Obviously a $35 train set isn't going to be all that amazing, but for that kind of price it's hard to complain.This set is basically all plastic including the rails themselves. I'd say the biggest downside to this set is that there's no way to run the train without the loud sound effects. All or nothing!Even if the sound effects were off, I think this train would still be relatively loud compared to higher quality sets because of crude, high friction operation. It's so crude that the drive wheels don't turn along with the curves of the track. That low-cost setup just happens to be good enough to function.It derails more easily than a normal train set as well, probably because of those static drive wheels.I wouldn't really recommend this as a train for a child to play with, especially since there's no way to control the speed and actually have some real solid play with it. I would think most kids would break this set pretty quickly as well. I think the plastic snaps that keep the tracks together have a defined and limited lifespan (i.e., be as careful as you want disassembling but those plastic clips seem like they will wear out no matter what).I wanted a tree under my Christmas tree that was public transit/subway car themed, and this fits the bill and looks good enough from a distance.
Rating: [4 of 5 Stars!]