Playmobil is happiness in a box (4.5 stars)
929341
The Playmobil Pirate Treasure Island Playset, like all of our other Playmobil sets and figures, has gotten a lot of use and brought a lot of happiness.  The movable pieces and operating features seem to make them much more interesting to our kids.  This Pirates Playset is something of an accessory set, and works best with other sets (whether pirate or other Playmobil).

EASY-ISH TO ASSEMBLE:  My 8-year-old daughter had fun putting this together.  The instructions were clear and easy to follow.  (As with most sets, it can take a little time to adjust to the particular way each manufacturer approaches directions.  She has done other, more complex Playmobil sets so this didn't present many issues.)  There were a few parts that either needed adult force to click together, or where it was a little hard to see which way a tiny piece should be oriented (or both).

VALUE:  The quality of the pieces, the thoughtful design, and the appeal of the toys to my kids make this a good value.  It does seem a little small for the price, but the amount of use we get out of our Playmobil toys stands out from some of the other toys we have. (Consider signing up for the Playmobil email list for discount coupons.)
972981
Playmobil toys were introduced in the 70s, when my kids were little, and although they were comparatively expensive, the quality seemed worth the difference in price.  The toys have held up well and have been played with by my grandson, as well.  This was a purchase for him and will be a Christmas gift.  He loves cars and taking apart/putting together things, so I'm sure this will be a great hit.  I purchased this without qualms, knowing Playmobil's reputation for quality and our previous experiences with the brand.  I am pleased with the purchase.
272349
My baby loves this car!  For right now, she just pushes the buttons and smiles at the sounds and music it plays, and she LOVES sitting on top and having us push her around the house for a little ride (in fact, she cries when we stop--which is very frequently because it's hard to bend down so low to push the thing!)  She's not walking yet, but I think she will enjoy pushing it herself as well when she can.  Overall, a fun toy that baby loves!
4766885
This toy arrives in impressive packaging, making it an excellent gift to give or receive. My daughter and I were both eager to see what this toy was all about. We do not have any other Ever After High toys or books, so this was a new adventure for us. It is perhaps important to note that my daughter is age 7, and for her that means a total rejection of all things considered overly girly or babyish, including all dolls. That being said, this doll with her edgy look and funky clothes, immediately met her criteria for being cool. The doll is well constructed, and my daughter declared that she would never let her hair get tangled since it was so beautiful.

The fun really begins when you start to explore the book that houses the rooms and furniture that go with the set. It is packed with fun accessories and my daughter truly enjoys setting up the rooms to her liking whenever she takes the set out to play with. The furniture that is included can be built and deconstructed quickly by my daughter, so there is little drama when it comes to clean up time : ) My only disappointment with the set is that the DJ booth is made of cardboard. It never quite sits flat when it is opened up for play so that section of the book never really looks just right and doesnt seem to be of the same quality as the rest of the pieces. That being said, it has not yet ripped, and has never been a complaint of my daughter.

My favorite part by far, is the way this set packs up into itself and looks like a book that can be stored on a bookshelf. Once I figured out the ikea-style picture directions to get everything put away properly, it really was easy to do. I showed my daughter once what she needed to do to get it all put away and she has been able to do so independently since that time. One of my frustrations with other sets of a similar style is that they take up so much space and the tiny accessories are always getting lost. This concept solves all those problems and makes playing fun for both parent and child.

In the spirit of full disclosure and thanks to Mattel, we received this toy to try for free.
4298670
My son has the Kid Galaxy Radio Control Front Loader and loves to take that toy to his favorite playground or sandbox. So it's no surprise that he's similarly happy with the Kid Galaxy RC Dump Truck.

This toy features an all plastic construction from what I can tell. Take that for what it's worth. My son has been using his Front Loader and now this Dump Truck non-stop since he got them and they're still very much functional. I wouldn't expect these toys to a ton of longevity though and if your child is tough on toys these might not be up the task.

