Construction and Blocks Reviews

My son loves these blocks! This size is the perfect size for gift giving and the bags are so durable, that you can use them to store these bolcks again,and again, and again!

My son got his first set of Mega Blocks when he was about 15 months. He loved to put them in his mouth and bang them together, and watch his father put them together. He has gradually gotten better at building with them himself, and now, at 21 months, he constructs huge towers (and knocks them down) or garages for his cars. He also *loves* the boy and girl that come with the set. He likes to talk about how the boy has buttons on his shirt but the girl doesn't, etc. He also points out all the colors of the blocks as he puts them together. No bleeping, annoying music, or batteries. Just my son and his imagination learning about construction, colors, geometry, hand-eye coordination, and math concepts. Every single morning one of the first things out of his mouth is "blocks!" and he runs out to play with them.

Some parents may not care about this, but another thing I *love* about this toy is that it's completely gender-neutral. No stupid stereotypes about what a kid should or shouldn't like. And his friends (boys and girls alike) like to play with his blocks with him.

I guess it would be nice if they were Duplo and connected with the Legos he'll undoubtedly move on to, but we're putting the price difference in his college fund :). This is easily the best value for the money or any toy for this age that I've seen.

After my 1 year old played with some Legos at a friends, we decided to get our daughter her own set. Since the store was out of Legos, my husband decided these would be the same. Wrong! These are much larger and seem to be harder for our child to put together. They also don't stay attached as well as Legos. Yes, the colors are nice, but after 1 day my husband admitted he had erred, and we have since purchased some Legos, which our daughter loves! Her favorite thing about the Mega Bloks was the large bag they come in, which she immediately put on her head. (yes, that's bad and I took it away from her).

My daughter is almost 2. She has had these blocks for several months, and enjoys playing with them, stacking them, throwing them, and trying to name the pictures. So far the dog isn't attracted to them.

These blocks have great pictures and clear letters. I agree, however, with another reviewer's comments regarding M/W and some of the word choices, but in general they are great. So, we'll just have to explain somehow what Ink is. I'll bet we can do it.

I particularly like that the block holding tray is durable, and that the dimensions of the box allow for extra room (2 blocks worth) to make re-packing easy.

The blocks are a nice size, and the size and shape remain consistent between the blocks for easy stacking. I have not found any rough edges or splinters. So far the pictures have held up well.

These are high quality blocks that should be a satisfying toy for several years to come.

We bought these toys when our daughter was 10months old, for her first christmas. She just loves them. She also recieved some of the old-fashioned "carved" blocks with the letters cut into them. Unlike these, she quickly chewed the paint off of some of the old-fashoined blocks. She has chomped on these pretty hard and they seem to put up with it with little damage. She bangs them together, chews on them and occationally stacks them. Though they are recommended for older children, i think we made a nice choice as she will be able to play with these for years in many different ways as her skills develop. Also, they are bigger than the standard blocks, so i dont worry about anything and she should be able to manipulate them a little earlier.

We ordered these when we realized that our 2-year old had just about learned the ABCs already, and we thought these would be good for reinforcement as well as good old block-piling fun.

Our child loved them immediately and called out letters while pulling each block from the sturdy wooden tray that the blocks come in. The blocks are made from an attractive wood and the grain shows through nicely behind the letters and the pictures associated with each letter, that fill four of the six faces. We consider it a definite plus that each block shows the upper and lowercase form of each letter. We also like the fact that these are small enough for little hands, but big enough to give to a 2-year-old without worrying about a choking hazard.

One quibble: the blocks are not designed to provide any cues as to vertical orientation, either for letters or illustrations. The reason this matters is that the capital-M has spreading legs, which makes it basically *identical* in appearance to the capital-W, when either letter is upside down. It should have been possible to design the M with vertical sides, which would have reduced confusion and would teach the letter "M" in a form more likely to be found in other settings. Similar confusion applies to the lower-case "L" and upper-case "I", which look identical.

Quibble #2: some of the letter-related words that illustrate each block seem oddly chosen. For instance, "Ink" for the letter "I" -- how likely is it that a 21st century child will encounter an old-fashioned ink bottle anytime soon? Perhaps the problem comes because some letters are not used to begin many words familiar to toddlers, but across the 26 letters in the set, we find quite a few illustrations and vocabulary words that we don't think will be much help to our child learning the alphabet, or be useful in everyday speech later on.

Finally, an unknown: durability. Since these are brand new, we can't say, but the letters are painted onto the surface of smooth, flat blocks -- not cut into the wood, like some old-fashioned block designs. That makes these more attractive for now, but we suspect the paint will probably chip or wear off somewhat more rapidly. That's just a guess.

