Average Customer Review:
 ( 28 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
58 of 58 found the following review helpful:
 little train that couldn'tSep 22, 2000
The batteries don't last very long and the train has stopped working after a year of minimal use. It still makes the sounds but no longer moves. I love the train but would never spend this much again.
48 of 48 found the following review helpful:
 mighty expensive engine that only might get up your hillsJan 03, 2001
By Bryan Jensen
I was looking for an engine that could mightily pull my son's train cars around on his Brio/Thomas tracks. In other words, I wanted a multi-drive engine, and reviews I read left me expecting this is a 6-wheel-drive engine. WRONG. This cute little engine only has two-wheel drive. It does a fine job pulling cars around on the "flats" or down hills but once it starts up a hill it gets stuck. The only thing it can pull up a gentle Brio/Thomas hill is itself. It seems when going up hills, because its wheelbase is so long, that the main drive wheels lose contact with the track. A little pressure over the cabin (above the driving wheels) helps this "mighty" engine get up the hills. Unfortunately my son has a problem judging pressure, so this necessary action causes undue power drain on the batteries as the engine works much too hard while it is assisted up the hills.For pulling power, I would recommend the 4-wheel drive Thomas or Percy battery-operated engines. What this engine has over the aformentioned ones is style. The buttons are much better designed than Thomas' or Percy's; there is a seperate button for forward, stop and reverse--very easy for little children to use. Plus add adorable chug-chugging sound FX, forward/reverse lights, easy-to-operate free-wheeling switch button, its shiny red body and it is almost too adorable to resist. My son loves this engine. He seems much more patient with this "mighty" engine's lack of hill mastery than we, his parents, are. But for the price we expected better. Lastly, buy some rechargeable batteries--this engine is a mighty big power hog--and the extra Brio Stop and Go switch track. They are worth the extra cost.
51 of 52 found the following review helpful:
Help I'm Stuck!Nov 12, 2000
This engine is great fun ... as long as you don't use it on BRIO's own train tracks. The locomotive is bright red, it toots and whistles and has two headlights that will brighten up your kid's eyes. Unfortunately, it also needs lots of handholding, because it gets stuck quite often. In curves, especially going in reverse and up hills. The mighty red locomotive is a little too mighty and could use a slimming diet. I'm returning mine. A much better choice is the yellow engine which is also battery driven ... and uses just one AAA battery.
19 of 19 found the following review helpful:
 A Mighty Good EngineFeb 12, 2001
This is the second battery powered engine that we got for our son's Brio set. It is a good looking engine that is more powerful than the smaller engine we have. It goes forward, reverse and has a working headlight and whistle. Another good feature is the auto shut-off. After five minutes the engine automatically stops, saving the battery. I can't tell you how many times our son had turned on the old engine and then walked away, killing the battery a couple of hours later. We did not have the same experience as some of the other users who complained about the engine's inability to climb hills. We have two bridges and the engine is able to pull five cars up without difficulty. We do not have the tallest bridges Brio makes however, so we can't say that our experience is necessarily inconsistent with others. We have the figure 8 bridge and the draw bridge, and it climbs these easily as long as the tracks are properly aligned and leveled. If you get this engine, expect it to get a lot of use. It uses two AAA batteries. I strongly recommend getting a battery charger and Nickel Metal Hydride recharageable batteries. You are likely to go through half a dozen batteries a week if your child plays with this engine as much as our three year old. This engine is a terrific addition to your child's Brio set. It brings the train set to life and it is great fun.
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
Needs training wheelsDec 10, 2000
By Una the Tuna
I wish I could figure out why even the teensiest little hill or gentlest curve defeats this engine. Only one wheel on one side seems to be powered, so when that gets stuck, the other seven spin uselessly. My son lost interest pretty quickly. On the upside, I guess you could say the fact that it needs help all the time makes it very interactive.
See all 28 customer reviews on Amazon.com
|
based on 28 reviews
