Is Mattel Dumbing Down Things With Revolution?

Since finding this forum I've found out about all the 'issues' with the current crop of 'revolutions' locomotives and backward compatibility with blue track etc... The relative poor quality of the new style revolutions track etc...

However there's one thing I've not seen discussed yet (although of course I may have missed it). That is to my mind the current 'revolutions' Thomas sets are really dumbing down the whole subject.

Now let me explain that comment. I know there are lots of sets which have some sort of theme or action feature - some are initially even quite cool. But like the other mattel ranges such as Hot Wheels are these sets a 'one trick pony'?

What I mean is they may be impressive when you first see them, but longer term what can you do with that set apart from the one or two stunt(s) it may be designed to deliver?

With the older Tomy Thomas (or Hypercity) sets you may have a cool accessory such as a water tower or the dock crane etc... But other than that the rest of the set is pretty generic.

Now I know that may sound almost like a negative, but the point is by being 'generic' you can then use your imagination to build your own layout, you can also add other sets or accessories or track you've obtained to expand it.

Basically long term it is as clever as you are and can allow you to pretty much build what you want. Add to that you can generally run any locomotive/rolling stock on any of it rather than being limited to a single locomotive or train formation that works with a mattel 'special feature' which limits the latter to its 'one trick' with mattel's restriction of a loco/formation for it actually work.

To me it would seem that the initial excitement of a 'special feature' will soon become boring to a child (or the inner child ) whereas the infinite flexibility of Tomy's idea of sets will instead stimulate the child and even form a bond between the child and the parent.

Also the mattel sets although on the surface appear exciting they are in fact very poor value in comparison to the older Tomy (or even 1st gen Trackmaster) sets. Sure they don't seem bad value when you first look at them, but look closer and typically you seem to get a single track run (i.e. oval, spiral, etc...) a Thomas loco and if you are really lucky maybe a wagon and/or even a set of points with a siding.

Compare this with a Tomy set that would give you one or two runs of track, often several sets of points, maybe an incline, maybe a road layout, station, other building, etc... a locomotive, rolling stock, maybe road vehicles or other things too and it seems to me the Tomy sets were (are if you import) a much better value proposition.

What do you think?!?

[Super]

You are preaching to the choir here Nigels, LOL. I thought I saw a video from one of our members here that showed a layout of many different Trackmaster Revolution action sets connected in one layout. At least I think I saw it. Maybe it was while I was browsing YouTube videos that I saw it. I don't own any of the Revolution trains or sets but what I have seen on YouTube is that a lot of the sets only run a lone tank engine (no tender) or an engine and one car only to make it through the gimmicks.

I am reminded of the old HO racing car track way back when it was just side by side flat tracks or a hill and they were quite fun. Then they all tried to improve themselves and came out with sets that had loop-de-loops and tracks that would run up the side of walls. I thought they went a little too circus then as I do with what these new Revolution sets are doing now. Which reminds me, I should get out all my pictures of my large HO racing car layout I made as a youth and post it here.

i think the "dumbing down" started with the later trackmaster 1 tracks. just this weekend, i passed up two sets of the blue mountain quarry, with tracks in the nice blue color, simply due to the constrictions in the build. the tracks are all twisted and formed to make a pre-determined design, and i simply dont have the patience to try and work them into a decent layout.

IMHO, i think "dumbing down" is the wrong term to use. from reviews on amazon, the sets have got harder to build. adults are obviously the ones complaining, so if they are struggling then its impossible for preschoolers to manage. with the new stuff, even i struggle with the more basic set designs.

and whoever invented "one click" pieces for items that take up large amounts of space should have a pie thrown at them.

Hi Sun,

'Dumbing Down' is maybe the wrong term, what I meant was simply the play value and life of the sets is very poor and limiting. Seeing a train for example going round a silly bend on one set of wheels may seem fun the first time you see it, but after ten times? Also can this 'stunt' be performed by anything other than the loco bundled with that set?

Then as Super mentioned, try linking all these 'sets' together and finding anthing other than a single loco that can navigate all the 'gimmicks' and I think you'd be doing well.

This makes you wonder if they (Mattel) have a long term strategy for the line, after all, if the buyers find they cannot use the 'additional' loco's on these sets they will simply not get into collecting the loco's. This could lead to falling sales longer term and eventually maybe even the failure of the whole product line or a limitation of only the sets.

