price:$8.02
K'NEX
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Not Pleased) 『My boys have loved K'nex in the past. We have bought different types of sets, the ferris wheel for older children and a couple of the preschool age boxes as well. We have loved them all. This one is terrible. None of the pieces hold together, it is very frustrating to try and build them. Plus the other K'nex kits we have bought have had detailed instructions on how to build different types of things. This one gives details for two dinosaurs and the rest are just pictured so you have to try and guess which pieces make that dinosaur. We haved loved other ones but I am very displeased with this K'nex product.』
(fun and educational dinosaur toy) 『I purchased this product for my eight year old daughter who is crazy about dinosaurs. It is hard to find dinosaur toys for girls that are not overly boyish AND not overly cutesy. I choose this toy not only because it was dinosaur-themed but because it seemed like it would promote fine motor skills and thinking skills. The directions are not very detailed which is good and bad. It is good because you actually have to think and apply logic to assemble your dinosaur of choice (one of our hopes for the toy). Bad because it can be frustrating and difficult for a child to figure out. With my help we had no problems, but it did take us about 30 minutes to put together the velocoraptor. I would recommend this toy for kids interested in dinosaurs and who like to build things. We have never bought a K-nex product before (my husband was/is a Lego nut) but will gladly purchase more in the future.』
(Great fun for the kids!) 『My Son loved it! The small parts are hard to keep track of, but you get that with any building toy. The plans were easy for him to understand and follow. We found it to be good toy for teaching how to read and follow directions.』
(Great Idea, Poor Kit) 『Great idea, I love the dino theme and the roaring block, but the pieces do not fit together well! I helped and it was quite frustrating to keep the pieces together!!』
(Great Gift) 『Bought this for our grandson on his 12th birthday, he loves it, Knex has always been a plus』 『Build dinosaurs that stomp and roar! Packed with bricks, rods&connectors for the perfect building experience! Set includes a motion-activated sound brick, ideas for over 20 models, and a handy storage containder for easy clean-up and portability!』
price:$0.02
LEGO
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Great Duplo Add-On, But Not the Best Starter Set) 『My 2 year old daughter received this Duplo set for her birthday. Overall it's a nice set with a lot of pieces, but it all depends on what you're wanting to do with Legos. Do you want to build? Or play matching games? Do you already own a whole slew of Legos and now you're looking for some novelty pieces? If so, then this set would definitely fit the bill.
This set is great for novelty pieces, like the double-decker four peg pieces which each have a number or corresponding number of items. They would be great fun for playing little number games with (my daughter is still a little on the young side of this, but this may be neat later). This set also contains one cute little person who can be made to attach standing, or laying, or sitting on any Lego piece, and his pal, a dalmation dog. My daughter loves the dog. There is a single window, and a little standard Lego car. The white fence is a great novelty piece too.
The problem with this set (or advantage depending on your perspective) is that there are too many novelty pieces, and too few basic building pieces. This set is sorely lacking in the rectangular pieces which are so necessary to building just about any structure. The novelty pieces are pretty cool, and I imagine as we amass more basic Lego bricks, we'll have a whole new appreciation for the novelty pieces, but the bottom line is that if you are wanting a building set, I would start with something more basic than this.
I think one area in which Lego has gone astray is in adding too much to a lot of their sets in an effort to make them more educational, or less centered on the classic (boring?) building aspect of Legos, which was/is in fact the most educational part anyway. And besides building is fun. That said, I think this set does sit comfortably astride the line between overkill in that department and being just simple enough to have multiple practical uses.
For anyone new to Legos, or who is balking at the $25 price tag, I think it is worth mentioning that the ABS plastic used by Lego is quite safe and durable, and that many basic Lego bricks are still manufactured in European countries, which is pretty outstanding when you consider how big the company is. That, of course, is another reason to stick to basic block sets. All sets that have the more fancy pieces are going to contain parts manufactured in China, and this set is no exception. I think the countries listed on the back of the box were China, Mexico, Hungary and Germany, if memory serves. However, of China-made toys, Lego has one of the cleanest records of all those tested with XRF technology by the Ecology Center - which is better than could be said of a lot of toy companies. Bottom line: I think you can have a bit more faith in the integrity of Legos than of a lot of toys on the market. But that's just my opinion.
