Banbao Peanuts School Bus Kit
a building toy review
Banbao has begun making building toy sets (like #LEGO) based on the Peanuts franchise. When they became available in my local toy store, I decided to pick one up. I chose the School Bus kit due to its relative complexity and because of its inclusion of a Snoopy figure (and because my daughter thought it was cute!)
For a full write-up of my thoughts on LEGO and other building toys, read Learned #49: Brick by Brick.
| Manufacturer | Banbao |
|---|---|
| Kit Number | 750601 |
| Number of Parts | 252 |
| Age Range | 6 - 14 |
| Price | ~¥2,500 (JPY) / ~$23 (USD) |
| Made in | China |
The box was easy to open and, like LEGO, has all the pieces sorted into different plastic bags to be opened as the directions call for them. The instructions themselves were clear, easy to understand, and printed on heavy, good quality paper.
One thing I especially appreciated in the instructions was that previously assembled sections were greyed out to make it easier to understand exactly where the new pieces were to be added. I should also note that the instructions have no words and are, instead, entirely visual.
Assembly was quick and painless. Once stuck together, pieces stayed together well, requiring very little re-assembly. The kit is also clever in its design, allowing for several moving pieces and parts that allow for more play options once completed.
Banbao has chosen, again, like LEGO, to include stickers as part of their packs rather than make more complex one-time-use-only pieces. The stickers are good quality and stick on easily, but with enough give to let them be pulled off and re-applied at least once or twice. More importantly, from a play and collector point of view, is that the stickers in this set mirror Charles Schulz's comic drawing and lettering style.
In addition to two doors that can open and close, this kit has a moveable hood, a stop sign that folds out from the body of the bus, and moveable side mirrors. Additionally, the bus roof is structured so that it is attached at only four points, meaning it is easy to remove so that figures can be placed inside.
The figures are where the kit really shines and where Banbao has chosen to differentiate themselves from LEGO and other competitors. As you can see, the number of parts needed for a single figure (Franklin is pictured here) is much higher than for comparable toys. And, once assembled, the figures have a full range of arm motion enabled by the ball sockets that makes them a lot of fun to play with.
Here is the completed Franklin.
And here is the completed Snoopy with the bus behind him.
All in all, I'm very happy with the kit and my daughter has enjoyed playing with it. There are a few small issues - the bricks are not quite the quality I'm used to with LEGO. I'd put these more on par with Megablox, which are slightly flimsier and not always as easy to join together as LEGO. Also, the kit would have benefited from just a few more pieces to strengthen the overall structure. The roof, in particular, seems to always be on the verge of falling apart.
On the other hand, the design is well thought out and the figures are phenomenal. My daughter has already expressed an interest in getting a few more figures and kits; it remains to be seen whether she will want to integrate these blocks with LEGO or, like the Mega and Nano block kits, if they will stay separate.
If you enjoyed this review, have more questions, or would like to see more, please let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading.
Sup Dork! Enjoy the upvote!!!