Unboxing:
Have some snips or a good pair of scissors handy to remove the multitude of zip ties. You'll also need a small Phillips screwdriver to remove one small screw to finish the unboxing process.

Batteries:
You'll need six (6) AA batteries to power this toy. Two (2) for the controller and four (4) for the dump truck.

Operation:
This toy operates exactly like the front loader. The control sticks each power one set of wheels - right or left sides. Move both sticks forward or back to engage forward and reverse motion. Use one stick pressed forward for a turn or for a tighter turn press one stick forward and one back. Simple. A small shoulder mounted button operates the bed (cool!) motion.

Use:
My complaint with this toy is similar to that of the front loader - it tends to get bogged down easily in sand or gravel. If you can live with that and the plastic build then this is a very fun toy for the youngsters.
1997957
Every time I complained about assembling this, a person without small children asked me why I didn't have them do it. HAHAHA. Oh, that's a good one.

Ahem.

So while it may not be work on the scale of, say, the Playmobil castle, just know you're going to be making a time investment here, too. (The good news is that the more intensive sections can be kept assembled, even in storage, and so once assembled, the kids can handle setup just fine.) But it's a fun set, especially if you've already purchased many of the add-on items (like meerkats or flamingos or penguins) and you spend a lot of time going to zoos...as one does with small children.
1264348
We love Playmobil! This set is really cute and lots of fun. The only part we didn't care for is some of the pieces don't stay attached, so we are having to reassemble some of the parts every time we want to use it. We still like it and it won't keep us from purchasing Playmobil in the future.
995177
Great toy.  My child loves it.  It IS sort of big - way bigger than the Step2 water table. It's about the size of an adult coffee table.  I thought it'd be smaller than a train table, but it's about the same, just longer and thin versus more train tables being squarer. It might be a few cubic inches smaller than a train table, but that's it. No complaints about any of that.

The assembly, although not difficult, is annoying. One bridge didn't really fit flush like the others did and I'm a little afraid that cars will get caught on it, but oh well.

Your kid will love it, the bridges don't move, so no having to go fix them every two seconds like a wooden track.  So plus 1 for all the OCD people who get the heebeegeebees thinking about keeping track of that.  HOWEVER...

The caveats:

Stickers are NEVER going to line up - they are designed to short out. It tells you to leave gaps between the stickers, but even so, it's more than you think.  It WILL NOT EVER LOOK LIKE THE PICTURE.  The instructional picture shows a continuous decoration, uninterrupted.  This must be from the prototype. The stickers don't even have the tracks printed to the edge of the stickers, there is a built in margin, so even if they were perfectly butted up to each other, there is a built in gap, so the picture's a fraud.  If that is a deal breaker for you, don't buy it, you'll be mad.

Once you get over that fact, and get over yourself trying to be a perfectionist, it's not the worst thing in the world.  It is tedious, and even the relaxed will find themselves pulling the stickers back up and redoing them in an attempt to make them suck less.  It'll never be perfect, it can just suck less.  However, your kid probably won't care and when you think of it as decoration instead of a feature, it's not as upsetting.

It's still day one with it, but my 2 year old loves it and has so much fun running his matchbox cars up and down the ramps.  Like everyone else says in other reviews, it's crappy that instead of a nice plastic top, you get this cardboardy/plywood top that has a hole instead of a handle, so it can't go outside and isn't as durable in that way as the water table that Step2 makes.  But if you know that ahead of time, it's not that upsetting.
2609005
This particular Hot Wheels set had caught our granddaughter's attention just a few weeks ago in a toy store, and she really wanted it.  Obviously, I was thrilled to be offered an opportunity to review it because of her intense desire to have this particular set.  She greeted the mail person on the day of delivery in eager anticipation.

Unboxing the toy was simple.  For the 4 year old, it was also a source of some disappointment.  Instead of the retail store packaging, it came in a neat and efficient plain brown box.  That meant it was a lot easier for the grown ups to extract, but it was the packaging that had originally caught her eye, so I suspect she was afraid that it was not the coveted car set.

