3 stars = Durability 4 stars = Fun 2 stars = Educational 4 stars = Overall

We received this toy as a gift a few months ago and I hated it from the start. It falls apart if you put any amount of pressure on the trains going up the hill, but my son LOVES it (he loves Thomas in any form...wooden, diecast or plastic). I finally got him to be gentle when pulling the trains up the hill (he's 4 now, so he can understand that), because I was so tired of fixing the tracks. Otherwise, if you don't mind putting this back together often, it is a fun toy. He loves it and that's all that matters I suppose. But I definitely would not have paid that kind of money for plastic.

4 stars = Durability 5 stars = Fun 4 stars = Educational 5 stars = Overall

I don't understand what all of the other reviews are complaining about. My 3 year old son is a huge Thomas fan and Santa brought this toy this year. We followed the directions, it only took ten minutes to figure out how to set everything up, and my son loves it. In the beginning it did fall apart a couple of times, but my son learned how not to lean on the track and even how to put it back together himself. It's been three weeks and we've played with it every day. We have what we call 'adventures' and we see which train goes the farthest. We have a blast playing with this carnival set!

1 stars = Durability 1 stars = Fun 1 stars = Educational 1 stars = Overall

I agree with everyone else on this product. It has not stayed together long enough for my son to enjoy it at all. Totally not worth the money. By looking at the commercial you would have never guessed it would fall apart as much as it does. They must of used super glue when they put ti together. I wish I had the box to return it.

2 stars = Durability 3 stars = Fun 3 stars = Educational 2 stars = Overall

Purchased this for my 5 yr old son...he loves Thomas and of course trains in general. He loves to build things so I thought this would be a great toy. This is cute looking with sounds and is fun to watch the trains go down the loops and hills. However, it is a pain to put this together! You have to set up a few towers and clamp the tracks into place. This is the frustrating part and the design is horrible! Our set looks a little different than the one pictured above...ours has some orange track and an extra tower...but the tracks are flimsy!
I will probably end up selling this since it is a more of a pain to put together than actually play with the toy. My son has gone back to playing with the wooden sets and his FP toy trains. We even bought an HO scale Thomas train geared for much older children and trust him with this than this Circus set!
I like toys that are sturdy but this is a bad design.

1 stars = Durability 4 stars = Fun 1 stars = Educational 2 stars = Overall

My son received this for Christmas last year, and within a week or so, it was off to the Goodwill. The tower/posts that hold the track up would not stay up and didnt seem to line up right. The part with the spiral track didnt line up right, and we couldnt get them to stay in their place. One little knock, and it would fall apart. My thomas loving 4 year old was very upset.

1 stars = Durability 3 stars = Fun 2 stars = Educational 1 stars = Overall

I agree with all the other reviews. I purchased this for my grandson last Christmas and although he still plays with it, I have had to superglue the tall rails together which only last so long. Even with that the least little pressure it makes it fall apart. He loves it but we are constantly putting it back together, making it very frustrating for both him and me - please don't purchase this in the 1st place then you won't have a disappointed child when you either have to return it or constantly fix it.

1 stars = Durability 1 stars = Fun 1 stars = Educational 1 stars = Overall

My comments just reflect many others'. The track does NOT stay together, and causes many hours of teras and frustration as you try to placate your toddler while glueing the thing together in a vain attempt to get the thing to stay up!. Because of my glue mess, I could not take the piece of junk back, and it now lies is a junk toy pile. Save your money, really. If you do buy it, put it together an don't let your kids play with it - or there will be tears!

1 stars = Durability 2 stars = Fun 1 stars = Educational 2 stars = Overall

My husband bought this toy for our son's 4th birthday. The first time my son played with this toy he wasn't able to enjoy it b/c the tracks were coming apart. The part of the tracks is where the train is going upward. The tracks tends to fall apart b/c it's not sturdy. He couldn't never make it to the orange tube without the tracks fallen apart. He would get so upset & cry b/c it wouldn't stand together. It became so aggravating that my husband had to use the heated GLUE to make them stay together. I would not recommend this toy to anybody. Especially a child that likes Thomas so much, as my does.

2 stars = Durability 2 stars = Fun 1 stars = Educational 2 stars = Overall

We bought this for our son last Christmas (when he was 3, now he's 4) because it was at the top of his wish list. It looked like a lot of fun in the store. However, the track does not stay together at all and a young child (the target age of this toy) can not put it together without the help of an adult. The little track connectors are too small and the track is too thin. When it is assembled, it works well. But that lasts maybe 10-15 minutes, then mom or dad is called to put it back together. The plastic seems to be durable and not prone to breaking, but it is not sturdy at all. It is a colossal disappointment, and our son doesn't play with it because of the poor design. If you want your child to be able to assemble it and play with it without constant adult assistance, I recommend getting a wooden railway set instead.