Thomas the Tank is a cheeky engine who lives on the Island of Sodor with his friends.

~Push 'N' Go~

Push 'N' Go Thomas the Tank is a toy created by toy giants Tomy. It is suitable for children over the age of 12 months and doesn't require any batteries. The toy measures 15 x 9 x 7cm and is presented in an open front box.

This toy is said to encourage crawling and general fun. Push 'N' Go Thomas is presented in one piece with no assembly required. The main body of the toy features a large, plastic Thomas with 6 turning wheels. The top of the engine is semi open and Thomas' driver is popping out. The idea is for your child to press down on the drivers head, release and send Thomas shooting across the floor.

~Price~

Current prices :

*Amazon UK - £12.58
*Tesco - £10.97
*Play.com - £9.89

~Our Thoughts~

Push 'N' Go Thomas is marketed as being the perfect little toy for toddlers too young to get use from a train set. I cannot remember how we came to have this but know it has been in our collection since my son was around 1year old (so 2 and a half years roughly). We also have the matching Percy somewhere in the house but James can also be bought if you want a full collection.

~Quality~

From a parents point of view, this is a decent toy. It is chunky, sturdy and not too heavy. It is quite big and easy for a toddler to use. The quality of this train is really good. There is no sharp surfaces or small parts which could cause any issues with babies and nothing will fall off if the train ends up near a hungry toddlers mouth! It is all very secure and my son could get use of it from a young age. It is durable and has withstood being rammed into walls and the usual toddler tantrums.

Thomas actually looks like Thomas. Probably a daft statement to make but I find that poor quality Thomas toys often do not look like the real engine. This toy has a realistic looking Thomas from his cheeky smile, red detailing to his black funnel numbering. The toy has a glossy finish though regular play has resulted in small flakes of colouring falling off. The drivers detailing is minimal - a simple blue hat and jacket.

~My Sons Opinion~

My son was impressed with this toy from the moment he received it and took it to relatives homes to show it off (alongside Percy). Thomas was subject to flying off the edge of sofas (and survived to tell the tale) but was mainly used on a carpet. Whenever this toy is ressurrected from the toy box now, it is mainly used on the laminate flooring as my son has learned that Thomas works better on the wooden floor compared to carpet.

When my son first received this toy, he found it difficult to push the driver down far enough to gather up speed. The driver is quite stiff and it does take quite a bit of pressure to get him moving. My son eventually got the hang of it and it doesn't take much force for him to get Thomas moving now.

I wouldn't say this is the best push toy on the market. Once pressure on the drivers head as been released, it takes a few seconds for Thomas to start moving. The wheels spin quickly and to start with, Thomas would go shooting across the floor in a fairly noisy manner. My son would chase after it and giggle as he done so. When Percy was with us (I still need to find him again), my son and nephew would race the engines which always proved to be fun and it was something they could do together.

Now though, the driver seems even stiffer and doesn't seem to move Thomas very well on his own (especially on the carpet). My son pushes him down and then has to give the back of Thomas a nudge to release the driver and send him on his way. It is almost like the driver has given up and became lazy (or stuck!). Not so bad on laminate but no where near as fun as it used to be.

~Conclusion~

This is a good, fun toy for a younger Thomas fan but doesn't have much appeal to my son or nephew who are now 3 and 3 and a half. It isn't educational and has limited play options - it looks good but is really basic and my son prefers toys with more play options now. I wouldn't pay anymore than a fiver for it to be honest as it isn't worth anymore.

Overall 4 stars and a recommendation.

Thanks for reading :)