Like most car sets we have bought for her, this one was not so easy to assemble, and once assembled, is not so easy to keep assembled.  I think it took Grandpa most of an hour to assemble it, although he managed to not mutter cuss words loud enough for tender ears.  Her impatience was eased with the need for begging Grandma for ice and playing with the cars.

Once assembled, to grandparent eyes, the set itself left a lot to be desired in terms of useful entertainment for 4 year old grandchildren.  It's messy, with water, which meant we restricted its use to outside.  It does have a tank to catch the water from the shower for the cars, but it fills up fast and is NOT easy to empty.  (I think it filled up with every 2-3 cars launched through the shower track.)  Despite our lack of enthusiasm for the set, it really thrilled her...until thunder sent her flying inside.  We are anticipating this to be a toy that she loves and grown ups groan when she starts pleading to play with it, although it's a great thing for outdoor play at the table on a hot summer day.  I can't see this being a useful toy for bathtub play, so it literally will get used outside only.  I'm not enthusiastic about water messes on hardwood floors indoors, nor mopping up the kitchen floor after a play session.

Now the cars themselves are HUGE entertainment, as they are affected by temperature.  Putting something cold against the car finish, and they can "paint" the car the new color, without a much mess.  I showed her how to draw on one with an ice cube, then how to warm it up with her hands.  I also used the type of popsicle that comes in a box of sealed tubes (while frozen) to do the same thing, which is mess-free as long as they don't puncture the plastic tube.

I'd highly recommend the cars--they are really entertaining and fun.  Three cars come with this set, but another set of just cars includes five cars is also sold by Amazon.  All it takes is cold to change the color, and that can be achieved with a paint brush dipped in ice water or using an ice cube as a stylus.

The play set is less interesting to me, and I suspect that the biggest draw to playing with it will be grandparent lack of enthusiasm for getting it out, filling the tank with ice water and arranging for play space that is tolerant of water.  This is a better toy for summer use, and would be a poor choice for a Christmas gift unless the recipient lives in a subtropical climate.  Younger children would need parental assistance for assembly of the play set, and often during its use as well.
2316603
The Project Mc2 H2O RC Car is well-built, sturdy, and attractive.  It is easy to assemble, although it does require a lot of batteries to operate.  I recommend using rechargeable batteries and putting them on the charger at night when the kids are asleep.  The steam is a neat touch that makes the car seem really realistic.  My kids love using the remote control to drive the car all around the house and even rigged up some jumps for it.  Luckily it is durable and has stood up to being dropped and being driven off the edge of the jumps.  The remote control functions well and is easy for the children to operate.  Barbie and Barbie-like dolls fit well into the car (2 dolls) but unfortunately Ken and Ken-like dolls don't really fit all the way into the car.  My older daughters have taken to shoving Ken in as far as he will go and having Barbie drive him around even though he isn't properly seated.  My baby even likes playing with the car although she just pushes it across the floor and doesnt seem to care about using the radio control.  The seat belts are a good feature (safety first!) but they are a bit hard to snap into place  especially for small child fingers.  I would definitely buy the Project Mc2 H2O RC Car and I would absolutely recommend it to others.  Although the look of the Project Mc2 H2O RC Car geared a bit more towards girls, boys like it too.  My daughters had a friend that is a boy come over to play and he really liked driving the car around the house  although he did prefer to drive it without any dolls.  The fact that the dolls we already have fit into the car is a real plus.  The Project Mc2 H2O RC Car is attractive, sturdy, my children have enjoyed playing with it and will continue to play with it for a long time.
1922383
Alt mode: very much like the show. Its not the most exciting vehicle but that's the idea of this character. There is no robot kibble either, and the underside doesnt look like a bot hiding under a car. The vehicle reminds me a lot of Beast Hunter Bulkhead for some reason. What I really like is the nice mix of brown tones and the paint in the front that brings out the sculpted detail. There isn't the same in the back but, and this is very surprising, the wheel's rims are painted. Also, there is great weapon storage. You can fit his gun right between his feet and calves, it sticks there really well. I love how there are a ton of small tabs that keep panels secure in this mode. Everything fits well and stays secure.

