Buying for my twin boys first Christmas last year was a slightly daunting experience. They had mountains of toys already however as it was their first Christmas we wanted to spoil them, but buy toys that they would get use from. Mr Lools was keen to buy "proper boys toys" so anything deemed "masculine" was a preference for him. As a result we seemed to buy a lot of cars and vehicles which included the ELC Construction Trio.


***ELC Construction Trio***
The ELC Construction Trio is a set of three construction vehicles that can be linked together by magnetic connectors. Each of the three vehicles is around 7cm long and about 5cm high. The three vehicles are in the shape of a cement mixer, a crane and a tipper truck. All three of the vehicles are made from hard durable rounded plastic and are bright yellow and orange with friendly faces on the front.

ELC state that the Construction Trio is suitable for children from aged 1-3 years.

The ELC Construction Trio Vehicles are available from ELC and Mothercare stores and are available online from both of these sites. The RRP for these toys is £10.00 however the ELC Construction Trio is regularly included in the 50% off offer that ELC run so is regularly priced at £5.00 which is the price we paid.


***Our Experience***
Like most ELC toys the Construction Trio Vehicles come firmly secured into the packaging with lots of ties around each of the vehicles. As a result I spent over 5 minutes trying to release all of the vehicles and it is best to do this away from small children because of the metal ties and because children simply want to just get on with playing with the toy once they see you unwrapping the packaging.

These were a Christmas present so when my boys first received the ELC Construction Trio Vehicles they were 11 months old. At 11 months old they were slightly younger than the recommended age however the vehicles are rounded and have no small parts therefore I deemed the toys "safe". My boys were playing with similar sized cars from around 9 months old once they were able to sit up unaided and I would have felt confident giving them the Construction Trio Vehicles from this age too.

The ELC Construction Trio Vehicles consist of a tipper, a crane and a cement mixer. The toys are made mainly from bright yellow and orange plastic with small black wheels. As vehicles they are very rounded and quite basic looking, which I do feel makes them slightly babyish. ELC state the toys are suitable up to 3 years and although I feel a 3 year old would happily play with these vehicles they would prefer more realistic looking construction vehicles if there was a choice. My boys still play with these vehicles regularly at 22 months but as they are getting older are starting to take more of an interest in vehicle toys which have more features or have more detailing to them.

On the front and back of each of the construction vehicles is a magnetic connector so all of the vehicles can connect to each other in a line (like train carriages). There is no particular way to connect the vehicles and this also means the ELC Construction Trio Vehicles is compatible to connect with any other of the vehicles from the ELC Vehicle "Trio" sets (there are about 5 different sets in the range). My only real criticism of the ELC Construction Trio Vehicles and the other ELC vehicle trios are that the magnetic connectors come detached quite easily. When three or more vehicles are attached together as a child starts moving the vehicles around on the floor the magnetic connectors do not hold and vehicles end up coming detached. The only way to keep three or more vehicles attached for longer periods is to move them very slowly around the floor which for a young child especially is not really fun. On the plus side they are very easy for a young child to connect on their own and my boys were able to do this from around 14 months old. The vehicles do stay connected however when there are two vehicles only attached to the other one.

From being 11 months old my boys have been entertained pushing the ELC Construction Trio Vehicles around the floor and playing with them alongside their other vehicle toys. Even from being very young toddlers they would babble and giggle as they pushed the cars around the floor and played very imaginatively. They now like to line up all of their vehicles and shout "beep beep" as they push them around the floor and with their other vehicle toys. The vehicles are a great size for little hands to hold which I feel for younger toddlers encourages their physical development and motor skills. The size of the vehicles are large enough for young babies to play with but compact enough to use alongside other toys. For example we have a Fisher Price garage which only came with two vehicles. The ELC Construction Trio Vehicles can be used with this garage and fit on the ramps and lifts so are a good staple toy to have in a toy box. The ELC Construction Trio Vehicles also can be used with the ELC Whizz Around garage and a Chad Valley garage.

Durability wise the ELC Construction Trio Vehicles are very well made like most ELC toys. My boys have played with these cars in a rough manner and the vehicles have all been thrown from highchairs onto a tiled floor and thrown from the sofa onto a wooden floor without suffering any damage. The cars are made entirely from a hard durable plastic which can easily be washed and wiped down. Because there is not a lot of intricate detailing on the vehicles dirt does not get stuck in parts of the vehicles that can't be reached so it is very easy to keep these toys clean even when you have two toddlers playing with them.


***Overall***
I would definitely recommend the ELC Construction Trio and feel for £5.00 they are an excellent purchase as are the other vehicle trio sets from ELC. Each of the three vehicles is brightly coloured and fun looking and made from very durable plastic which looks as new despite almost a year of rough play.

The Construction Trio toys are great to play with as individual vehicles but also to join up using the magnetic connectors. I do think the magnets could be stronger as when you join all three vehicles up, or join up with other vehicles from the ELC trio sets the magnets do not hold very well especially with more frantic pushing movements.

The toys state from 1 year old however because of the rounded plastic and no small parts I would be confident giving these to a child from around 9 months old once they can sit unaided and reach out for the vehicles. My boys have been playing with these toys since 11 months and at 22 months I feel they will still get a lot of use from these construction vehicles as they are great for children that like cars and are compatible to use with the ELC garage and Fisher prices garages.

A great present that won't break the bank!