Well-made and lots of fun to play
340144
As a part Irishman married to a Greek woman, it was probably inevitable that a bouzouki would enter our household at some point.  Id been intrigued by the sound since Id first heard a bowl-back Greek one at a dance at my wifes church 30-odd years ago and after hearing the Celtic version I knew I wanted one.  With my long-suffering wifes blessing I started looking for an entry-level bouzouki and chose the Luna Trinity Bouzouki.

The Luna Bouzouki with a street price around $450 (2015) is priced above the Hora and similar bouzoukis on eBay but below the Gold Tone and Trinity College instruments available nationally and fits my affordability criteria for an entry-level instrument.  The Luna story talks about the founders career in the visual arts and you can see that reflected in the product as this is a very handsome, well-resolved instrument visually.  The finish is a low-gloss, with the faux tortoise-shell binding adding an interesting finish to the body and neck.  The phase-of-the-moon fret markings are a not-so-subtle reference to the manufacturers name and the rosette at the sound-hole references the Celtic knot.  The build quality is quite good  probably somewhat better than one might expect for an instrument at this price-point.  The tuners are serviceable F style mandolin tuners with black keys, the bridge adjustable rosewood with a bone/ plastic insert and the tail-piece is a fairly generic stamped two-piece one.  Not surprisingly, the strings that came from the factory aren't very good and will have to be replaced.  I haven't had opportunity to plug it in, so I cant speak to the performance of the on-board preamp.

Tuned up, the intonation was good up the entire length of the scale.  It has a fairly quiet voice which is fine for playing around the house and presumably, the electronics would come into play in a band setting.

This is a well-made and well-priced instrument, lots of fun to play, and a good introduction to the zouk.  I certainly feel like it represents solid value-for-money instrument and highly recommend to anyone looking to explore the Celtic bouzouki.
2744315
Bought for my 4 yr old daughter as a gift. She loves it. It is easy to play, super loud (oh, joy), and super well-made and sturdy. She is happy with it, so I'm happy with it. I'd recommend.
2126304
My son just got this as a gift for his 3rd birthday and it's been a HUGE hit. He and daddy build a new 'track' every few days and he loves loves loves to watch the marbles go through the track. This seems to be a very nice set with plenty of pieces so that you can build a nice complicated structure. It also seems to fit together well and doesn't fall apart as soon as our son touches it. Our son can also fit the pieces together himself although I think it'll be a little while before he can really 'design' the structure all on his own. Overall excellent toy; I think it'll be used and loved for a long time.
2399258
My daughter loves this game and we've played it several times since purchasing for her birthday. The board and pieces are sturdy and well made
749728
This set is well-made, so should withstand even my grandson's boisterous expressive play.  In conjunction with a 5-star book about pirates I bought here, this gift will be a huge hit, both with Benji, and his parents!
4210106
Once you get past the fact that these Tinker Toys are made of plastic, they are loads of fun. Your kids, obviously, won't care at all and will be fascinated by them from the time you get them out of the box. And, once you think about it objectively, these are actually more versatile than the traditional wooden Tinker Toys, so all things considered this is a good deal.

This set comes with a helpful guide that shows you how to make several things: a building, and windmill, and a dog are the most recognizable. There's also a fun little thing whose function I'm still unable to determine, but which looks like fun anyway. But, let's face it, unless your kids are big enough to follow the directions themselves, they're mostly going to be just putting pieces together and seeing what they can make. And for me that's the real magic of Tinker Toys--just seeing what happens. It's a lot of fun watching my kids just be creative. And, I've got to confess, it's kind of fun building stuff myself, too.