Robot mode: this is a very strong outing from Hasbro. He has the features you would want from Quillfire, with the right proportions. His articulation is perfectly serviceable with swivels in all the right places. He can even open adn close his mouth which is a lot of fun with Transfomrers that have snouts. He has a nice array of quills in the back with a big quill that can be removed and used as a dagger or pointing stick. It's these nice little touches that mean a lot to me. The only thing that is a bit too bad is that while he has a lot of alt mode integration, there is the top part of the car that hangs off his back, and he ends up with a fake chest instead of it being his actual windshield. Still its better than Strongarm or Sideswipe where the chest has to peg in. Here it is a nice solid piece that won't unclip. He is a superior mold to almost every autobot actually (maybe tieing with Drift).

Conversion: straight forward with the arms and legs but still a nice mix of complexity with some slight innovation in the way the quills are stored. Especially since the front of the car end up folding onto itself.

In a way, this mold has everything I look for in a transforming toy. Original design (with the robot mode), weapon storage in alt mode, no extraneous kibble in alt mode, a ton of new detail in robot mode which still sports some nice alt mode integration. Good poseability and a neat transformation with some fun features that we haven't seen yet or don't see much (like the removeable quill and articulated jaw in robot mode). And good deco all around, even if the colour mix is due to different coloured plastic rather than paint, he later of which is still present and serves to highlight the sculpt.

8/10
307288
After reading the other reviews posted for this product, I felt compelled to put my 2 cents in.

First of all, the concept of this toy is simple, racing cars down two spiral tracks.  Admittedly, for a grown-up, this could get boring in a matter of moments.  However, the toy is not intended for use by grown-ups; it is intended to be used by preschool-aged children.  And, to that end, it gets the job done.  My two younger children, ages 3 1/2 and 4 1/2, love this toy.  Yes, they have tried to send their Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars zooming down the race track; some work and some don't.  While we originally purchased this racetrack as a supplement to our son's evergrowing collection of Matchbox-ish cars, we are not disappointed since the toy has taken on a life of its own.

Every parent knows their child's interests; if your child loves to play with cars and race cars, then this toy is sure to please.  If your child prefers Legos or Duplos to racecars, then this isn't the toy for you.

Our son loves to watch things go... and if it takes him five tries to find a Matchbox car that fits without getting stuck, he'll patiently plow through the bucket... but once he finds the one that works, his squeals of delight echo through the room.

This toy is very sturdy, well-constructed and much more compact than the only Fisher Price garage currently available.  And, as for the complaints about the noise, while this toy does attempt to imitate race car sounds when you push the lever to "start" the race, the sounds only last for about 30 seconds or so.  I've yet to hear the toy "speak" on its own or while left unattended, and it's certainly not loud enough to cause any disruption to a home accustomed to the sounds of small children.  Overall, a great alternative for the car-loving preschool set.
3342750
I just got this for my son who is 7 years old as a xmass gift. The packaging was great, and as usual, Amazon was great with the delivery time. Everything within the package was well organized as all parts had specific locations. The first thing we did was to check the users's manual. One issue with that is that it is quite a small manual, with limited language options. However that being said, if you can read it, everything is within the manual.

Overall it took us about 2 hours to build the track. Sections are well explained, but there are many parts that require to be assembled. Each track has to be attach to each other, and then small plastic track holders has to be put in place as well. Perhaps as expected, the most challenging part is the loop. I made a mistake and assembled the loop the last which I think should be done first, and build the whole track after the loop is complete. Overall, after all the parts put together, the tracks held tight and everything was solid.