Anyway, I wouldn't necessarily pass up this set. The possibility for games with numbers is cool, the novel pieces are nice, and there are a few basics like the car, but I would recommend at least one basic Duplo block set and a large baseplate being in your collection before adding this one.』
(Kinda expensive for plastic!) 『It is had to imagine that this little toy would cost $25. It is plastic after all....Priscilla B』 『Learn numbers 1-10 while having fun! It's never been more fun to learn numbers! With bright, colorful numbered bricks, young children will learn their numbers without even knowing it! Includes great play starters like a DUPLO child minifigure, dog, and wagon to provide endless hours of learning and building fun. Set includes child and cat minifigures, wagon base, window and fence! Bricks have playful pictures and numbers to help children learn matching skills! Components made in Denmark, China, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.』
Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Great toy, great price) 『This was an addition to our current lincoln log set and integrated wonderfully although the color is different the peices all work together great. The kids now have more peices! I wished it would have had more longer peices and roof peices, but all in all was great add on kit for great price!』
(Made of WOOD NOT plastic!) 『Just addressing the "most helpful" critical review. These are made of Wood NOT plastic as stated. Perhaps it was the 'competition' writing the negative review. It happens. I hate that when that happens, always have to second guess some people's motives for reviews...』
(Great toy) 『Gave to a 2 yr old boy for his birthday. He builds and builds for hours!』
(ok) 『I think this was overpriced. I also thought I was purchasing the original Linclon Logs. These were plastic. Wouldn't buy again.』
(Fun for everyone.) 『These logs bring back memories of my childhood. We played with them for hours and built all sorts of things. Now my grandchildren are having great fun creating some interesting looking structures. They will last a long time being so sturdy. I will probably buy more to give them even or options.』 『This 114 pc construction set has durable and colorful logs that make beautiful cabins, houses, or whatever your imagination can create! Color safe! Components are dyed with vegetable based food colorings then tumbled in paraffin wax to seal them. No paints are used to color these wooden construction play sets.』 『Adults who remember hours of fun building with the classic interlocking building logs construction set and want to introduce it to their own children may be dismayed to find that many such toys are now made of plastic. Never fear, T-N-T International can't quite let go of the past either. They have made this 114-piece Frontier Building set entirely out of quality hardwood. Beautifully cut and finished, it includes all the traditional pieces--long logs, short filler logs, and roof slats. Helpfully, T-N-T has made this set to be compatible with other log sets.--Lisa Whipple』
Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Awesome LEGO addition) 『LEGO City Train Station
My son who's 12, could easily put this together and it made a nice addition to his Holiday train set and his City train set.
』
(A great addition to the LEGO speed train) 『What can I say - it was a favorite gift for my 7 year-old who has had considerable fun building and re-building it next to his speed train. This was the first time he was really able to follow all the directions himself and was proud he could do it with no help.』 『All aboard! Buy a ticket and get your luggage ready for the next departure. The train station is busy with trains coming and going, and passengers waiting on the platform for the next train to arrive in LEGO City. Includes rails and 5 mini figures. For ages 5-12 yrs.』
Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Lego Garbage/Recycle Truck) 『Good instructions, was built together w/my 5 year old. He plays with it often and likes shoveling the bits and putting them in the can and dumping into the truck. Only complaint is a very weak spot in the legos where the back end lifts up, constantly breaks off and was frustrating. Bought superglue for that specific area where the henge and the backend lifts. Overall, nice lego kit w/opportunity to talk about recycling and litter.』
(little different) 『Can't go wrong with Legos. I especially like this set because it's a little different than your typical Lego set (airplane, truck, ship, etc.). Even comes with a little trash can!』
(LEGO Garbage Truck) 『My 5 year old son received this LEGO set for his birthday. He is a garbage truck fanatic and was totally excited about putting this together and playing with it! The age range is 5-12 years old so I figured he would be able to put his truck together. He couldn't even begin to do this by himself and he is a really smart kid! I ended up putting the truck together with his help. He really likes the truck and it is really cool the way the rear portion lifts up, but unfortunately it breaks apart with the slightest bit of pressure. That being said.... it is a cool truck and LEGOs are wonderful toys that work on a child's fine motor skills. I would say that the age range should be changed to 8-12 years.』
(Lego Garbage Truck) 『Techically impressive, the truck is rather fragile when built and complicated to put together when it falls to pieces. Not up to Legos usual standard.』
(Goes together Nicely) 『I bought this for my six year old grandson and I to do together when he came for his sleepover. To quote Elijah while we were playing, "This is going together very nicely". We chose to assemble it over two days, but it could be done in one sitting. The instructions were very easy to follow. He probably could have done it without me, but it was fun to do together too. I thought the price was good, the value was top notch』 『Kids can learn about saving the environment by helping LEGO City recycle. Load and unload the recyclables just like a real truck. Includes truck, dolly, recycling can and mini figure. 206 pieces. Box measures 7.56"H x 11.34"W x 2.36"D.』
price:$2.07
CitiBlocs
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (citiblocs are great) 『As an inhome daycare provider I am always on the watch for toys that will help the kids learn and keep them busy. Citiblocs are great. They are durable and openended play time that attract the kids again and again. I would hightly recomend them. They are also much more affordable than the other blocks out there that look the same but cost more money. I saved some more money by buying my citiblocs at Amazon. Thanks Amazon.』
(These are very basic, which is good.) 『These little blocks are very basic and kids can really use their imaginations when playing with them. They only problem is if yours are around the ages of my grandchildren (2,3,3,4) then the pictures in the instruction book are very difficult, if not impossible, for a small child to build. Of course that doesn't keep them from wanting to build them which puts you right down on the floor with them. And some were too hard for me.
