| Product: |
Vivid Imaginations Thunderbirds Tracey Island |
| Date: |
03/04/01 (1070 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: My son was happy when we finally found one
Disadvantages: Cheaply made, too expensive, and accessories not with it
Yes I was ripped off or rather my son was. Before Christmas. Jamie (who is four) noticed on a television advert that in the shops for sale was a Thunderbirds Tracey Island. Of course being a boy and Thunderbirds mad he wanted one.
We searched everywhere. The whole family looked, friends looked. An Uncle who was visiting America even said he would look over there. Yes sounds daft and desperate. But Jamie has presents just once a year. His birthday is Boxing Day and although he has a party with his friends a few weeks before and a separate day for opening his birthday presents we do try to make it special and get him something he really wants as he has to wait another year to ask again.
But as it was Christmas the makers of this toy presented by Carlton Television had jumped on the hype bandwagon and not supplied enough. Therefore ensuring a frenzy of Mums and Dads trying to get the toy for their child.
We were unable to get the toy. So a very kind Aunty gave Jamie the money for his birthday and explained that Father Christmas had so much to carry he had asked her to give Jamie the money to buy one when he saw it in the shops. Now it only took three months to see one. Well two actually in a card shop and one of the boxes was broken so we took the other only decent one.
When we got it home. My husband Mark had to put it altogether and put the stickers on as you now have to with everything. Why can't they do it for you. We pay enough for the toys. It is only right they put them together for you. But that is another rant I will have to write about one day.
When I looked at it I was so angry. It is made of very thin plastic. Easily breakable. It doesn't come with batterys (like all toys). It didn't come with any of the rockets. (It did say that in tiny print on the box). All pictures show the rockets with it. Imagine the disappointment on Jamie's face when he realised he didn't have the
rockets with it. He was lucky enough to have been given T1 and T2 for Christmas but didn't have any of the others.
If you add up the cost of the island and the accessories it comes to £60-£70. It is definately not worth any where near that amount.
Parts of it should really be stuck down. But no suitable glue was provided. In the picture on the box, it looks like one of the rockets is launching. This doesn't happen. It is not easy to do either as there are no gaps underneath. And the picture does not show someones hand holding the rocket in place.
Jamie so far has been very careful with it. Considering he is just four I am amazed. We told him it could break easily and he seems to have taken that on board. It is a shame as I have to move it out of the way when his friends come to play as boys together get rougher. I would hate to see it break after five minutes of play with a friend it cost too much for that.
My advise is don't buy it it is not worth the money. Spend it on something else.
UPDATE
I have just noticed that this year the makers of the Thunderbirds Island have released a newer version. It does a couple of extra things and is on sale from £34.99 to as much as £54.99 (yes I have seen it on sale in one shop for the top figure) it is not much different from the other version but has been advertised showing the extras and guess what my son wants it. I DON'T THINK SO... if the first one was a lump of plastic this is just an upgraded lump of plastic. Be warned before you buy is it worth the money! Check first.
Summary:
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Last comments:
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- 20/10/02 I understand what you are saying and although I am quite capable of reading to my son, I cannot be there everytime an advert for a toy appears on the telly! I justg feel that for the price the rockets should come with it. |
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- 20/10/02 But surely you as the parent should be able to read "does not come with rockets" on the front, it's not like your five year old son literally bought it all himself did he?
But I agree it should have come with the 5 Thunderbird craft. It was a very hot toy for a long time so i guess they got away with it. Shame. |
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- 15/10/02 mrcordel I appreciate that you still collect toys and therefore may want the detail as you put it. I don't feel that this toy had that much detail to it unless you class the stickers we had to put on ourselves detail. And there wasn't alot of them. The secton you ask about the meaning of is about a child who was five years old at the time. Do you remember that age. WHEN YOU COULDN'T READ. Yes it says in small print on the box rockets not included and the adverts on the television also say in small print but they don't tell the child out loud every time the advert hits out tv screens. Why? because they want the child to be interested in the toy. After all they wouldn't sell many if the advert showed just the island and no rockets would they! I know five year olds have to learn and my son is careful with his toys but not many children that age are. My daughter certainly isn't and I have brought her up the same. It is not that she doesn't appreciate the toys she is just unable to play with things without being heavy handed it is in her nature. No body is perfect after all. |
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