All in all, we are pleased with this set. We had been looking for something like this for a while, with no luck. So I suspect that it may be hard to find blocks that accomplish all the same things these do (uppercase, lowercase, word associations, size, attractiveness) without any of the quibbles raised here.

We gave this to our six year old daughter last Christmas and she has played with it all year. Yes, it requires a one-time set-up, but the instructions are straight forward. I did pause over the price, but I'm really glad we bought it: its been played with all year. I love the Playmobil toys because there is so much room for imaginative play. Our daughter and a friend played with this toy for over an hour today!

Because this toy comes in a "kit" form, i.e., has to be assembled, my son and I had a great time not only playing with it but putting it together! He is totally enthralled with all the parts and pieces, and the price is reflected in the amazing attention to detail. It's a great gift and I will definitely be purchasing other playmobil toys. (Keep in mind, with lots of small pieces, it's not the best toy if you have young toddlers)

I had no idea this toy had to be built. I was very disappointed about this. That was the last thing I wanted to do on christmas morning and the day after, was to be building this farm. It's ingeniously made, alot of detail, and really cute. My kids have fun with it. It's alot smaller than I thought it would be too. For that price, I thought it would be alot bigger; more substantial. Don't think I'd ever buy another set.

These blocks are all you could ask for--and at an unbelievable price!! These are indeed "Standard Unit Blocks". They are just like what you will find in Preschool and Kindergarten classes. The selection of sizes and shapes is very, very good for a set with only 60 blocks total. That being said, if you can afford it I would strongly recommend buying 2 sets. When youngsters start building it's a shame if they run out of building materials for their creative experiences. The quality, weight, and workmanship of these blocks is outstanding. This is surely a gift that can be passed on for generations. In this day and age of pricey toys-so many being electronic and/or requiring only "one right answer or goal" it's incredibly refreshing and truely necessary to encourage children to be creative and explore learning through active free play. I purchased 2 sets of these blocks for my 3 & 4 yr old boys. I believe that the purchase of these blocks are probably one of the most valuable "toy" choices I have and will make.

We bought these blocks for our four year old son. They were a hit! Our 7yod and 2yod enjoy them as well. They are extremely durable and have rounded edges. They are solid blocks and are actual unit blocks instead of small blocks. I was tickled at what I got for the price. We are looking to buy 1-2 more sets so that we have plenty for all of their creations!

The craftmanship and detail approaches perfection while the variety of play becomes infinite. My son (4 years) continues to astound us with his imagination and engineering feats when he builds with the "Standard Unit Blocks." This will be his second box, allowing him to expand the existing set and enjoy his play even further.

This product has provided hours of entertainment to my Kindergarteners and my first graders in the last two years. I can't believe how rough they can be with the toy and nothing breaks.

I bought this set for my son when he turned 4. He didn't attempt to play with it by himself until one day I got it out, sat on the floor with him and started building really neat stuff. When he saw what I had done and watched all the colors of gears turning round and round that was it, he loved it. This set has so many options; you can build 1,000 different things. We will have this set for a long time.

We received several gears, gears, gears sets at the same time, and found that the plain set ie Super set although initially fun looses excitement without some add ons. If I were to buy just one set I would start with the Under the Sea adventure set first, then add with the fantasy play park. The Undersea set has parts that move the gears in interesting ways from the standard set. It also comes with regular gears for building, although in limited number so the super set still helps extend the play.The motorized monstors sounded more intteresting than it was, but the parts when added to the Undersea adventure set was great fun! The gears are an interesting way of learning how things work. If your child is mechanically minded any of these sets will provide a wonderful new constructin opportunity. If your child hasn't been inclined towards let's say lego's etc.. This toy may provide some interest initially in being able to create a design that moves. However, construction with this set is more complicated than legos and for the less mechanically inclined child will still need paren'ts help beyond the age minimum's recommended.

This is a comment in response to the review from the "Toy Enthusiast in Belmont"; perhaps he should become a little less enthused about toys and more enthused about the english language. The definition of Geology is as follows:

ge·ol·o·gy ( P ) Pronunciation Key (j-l-j)
n. pl. ge·ol·o·gies
1. The scientific study of the origin, history, and structure of the earth.
2. The structure of a specific region of the earth's crust.
A book on geology.
3. The scientific study of the origin, history, and structure of the solid matter of a celestial body.

I'm interested in learning what significance this term has in reference to the Large Green Baseplate. Perhaps he should spend less time playing legos and get an education. I suggest a geometry class for starters (but that's just me......)

I was a bit disappointed with the quidditch practice LEGO set so I decided to buy this green baseplate and to buy two of the quidditch practice sets to make the ultimate quidditch pitch. I had a lot of fun and whatever you use this for it is sure to be a lot of fun

This baseplate makes it very easy for the kids to build their toys. No slipping all over the place and makes a lovely base to display the toys.