Otherwise, these are great little building blocks. Just hide the hard pictures!』 『For toddlers to teenagers, Citiblocs are a "growing" toy. Develop logical thinking&confidence. Build, invent, create, succeed without frustration. Citiblocs building blocks fit all ages, all skill levels, all imaginations, all pocketbooks. The 100 piece set is a terrific way to get started.』
Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Cant go wrong with Legos!) 『Another good addition to the Lego family. My 4-year old son loves it. Couldn't quite put it together by himself, but almost. The instructions were pretty clear and specific.』
(Typical LEGO goodness) 『This is typical LEGO quality - great. All the pieces were in the box including instructions in picture form. The end result is a very realistic working front loader. The only downside to the design is how the arms and bucket attach. If it is used to scoop other LEGOs the arms and bucket fall off. If you have other LEGOs, use a longer piece to attach the arms to the body and it will stay together.』
(Wonderful toy) 『Great purchase for children between 5 and 8 years old who enjoy putting Legos together or building cars, trucks, or anything that can eventually be played with.』
(Great construction vehicle, more realistic than older sets.) 『I have been a lego collector for several years and the new construction vehicles they have been coming out with are great!!! Over the years the instructions with lego sets have become more simple to read and understand and the sets hold up great. Better construction and new style of parts have made things much better looking and they don't fall apart as easily. I would highly recommend this and other sets for anyone who likes the city series and collectors.』
(Very fun low-cost Lego) 『This set is part of Lego's 2009 City line. For playability and value for money ($[...]) the front-end loader deserves five stars. I also like the fact that it uses mostly common Lego pieces (rather than specialized shapes). It doesn't get five stars because when kids play with it, they have an easier time using the bucket when the faux hydraulic piston is not attached (you'll understand when you get the set). Still, it is a very attractive and useful toy with nice proportions. As a side tip, we've found that filling a low plastic bin with coarse corn meal makes a great indoor construction site; compared to sand, it is easier to clean up, it doesn't foul the toys, and it is simply not as dirty.』 『This impressive front-end loader makes construction site work easy. With its large excavator bucket, you only need a few scoops to fill up a dump truck. 108 Pieces Ages 5+』
Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (So Much Fun) 『This set was a big hit at Christmas. True it is a little pricey but in my opinion well worth the price. One of the best things about it is the fact that my kids never seem to get tired of playing with their Indiana Jones Lego Sets. And although I enjoy playing video games myself, I would much rather see my kids spending time on their legos than hours playing video games.』
(indiana jones lego set) 『This was a gift for my nine year old grandson who is a lego and an indiana jones enthusiast. He was was thrilled.The acutal set had so many interesting features. The quality was well worth the moneny.』
(Fun Set and Fast service!!!!!!) 『We got this for our son who is 8 years old for Christmas. He loved it and was able go step by step without an adult help. Great pictures for a child to follow direction. He was so happy that he had put something together by himself. I also great service and a fast delivery too. Very Happy!!』
(Lego Indiana Jones Temple Escape) 『A perfect addition to my sons collection. Directions are easy, and is a great way for my grandson and me to spend time together. Can't go wrong with any Legos.』
(Fragile!) 『Good price on Lego as always! Grandson loves putting them together - but this is display only. It does have "working parts" and is really fun but falls apart easily (not a defect, it's just NOT a TOY!) Cute on display!』 『Indiana Jones has come to a temple deep in the jungle in search of an ancient idol. But can he avoid the collapsing walls, shooting arrow traps, slithering snakes, spiked walls and a massive boulder rolling right for him? It's all out action, Indy style! Includes Indiana Jones with hat, whip and shoulder bag, Belloq, Satipo and pilot minifigures, plus 6"L plane with snake inside, just like the scene from the movie. Features and details include skull rocks, bat, spider, spiderweb, skeletons, gold coins and more. 554 pieces. Temple measures a total of 21"L.』
price:$4.77
Doug
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Certain reviews are wrong - NOT cardboard) 『Those who are saying these blocks are cardboard are totally wrong. Or those reviews are outdated and should be removed. These blocks are made of a plywood. There also aren't any smells and I'm sensitive to smell. Just a general wood smell that's all. They're cute and seem well made. However I'm disappointed because I actually WANTED cardboard blocks because they're more suitable for a wider range of ages to play with. Babies who still sit and crawl on the floor can't have a tall tower of wood blocks falling on them. My son played with a set of big nesting blocks like this at a friend's house that were instead made of cardboard and he loved them - when he'd topple them he would not get hurt and he could also pick them up easily. These blocks are pretty heavy so I will only let him play with the smaller blocks until he's standing and walking really well. Now the search continues for some cardboard nesting blocks we can actually use right now.』
(Stinks) 『Like others, ours came with the smell of spray paint. Many, many calls to M&D were met with the same response: Our toys are non-toxic. ([...] would suggest otherwise).
