Fisher-Price Imaginext Space Shuttle and Tower

Positives: Excellent activity features, cool sound effects, nice group of figures and accessories, large toy, educationalNegatives: No volume control for sounds, elevator gets stuckMy 3 year old loves space shuttles. We watch shuttle launch replays on the NASA Youtube channel and he practically has all the parts of the space shuttle memorized. We looked for various space shuttle based toys and this was by far the best option. The space shuttle toy comes with two spacemen, an alien creature, a communication dish, and a blaster. The spacemen's feet fit snugly into various turnbased platforms on both the space shuttle and the launch pad. Turning the spacemen then performs various actions including turning the platform leading to the cockpit, rotating a space claw which attaches to the shuttle, expanding shuttle wings, and opening the cargo hold which is pretty large. There is an elevator for the three levels but I've yet to find a toy that doesn't have an elevator or lift that doesn't get stuck or is rough moving up and down. This is no exception but it does work well enough to not detract for the fun. All the accessories can fit into the cargo hold. Many of the activities activate sound effects which are very well done. There is a button on the space shuttle which also produces sound effects such as preflight sounds or a beeping countdown. Lifting the space shuttle off the launch pad initiates the shuttle launch sound effects which lead into deep space sound effects. It's all really well done and quite immersive. I wish that there was a second volume option. There is only an on and off switch however and the sounds are slightly loud. The space shuttle and launch pad are both very sturdy and the size is satisfying. It's large enough for my son to get lost in his imagination but compact enough to not take up too much space. Really cool toy!

My son wrote to Santa and asked for a spaceship for Christmas, and he received this. Amazon's price was comparable to other site's, and while this item did ship from Target, it was cheaper to order through Amazon and get the free super saver shipping. I also saw this item available in other stores, but it was priced at around $48 everywhere else. My son loves it. He likes to put the 2 men and the alien in and out of it, and he has been making up a variety of pretend story lines, all things a mother likes to see. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the two astronauts and the alien all can be put inside the shuttle for storage, so there are no loose toy parts to get lost. We've only had it a few days, but it survived a trip in the back of the car to grandma's house and lots of hours of playing. One thing to consider is that while the sound effects are neat and appropriate to the toy, they are on the loud side. There is an on/off button on the back, and an agreeable kid may be willing to play without the sound when necessary.

My 4 year old grandson watched the last space shuttle launch with me and was so excited about it. I found this and ordered it for him. I gave it to him yesterday afternoon and he has played with it nonstop since getting it out of the packaging (not frustration free). I also bought Fisher-Price Imaginext Space Station. He has definitely been practicing counting backwards! When he got up this morning, he went immediately to play with it and even postponed breakfast. I love seeing his imagination at work. This has been a great distraction for him while his mom is in the hospital on bedrest expecting twins. I expect this will be around when those little guys are old enough to play with it.

I purchase this toy for my 3 year old grandson's birthday. I had previously boat the ocean boat by Imaginetext for him last Christmas and he spent hours playing with it along with his Dad so I knew this would be a hit too. My grandson lives in the USA so I did not see him playing with it much but if I could describe the happiness and excitment in his voice as he played with it, it is another hit. I have already bought 2 grandsons the Ocean boat and we are now onto the Space shuttle. The item is really well built and held up with Jacks 1 year old brother crawling over it! The shuttle has a take off sound and also a count down with beeps. Although there are some sound effects, the best part of the toy is that it lets him use his imagination which is really important. I can assure anyone that the Imaginetext line held both my grandson's attention for quite a long time and is played with quite often.As usual I am very happy with Amazon's quick delivery and looking forward to Jack receiving the Imaginetext air craft carrier for Christmas.

The space shuttle doors don't stay closed. Needless to say, this is a BIG problem for my 6 year old. Who wants to fly through space and suddenly have all the cargo flop out??He loves Imaginext, and we have nearly every one ever made. This is our first compliant about them. Avoid this one. I wish we had.

The description listed, "Imaginext Space Shuttle and Tower includes a tower with elevator, shuttle with crane, moon vehicle, 2 figures, 2 helmets and console". Mine did NOT come with the "moon vehicle". It came with some tiny weird little green alien dude (looks like it could have come from a bubble-gum machine). The "alien" is out of place and lowers the education value of the shuttle. The 'astronaut' figures and their helmets don't look like astronauts at all. I was disappointed. The launch pad and shuttle itself are not bad toys, but way over priced. I was charged $64 bucks and then saw it for $40 at almost every other store, online or live. Amazon doesn't generally engage in false advertising (no "moon vehicle") nor are they generally so ridiculously overpriced. I am not sure what happened here, but I was glad to know they still have a good customer service response.