Customer Reviews

PlasmaCar Blue

5 star:		(457)
4 star:		(75)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

This is a life saver in my house! I have three children that vary in age from 1 to 10 years old. All love this car! Now, the one year old is not quite ready to ride on his own yet, but he is very happy to have his big sister (3 1/2) to drive him around. She rides her purple Plasma car every day for long periods of time. It is totally kid powered and easy to drive. It takes a moment to get used to how the wheel must move back and forth to start the friction, but kids seem to catch on very well. The cars are very sturdy and big enough for my 10 year old son to ride as well. They can hold up to 200 pounds on a smooth surface and 110 pounds on a rough surface. The cars can be used indoors or outdoors. We own two, and my daughter and oldest son like to race down the driveway together. The cars also turn on a dime! They can maneuver very well getting around our tables and other furniture. It's a great toy to get your kids active and away from the TV all the time. I love the fact that no batteries are involved, yet it virtually moves on its own without peddling. Of course, the children can also use their feet if they want to go very fast. But the good thing is that there are foot rests for their feet while they drive,and it is very safe to ride, considering it is almost like sitting on the ground basically, for it is only a few inches off the floor. I am glad that there is a car that can be used for many years for lots of growing age groups. It is a bit expensive, but compared to how much use it will get verses the younger toddler cars that you have for only 1-3 years, I find it invaluable. I have even ridden it. It is fun! I can see using these cars for at least 10-12 years or more! The seat is set far enough back, that the older children can sit towards the back for more room, and the younger ones towards the front. It's a hit with all the neighborhood children that come play. That is the real test! They all want one of their own after riding. It's hard to get them to go home! Plasma cars will probably be used more than their bicycles, which the children constantly keep outgrowing. I found a hit in our household! I highly recommend them!

Length:: 0:58 Mins

This toy is just plain fun. Even for your kids! In fact you might have to get them one as well! It started when we ordered a couple for our two grandkids. Both boys. One barely walking and the other a 4 year old that doesn't know the meaning of walk. Once we got these put together we saw how much fun they were we had to find a reason to order more, so we decided our niece and nephew needed them as well.

The specifics:
1. The toy is easy to put together. All you need is a hard rubber mallet (a block of wood and a claw hammer works just as well), and a Philips screwdriver. (You will not need to put in any screws but you will need the screwdriver with the included socket tool to help you tighten the nut on the steering shaft). There is a good video on YouTube about how easy it is to put together.
2. The toy is sturdy. Check out some of the plasma car race video's on YouTube to see how sturdy this toy is. (In no way do I suggest this is the way to treat the toy, but the videos are entertaining.) In any case they state the toy can handle up to 200 lbs on a smooth surface. I can personally testify that it will handle a bit more than that with no problem. (Hey Plasma Car! How about a bigger model made for us full size 50 year old adult frame types. I am at a significant disadvantage when sidewalk racing because of the cramped posture I must assume when competing!)
3. The toy is fast enough for any toddler, and on a downhill slope can be a real thrill. Toddlers will find it fun and they figure out how to make it move without any instruction. They can also paddle it around with their feet as well. Believe me, they will make it move plenty fast with just a little practice.
4. The toy is expensive but consider that if they start at 4 years old they could ride it for 10 years or more. So it only comes out to about five or six dollars a year. How many toys can you say that about?
5. No motor. No fuel. No batteries. You might think that means no fun. But not so! Certainly it's not as fast as a dirt bike. But watching my 18 year old daughter cruise around the house made me realize that fun riding toys don't necessarily need motors. And since we won't let her ride the dirt bike indoors, (or even her bicycle for that matter) this becomes a fun alternative.
6. Quiet. Except for the giggles and squeals.

If you read other reviews you will see a couple of disappointed reviewers. As for being hard to put together, the ones we received went together easily. You will need a hammer of some sort, and some tool like a screwdriver to turn the socket tool but that is all. Fast and easy to put together. As to being slow, well it can be. It can also go fairly quickly. It's all in how you work the handles back and forth. Really, check out the videos on YouTube.
I think kids of any age will really like the Plasma Car. I highly recommend this product.

