Tonka Tinys is the newest, exciting toy in the range. We recently reviewed the new Tonka Tinys three pack and blind garage packs of miniature scale, collectable vehicles. With over 20 Tonka Tinys vehicles to collect including police pick-ups, dump trucks and helicopters, there is a world of imaginative play for kids to enjoy.
Now, playtime is set to bring some big adventures on a tiny scale with Tonka Tinys playsets. Brand new for this year, Tonka Tinys have launched the Blast & Dash Quarry and the Car Crush playsets. They are scaled to suit the Tonka Tinys vehicles and are fully connectable.
Freddy received the Tonka Tinys Blast & Dash Quarry playset to try out. The playset comes with an exclusive Tonka Tinys dump truck ready for action. Features include a toppling tower and working detonator for some explosive fun.
The playset comes boxed and needs to be assembled. It is a bit fiddly to put the parts together and as you would expect from this type of playset, the assembled structure isn't very rigid (as it is meant to break apart during play) so can't be handled too roughly.
The playset looks pretty cool with a Tonka flag, a ramp that goes through the rock surround, a working barrier and a lift. It is all made in miniature making it the perfect size for any of the Tonka Tiny vehicles.
The exclusive vehicle that comes with the playset is a yellow truck with a working black dump bed and chunky wheels. You can load up the dynamite or boulder into the back of the dump truck.
The detonation device consists of a push down detonator that fires the boulder from a launcher. We didn't manage to fire the boulder out of the launcher with any force, so it wasn't powerful enough to bring down the structure, but it was still quite fun to push down the plunger. Freddy said he thinks this part of the playset needed improving to make the boulder explosion look more like the one shown on the front of the box.
The lift carries the truck to the top of the tower. Pulling the lift up was a bit tricky and sometimes resulted in the tower toppling over. If the truck gets to the top of the tower it can then cross the bridge to the adjoining tower and whizz impressively down the ramp. (The ramp was Freddy's favourite part of the playset.)
The tower collapses to simulate an explosion at the quarry. The plastic structure tilts on its base so it's simple to push it back into place afterwards. I thought this was a good idea because children don't need to continually rebuild that part of the structure from scratch to continue playing. However, as the structure is quite flimsy, the bridge and ramps sometimes fell off during play, which frustrated Freddy.
There is something so appealing about miniature toys. I absolutely love the Tonka Tinys vehicles and think they are well constructed with good detailing. The playsets make a nice addition to a child's collection, increasing the play value and providing an environment for the vehicles to use. The concepts of the two playsets: an explosive quarry and a car crushing junk yard, are exciting and thrilling to young imaginations. We just wish they were a bit more robust to withstand being played with. They are however good to look at as part of a tiny model world. A larger playset is due to be launched this autumn to add to the fun.
You can find the Tonka Tinys Blast & Dash Playset on Amazon (RRP of £9.99) and the blind garage packs are £2.49.