Archive for 'Hobbies'

Scrabble Premier Wood Edition
This is a very fun and challenging game for the entire family. We enjoy playing and spending time together playing. Decently put together but has been very durable so far.

best family game ever
best family game ever. this upgraded version can be left in the living room and remembered! not stuffed way in a closet or drawer.

beautiful,functional scrabble board
I found Amazon to be the cheapest venue to buy this type of scrabble board. It's beautiful and easy to use with the turn table.

SCRABBLE PREMIUM
IF YOUR A SERIOUS SCRABBLE PLAYER, AND YOU DON'T HAVE THIS VERSION YET. WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU WAITING FOR. DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS ONE. AMAZON'S DELIVERY SERVICE WAS GREAT, AS ALWAYS.

Scrabble Premier Wood Edition
The game is just as you would expect - great! It is handsome enough to leave out on a gaming table as a piece of furniture and some of the features of this "premier" wood edition are quite nice - the look of the wood, the ease of turntable functionality, the fit of tiles into the board squares without shifting, the easy-to-read black letters on white tiles, the tile holders and "hour glass" timer, and the scoring sheets. What I found not so nice is the slipperiness of the tiles - dry hands in winter do not make holding these without dropping them easy. Also, the tiles too easily "fit" under the rotating turntable, which is a hassle when they try to go hide, because you may not notice them disappearing and if you do, the desirable non-skid feet on the board also make it hard to move the board to retrieve them. The color scheme on the board itself was a bit hard for me to get used to compared to the classic game, though I suspect this will pass with continued use. It would be nice to have the drawer do double-duty as a place to store tiles during game play but the space is comparmentalized for storage of the various pieces between use and dosen't have enough room to have all the tiles fit in as a single layer. The felt covered storage area surface also doesn't lend itself to "stirring" the tiles to mix them up either, so we're left spreading them out on the table, where they can get knocked off, spilled on, etc. For this price, I would have expected a bit more engineering forethought (no, I'm not an engineer!), and a built in digital Scrabble Dictionary (hint for future developers).

Awesome!
We bought this for my son for his 5th Birthday. He LOVES "experiments". At first I thought it may be too old for him, but it's perfect. Very indestructable and easy to follow the instructions. I don't know who's more excited to own this, my son or my husband!

The best gift ever!
I bought two of these sets, one for a six-year-old, tho other for a twelve-year-old. The six-year-old liked the toy well enough, but he needed a lot of help in putting some of the projects together. He loved the flying saucer project and set it off several times in a row. The 12-year-old, however, was completely entranced. He opened the box and immediately set about making a doorbell, a radio, a flying saucer, a Morse code program, a trombone, a typewriter, and several other projects--all before the end of his birthday party!. His sisters, one 14 and the other 12, were also entranced and had to be reminded this was their brother's gift. I do not recall ever giving a gift that has been this much of an immediate "hit."

One thing I wondered about: Are the kids really learning about electronics, or are they just following the diagrams? But I think that this approach is similar to the way kids learn a video game or a computer program: They do not read about it and analyze it; they just do it, and learn in the doing. If you ask as they are making a project, "Can you think of an application for that?", the learning will be enhanced.

I recommend this toy highly, and I am thinking of ordering the Snap Circuits 750 as a gift for all three kids for Christmas.

Great Mind Toy
We bought this for our 7 year old for Christmas 2009. What a blast. We were getting a robot for our other son, so we had to up the anty. Well, this one did it. The instructions are very visual, and while our son was starting to read, the words were too difficult, but he could create just following the pictures.

This toy has provided hours of BRAIN-tainment. He has learned all about electricity in a fun way - sirens, helecopters, lights, and more. This may just get him interested in science for life. We chose to use rechargeable batteries, because it gets used so much.

By the way, the robot sits in the corner as a door stop, the snap circuit still gets used! And, he also wants the snap circuits for christmas this year.

Terrific Set
This is a really great set and I can't recommend it strongly enough. I bought this for my 4-year old so we could work on it together. It's been three days since it arrived and we've built the first 15 circuits. Both of us love it. The set is well made and the instructions are very clear. The snaps are a bit challenging for a 4-year olds dexterity, but this is expected given the higher age recommendation; she gets very excited with the lights, sounds, and especially the flying saucer. Lots of fun and very educational!

