I bought this toy a fair while ago but I never actually realised until recently that it was indeed a Bob The Builder character and for just £2 I am amazed really. I found this in a clearance at my local TKMaxx and decided to buy it for my son perhaps a year or so ago. He loves vehicles of any description so I knew this being a little different that it would be a hit and I wasn't wrong.

The skip is lovely and colourful being lime green with a bright yellow skip and smile. The eyes are the headlights, a grill as the nose and a bumper perhaps as a smile. The skip is attached to a frame that can be lifted up and down easily enough while it slightly swings on the plastic chains. There are two pieces underneath the top bar that pulls together to release the skip from the frame and this also is how it is reattached, my son found it easy to release but to put back on he found it a little fiddly but it is a good idea as it means the skip isn't forever falling off. The skip and the toy itself is rather sturdy and durable but the plastic chains do feel a little flimsy whilst not attached but even my less than careful 3 year old hasn't had any accidents with it as yet.

The age range of this is 3+ however my son was 2 when he received it and he managed to use this toy easily enough, there are no small parts or sharp edges etc so therefore I would say it can be used for children smaller than 3 as it is a very good size for little hands to hold and manouver it around easily. The wheels are friction powered which means you can either pull it back or push it forward a couple of times and then release it from your grip to let it go. The skip does go pretty far, it doesn't take much effort to make the skip go a fair few feet which is pretty good as my son can sit one end of the living room and let it go seeing how far it can reach. The break between the skip and frame and the front seating area are linked by a swivel piece which means that the skip as well as going backwards and forwards can go in circles and the like. My son enjoys this but he much prefers it to go in a straight line and can become frustrated when it doesn't do as he wants it to.

I think that this toy does need some imagination to play with it as it doesn't do too much. My son hasn't really played games with filling the skip and emptying it he much prefers to get 2 friction powered vehicles to get them to have a race and see which one can reach the finish line first. He has had plenty of fun with this game but I find that the older he gets the more toys such as these are pushed to the bottom of the toy box with much smaller hot wheel and diecast cars being favoured. In saying that the skip hasn't lost any colour with time and is still as bright as when it was bought despite multiple uses and wipings with a baby wipe to keep it clean.

I think that this toy would be excellent for any child who is a fan of Bob the Builder or just likes vehicles as it's something a little bit different from a regular car or plane etc. I think the price I paid was excellent for such a toy but at full price (£9.99 according to the sticker under the reduced one) I do think this is a little overpriced for what it is especially when there are so many childrens programmes and corresponding toys now-a-days.