Take Along Thomas Work and Play Roadhouse – The Obsession Continues
Written: Jan 29 '03
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Pros: Cheaper than the wooden Thomas products; portable
Cons: Engines can get stuck in the roundhouse; can be heavy
The Bottom Line: The Work and Play Roundhouse is an inexpensive and excellent way for your child to enjoy some ‘Thomas’ fun on the go!
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| BearySweet's Full Review: Learning Curve Work and Play Roundhouse |
I was surprised the first time I saw Thomas the Tank Engine products at Target. Since my son became a fan of these toys I had learned they were only available in specialty shops and in stores like Barnes and Nobles and Toys R Us. I was equally shocked to see the cheaper prices on the Thomas items in Target, but quickly realized they were not the wooden engines we were used to purchasing. The engines available at Target are also created by Learning Curve, but they are smaller, die-cast versions that are part of the Take-Along Thomas line. As a 2 year old, my son is in the hoarding stage, where he just likes to carry things around with him so early on in the ‘Thomas’ obsession, we picked up a few of these engines for as little as $4.99 a piece for him to take in the car with him.
We recently began searching for a house, and since we are fairly new to this area, we have no one to watch Jake during this process. For the first trip to the realtor’s office, we packed up enough pieces of the expensive wooden track for a small circle and a few engines. These toys helped to keep Jake occupied but Joe and I both worried about losing or damaging tracks in the process. It was also inconvenient to pack and keep track of all the different pieces. We headed to the Take-Along Thomas display at Target to find a solution to our problem. The answer to our problem was found in the Work and Play Roadhouse, a portable roundhouse and track for some take-along Thomas fun!
I was surprised at how compact the Work and Play Roadhouse is, measuring in at 11” x 8.5” x 5”. Unlike the Thomas the Tank Engine wooden railway toys, the Work and Play Roadhouse is made of rigid plastic. The roundhouse is a building that houses the engines when they are not hard at work. This toy is a fairly detailed version of a roundhouse complete with shingles, bricks and decorative stones molded into it. There is even a sticker of a water tower on the front! There are 4 doors on the front of the roundhouse, 3 of these doors have compartments to fit 2 engines and the 4th holds only one. The doors have a small strip of plastic molded into the plastic that are supposed to serve as door handles, but they are very difficult to grasp. Jake just found it easier to stick his finger through the open windows in the door, crook his finger and pull it open that way. I do the same thing, but since my fingers are bigger, it is a little more difficult for me to get the doors open.
When you are ready to play with the Work and Play Roadhouse there is a drawer underneath the roundhouse that slides out to reveal a turntable. Part of the roof opens to a small storage area where you will find 4 pieces of curved track, 2 pieces of slightly ascending straight track, and a crossing signal. The pieces attach to both sides of the drawer to complete your oval track. The pieces fit together one certain way, so there is no confusion as to how to set up the track. But unfortunately this means there is virtually no versatility in your layout. The crossing signal can sit on either side of the small hill. I’m not sure why they included this piece since there is nothing to cross the tracks, but this doesn’t stop Jake. He puts the crossing bar down and informs us that Bertie the Bus must wait while the train goes by. The track itself is not nearly as detailed as it’s wooden counterpart. There are no recessed inlays for the wheels; the entire track surface is indented and flat with no imprinted railroad ties. I found this to be a bit of a pain when moving the engines around the curves, but Jake doesn’t seem bothered by it at all.
Thomas the Tank Engine is included with the Work and Play Roadhouse, but you must by any other accessories separately. Luckily the Take-Along Thomas engines are reasonable so you won’t go broke adding a few of your child’s favorite characters to this set. The classic wooden Thomas engines are not compatible with the Work and Play Roadhouse, but I have found that pretty much all of the popular characters are available in the Take-Along Thomas line.
The Take-Along Thomas line includes a few other play sets that are compatible with the Work and Play Roadhouse. The information we received with our set showed how to set it up with the Sodor Mining Company set to enhance your playability. There is not much versatility to each toy alone, but you can get creative if you purchase them both.
So far the only thing I don’t care for about the Work and Play Roadhouse is how heavy it is. It is not too heavy by itself, but it can house 7 engines for take-along fun. The die-cast engines are smaller than the classic wooden engines, but they are heavier. You put 7 of them into the roundhouse and it is way too much for my toddler to carry. I think a 3 or 4 year old would have trouble carrying it as well. You could opt to take fewer engines, but what fun is that??
I am impressed with the durability of the Work and Play Roadhouse. My son is not gentle with toys and it has held up nicely so far. The plastic is rigid, but not brittle, so I don’t anticipate any problems with cracking. It wouldn’t matter though, since this is a Learning Curve product, it is covered under the Learning Curve unconditional lifetime guarantee. According to their website, "If for any reason one of our toys needs repair, we'll fix it in our workshop, replace it, or substitute a toy of equal or greater value." After a recent experience with a defective toy, I am happy to say Learning Curve honors this guarantee one hundred percent!
This portable train set is recommended for children 3 and up, but with no small pieces that could pose a choking hazard, I have not problem letting my 2.5 year old play with it.
Now that you know what I think of the Work and Play Roadhouse, let’s see what Jake thinks of it. Of course Jake goes crazy for any Thomas toy, but he was really crazy about this one. He danced around and waited as patiently as a 2 year old can while dad freed it from the box. The second it was out he dropped to the floor and started exploring what the roundhouse had to offer. Joe showed him how to get it set up and he was on his way. Jake LOVED driving the trains around even though it was just a small oval and not the intricate track he was used to with the wooden products. He put the trains in and out of the round house over and over again. I am surprised and pleased that he didn’t tire of this toy at all. We finally put the toy in the trunk of the car so it would seem ‘new’ to him the next time we went looking at houses and needed it. Jake literally pines for this toy. I had to cut the pictures out of the box so he could look at them since he didn’t have the toy in the house anymore. He just stares at the picture and says, “Look at the boy playing Mommy, that looks fun.” Every now and then he will insist that ‘I get my jacket on and go get the trains out of the car, they are in the trunk!’. It kills me not to give the Work and Play Roadhouse to him, but I know that when he finally gets to play with it again, Jake will be thrilled and it will more than serve it’s purpose.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 16.99
Type of Toy: Trains
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Epinions.com ID:
BearySweet
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Member: Michelle
Location: The Buckeye State
Reviews written: 85
Trusted by: 68 members
About Me:
Taking a break...life is a bit crazy right now.
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