Anyhow, we let them air out for six months-- yes, 6 months!-- and the smell finally subsided to the point we felt comfortable letting our little one play with them.
Ultimately, the toy was probably packaged before the lacquer or varnish had a chance to fully dry. After letting them off-gas, they're fine and represent no harm to our child.
If we had to do it over again we absolutely WOULD NOT buy this toy.』
(Great blocks!) 『It says for 2 and up, but my 1 year old LOVES them. She loves stacking them, nesting them, putting other toys in them, knocking them over... We love animals at our house and every block has four diffrent animals on it, so they are fun for that too!』
(great toy but...) 『i love this toy but one thing, be carefull about how it falls over, the wood is heavy and durable but can hurt a little if they fall on you or your child.』
(Did not arrive in great shape) 『We ordered this as part of a birthday present for a cousin. The blocks were colorful easy to store but from the time we opened the package the first block was coming apart. I felt so bad that I offered to buy it at another store or a similar product. I have ordered Melissa and Doug products before and I have never had this problem. I have to say I wouldn't order it again.』 『Teach animal, letter and number recognition with ABC and nesting blocks. Our durable blocks allow children to experience constructive play at its best!』
Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (9 year old loved it) 『My son had this on his Christmas list and was able to put it together without any help. The attention to detail is what keeps us spending money on Legos. There is a tiny coffee maker in the cab of the truck! The wheels roll and the "blades" move with them, there is a net that you can shoot out on the rock monster, and it seems more durable than some of the Star Wars ships we have. He seems to play with it longer before requiring repairs. Great design and easy to follow instructions. Free shipping and a great price made this a better option than fighting crowds for black friday deals that might not have been there anyway.』
(My son loves this toy) 『I gave this to my son for Christmas, and he loved it. It was easy to put together, and the only complaint I had was the hood on the vehicle comes off too easy, so I've had to put it back on for him I don't know how many times. But overall it was great. It got here right on time and was covered in the box so my son never knew what it was. Great toy, will get more like this!』
(The Rock Wrecker is the best Power Miner toy!) 『Rock Wrecker
I think the Rock Wrecker is the most awesome Power Miner vehicle of all the ones we have. It has my favorite power miner, Rex, and my favorite rock monster, Geolix. It was complicated and fun to put together. I like it because the saws really spin and the dynamite launches really far. It launches the net but not as far as I thought. Sometimes the top comes off but it goes back on easily. The container is cool that holds the crystals. 』
(awesome!!!!!) 『the rock wrecker is a awesome quick build so you can play fast pros HUGE ROCK MONSTER BIGGER THAN EXPECTED! SAW BLADES REALLY MOVE! BIG! cons NONE!!!!!! 200\5』 『Get ready to wreck! With its multiple spinning saw-blades to cut through any obstacle in its way, the Rock Wrecker is almost unstoppable but its never encountered the giant yellow rock-throwing monster! Can the Power Miners capture him with their working net launcher before he uses his lever-action arm to wreck the Rock Wrecker? Saws really spin when vehicle rolls! # Features 1 yellow rock-throwing monster and 1 scientist minifigure! # Accessories include pickaxe, shovel and 3 yellow crystals! # 8 blades spin when the Rock Wrecker moves and the huge back wheel helps steer it! # Net shooter with net and dynamite launcher! # Cockpit opens to reveal interior details and coffee maker! # Yellow rock throwing monster measures 2½ inches (6.4cm) tall! # Rock Wrecker measures 7 inches (17.8cm) long by 4 inches (10.2cm) wide by 4 inches (10.2cm) tall!』