Maybe all they are interested in is making a quick buck by producing sets and selling to the grand parents who think something big and flash is what the kiddies want. But longer term it does not bode well as why would they invest in new loco designs if they don't sell?

Of course this is just me probably over thinking the situation and all will be rosey and people will keep buying the stuff even if it just gets shoved in a cupboard a week after the birthday/christmas etc...

---

I should add that although I've only recently got into the hobby I don't have any 'revolutions' sets and have no intention of buying any as I simply think they are silly and pointless.

They are not a true railway system like the Tomy plarail system is and have no growth path through to the more realistic plarail trains and even advance.

I do have a couple of 'revolutions' loco's I bought cheaply at Argos before I even realised there were a difference between them and the Tomy inspired loco's. But they are sitting on a shelf still sealed and destined to end up on eBay as I've decided anything I buy has to be old school compatible as that is the system for me

[Super]

I don't think you are "over thinking" Nigels, more of, on point. The new set may be considered one trick ponies and because of the visual tricks appealing to to the very young child. But what happens as the child's ages year by year? At least with the original Trackmaster tracks and trains they can grow with them as they can redesign layouts and add buildings and accessories to what their intelligence level has grown too. In this regards Trackmaster was lucky enough to be able to cross fit with the Tomy/Plarail line and as the child still grows take advantage of their more realistic trains running on the Trackmaster track as the child grows even older. I think you are on to something that these moving, action sets will become boring and outgrown really fast..

Personally, I felt Mattel has been doing this with the Take Along/Take and Play range sets long before Trackmaster Revolution. If you look at the Learning Curve sets, there was a lot more 'standard' track, track that was completely free of the playset and usually stored away inside the playset in some way, hidden in a cubbyhole. The Mattel sets mostly feature track in a static configuration that folds up into a twisted mess up against the playsets. It is very hard to find any sets with track that isn't permanently attached to the playset and even harder to find track packs. While they are still portable, the static track layouts remove any place for imagination. I think the only freestanding pieces of the newer track style I have were manufactured by HiT Toys under the Take Along name, before Mattel was involved.

I own very few Take-Along pieces of track that can't be used outside of their respective playsets, the inclined part of the Quarry Playset is the only thing that springs to mind. You could very easily make a complete layout of Take Along track without a single destination. I think you would be hard-pressed to make a featureless layout with Mattel's offerings.

tl;dr Mattel has done the same thing with the Take Along/Take and Play toys

[Super]

I think you hit the nail on the head with you phrase DuckGWR..."Remove Any Place For Imagination"

The unfortunate truth is the fact that Mattel knows that all the children are going to flip themselves to an iPad or cell phone instead of toys of any kind. And Mattel knowing this, has to make the set appealing to young kids and make them want the train set, and the parents will buy it as the child wants the set. Mattel have themselves three steps ahead of everyone else in the industry, thus making the competion either lose their rights to making the toy (Tomy/plarail) or just simply go out of business because of lack of purchases, like a store that didnt get enough business.

I'll lay one bet with you all, which is that if things continue the way they are the Mattel range of Thomas will long term fail while you'll find Tomy and Plarail will go from strength to strength.

I know what Rockinator is going on about with iPads/Phones etc... But I got a feeling even those will pale in time, they are just the current fad.

Things like train sets are something that gets in the blood of people regardless of age. There are plenty of kids who get back into the hobby when they get to middle age or later and lets face it they have more disposable income generally than kids/parents will

They are the audience which will be attracted to Plarail rather than Revolutions because of the sheer range and the possibilty of more realism. That is assuming they don't go the whole hog and go HO/OO/N

[Ucwepn]

TMR are frustrating sets to set up and get running well. Track joints kept separating causing derailments, points kept moving on their own causing derailments. The breakaway bridge was very iffy with only some locos making it around and the rest falling off.

Tablets and devices are not a fad in fact they are getting better and faster/smarter and can do more tasks than ever (I use mine everyday for many things). We need an electronic set where it is all controlled by a device

Sadly Plarail Thomas will seem to be discontinued soon so future generations will not get the joy that we have at the moment. Their only option will be Revolutions or their devices.