This is the ultimate thing!
Talk Education! Talk Fun! Talk all family getting together! Talk invantions!... THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT TO BUY FOR YOUR KIDS!

Thanks for the Memories
A Lionel train set is made to have a child's imagination soar and weave the bonds of memory between a parent and child that will go beyond a lifetime and be passed down from generation to generation. A Lionel train set is one of those gifts that survived the computer age where the microscope set and chemistry set sank into oblivion, and it's easy to see why. The Lionel is something that can be added to, and built upon, year after year to become collector's item before you know it.

This train set is an "O" gauge which means the locomotive is not something you want to drop on your foot, unless you wish to double the number of bones in the same. The locomotive is heavy but the following cars will probably be plastic. It goes forward and in reverse requiring minimual lubrication when run, say, once a year, but it may take a few runs around the track to get maximum performance. Its headlight lights the way. The transformer is what runs the train. It has the whistle and reverse button, and the speed lever. The lever will generate enough speed to run the train off the track as it tries to negotiate a curve. Transformer wires are connected to the track.

The tracks are the next generation with simulated gravel and ties that replace the old metal ones where ties were laboriously placed underneath by hand. Some train afficionados dislike the Lionel over its HO counterpart because it has a "third rail," unlike real train tracks, but the snap-on feature may make them more amenable to the lack of realism.

The Polar Express Cars are magical. There is one where a hobo sits atop a car and disappears beneath the roof as it passes under a tunnel. The plastic tunnel might be extra and comes in a variety of sizes. The Polar Express cars are passenger cars, but it should not discourage the train lover from purchasing additional freight cars that come in a variety of colors and themes.

While the train might run fine on a floor or rug, I advise against it. Copy paper boxes work, placing them top end down without the covers, so they don't slide. Place a sheet of plywood over the top and pine wood 2 x 4's, attached by hinges, along each side to cover the boxes. The tracks can be arranged in a number of configurations, and the builder can begin the attendant cursing of putting the tracks together and the wires that go to the transformer. It's simply a matter of putting the trains on the tracks after that in the order of your preference. If the cars tend to uncouple, I recommend getting a rubber band and wrapping it several times around the coupler tightly. The cars will not disengage. Add spices such as trees, tunnels, cranes, towers, figurines and buildings to taste und voila! You have a mystical village that will last your children a lifetime. And long after the mystique has left their adult minds, they will be passing this special gift to their children.

The Lionel train set has been in our family since 1949. I still have the original booklet that tells me if I have any problems to call a variety of telephone numbers, except they are only six digits long.

I have assets far exceeding the value of a Lionel train set, but I own nothing more valuable.

A true Classic train
I love this train set,I bought it right after the movie came out and we saw it in the theater. The set has been running under our tree every year since. It ads that home feeling and Christmas spirit to our home. I play the Polar Express movie on disc and have the train running slowly all day long Christmas day. The children love it!

This one was non-smoker
Very enjoyable, was suppose to be a smoker but couldn't get it to. Grandkids and my own kids loved it though.

Great train when the price is right.
Bought this after Christmas for 212. At this price I cannot complain. The engine alone was cost 150 or more and the z80 power supply is about 70 dollars, circle track set costs 40 to buy, and not to forget the pasenger cars 35 a piece, this set is still underpriced at msrp. That is the trick with Lionel, they sell a set real cheap to get you in the door. Then you are floored with how much anything is additional unless you win an auction.
As for quality, considering the "real" detailed Lionel engines are over 1,000 each, this train is no let down in build quality. Obviously since this still is a "model", bulls in the china shop probably expect it to be indestructible. The engine is heavy and does contain some "delicate" details on the exterior. Parents with poorly behaved children should avoid anything like this requiring care so the engine is not doomed to the trash heap. For well parented children, this train provides an evening of entertainment. Of course get ready to second mortgage the home to buy expansion sets to keep things fun in the long run.

Lionel O Guage Polar Express Train Set
This O Guage set is a beautiful train set, very heavy and durable when set up. Be careful removing from the foam packaging however. I picked the engine up in the dark of the basement prior to Christmas and broke some of the small plastic loops that hold the wire on. Too late to see the strap they provide you to remove the engine from the foam packaging. Other than that, the set is very durable, and did i say heavy? Stays on the track very well. I had shopped around on the net, and Amazon had the best price with delivery by Christmas time.