You will need to provide 6 AAA batteries to operate the controller and the one motorized car. The track isn't too hard to assemble for older children but you will have to help the toddlers. The car does not "race" at all... and the "tricks" like the "exploding" bridge are not that impressive or fun. They really just slow down the action even more. But much of the fun of toys is in the imagination ... so, those little ones who love the Cars movies will be imagining things and listening to the recorded messages from the cars... and having more fun than older children who will want more speed and interactivity... like faster racing between 2 cars.
... A somewhat limited toy which we give 4 stars as fine for toddlers... especially those who love the animated Cars series...
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I'll spare you the "what's in the box" breakdown since the photos and description here on Amazon do a good job at describing that. One thing about the packaging that I didn't appreciate was the copious use of tape and wire twist-ties to keep things in place. Unpacking the pieces wasn't as painful or difficult as a typical clamshell package, but it was more difficult than it should be. Why is it that toy manufacturers still don't understand that kids like unboxing things too?I also point out that, at the time of this writing, Amazon's "product details" says that three AAA batteries are required *and included*, but of course the cake is a lie. Batteries are not included, plus you actually need SIX triple-A batteries (three for the car, three for the controller).
That being said...
My four year old daughter was excited when I pulled this out. Once everything was out of the box assembly took about ten minutes, including loading up the batteries in the car and controller. The assembly instructions were clear and well illustrated, and the pieces themselves snapped together easily. The plastics used are very substantial with no sharp bits to speak of, but an adult is definitely required for assembly. The completed set was nicely flat on the floor and measures about 3' by 2'.
Although the box contains two cars only one of them moves under its own power (Finn McMissle, or "the blue-gray car" for those who aren't up on their Cars 2 trivia). The other car (Acer, or "the yellow car") is largely decorative. Locomotion is provided by a simple gear system; a notched rail on the center of the track mates to a motor-driven gear wheel under Finn, while Finn's wheels keep him centered on the track. Acer has the same wheels as Finn but lacks the motor-driven gear so he's kind of useless on the track, though he can be pushed along by Finn. The car can be run in either direction on the track (clockwise or counterclockwise), in forward or reverse. Control is accomplished through a wireless remote that supports forward, reverse, and stop. Finn can also travel off-track on hard surfaces such as tile or wood, though since control lacks left/right steering the amount of enjoyment to be gained by this is likely minimal at best.
Two "traps" on the track allow your child to derail Finn from the track by causing half the track to collapse when Finn travels over it. I found this more annoying than fun, but then again I'm not a four year old. My daughter, however, loved this.
The noise level is minimal but hardly whisper-quiet. The motor in the car has the expected buzzing quality to it, similar to an electric toothbrush. The only other noise comes from the controller, which plays tire-screeching sound effects and speech bytes from "Cars 2" as you change Finn's direction. There is no volume control for these but it's set at a good volume level.
One thing I did find a bit annoying was Finn's (and Acer's) propensity to jump off the track from time to time. In Finn's case this typically happens when you're driving him counterclockwise, right after he goes down the hill and hits the curve (which, interestingly enough, is also the only curve that has a guardrail). I'd say 7 out of 10 times he derails at the curve. The problem is that the gear drive freewheels in the direction that you're moving. In other words: When you're moving forward you can spin the gear drive faster than the motor can spin it. So when the car reaches a hill it will speed down the hill due to gravity, and the extra speed is sometimes enough to get it to jump the track. If Fisher-Price had designed the gear to be fixed to the drive axle, it would only go as fast as the motor could spin it and gravity would have no effect on it.
Acer almost always derails at the lower trap no matter what direction he's traveling in. I think this is just because he's so lightweight, having no motor or anything inside.
Overall I find this to be a well engineered, well documented, easy to assemble and generally fun toy for my child. The main reason why I'm taking a star off is because of the derailment issue. However, in fairness the derailment issue is definitely more of a concern to me than to my daughter, who seemingly could care less if the car jumps off the track once in awhile. The other reason why I'm taking a star off is because of the price. In my opinion $50+ is a bit too much for a toy like this. Then again, I've seen it for sale for as much as $75 so I'm clearly just asserting my own sense of value on that point.
Best Deals for Fisher-Price GeoTrax Disney/Pixar Cars 2 World Grand Prix RC Set
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I got this for my 4 yr old son. He loves the "Cars" movies, so I figured he would like this. He was thrilled to get it, and wanted to set it up immediately. He was a little bummed when he realized the car included was NOT Lightning McQueen, but the silver spy car (my mistake on not catching that!).The track was very easy to set up, and just by looking at the picture on the box, I had it setup in 5 minutes. Of course, we had to scour the house looking for AAA batteries.
He loved the remote control, and had fun with it for about 15 minutes. Then he put it down and went back to his Thomas the Train sets, which he'll play with for literally hours.
Pros:
Easy to click the parts together--even for little hands.
Cute and works well.
RC car remote is very easy for a 4 year old to use.
Cons:
Uses a ton of AAA batteries (6 I think).
The Car doesn't have an on/off switch, so batteries run down fast. There is a button on top of the car that appeared to be a switch, but it did nothing.
Didn't hold my son's interest very long.
Summary, if your child is really a 'car' kid, they will probably like this. But I think my son just prefers trains!
Honest reviews on Fisher-Price GeoTrax Disney/Pixar Cars 2 World Grand Prix RC Set
I bought this for my nephew's second birthday! He absolutely loves it and couldn't wait to get it out of the box! He does very well with the remote control since it is easy for him to hold. It was very easy to set up as well! Highly recommend it.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Fisher-Price GeoTrax Disney/Pixar Cars 2 World Grand Prix RC Set
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I love the GeoTrax World Grand Prix RC Set! The cars have personality and character. They talk! "I'm on my way." "Keep it moving!"There's lots of sound, whether that's a good thing or a bad thing at your house.
You can use the Turbo RC to make them go forward or backward. There's an exploding bridge that flips the car off the track if you want to pull the switch. You don't need tools to put the track together, but it does take what it calls "adult assembly."
UPDATE:
My 8-year-old grandson's eyes lit up when he saw his younger sister opening this package that was supposedly for her. He thought maybe I had given it to the wrong person. That one really was meant for him, right? He liked it better than any of the presents I gave to him. He spent the next two days assembling it and enjoying it. We made a quick change of plans. His sister got something else that I had bought for him that it turns out he already had. Everyone was happy with a little bit of swapping of presents. She will still enjoy playing with the cars after he has everything set up exactly the way he thinks it should be. She loved the little cars!
This set includes:
Minion Garage with Easy Rail Station
Tokyo Pit Stop
Poro Corsa Racing Venue with collapsing bridge
8 pieces of Snap-Lock track with
Acer push vehicle and
Finn McMissile Turbo RC
...all from Disney-Pixar Cars II.
3 AG13 (LR44) 1,5V button cell batteries, and instruction manual. Requires 6 AAA (LR03) 1,5 V Alkaline batteries 3 for RC controller and 3 for vehicle), not included.
You can go to the Fisher-Price.com web site for descriptions and a demo, and an example of the SOUNDS you will be hearing when you get this for your child. I wonder if there's a way to disconnect the 'sound' feature. I've seen "Dad" take the batteries out of noisy toys and say, "Oh, it's broken!" That worked..for a while. Oh well! Toys are supposed to be fun and noisy, aren't they? :)
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