Budkins / Le toy Van - are they worth the money

[frightstick]

Am thinking of buying the pirate ship and pirates for DS1 for Christmas, thinking it will still be in good nick for DS2.

But it is very expensive, is it markedly better quality than the ELC version? Is it worth the money?

anybody?

Can you link to it please?

I bought DS this last Christmas and he still plays with it all the time. It was so good that I'm thinking of getting him the castle/fort made by the same company for this year. Then the pirate ship can sail in and lay seige to the fort.

bran, it's that pirate ship but with these figures, which are cuter.

But maybe the more grown up figures would be better long term

I don't think the figures are included with the ship on my link, I'm pretty sure I bought them seperately [http://www.letterbox.co.uk/rkmain.asp?PAGEID=20670&STK_PROD_CODE=11604&CTL_CAT_CODE=PLAYTIME&XPAGEN O=5 here]], although I think they were on offer last year if bought with the ship. They aren't bendy/poseable, but they do fit very well with the ship and DS loves putting them in the crow's nest or locking them in the cage.

TBH DS plays with all his action figures on the ship, Buzz Lightyear looks quite out of place.

haha I know what you mean, we have a Stegasaurus on our farm!

We have various bits by le toy van (including the castle) they are all great and IME the quality is much better than other cheaper options.

The figures are much better than others, I used to buy cheap ones thinking there was not much difference but then got a few for ds for christmas last year. I am now in the process of replacing every farm animal we have - there is just no comparison!

Hi we have the castle - small blue one and its great got it on ebay so second hand but fab- we got and I have added some of the papo figures which have lasted better than the elc ones
www.amazon.co.uk/Papo-39383-Knight-Templar/dp/B00061MKN8

there are lots of different ones and Ds has added some with birthday money....

We got DS the Le Toy Van pirate ship just over a year ago and it was so disappointing. It has completely fallen apart (masts off ship, cannon broken, flags come off very easily and get lost amongst other toys) even though it really hasn't been played with very much. I wouldn't buy any other products by them.

In contrast, DS has a wooden castle by Melissa and Doug and it is beautiful and very sturdy - may be worth seeing if they do a pirate ship?

i think that le toy van are lovely,(for us) but unfortunatly children love plastic. would go for playmobil pirate ship instead, i have bought wooden castle, noahs ark, dolls house,bus, zoo. none of them get played with but playmobil does.

Thank you. Sleep and frazzled I fear you may be right. I think it looks adorable but DS won't appreciate the craftsmanship as he rams it into the skirting board

hmm

we were given a Le Toy Van teaset (the Honeybakre breaksfast one with the toaster) for dd's birthday in Aug and I have been disappointed in the quality.
Admittedly she is 2 and no the most gentle of souls, and I know wood will dent where plastic doesn;t, but the paint is flaking, the frill has come off the eggcup and the velcro has started to part company with the 'cuttable' fruit.

Plastic next time...