as loud, as some of the engines on my N scale, and those who use the HO and G scales, will be even more happy. You can barely hear it, unless you are right next to the set. To its credit, it pulls the cars with ease, in fact all of them at one time if so desired. This engine provides the stability, because where Tomica cut corners, was with the cars. There's a blue, green, and yellow car. All of these are made with cheap plastic, and their couplers are horrible. They make life difficult, and both my son and I have become frustrated with them. So often they fall off while the train is in operation, or attaching them can make you one step closer to the crazy house. The plastic used stinks, and even worse, is that the "links" are not completely closed.

That can lead to headaches, and his rear car is already showing battle damage. These cannot take a lot of abuse. That is why careful supervision, and understanding that these are not going to out last the engine, is part of the deal with the set. If you can live with that, then you will find this product to be acceptable. First toy sets aren't going to be high quality for the most part, and this one is average at best. For its price, and I'm not sure how much it was, its no Lionel set. Yet I'm positive it cost a whole lot less than these outrageously expensive items. This can be torn apart without tears from parents, and for what its worth, I'll give it a recommendation with the warning about the cars not being of high quality.

As for its functions, the train just chugs along on the set. There are no railroad sounds or lights from it. Some might find that to be a bit simple, and I can understand that sentiment. For those parents, buy the Lionel or other expensive sets. As for its ability to get around the tracks, as long as you set them up by connecting them properly, you should not have too many issues other than the previous mentioned ones. It does what it is supposed to do, but not much more than that, and it is not compatible with a lot of other train items.  There are plenty to choose from, so if you want just an ordinary set that will hold up for a three year old, this is one you should at least consider.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): gift
Type of Toy: Trains
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years