Great toy---almost magical---in ideal conditions. My daughter loved, I mean LOVED it inside on our ceramic tile floor. Our almost smooth driveway was also some fun. Our asphalt culdesac and quiet street were a disaster. She was VERY disappointed that the thing barely moved on the street. The closer you can get to glass to ride this thing on the better. But even our slightly "pebbly rough" street is way too much for it. You would easily have thought it would have been fine! If I knew this ahead of time, I probably wouldn't have bought it. We will have to drive somewhere just to use it outside other than our short steeper driveway. Consider where you have a VERY smooth surface, an area recently paved or recoated at least, before you buy. When it works (5+ stars)---it's great, when it doesn't it's just a big dissappointment (0- stars).

This toy is just plain fun. Even for your kids! In fact you might have to get them one as well! It started when we ordered a couple for our two grandkids. Both boys. One barely walking and the other a 4 year old that doesn't know the meaning of walk. Once we got these put together we saw how much fun they were we had to find a reason to order more, so we decided our niece and nephew needed them as well.

The specifics:
1. The toy is easy to put together. All you need is a hard rubber mallet (a block of wood and a claw hammer works just as well), and a Philips screwdriver. (You will not need to put in any screws but you will need the screwdriver with the included socket tool to help you tighten the nut on the steering shaft). There is a good video on YouTube about how easy it is to put together.
2. The toy is sturdy. Check out some of the plasma car race video's on YouTube to see how sturdy this toy is. (In no way do I suggest this is the way to treat the toy, but the videos are entertaining.) In any case they state the toy can handle up to 200 lbs on a smooth surface. I can personally testify that it will handle a bit more than that with no problem. (Hey Plasma Car! How about a bigger model made for us full size 50 year old adult frame types. I am at a significant disadvantage when sidewalk racing because of the cramped posture I must assume when competing!)
3. The toy is fast enough for any toddler, and on a downhill slope can be a real thrill. Toddlers will find it fun and they figure out how to make it move without any instruction. They can also paddle it around with their feet as well. Believe me, they will make it move plenty fast with just a little practice.
4. The toy is expensive but consider that if they start at 4 years old they could ride it for 10 years or more. So it only comes out to about five or six dollars a year. How many toys can you say that about?
5. No motor. No fuel. No batteries. You might think that means no fun. But not so! Certainly it's not as fast as a dirt bike. But watching my 18 year old daughter cruise around the house made me realize that fun riding toys don't necessarily need motors. And since we won't let her ride the dirt bike indoors, (or even her bicycle for that matter) this becomes a fun alternative.
6. Quiet. Except for the giggles and squeals.

If you read other reviews you will see a couple of disappointed reviewers. As for being hard to put together, the ones we received went together easily. You will need a hammer of some sort, and some tool like a screwdriver to turn the socket tool but that is all. Fast and easy to put together. As to being slow, well it can be. It can also go fairly quickly. It's all in how you work the handles back and forth. Really, check out the videos on YouTube.
I think kids of any age will really like the Plasma Car. I highly recommend this product.

This is easily the best ride on toy you can get for the kids. The first time I saw that thing was at a shopping mall. A 3 years old girl was riding on it following her parents. I was very impressed by the concept and how easy it is for the little girl to move around with it. I asked her father what this thing is called and I finally bought one for my first son when he was around 18 months old. He has 2 other ride-on toy (Pixar's Lighting McQueen and generic horse ride on) but this one is his favorite. He no longer played with the other ones. At first, he used his feet to move the Plasmacar around just like the other ride on toy he has. Simply by watching me and me wife riding around the house using the wiggle movement, he got the idea real quick. At 2 yrs, He was able to steer the Plasmacar around the house perfectly with his hands only. He rides the Plasmacar everyday for the last two years. I can already tell that he will play with the plasmacar for many years to come. Thanks to the Plasmacar, he has very good hand coordination.

I strongly recommended to upgrade the wheels because the original plastic wheels is loud and can easily scratch the floor. [...]. Same material as Rollerblade and Scooter Wheels. It makes a huge difference. These wheels will not scrath your floor (wood, tile) and it will improve the overall ride (smoother and quieter). Really worth it.

It took me around 15 minutes to assembly the Plasmacar. It's very easy. Some revievers complain about the steering wheel becoming loose after a while. Make sure to secure the nut of the steering wheel as tight as possible. My wife did the assembly on one Plasmacar for her sister's daughter. Her hands are not strong enough so the steering wheel became loose after a short period of play. I will recommend a man or someone with strong hands to do the job.

