Okay, so I bought this for my 2.5-year-old tornado of energy (aka grandson) and wow - this thing survives his 'enthusiastic' play sessions!

The remote is surprisingly toddler-proof. After some button-mashing, he figured out how to make the train chug, toot, and puff smoke like a pro. The 2.4GHz frequency means no interference when our neighbor's kid plays with his RC car nearby.

Assembly was a breeze - the tracks snap together like LEGO. We've made figure-8s around the living room and a perfect oval under the Christmas tree (yes, in July). The smoke effect? Pure magic. Uses distilled water, though we accidentally used mineral water once - don't recommend that.

Battery hunger is real - 10 AAs total! Pro tip: Buy rechargeables. The couplers need adult fingers, but my little engineer happily 'supervises' while I reconnect cars.

For under $20? Absolute steal. Just mute the remote's loud beep before naptime.