I wanna boys action-type playset

squashy

My son is 4.5 and I have decided to get him some sort of playset for christmas, he has a castle that he got last year and loves it. So I was thinking Pirate Ship, Safari Park, or Military, something along those lines.

The trouble is I am concerned about ending up with a badly made, cheap plastic set that, according to Argos et al will probably set me back £30 or £40 for anything sizeable.

Has anyone come across a good quality, value for money set of any kind?

Ems*Honie

woolworths sell a pirate set that includes chunky pirates, ship, rowboat parrot and island crane plus bits like treasure chest and weapons for £20. It's fairly chunky/sturdy and a whole playset in one.

My little boy likes his.

earthmother

Have you looked at the Early Learning wooden range? It's all solid and well made, and there are plenty of discount codes around (usually 20%)

dlb

With 4 kids in the house the one thing i have learnt is to avoid hotwheels items, break easily, and to get things such as fisher price and little tykes.
I try not to buy brand new as these make last for years so try to pick them up on ebay at a fractor of the cost.
I have sets which i have given to school that had been through all 3 boys and are still going strong at nursery 5 years later now my daughter is there!!

postingalwaysposting

dont know an answer for this one i am affraid but if you buy it online use a cashback site and discount vouchers

stevenshell

earthmother wrote:

Have you looked at the Early Learning wooden range? It's all solid and well made, and there are plenty of discount codes around (usually 20%)

Totally agree about the ELC - they've got some great wooden toys that don't break the bank!

I bought my 7 year old a pirate play set (huge it is!) from Tesco for £19.99. Lots of things to go with it as well inside - 4 or 5 figures, plus an giant squid, and a cannon - from what I can remember - it's hidden in the cupboard!

Becles

I second the ELC wooden sets. My youngest has the pirate ship and the castle and they've been played with loads. The castle is huge and he can sit in the middle of it

shop-to-drop

Playmobil is great and has lots of detail and can add extra sets later. We have always loved it but it does have lots of bits although that gives it lots of play value it also means it takes longer to set up and harder to keep tidy. It is pricey but has a good resale value.

Alternatively I would chose something wooden that need less setting up but may take more space to store. If you have the space though it will look good on display. ELC or independent toy stores are good for that type of thing.

I have three boys they also love the knights castle and pirate ship etc.

stevenshell

Further to the ELC stuff - they have lasting value too - I bought him a wooden road track when he was 3 - he still has it - in excellent condition - and still loves playing with it, even though he's now 7 (nearly 8!)

earthmother

stevenshell wrote:

Further to the ELC stuff - they have lasting value too - I bought him a wooden road track when he was 3 - he still has it - in excellent condition - and still loves playing with it, even though he's now 7 (nearly 8!)

Another good thing about the railway - it holds it's price - have you seen the figures it goes for on eBay! So when they're fed up with and have have outgrown it, they can sell it on and get the latest console game (or even console if they have as much as my lot, lol)

Should have said before - we have the castle and the garage, along with tons of railway, and the boys are eyeing up the pirate set.

piratess

i know that woolies also do the military sets with helicopters and jeeps etc i bought one for my son a few years ago and it was great quality and very reasonable to

hth