Customer Reviews

Thomas And Friends Wooden Railway - Cranky the Crane

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My son loves this piece. Our first one broke and I called Learning Curve and they sent another one with no questions asked. The second one I noticed was made better. However, my son broke the string on it after a about a year. I called them again and they sent another one even knowing it was our 3rd with no questions asked. This makes me happy to spend this kind of money for a product when I know that if it breaks they will replace it. I say that if you think your child will enjoy it then buy it ...

My son received this 2 years ago for his 3rd birthday. His aunt gave it to him, as it was the first thing he asked for when she asked what he wanted for his birthday. My son loves playing with Cranky and he is fun to play with as long as you have several other Thomas trains that have cargo. The more the better!

As for Cranky losing his head...his head is meant to fall off and then can be fitted easily back on (break-away). It is not as big a deal as the last reviewer made it. It definitely didn't stop us from keeping him.

As for the 4 star rating...I think it is a little pricey for what you get.

Two years later and Cranky is still crankin' it out at Sodor Island at our house. I would recommend it for any Thomas fan!

I know, I know... the Thomas stuff is listed for ages 3+. I'll let those of you who didn't buy a single solitary Thomas thing until your kids turned 3 cast the stones and... I'll bet I won't see a whole lot of stones.

We got this for my son when he was 2 1/2ish. My son is about to turn 3 in a week and Cranky is kind of in need of replacement. Not that I will be replacing him, since that is a lot of money to put out for one toy of such limited use and value to begin with. But at the time I bought it, Cranky was ten bucks off at TRU and seemed like a good toilet training incentive. (It was!)

Well, my son has had a lot of fun with Cranky. I don't know why he likes him so much, but he does. The problem is... Cranky's head comes off. Just like everyone is saying. It's not a huge deal, as it is easy enough for mom or dad to pop back on, but the neck and neck hole of the head are kind of D shaped, so the head has to be lined up just so, which makes it more of a challenge (and frustration) for a child. And it comes off ALL THE TIME, more and more easily as time goes by. That's the first problem... and maybe it's really not a HUGE problem, for all I know, if Cranky's head wasn't made to pop off, maybe it would have been BROKEN off by now. Who knows?

The other problem is, Cranky no longer cranks quite right. If you turn the knob... the magnet will lower about an inch and a half, two inches... then nothing will happen for a bit... then it will just drop down to the bottom. Then you can wind it up and it repeats.

I have taken Cranky apart and I can't seem to fix this.

Now, fortunately, my son doesn't seem to mind a whole lot, as he is content to carry Cranky around by his [severed] head while chanting "Cranky the CRANE. Cranky the CRANE." over and over. Then he will just sort of manually use the head/magnet to pick stuff up. So the fun is still there but... for the money, this toy really ought to hold up a little better. And for what it's worth, I have absolutely no reason whatsoever to think that, had I waited until November 16 to give Cranky to my son, there would be any possibility that Cranky would not be decapitated and poorly cranking 6 months later. This is just not a durable toy.

My son has fun with it, but it's just not all it's cracked (cranked?) up to be.

FWIW, though, you can get this great little tow truck with wooden shapes at IKEA - it's a great companion to Cranky. Cranky and the tow truck can both pick up the shapes. I think my son has had more fun playing with those items together, than just setting Cranky next to the track and using him as intended.

Also - if you have nothing Thomas related yet, consider going the "take along" route instead. The cars are more detailed and cost less. Cranky costs less in this line. Of course they made it so you can't use take-along Cranky with the wooden sets by affixing TA Cranky to a piece of TA track. Maybe you can just turn him around, I don't know. Just something to look into.

I purchased Cranky for my grandson's third birthday and he truly loves it. However, I am disappointed in the overall workmanship. Cranky's head falls off way too often and my grandson has not yet figured out how to line it up correctly to put it back on. Also, the crank to lower the magnet to pick up cargo blocks and such tends to get stuck and needs some extra persuasion to lower. These are really expensive toys and the kids really love them. It is too bad they aren't put together just a little bit better.

On a recent trip to Strasburg, PA (train heaven)we allowed our 3 1/2 year old son to choose a special Thomas item. He had recently become familiar with Cranky through one of our videos. We tried to gently steer him to the Sodor Crane but he was adamant (that darn character identification starts early). Our experience with the toy has been mixed. He loves picking things up with it and recreating stories. But the piece itself is very awkward for a young child to control and we find that it is always falling over, bumping into other items, etc. I think it would be a lot easier if it were attached to a piece of track, the way the water tower is. It would give additional stability that is lacking. Some people would prefer the flexibility of moving the piece wherever they like. We've also had several instances where Cranky's head has come off - rather traumatic but fixable. Even with these problems, my son still is very happy with his Cranky.

They could have at least added more then one cargo piece. My 3yr old enjoys playing with cranky. Hoever he gets bored very quickly. We have had cranky for awhile now and have never had his head fall off. I just worry about our cat ripping off the delicate thread. I am greatful that they did not but a scary face on cranky like those found in the thomas books. It's great to see my son turn and lift the crane at the same time.

This is a fun toy, my son really liked it, but it breaks! The learning curve does have unconditional lifetime guarentees, but this item breaks again and again. If you ever see displays in stores where kids can play with the train sets, this item is always broken!

My son recently got this piece for his 3rd birthday. It's his absolute favorite piece hands down. It can be used with any magnetic or metal cargo like the scrap cars. I bought some extra cargo from BRIO as Thomas does'nt sell thiers separately. Cranky's head sometimes comes off so my son brings it to me and it goes right back on. A very versatile piece too. Because it is not connected to the track, it can go anywhere in your layout.

We bought this toy for our twin sons for Easter. They are 3 and LOVE Thomas! We were dissapointed that, when my husband took it out of the box, the head fell off. We thought about returning it, but the boys love it so much, we just can't bear to take it away from them. I admit that it is a pain to have to keep putting the head back on, but one of my 3 yr olds can do that himself (much to his joyous discovery!) so this makes it easier. My 16 month old loves it too. Now all we have to do is get the Down By The Docks set (minus Cranky) and they will be all set!

On a recent trip to Strasburg, PA (train heaven)we allowed our 3 1/2 year old son to choose a special Thomas item. He had recently become familiar with Cranky through one of our videos. We tried to gently steer him to the Sodor Crane but he was adamant (that darn character identification starts early). Our experience with the toy has been mixed. He loves picking things up with it and recreating stories. But the piece itself is very awkward for a young child to control and we find that it is always falling over, bumping into other items, etc. I think it would be a lot easier if it were attached to a piece of track, the way the water tower is. It would give additional stability that is lacking. Some people would prefer the flexibility of moving the piece wherever they like. We've also had several instances where Cranky's head has come off - rather traumatic but fixable. Even with these problems, my son still is very happy with his Cranky.