Thomas the Tank Engine 2-Sided Playboard - Can't Have A Playtable Without One!
Written: Jan 13 '03
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Pros: Makes a great base, easy to set up and use
Cons: Stationary, scenes don't change
The Bottom Line: A nice 2 sided option to fit inside Thomas playtables.
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| KMINER's Full Review: Learning Curve Thomas the Tank Engine 2-Sided Play... |
My son is a huge Thomas the Tank Engine fan - huge. We went into it slowly, at first unsure as to just how long he would remain interested in Thomas stuff - but after a year he is still addicted. So we finally decided this holiday that it would be worth spending the money to invest in some more permanent, and therefore expensive products to help him use his Thomas trains and track.
We are lucky in that Colin's grandfather hand made him a beautiful wooden playtable so that we would not have to pay $200 for one. Since the playtable has an open middle (where a playboard would go) we knew that we (my husband and I) would be buying Colin the Learning Curve Thomas the Tank Engine 2-Sided Playboard.
We chose the 2 sided board over the 1 sided clearly because it flips over and has a scene on each side. We felt this would give Colin more play options and choices of scenes - though the 2 sided is a little more expensive than the 1 sided. We knew we'd be paying in the neighborhood for $60 to $70 if we were lucky. Since we are on a lot of Thomas mailing lists, we got an offer from a specialty toy store an hour below us for a 20% off stock sale this fall. For $60 shipped we got a Learning Curve Thomas the Tank Engine 2-Sided Playboard delivered right to our door!
It arrived in giant cardboard packaging, and boy was the thing heavy - I could barely get it through the door! The Thomas the Tank Engine 2-Sided Playboard is designed in its measurements to fit exactly inside the playtable and really does not have any other use besides that. I guess one could place this on the floor and play on it - that seems not only unsafe, but I am not certain this product is made to be that durable to have kids walking all over it.
In design, it is really quite simple. This product line has released a 1-sided playboard previously, with only 1 design on it, for about $10 - $15 cheaper than this 2 sided playboard. The 2 sides, each depicting an aerial view of some terrain, offers a variety of play options. Since the design covers the entire board, it is up to the user to decide how creative they want to be. You could set up the tracks you have so that they compliment the scene - meaning that you would follow the countryside, roads, and markings left on the pictures (for example, not placing track through the water but rather having a bridge go over it - not placing track near or through the farm, but rather going around it). We, however, are not that dedicated, any of us. We just use it as a general surface and build the track any way it'll fit on the table. For us, it's time consuming enough to design intricate patterns - I am not going to try and navigate through all of the terrain also.
There is not much to "do" with the Thomas the Tank Engine 2-Sided Playboard or really any upkeep. It just rests inside the playtable and provides a base on which to play. It can easily be flipped over to see the other scene, though since it is larger and a little heavy, you may need more than one person to do so. Really, it is the ideal purchase - I never have to check on it, replace any batteries, or even clean it! And yet, without it, Colin would not have had a stable surface on which to play. This product has really helped to add to his enjoyment and ease at which he plays with all of his Thomas trains.
The Thomas the Tank Engine 2-Sided Playboard is something each table must have, one kind of playboard or another - so why not get the matching Thomas one that compliments the trains? It has been nothing but a series of pluses for this family!
Features (taken from babyultimate.com. but the same wording is on just about every store you might purchase it from on-line):
"This playboard features two differents playscenes for hours of fun. One side features a scenic landscape, and the other side features an industrial scene for new areas of play. Playboard measures 48" l x 32" w."
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 60.00
Type of Toy: Trains
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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