Chuggington

Chuggington Interactive Puffer Pete Steam Around Set

December 17, 2011 by TheBoyAndMe 2 Comments

The Boy loves Chuggington at the moment and he gets very excited about whether or not the episode that is on is a 'normal' episode (the morning one) or a 'special' episode (the 'badge quest' one on at teatime). Therefore when I opened up the Toys R Us box last month, I was excited to see the Chuggington Interactive Puffer Pete Steam Around Set.

Designed using Smark Talk technology, this train set features engines which recognise and talk to other engines, as well as being picked up by specific buildings and accessories with sensors and the same technology in it. That in itself is a massive bonus and draw to this set. Having tested the more traditional wooden style railway with normal engines, to hear Puffer Pete declaring that he loves being back in the Ol' Town when he gets to the station, was a novel and quite attractive feature.

The other selling point (from the manufacturer) of this train set is that it features 'real' steam from the water tank and chimney in the station. Water was involved in this process, but it's not a hot steam so it's quite safe and won't burn little ones. The other reason that it won't burn your child is because the amount that comes out is so minute that there's no danger (look at the video to see what I mean). Bearing in mind the packaging shows a bucket-load of steam billowing forth, this is misleading and a bit pointless in all honesty.

On this set, as opposed to the Under and Over, the track pieces are plastic and not interchangeable with the wooden set. I personally think this is a shame because it limits the play possibilities with it. The pieces don't have any electrics hidden in them so there's no reason for them not to be compatible.

As The Boy has had a lot of new toys recently to play with, and will be having even more in a week's time, we decided to test this ourselves and donate this to Ty Hafan, Children's Hospice. My husband was told to unleash his inner child and have fun with it. An hour later I popped my head in through the dining room doorway to check on him; he was still setting it up having had difficulty getting it out the box and fasten the track pieces together. This is a 36 year old man. My son is two years and I don't hold out much hope of him constructing the track himself (unlike the wooden set). The track pieces click together and once joined are fairly sturdy which is a bonus, especially on the raised sections.

One of the additional features of this set is the turn table so that Puffer Pete can go one of two ways around the track. It isn't stiff, it's really easy to turn and works well. It could do with being bigger though as Puffer Pete has a hopper wagon joined on the back but the pair of them can't fit on it together.

And so finally to the carriages. I like the fact that Puffer Pete has a bank of sayings and that he can interact with the buildings and accessories. There is a small light on his top which flashes when he's picked up the signal, or there's a button on the top too to make him speak or 'choo-choo'. This is clever and I'm impressed with it. I was disappointed that there was only one carriage included in the pack as the product description says: "Destinations recognise and interact with interactive engines. This magical open ended play system includes over 300+ sounds and phrases (when used with other Chuggington interactive products)…" However, each of the other engines are £9.97 so it's quite pricey to see the 300+ sounds!

All-in-all it's a good set. It usually retails for £49.99 but Toys R Us have it on sale for £34.99 at the moment which I think is a far more realistic price for the products that you get.

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We were provided with this for the purpose of this review. Our opinions are honest and unbiased.

Chuggington Wooden Over & Under Starter Set (A TRU Review)

December 13, 2011 by TheBoyAndMe 2 Comments

Recently The Boy has become obsessed with train sets. He knows all the characters in Thomas the Tank Engine, has a vast selection of wooden train track and makes me set them out in a variety of different styles. He honestly makes me. Ok, you've forced it out of me, I enjoy seeing if I can get as many different combinations down as possible. He stands there looking at me bemused.

However, when we opened our last box from Toys R Us to discover that there was a Chuggington train set inside, I'm not sure who was more excited! He adores Wilson and Koko, and Chuggington is his 'poison' of choice at the moment, watching it religiously every morning. I was ecstatic because there was a funky tunnel and hill set included in the 22-piece set.

The set is designed to be put together in a figure of eight-ish layout with a bridge section which also creates a tunnel for the track to go back through. The bridge is actually a clocktower and the top of this can be taken off and placed elsewhere to become another tunnel (this is best because it falls off anyway). Each of the wooden track pieces is made of good quality wood, finished well with no rough edges and are also embossed with joins and bolts to make them look more authentic. A rarity with these sets, but in the Chuggington set even the straight pieces have the grooves for the trains to travel along. The clocktower is made of tough plastic and is good quality. Sensibly the piece of track that uses this bridge is glued firmly into position.

In the set comes two carriages (Wilson and Koko) and Vee, the tannoy system. While Vee is cute, it really is just for decoration and doesn't have a function. Wilson and Koko are very good quality carriages and of a standard size: a bit longer than a crayon. They also have their names printed on the bottom of their quality wooden carriage, the finish is excellent.

This is a brilliant set, but I have one issue with it: the carriages fall off the track when they come down the bridge.

Trust me, we did extensive scientific research into this:

Our conclusion was that based on the size and weight of the carriages they're too big and top-heavy to stay on the track to be able to go around the curve on the suggested layout. In addition the angle of the incline is steeper than in the standard Brio set which means that the carriages are travelling slightly faster. It's a minor thing, but this basic flaw in the engineering has really irritated me. For the price, it should be perfect.

This is a good starter set which is made of high quality materials with an excellent finish. The carriages are chunky and robust, the track pieces realistic. The fact that it is branded with Chuggington has inflated the price to £39.99 and in all honesty I'm not sure I'd pay that much.

Chuggington Wooden Over and Under Starter Set is available for £39.99 from Toys R Us.

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