A wooden train and a wooden airplane may sit on the same shelf, but they invite very different stories. The train needs somewhere to couple its cars and roll; the plane has a propeller to turn before its imaginary departure. When we compare wooden vehicles, we start with those actions. They tell you more than the color of the wood alone.
Something to connect, carry or simply roll
Baldwin Toy Co.'s mini train has an engine, coal car, passenger car and caboose. Together they're about 18 inches long, 3 inches wide and 3 inches high. Think about the length of a journey as well as the size of the storage shelf; connected cars need room to travel.
The transporter is a truck carrying three interlocking cars, about 12 by 2 by 4 inches overall. That gives it a delivery story built into the object: take the cars somewhere, unload them, then gather them onto the truck again.
The Small Jeep is a single hardwood vehicle with a walnut hood and lighter body, approximately 8 by 4 by 4 inches. Its description specifies no loose pieces, so it's a different putting-away job from a train or transporter.
A propeller, or a car with its own ramp
The walnut and light-wood biplane has rolling wheels and a rotating propeller. At roughly 10 inches long, 10 inches wide and 5 inches high, its wings are worth measuring for. A plane needs width even when it's parked.
Flipsy pairs a car about 2 inches in each dimension with an 8-by-3-by-3-inch ramp for rolling and flipping play. Use the maker's setup with the supplied car, on a level area with landing space away from stairs and table edges. Keeping both pieces together makes the next session easier to begin.
Draw somewhere to go
Once you've chosen a vehicle whose age guidance suits the player, a sheet of paper can give it a destination. Draw broad marks for a station, garage or airfield. A transporter can deliver its cars; the biplane can roll toward its pretend departure point. Leave the roads wide and the drawing simple enough for the actual toy.
Ask where the next stop is, then follow that answer. Our delivery-route activity takes the idea further with cargo boxes. For vehicles that come apart and rebuild, compare Luke's Toy Factory trucks.
Before buying, check the exact age and care directions. And for the Small Toys selection, confirm the quantity included in your order; the photograph and a general description shouldn't be the basis for planning a set of party gifts.
Our wider gift guide offers other formats, but within these vehicles we'd come back to the motion: coupling, carrying, rolling, flipping or making up a flight. That's a useful thing to know about the person you're choosing for.
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