The cars are very simple, and requires a slight adjustment on the bottom for where the track metal rails meets the conductor underneath the cars (is conductor right word?) Anyhow, those things underneath the cars needs to spread out, and most important part is, they have to be adjusted to approximately to a 30 degree angle. This way they won't push the car off the track, and the electric will safely power the cars. If for some reason the conductor stops functioning, the package includes quite a few spare ones as well (which was well thought out in my opinion).

So now comes the the part perhaps some may find it to be frustrating. The cars go extremely fast, meaning, if you do not adjust your speed on tight corners, you will constantly have to move around and put the cars back on track. Yes the system is magnetized but still not strong enough to hold the cars on tight corners. To give an idea, the track is 7.5 meters long overall, and takes about 5-6 seconds to finish a lap at most if not shorter. I've have personally owned Carrera tracks in the past in Germany, and they are no joke, as it is a serious hobby for many individuals (especially large scale models). This means, if you just press your speed controller all the way down, you will have to constantly get your car back on track, and that is no fun. Even thou the toy is suggested for age 7 and up, younger children can be frustrated by the difficulty. It took my son quite some time to get adjusted to it, and in order to make things easier, we both sat on the other ends of the tracks where the curves are located (where the cars tend to get off the track more often) and corrected or put back the cars on track again when needed. Eventually after about an hour playtime, his accident rates went down quite a lot. In my opinion it is quite a difficult toy for children, but with practice and patience it is a lot of fun. As a matter of fact the fun factor of it is quite high, especially with the challenging 4 way section that can cause quite memorable accidents  :)

Before I finish this, I'd like to also mention that, Carrera tracks are expandable. There are quite many software's on Carrera's web page that will allow you to customize and build your own tracks and order your parts, including different cars for the tracks. Therefore it is quite easy to consider the Cars edition of Carrera as a starter pack and expand it from there. It will require some room, but overall your experience will further with the expansions.

I am giving this set overall 4 out of 5 stars, only because of some small frustrations and the lack of some options that are unavailable within the USA, especially being unable to order expansion parts on Carrera's US web page. My rating is not affected by the fact that it was a bit challenging for my 7 year old (as it was my decision to purchase it). I recommend this to anyone who's willing to spend some quality time with their loved ones, as well as those who are interested in such hobby.
1762385
A fun toy for engaging a child's imagination.
It's best features are the light up floor/music and elevator which triggers
different sounds on each of the 3 levels as the elevator goes up/down.

The sound is pretty good, most saying are very clear.
> Press floor lights - Come along with Julius Jr. (etc) - group singing
plus several other are activated from the floor.

Moving the elevator up/down -
> Come on gang - let's ride the slide
> Time for band practice
> Wow the stars look awesome through the telescope
> Wow what a beautiful day, I'm gonna need my sun ?
> Going down
> Top floor
> To the invention dimension
> To the hall of doors
> Wow, I can see the whole gang playing from up here, hi guys
And additional saying is triggered by opening front door.
> All are friends are here together (etc)

One thing a little disappointing is the rocket launch doors don't latch -
therefore - the doors won't stay up/closed.

This nice size, all plastic house (12" X 12" - 4" deep) has three levels -
plus a rocket launch attached (5" X 5" - 4" deep)
All with basic, but nice paper graphics on the back wall.

There are 9 pieces - aside from the main house, to expand the imagination.
Julius Jr. can dance on the lighted dance floor - skate on a skateboard.
Go down the slide - take a rocket ride.
The toddler of our family likes it!

A basic - well constructed toy.
The plastic is somewhat flexible, there aren't any hard sharp corners.
Switch on bottom for turning off the music.

If toy begins to operate erratically, reset electronics by removing batteries & re-installing.
Includes 2 AA batteries for demonstration purposes, won't last long.
993686
I love that this Amphibious RC Remote Control Car comes with batteries. I especially love that it comes with rechargeable batteries. My favorite part about this car is the enjoyment it brought my 4YO daughter. Watching how much fun she had controlling this on her own was priceless.