So these are definitely a great toy for the creative-minded.
1034897
My 9-month old son initially didn't know what to do with this toy, and I actually didn't think it looked like much fun just hitting balls into holes.  He first learned to place the balls into the holes, then to push the balls through.  What was beautiful to watch, however, was the other ways he played with this toy.  He pushed other little toys through the holes--some fit through while other didn't.  He turned the bench upside down and placed the balls on the ramp, watching them roll off.  He also turned the bench on its side and balanced the balls on the slit.  We let him play with the mallet a couple of weeks later, always under our supervision.  This toy is solidly-made with quality materials, withstanding all his banging and teething.  I am very pleased with this purchase!
1581691
My just-turned 6 year old got this for his birthday, and we all love it!  The pieces advance up the 3d path, and sometimes a cool mine cart whizzes down the ramp and knocks pieces off the board.  It took a few minutes to put it all together, and sometimes the background panels slip off the sides (we used a little tape to keep them in place), but this game is FUN!
620452
Very well constructed. It isn't gender specific so it is just a simple doll play house. All the pieces are very well built and hold up to lots of play. The house comes in three parts so kids can adjust the shape and layout of the house. The furniture that is shown in the picture does come with the set, as well as the little boy and girl figures. Everything is made of wood-- there are no sharp edges or rough corners. It isn't really heavy, but is a very solid set that can be transported easily. Ours sees a lot of play (nearly every day). I am very glad I invested my money in such a great toy. It is an excellent value for my money.
1617902
I bought R2-D2 for my daughter's birthday.  It was pricey, so I was hesitant, but she seemed to really want it.  Boy, I'm glad that I did as it is a very well made, sophisticated toy.  I find myself playing with it and treating it almost as a pet.  You talk to it, and it responds to you, it plays games and can be mischievous.  We like "light tag", and "spin the droid".  If you tell him to go on a "Time out", he shakes his head "no" like a disobedient child.  If you tell him to "Behave himself" and give him a "Time out" again, he obeys.  Sometimes, we have a hard time getting him out of "Game Mode" to "Companion Mode" (He doesn't seem to understand the "Re-set command" always), so you just turn him off and then turn him back on.  Thanks to the reviewer giving the "Easter Eggs".  They were fun to do.  Overall, the voice recognition is good, but it definitely takes practice to learn the nuances of his programming.  A fun toy and a "must" for any Star Wars fan.
1370005
I love the concept of this toy, and it seems very well-made.  The kids really love it, but my 1 year old and 3 year old still don't quite get that they are giving it commands.  My 7 year old is having all the fun!  I am not sure what age group it is made for, but I'd say probably older 3's-6's is the proper age group for this.  We bought all of the extension sets, but we quickly learned that each command takes awhile, which means that it needs A LOT of space.  More space than most houses have "open."  That is the only reason I knocked it down to 4 stars.  The kids bore easily if it is constantly bumping into walls and cabinets.  We try to keep the chain smaller to help.
3820706
This train set is very well made and provides hours of fun for both my 2-year-old daughter as well as my wife and me.  Lots of great combinations you can make, although at this age she is thrilled just to make a circle and push the cars along.  I'm sure as she gets older, she'll appreciate all the options she can build.
2591022
My three-year-old son loves playing with these. All pieces are very well made and sturdy. My son is not a delicate creature, as most boys aren't, but these are standing up very well to his use. The moving parts move very easy and my son has no difficulty using them. They provide him hours of fun while playing with play doh making shapes, stamps and patterns. Anpther great product from Melissa and Doug!
4158558
Its fun to play and I can spend a lot of time on it.
1775797
We didn't know what color it was going to be until we received it (he got the green one) and my 12 year old son loves it. It is solid and made well.  I went ahead and bought him extra strings (very inexpensive) because I heard it is a very common occurrence with any Kendama. I even played it and it is quite fun. I would suggest purchasing extra strings at the same time because it is easy to see when the string wears down and needs replacing. The ball is hard and if the string breaks while playing it could hurt someone (or break something). There are youtube video's that show the skill involved and teach how to do certain tricks. Overall it's an inexpensive fun way to pass the time.
1994095
Great for a child's play costume.  Well made and lots of fun!
3141871
What a joy to play with this toy. My son is still too young, but I got it anyways as I feel it is important to stimulate him with different types of toys. At almost 2,5 y of age, he finds fun to sort the bugs by color.
Happens to be so intertaining that mom and dad are the ones to play with it!

It comes with a real nice case to keep all magnets together.
The booklet has 36 suggestions of games, ranging from level 1 (easy) to 4, as well as the solutions to each game.
Go ahead and have lots of fun! Highly recommended.