As Christmas approaches you might already be searching for
biggish presents for little hands to play with come the big day. We have an
idea for you, and it’s a toy that will not only be enjoyed by little boys and
girls alike, but could also come in handy when clearing the house of torn
wrapping paper. It's the Playmobil Industrial Dump Truck.
Unlike the last large Playmobil set we reviewed, the all-singing, all-dancing, all-sailing Pirate Ship, the Industrial Dump Truck is stripped to the basics, having no radio controlled or mechanised parts. Instead you get a big and solid play truck that seems to be as tough as the actual dumper truck it is modelled after. And we should know; it has been thoroughly tested by our 18 month old reviewer.
As the young chap has some difficulty with (and no interest
in) writing, we shall convey his experiences with the Playmobil Industrial Dump
Truck for him. In box you get the parts to build the truck, which like all
Playmobil sets took about three minutes thanks to large chunky prices that clip
together in a logical manner. Included also is a figure complete with hard hat
and a little walkie-talkie that slots into the driver's compartment.
Once assembled the Dumper Truck has a couple of nice play features that helped to keep our erstwhile and diminutive tester occupied for hours. The figure can sit happily in the cockpit-like driver's seat and grab the steering wheel which rotates. The whole roof of the cab lifts off, so no difficulty for little fingers to get their driver out. Reassuringly the cab roof clips down quite firmly, meaning it tends not to pop off during a particularly intensive play session.
As you might expect, the dumper section at the back lifts up
and down, but also can locked into the up position. It seems that there is no
greater joy on this earth for our young reviewer than to fill the dumper with
various items from around Test Pit Towers (spare change, pebbles, expensive
phones we've been sent to test etc.), drive them to a secluded corner, then
dump them over the floor, only to repeat the process ad infinitum. Needless to
say he was extremely entertained. We still can't find that phone.
The included figure is quite nice, and as well as being appropriately dressed in work gear and hard hat, we were especially pleased to see that he has a stubbly beard. As mostly bearded men we're happy to see fellow hirsute gents being portrayed in children's toys. Fear us not, kids.
So the Playmobil Industrial Dump Truck is a great load of
fun, and its simple but rugged design should keep little minds occupied well
into the New Year.
£24.99