My four-year-old nephew has been playing with this. If you can’t see from the picture (it’s not a good one), it’s a bridge with a road section on top and a train part on the bottom and it comes with a bus and a little Marine Liner train. I rode the Marine Liner – which connects Honshu and Shikoku - years ago, during a trip I mentioned in a previous post, and it’s cool to see that real kids toys are made from real train lines. According to the manufacturer, Tomika, you can even connect it to other roads and train sets.
I’m pretty sure Tamami is glad that Hinano is a girl after seeing the way I got excited over this toy, if we’d had a boy I’d already have filled bought a ton of train sets and more. But this is better than just a train set: it’s a bus and train set with a suspension bridge! Come on, this is the best toy ever. You’re with me, right?
That is SO COOL.
Shikoku is the only island I haven’t been to.
This is cool. But it’ll never top the Lego train set I had when I was a kid. Maybe when your kid is older this might be a wise investment http://city.lego.com/en-us/Products/Trains/7897.aspx
Hey–girls like trains, too! Don’t deprive Hinano!
Hinano might like trains but I have to deal with her mum, too.
On the subject of train toys: I think someone should make a Seattle (or maybe Cascadia) version of Ticket to Ride. We could work out our frustrations getting lines built in real life, on the board!
Andrew,
I’m sure Charlie would love it if you came over to our house one night and played with this. That was one present from Grandma that kept on giving.
My niece loves toy trains, cars, planes, and construction gear as much as she loves her dolls.
As a female I must chastise you for your assumption that girls wouldn’t like toys like this. I always, always loved trains. So start shopping for those train sets!
My 3 1/2 year old daughter loves the Thomas trains because they have faces. That’s what she says, anyway.
Hey it’s not me, it’s her mum! She thinks trains are too macho.
So paint the trains pink and put faces on them if that’s what it takes. (Though as a kid, I didn’t want stuff like that to look girly… I wanted it to look REAL.)
I think she might not object to a wooden set like the one martin linked to.
Sorta following in Martin’s link above, there’s a lot of cool wooden train toys out there that put this plastic crap to shame…
So it’s BRT on the top deck and LRT on the bottom. One bus v. 3 car train set.
My God. Where’s the ridership detail, headway data, stop spacing,
Crap! I need much more data on this new invention from Japan before I can comment.
Whew, got that out of my system.
Enjoy your trip, Andrew :)
Definitely the best. I would go to the department store’s toy section to look at all those toy train sets and wish I could have one of those.
I also like Thomas the Tank Engine!
I had tons of the blue-track trains when I was a kid … back in the early 1970s … I am amazed they still manufacture them
I still enjoy using LEGO toys even in my ripe old 27 years ;)
(brings up fond memories of the old LEGO Town set)
I’m also 27 but I’m sure Tamami wouldn’t let me play with legos!
And well she should not. At 27 you should still be restricted to Duplos. Legos are serious business, I believe it says on the box Ages 30+
hahahaha ;)
Good one
OMG, you’re supposed to wait until you have children before you buy toy trains? I am so screwed.
Having kids is the best excuse in the world for new toys.
Oops (I don’t have kids, but I do have a 12 year old (step)brother on the east coast) haha
For tomorrow after work, :::hops on #230 to Bellevue Square and the LEGO store:::
Ah memories!
That train looks cools. You just need some little Uglydolls to ride it!
My son is crazy about Train Toys. I use to play train toys together with him during my spare time. Looks childish for some people, but I do enjoy it :)