Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway - Rocky

Nice looking, several limitations
Immediately after opening the package and getting Rocky onto the track, my son used the magnetic crane to "tow" another train back onto the track. I was so impressed with this action, that my ability to give an unbiased review of the product may be a little limited.

Sashamellow's description of the toy's limitations are accurate. But I did not feel they reduce my son's enjoyment of the toy overly much. Interestingly, the fact that Rocky does not fit through tunnels led my son to want to create a branch for Rocky to take around the tunnel which was a great problem solving task for him. However, if you don't have the extra track to make this an enjoyable task for your child, you may just find yourself trying to remind them not to try to shove Rocky in the tunnel again.

I don't understand at all what the front and back cars are for except to look just like the character from the show. My son will tow other trains onto the track, but putting anything on the...
Love Rocky but wish he was more functional
Love

- Rocky! He gets called on when needed to save engines and is super nice and eager to help.
- Fun with a magnetic crane
- Nice construction

Don't Love

- Rocky doesn't do a full rotation - he only goes partway
- The crane cord is short
- No mechanism to spool and unspool
- Rocky's two cars don't hold anything. They have a plastic divider in the middle that means that nothing flat can rest on it. In the Thomas TV series, the two cars really are only there to hold Rocky's crane when it is horizontal (and the crane rests on the dividers). But it would have been so much fun to make them so that Rocky could put 'broken down' trains on them! IBut then again I guess I'd complain that it was a departure from the TV show. =)
- Doesn't fit in tunnels and has problems up hills due to the length (had to build a side track around the quarry mine tunnel for Rocky)

If I had designed it, I would have made the side cars...
So-so Rocky
This is one of the wooden toys "we" were most anticipating, it looks like a lot of fun & The Boy plays with it, but not as much as expected. We knew from other reviews that it's too long to use on a lot of layouts, but some other stuff (and we are REALLY getting picky here... We know) the whole thing is just too clumsy on any track, not just the curves, the layout is wrong per the TV show, he should have both cars behind his main body, he is facing the wrong way (Yes, as mentioned we know we are getting a little over the top here) but the face is facing fwd and should face to the rear, that's how he is in the shows/movies and because of this you really can't play with him the way we expected, in the movie he is facing to the rear with his hook on Spencer and being pulled by Hiro... Not possible with the magnets situated the way they are. I'm thinking that I may pop them out & swap them around so The Boy can finally play this scene out, but I'm too worried that this may put me over...
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