Lionel Polar
Top 10 Christmas Toys for 2009
If you are looking for the top 10 christmas toys for 2009, look no further! Are you hunting for educational, fun, constructive toys that you can give as gifts?
I have lined up some of the bestselling toys of the year that consistently get excellent reviews and are also some of the top favorite toys that people love to gift. These toys are the best of the lot and make winning gifts. Here they are-
1) Transformers Movie 2 Combiner - Construction Devastator
The Construction Devastator is one of the biggest Transformers ever made and can be disassembled to form six completely functional Transformer vehicles. This toy features movie-accurate detail and will have any Transformers fan howling with joy.
2) Barbie 2009 Holiday Doll
Barbie lovers will be absolutely dazzled by the 2009 Holiday Barbie who looks especially eye-catching in a gorgeous bejeweled, multilayered pink gown. Girls will love admiring her and showing her off to their friends.
3) Bop It
Hilarious fun for everyone, 'Bop It' is a modern-day, handheld version of "Simon Says" where you follow the voiced directions to bop it, twist it, pull it, or shout it before the buzzer sounds!
4) LEGO Star Wars Venator-class Republic Attack Cruiser (8039)
No kid will be able to resist the lure of ruling the galaxy with the Lego Star Wars ultimate starship! It's got enough special features to keep kids interested for a long, long time.
5) Lionel Trains Polar Express Train Set - O Gauge
The Polar Express Train Set is a beautifully crafted train set that's based on the Caldecott Award-winning book "Polar Express" and is quite easy for kids to put together with a little adult supervision. This toy is easily the most gifted toy of the entire 'top 10 Christmas toys for 2009' list.
6) Knight's Castle
Children will love cavorting in the medieval era with the ultra-realistic Knight's Castle that has an actual working drawbridge! The weathered stone makes it look almost real and children are sure to enjoy playing with his high quality set for hours at an end.
7) EyeClops Mini Projector
The marvelous 'Eyeclops Mini Projector' allows kids to project movies, video games, and more. It's portable and projects a screen size of up to 60 inches. Guarantees hours of fun!
Sorry! Sliders
This is a shuffle type board game where children can slide their pawns to home and victory or slide their opponents off the board! Children of ages six and above will enjoy it immensely.
9) IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit
The 'Illustory Make Your Own Book Kit' brings out the author in every child by allowing them to write and illustrate their own imaginative story in a special book. This book is then sent away later to be actually published and your child will receive a professional hard copy version of his or her very own book in a few weeks.
10) Transformers Movie 2 Bumblebee Role Play Helmet
The Transformers helmet is extremely popular since kids can alter their voices with the 'Voice Mixer' to engage in role-playing adventures. Children can morph into Bumblebee or even a car if they need to make a speedy exit.
If you haven't found what you are looking for in the 'Top 10 Christmas Toys for 2009' list they are plenty of other fascinating toys you can consider.
About the Author
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Lionel Polar
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 NEW Lionel 11330 Polar Railroad K 4 LEGACY Steam Locomotive  US $899.99
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 Lionel 6 11331 6 11331 Polar Railroad K 4 Conventional Steam Loco US $749.99
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 NEW Lionel 11331 Polar Railroad K 4 Conventional Steam Locomotive US $749.99
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 Lionel Polar Express 6 38430 Lionel O Scale Polar Railroad GP 7 mint in the box US $679.99
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 LIONEL 6 31960 POLAR EXPRESS O Gauge SET NEW SALE FREE SHIPPING US $529.00
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 Lionel 6 38438 Long Island Fairbanks Morse H16 44 min in the box ships free toda US $499.99
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 Neat Lionel Polar Express Train Set O Gauge Ships Free US $461.98
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 NEW Lionel 38430 O Gauge Polar Railroad GP 7 Diesel Engine US $449.99
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 Lionel 6 38430 O Polar Railroad GP7 Diesel US $429.99
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 LIONEL 38430 POLAR RR GP 7 with RS LEGACY NEW US $429.00
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 Lionel 6 38430 Polar Railroad GP 7 US $427.49
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 Lionel 31960 polar express set mint in the box US $399.00
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 Lionel O 27 Polar Express Train Set O27 6 31960 NEW IN BOX US $369.99
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 Lionel 38430 Polar Railroad GP 7 Engine US $350.00
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 BRAND NEW LIONEL TRAINS POLAR EXPRESS TRAIN SET O GAUGE US $349.99
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 Lionel Lionel Trains Polar Express Train Set O Gauge US $334.39
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 Lionel 6 31960 O Gauge Polar Express Train Set NIB US $329.99
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 LIONEL O SCALE POLAR EXPRESS TRAIN SET LNL 631960 NEW READY TO RUN US $329.95
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 Lionel 31960 O Gauge Polar Express Train Set Sealed US $329.95
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 New Lionel 6 31960 THE POLAR EXPRESS SET US $325.49
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 Lionel Trains 6 31960 The Polar Express O Gauge MISB US $320.00
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 Lionel 6 31960 O GUAGE POLAR EXPRESS SET US $309.99
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 LIONEL POLAR EXPRESS O SCALE TRAIN SET 3 EXTRA CARS 5 HALLMARK COLLECTIBLES US $300.00
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 New Lionel 6 31960 The Polar Express US $300.00
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 Lionel 6 18754 6 18754 Polar Express Berkshire w Whistle Steam US $299.99
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 Lionel 6 18754 Polar Express 2 8 4 Berkshire 1225 with Whistle Steam NIB US $299.99
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Curious about starting a train hobby is the polar express Lionel Train a good start o gauge?
The first response is wrong on several accounts.
First of all, the Polar Express set was made for general production, and not specifically for Land's End. It so happened that Land's End got some of them, but they did, and still do, appear in the main semi-annual catalog. In fact, the set even graced the cover of the 2004 Volume 1 catalog.
Second of all, the first year they were introduced, they practically flew off the shelf at Christmas. The set has an MSRP of $300, and that Christmas, they were bringing $400+ on Ebay. Several hobby shop contacts of mine claim that the PE sets are still one of their biggest movers, with the smaller ones sometimes selling 20 or more of them in a year.
So, with all that in mind, I don't think that it's fair to classify them as a slow mover.
Now, to answer your question:
The Polar Express is overall a superb set. The locomotive is a big step up from what Lionel was putting in starter sets 10 years ago, with a good solid worm-driven drive train and a well-working smoke unit.
The locomotive is a not-to-scale, but still excellent, rendition of the Pere Marquet 1225 Berkshire, the actual engine on which the animations in the film were based. The not-to-scale part is important because a Scale Model of PM 1225(which Lionel made about 5 years ago) would be way too big for the typical starter set user to want to handle.
The engine does come with a basic no-frills air whistle, of essentially the same design that Lionel has been using since 1937. Despite the antiquated design, it works well, and fits in well with the general theme of the set.
The Passenger Cars are quite well done, especially consider that this is a starter set. There have been several add-ons made, so if you'd like more than the basic 3 cars, you'll want to look into these. The cars are illuminated, and have frosted window inserts.
The set comes with Lionel's Fastrack, which is well-thought-out track system with a built in roadbed. The basic oval the set comes with isn't much, but a few added straight Track Sections will make a big difference.
The set comes with a CW-80 80 watt transformer. This transformer has received a lot of flack for not working well, however the most recent revisions, made in the past two years or so, work great. If you get one of the older ones and have problems with it, Lionel will replace it free of charge.
Overall, I think that it would be a good set to get started, although I would suggest eventually adding a freight set to it.