Review – Tonka Climb-Overs “Croc Canyon”

Thanks to Matt Doughty of Onell Design we’ve already had two posts about the Tonka Climb-Overs this past weekend (first post, second post). Now it’s time to bust open one of the first single truck sets and see how these little motorized trucks perform. If your brain immediately screamed Stompers! when you saw the pics then you’re well on your way to understanding what this series is all about.

Packaging

The Tonka Climb-Overs (find at Amazon.com*) are beautifully packed, with the single truck sets in a combination of boxed content with the truck secured to the outside where you can push the big yellow button and makes the motor go grrrrr grrrrr grrrrr as the wheels spin in place. The box is bright, attractive, and does a great job of getting us excited about the truck and the playset parts inside.

Fantastic Fun!

The box states that these are for kids older than three, and I think you should stop reading this and go buy one or two of them if you have kids who are four, five, or six years old. And if you have a big kid at home — say one who would have been between five and ten in the early eighties — then you should also buy one of these little trucks for the house. At $12 at ToysRUs the single truck, pack is well worth giving a shot, especially since you get way more than just the truck in the box.

Forest Ranger

A truck is included with the Croc Canyon set; this green truck is pretty much what you can expect from the line (based on the pics I’ve seen and what I saw in the store). This is a chunky plastic beast of a toy that wants to climb everything in front of it; seriously, just hit the big yellow button and this truck is gonna lunge forward and try to climb the animals, furniture, and even walls. It’s got a hell of a lot of power, and the sound will spark pure childhood joy.

Croc Canyon Obstacle and Track

Each of the Tonka Climb-Overs (find at Amazon.com*) that I saw at ToysRUs over the weekend came with track parts and an obstacle or two. These smaller boxes have just a few parts, but there were two larger playsets (priced $25 and $35) that looked to be loaded down and perfect for anyone looking to build a big track.

The plastic crocodile is secured in place and for show only, and every piece of track feels like a durable chunk of plastic, and snapping all of the parts together took almost no time at all. I’ll have to avoid the temptation to buy every single set and create one giant obstacle course, but if you’ve got a kid who loves cars and trucks then buying just two or three of the sets should lead to hours of fun. These are great!

Closing Thoughts

I think the original Schaper Stomper 4×4 toy trucks were probably the better design, but it’s hard to argue with the fun that’s hiding in the Tonka Climb-Overs (find at Amazon.com*). These are recommended for kids who love trucks and anyone who has happy memories of Stompers. The little things make these feel a little cheaper — that giant yellow button and the way the wheels/tires are designed — but I cannot say anything bad about the little set since it is so very much fun. Recommended!