I purchased these for the young (under one year) daughter of an acquaintance. They are an unusually good set of blocks, being soft, multicolored, and with varying designs. Some have peek-a-boo windows and doors, and some have rattles inside. The only possible drawback is that the "windows and doors" could become torn lose with extended use, but they are a good value and would be expected to last as a young baby grows. They come in a convenient zippered storage case which has some baby features. I would rate these as a "best buy" for young babies.

These blocks were atractive to me because they were soft and large for little hands. So I purchased a set for my 10 month old, she seems to like them just fine. They are not her favorite toy, but she enjoys knocking them over and watching me reassemble little structures. She also enjoys tossing them around which is entertaining for both of us! My favorite aspect is the small amout of space they take up when put away in the pouch they come in.

I purchased these for my 5 month old daughter. They are wonderful. The only problem is they are a little big for small hands to hold on to. Also they could be a little softer. All in all she loves the colors and noises. I feel they are a good value for the price.

Two year old really enjoys building with this. The older children also played with this when it first arrived.
Reasonably priced and not available in stores. I like the case, although the clasps seemed like they would break - but they have survived, so far.

I bought this for my son when he was 3. He loved building things but the blocks just didn't stay together. He would work on his creation and as soon as he picked it up it would fall apart. They just don't seem to hold together like I remember Bristle Blocks doing when I was a child. The suitcase they came in was great. He has all of his cars in it now.

We had these on a long vacation with two toddlers ages 1 and 1.5. A big hit! easier to manage than lego-style blocks since they can fit together without being aligned exactly. The bristled texture is very interesting to younger ones and they like to just carry them around, one in each fist, putting then together and taking them apart. An excellent car seat or airplane toy, even the tub. For the youngest we just pulled out the smallest pieces. Every child that visits likes them too. I've bought 4 sets now as gifts.

I remember these from my childhood and they were even more popular with the kids than I expected. It's true, I've never seen then in a retail store, only a couple of places online. Too bad, a lot more fun to many kids than duplos.

My son would beam himself in the head with just about everything when he was younger. These were the only blocks I would consider and he loved them from day one (about four months old). He plays with them in the high chair after eating and they keep him entertained for quite a while. They are also great for teething. He is now ten months old and still loves these blocks. He plays more appropriately with harder blocks as well, but we still love these best.

I think I had as much fun playing with these blocks as my son did. They are very cute and so much fun to stack and knock over. I usually did the stacking. These kept us busy for hours. Wonderful blocks that are highly recommended.

My mother recently bought these blocks for my little brother that we are adopting. I was a little bothered by the smell at first to but it really doesn't matter. So what if they are banned in Dutch Toys'r'us stores because if they were making kids sick then they would ban them in the U.S. Don't not buy this toy because that review because they will definatlly keep your child busy.

First of all, this is the most gorgeous not-so-little airplane we've ever purchased. Our 2+ year old son is an airplane fanatic and this one made him gasp out loud. The people and accessories all have a place to be stashed away, everything opens and closes nicely and looks great... but... the blasted thing won't stay together! I'm not talking about it breaking apart after it's been thrown, I mean the thing falls apart in your hands. The first day, the wings came off half a dozen times. My husband finally glued them on with model glue, let it sit overnight (that makes for a cranky 2 year old!) and the next day, they still just popped right off! Then the wheels started falling off. Then the tail. We kept gluing them all back on and they kept coming right back off. Finally, our son gave up on the toy. It's now in the toy bin and all four pieces of it are equally ignored. What a shame. This SHOULD be a wonderful airplane but, I'm sorry to say, it's not.

I found this toy in too many pieces that do not stay together when my son was playing with it. He became too frustrated with trying to put the pieces back together!!! The wings and wheels should be a part of the plane but are removable so pieces are more able to get lost or misplaced. Not worth the $$pricy money.

All three of our kids (ages 5, 3, 1) really like this toy. They have fun flying it around as well as rolling it around their Playmobil airport.

The design of the plane is great. The removable top allows for easy access to the fuselage where as many as seven little Playmobil figures can sit. As other reviewers have pointed out, the wheels and wings are designed to pop off so that they don't break when subjected to extreme "toddler forces". Don't worry about them falling off all the time, though. You can pick up the plane by the rear stabilizer wing (probably the least secure part of the plane) without it falling apart. That's pretty sturdy while still having the break-away functionality required to make this toy last a long time.

One of the things I really like about this plane (and other Playmobil toys, like the Pirate Ship) are the stickers. Rather than being thin stickers that curl when you peel them and subsequently become unwieldy, the stickers are stiff so they are easy to place accurately.

The realistic look of the plane as well as its large size (approx. 20" wingspan) are also cool aspects of this toy.