PlasmaCar The Original by PlaSmart (Red)

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.

We bought this as a gift for our two year old grandson. There are a lot of imitations on the market, but I really wanted to go with one that had a track record for durability. He also received a ride-on electric car, but amazingly, he prefers the old school fun of this one. It took him several days to understand that he needed to pick his feet up and use just the steering wheel “wiggle” motion to make it go, but once he caught on, there was no stopping him. He also quickly learned that if he turned the steering wheel around 180 degrees and wiggled it, he went backwards!So let’s go through some of the pros and cons:Pros: * it is a quality made cart. There are no rough edges or burrs anywhere on the plastic* The foot pads are well applied, and I don’t have any concerns with them peeling up* The “wiggle” mechanism is smooth, consistent, and moves the cart each and every time it’s used* The color (we chose red) is bright, bold, and consistent throughout. No blemishes or swirls* The wheels are plastic, but are well made without burrs and have solid metal bearings (we chose to swap out the wheels, which I’ll explain later)* The seat will actually hold two children if you can get them to not argue over who gets to “drive” our two and four year old grand kids get disputes occasionallyCons* My biggest surprise, shock really, was that this did not come in any form of box or packing other than a large plastic bag. I could be mistaken, but everything looked new, and it didn’t look like I was getting a return, so this packing was a huge disappointment. If I hadn’t intended to actually put it together, I could not have gifted this way* The wheels, while well made and perfectly acceptable, would be horrible for indoor use. The are made from a hard plastic, which would make them loud on your floors and likely leave scratches and marks over timeWe swapped the wheels out with inline wheels made specifically for the PlasmaCar. These made a massive difference in the noise level during use, and leave zero marks on the floors. Other than that, there is nothing I find wrong with the Plasma Car and we and the grandkids love it, which is the whole point!