We played with this car for about an hour. The battery didn't die. Since weve received it weve not charged it. Its continue to work for a few weeks now with casual play. Which is nice because the battery isn't easily accessible. To get to the battery you have to unscrew the hood of the car, remove the battery, and charge it externally from the car.

Removing the battery takes more finesse than I have. First you have to unscrew it. Then you have to pull the front of the hood backwards to release the front of the hood from the car. Once it pops out you have to rotate the hood towards the back to access the battery. The hood itself does not come off. I feel like I have to apply more force than I should to get the hood to release from the front of the car. I feel like Im going to break it, Ive not but I do get frustrated. Putting the hood back on is equally as frustrating. The cords get in the way of putting the hood back on. If you don't get the cords in exactly the right spot the hood won't reattach.

Other than the battery charging process we love this car. Its well made, durable, and easy to use. I understand that being amphibious  the battery needs to be protected from water. The design of the cars battery is to protect it from getting wet. This design will prolong the life of the car and battery.

PROS:
My daughter absolutely loves this
Works on land and water
Flashing lights
Rechargeable batteries
Batteries included

CONS:
Charging the battery isn't easily done

Ratings (Out of five stars):
Material Quality: *4*
Paint Quality: *4*
Mechanical Operation Quality: *5*
Ease of use: *4*
Value: *5*

Overall rating: 24 out of 25 stars / 4.8 Star Average

I hope you enjoyed this review. If you have any questions about my experience please leave me a comment. I will be happy to follow up on my experience with this product.

I received this product complimentary from Click N Play for quality testing purposes; all opinions expressed are my own.
250690
Just wanted to say how happy I am with this ride on and walker toy. I am happy because my 13 month old is happy! He is nearly walking and I am glad I bought this before he is walking (could have definitely got use from it from around 10 months) as it has given him a new found freedom. It is well designed and excellent value in my opinion. It is light but sturdy. I was able to build it (without hubby) in about 20 mins. He has a V tech walker&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Vtech-Sit-to-Stand-Learning-Walker/dp/B000NZQ010/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Vtech - Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker</a>&nbsp;but he seems to enjoy this more because he can hop on and off. That said, the V techs music board has provided hours of entertainment and has done so since he was 9 months old.
3763628
I don't really let my kids use the iPads and stuff in the car, instead torturing them like my parents tortured me on long road trips: license plate games, I spy, screaming through tunnels, etc. Or just basically telling them to stare out the window at nature while I am mentally repeating Louis C.K.'s awesome take on boredom (`I'm bored' is a useless thing to say. I mean, you live in a great, big, vast world that you've seen none percent of. Even the inside of your own mind is endless; it goes on forever, inwardly, do you understand? The fact that you're alive is amazing, so you don't get to say `I'm bored.`)

That was all well and fine until both kids got into the "DADDY SHE WON'T STOP POKING ME" age and even my well behaved girls became some whiny mutant iteration of their former selves once in the car over 25 minutes. Like there was some sort magical field around my car that stripped the children of their manners as soon as they entered my vehicle. My wife and I decided a little mindless entertainment on our 7 hour road trip wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. At least for us as parents.

I received their Bluetooth headphones as a gift a while back so decided to stick with the same brand for the Carbuddy since I was happy with their customer service (I had a general question and heard back by email in like 15 minutes). Figured not much can go wrong with a piece of plastic but might as well buy from someone that seems to stand behind their products just in case.

I received this thing quickly and the packaging was cute/descriptive/what I expected, and the installation was pretty self explanatory so I didn't need the instructions. It's sturdy and holds the iPads (one Mini, one Air) without any issues. I always double check and secure the knobs before I leave just to be sure but they usually don't need much twisting. I imagine unless you're offroading in a Jeep this will remain pretty stable on your journey. On that note, it's surprisingly well built with the rubber and the plastic clearly not being cheaply made so I'm happy with the mounts.

Anywho, my kids still don't get to say I'm bored, but at least I get a few nanoseconds of tranquility on road trips. 5 stars easy.