Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I bought this Learning Resources airport play set for my 3 year-old son for Christmas, using a promotional certificate from Amazon. I originally wanted to get my son the 2003 version of the Plan Toys wooden airport, but couldn't find a reasonably priced set on eBay. So, I got this play set instead, because there just aren't many toy airports available that are suitable for his age. I have to say, I'm glad I didn't actually pay the full retail price for the toy, because it's a bit of a disappointment. The quality and design of the play set seem a bit substandard for the price; and, I have reservations about its durability.
The plastic feels brittle, and the hinges and other moving parts don't seem very sturdy. For example, the hatch on the plane is attached to the fuselage by a tiny, very flimsy hinge. The latch was especially sticky on the door of our plane, so I had to file the tab because I worried my son might yank the entire door off the plane, in his efforts to open it. Now the hatch doesn't really lock, but maybe the lifespan of the hinge will be prolonged.
The 4 figures (1 dark-skinned female, 1 medium complected male, 1 blond male with a hilarious 70s coif and mustache, and 1 more Caucasian male) are hollow, and are a bit of a pain to insert in the vehicles. You have to make sure their arms are raised, especially in the plane or the door won't close.
The landing gears on the plane don't lock, and the rear ones fold inward, so if you reverse the plane on the floor, the back wheels usually collapse.
The jetway is a bit narrow, too, even for my 3 year-old son to push a figure through to the plane. You sort of have to shoot the people through the gate, like cannonballs, so they can fly the friendly skies.
The top of the ramp already has a white stress mark, where it must have bent when my son (who isn't very hard on his toys) removed it.
The one piece of cargo doesn't really fit in the plane, not if you want the door closed. And it doesn't stay well on the baggage truck unless it's upside down.
Also, there is a heliport atop the airport, but no helicopter. Fortunately, we have a little Viking Toys chopper that fits pretty well.
Despite its shortcomings, my son does enjoy playing with the airport play set. He regularly plays with the plane, car, and trucks. He was really fascinated by the terminal and jet during a recent trip--his first time flying--for which I'd tried to prepare him by reading Byron Barton's *Airport*. This play set does bear somewhat of a resemblance to Barton's illustrations, and is one of the few airport toys for preschoolers that has realistic features (e.g., the telescoping jetway, tower with radar, fuel truck, baggage truck, etc.). I just wish its quality matched its potential play value...or perhaps that my son were not so obsessive about small details!
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Take off for some high-flying fun at the world's soon-to-be busiest airport. Features arrival and departure levels, air traffic control tower and retractable passenger gate. Includes jumbo jet, cargo truck, fuel truck, car and four play figures. Tower is 9" high.
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