So far, I bought 3 other Plasmacar as present for my nephews (age 3,5,8) and everyone loves it. Now I have to buy another one because we have another baby coming.

My 6 year old 65 lb child seems a bit too big for this car but she does like it. Unfortunately she can only use it in the house on our tile. We tried it outside and it doesn't work well on sidewalks or roads (on a cul de sac.) The companys video on their website shows a lot of children on these cars in a real GYM! Yes, that would be nice but where can you find a gym! Nowhere that I have seen - as a matter of fact gyms usually do not allow wheeled toys in them. Another problem is that the front wheel alignment is constantly needing to be re-aligned. Overall, kids do like this but I would change the age range from approx 3-7 and you really need a large tile or hardwood floor area in your home (unless you know someone who happens to own a gym!)

I bought a pair of these for 2.5 year olds. They figured them out quickly and love to play with them. And if parents weigh less than 200 pounds, buy extras so you can ride too. They are addictive. One warning, they do not run well on rough or soft flooring. Even vinyl flooring has too much resistance. Hardwood flooring is good, but once they are outside, the grit from the outside can hurt your flooring so make sure you keep the wheels clean if you use it indoors. I plan to try on a tennis court. Really well made and nearly indestructable. Can be ridden in tight space. You can turn on a dime (better than a dime) go backwards and just spin around in a circle. Really fun toy.

Ok - so I bought this for our toddler's birthday thinking he would benefit from a foot-tangle-free mode of transporation. he likes it well enough - BUT - lets just say that EVERY ADULT (and just about every older kid) who comes to visit cant help themselves and must TRY it out for themselves! This is a fun and fascinating toy! Everyone has so much fun on it that they can't help ourselves from hopping on and enjoying the uniqueness of it. Strange yet approachable - fun, durable and easy to operate for anyone up to like 220 pounds! I bought a second one so we can have PlasmaCar races! As for the toddler in our family - it sometimes frustrates him because he is used to other ride on toys which require use of one's feet to move around. He basically uses his feet on it - and does pretty well - and occasionally discovers the movement generated by the steering wheel action. All in all he can use it with his feet without tipping over - he just stalls every once in a while - however - everytime we take it out - he is right on it and taking it for a spin. I must say that to truly enjoy it is needs a good piece of space - and not meaning a living room with the coffee table set aside - you need a driveway or other open area. It is best on a smoother surface (black top, concrete, indoor flooring) to get the most out of it. All in all - a great toy - fun to learn to master and a delight to use after that! Kids like it too - though in our home it is more of a social toy rather than a mode of transportation. (ie it is not a tricycle but more like a pogo stick) FUN TO HAVE! So if you are looking for a special toy - this is it!

Fun for ALL ages! My daughter got this for her 5th birthday and it is a HUGE hit. I also have a seven year old son who doesn't even care that he's riding on a pink car.

I know it has gotten a couple bum reviews, but let me tell you about our experience with it. This car basically runs on kinetic energy. You have to wiggle the steering wheel back and forth and the motion gets it going. We've had it on a variety of hard surfaces including pavement (most difficult place to get it to go), pergo, tile, and cement and it's been fun. My kids have no problems zooming around from surface to surface except for asphalt. Like I said, asphalt is difficult to ride it on, but not impossible. It's VERY important to get the screw for the steering wheel in correctly and tightly for optimum car performance.

I will also admit to riding on the thing and really having a great time. It's part ride on kiddie car and part Disneyland, in my opinion. Once you get it going, zooming around while going back and forth reminds me of being on some of the track rides at the theme park (obviously in a scaled down version). That fun wooshy feeling is there (albeit, a slower woosh than theme park rides, unless you are going down a hill, which is not recommended by the manufacturer, probably due to our overtly litigious society). It's also a really good work out for your arms. I think I am starting to loose some of that jiggle that sets in after thirty. Ha ha!

If you are looking for something that is going to do all the work for you, this probably isn't the toy for you. But if you have a reasonable expanse of hard flooring, driveway, and/or sidewalks and you want your kids to actually have to do something other than press a button to go, I recommend PlasmaCar. Now I just have to order one in a "boy" color so the kids will stop fighting over it. Okay, and I MIGHT get one for me. :)