My Creator 3 in 1 Flatbed Truck with Helicopter Toy Review — The Problem

You know what's really annoying? When you get a building toy and it only makes one thing. I build it once, play with it for like 20 minutes, and then I'm bored. My mom bought me this dinosaur set last year and after I built it, I just looked at it on my shelf. That's not fun.

Most building toys are like that. You follow the instructions, build the thing, and then what? Some toys let you build two things but the second one is always boring. Like you get a cool race car and then the other thing you can build is just a truck that looks dumb.

I wanted something that would let me build lots of different vehicles that all looked cool. Not just different colors of the same car, but actually different vehicles that do different things. My friend Tommy has this set that makes three different things but they all look the same and the pieces fall apart when you play with them.

I also needed something that wasn't too hard. I'm seven and I don't want to ask my mom for help every five minutes. But I also don't want baby toys that are too easy and boring.

So I tested the Creator 3 in 1 Flatbed Truck with Helicopter Toy, Transforms from Flatbed Truck Toy to Propeller Plane to Hot Rod and SUV Cars, Gift Idea for Boys and Girls Ages 7 Years Old and Up, 31146 to see if it actually delivers.

First Impressions & Unboxing

The box was bigger than I thought it would be. It's about the size of a cereal box but heavier. The picture on the front shows all four vehicles you can build which looked really cool.

Inside the box were three bags of pieces and a thick instruction book. The pieces felt solid when I picked them up. They're not the cheap plastic that breaks easy. The colors are bright red, white, black, and yellow.

I dumped out all the pieces and counted 234 total pieces. That's way more than I expected for $19.97. Some pieces were really small like tiny wheels and some were big like the flat truck bed piece.

The instruction book has 68 pages which seemed like a lot at first. But each page only shows a few steps so it wasn't scary. The pictures are big and clear.

It took me about 2 minutes to sort the pieces by color like the instructions said. Then I was ready to start building. No batteries needed or anything complicated. Just the pieces and the book.

Key Features That Actually Matter

The best thing about this Creator 3 in 1 Flatbed Truck with Helicopter Toy, Transforms from Flatbed Truck Toy to Propeller Plane to Hot Rod and SUV Cars, Gift Idea for Boys and Girls Ages 7 Years Old and Up, 31146 is that you can build four different vehicles, not just three like the name says. You get a flatbed truck, a helicopter, a propeller plane, and a hot rod car. Each one looks totally different and has moving parts.

The flatbed truck is 8 inches long and has a bed that tilts up and down. The helicopter has spinning rotors that actually spin when you push it. The propeller plane has a propeller that spins and wings that look real. The hot rod is smaller but has big wheels and looks fast.

What makes this different from other building sets is that each vehicle has its own personality. The truck looks tough, the helicopter looks like it could fly, the plane looks sleek, and the hot rod looks like something from a race track. My friend's set just makes three cars that all look similar.

The pieces connect really tight. I can pick up any of the vehicles and shake them and nothing falls off. I tried this with Tommy's set and pieces fell everywhere. These pieces make a satisfying click when they connect so you know they're on right.

The instruction book shows you how to take apart one vehicle and build the next one. It tells you exactly which pieces to save and which ones to take apart. This is way better than other sets where you have to figure it out yourself.

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Jake's Hands-On Testing

I've been playing with this Creator 3 in 1 Flatbed Truck with Helicopter Toy, Transforms from Flatbed Truck Toy to Propeller Plane to Hot Rod and SUV Cars, Gift Idea for Boys and Girls Ages 7 Years Old and Up, 31146 every day after school for three weeks. Here's what really happened.

The first vehicle I built was the flatbed truck. It took me 45 minutes following the instructions step by step. I only got confused once when I put a piece on backwards, but I figured it out. The truck bed really tilts up and the wheels roll smooth on our kitchen table.

After two days, I took apart the truck and built the helicopter. This one was harder and took me an hour. The tricky part was getting the rotor blades balanced so they spin right. But when I got it working, it was so cool. I can push the helicopter across the floor and the rotors spin the whole time.

On day 6, I built the propeller plane. This one was my favorite to build because it looks so real. The propeller spins when you blow on it. I pretended it was flying missions around my room. The wings are sturdy and don't bend when you pick it up.

The hot rod was the fastest to build - only 30 minutes. It's smaller than the other vehicles but it looks awesome. The wheels are bigger than the other vehicles and it rolls really fast. I raced it against my other cars and it won most of the time.

After three weeks of building and rebuilding, the pieces still connect tight. I was worried they would get loose like some toys do, but they didn't. I've built each vehicle twice now and they still look perfect.

The coolest thing is that my friends always want to play with whichever vehicle I have built. When I had the helicopter built, everyone wanted to make the rotors spin. When I had the hot rod, we had races. This passes the friend test for sure.

You can grab the Creator 3 in 1 Flatbed Truck with Helicopter Toy, Transforms from Flatbed Truck Toy to Propeller Plane to Hot Rod and SUV Cars, Gift Idea for Boys and Girls Ages 7 Years Old and Up, 31146 on Amazon here.

Creator 3 in 1 Flatbed Truck with Helicopter Toy vs The Competition

I compared this to two other sets I've played with. Tommy has the Mega Construx 3-in-1 Racing Set that costs $24.99. His set makes three race cars but they all look basically the same. Just different spoilers and colors. The pieces on his set get loose after a few weeks of playing. The Creator 3 in 1 Flatbed Truck with Helicopter Toy makes four totally different vehicles that still connect tight after three weeks. But Tommy's set comes with a cool race track piece that mine doesn't have.

My cousin has the K'NEX Building Set that costs $29.99. Her set makes really big vehicles - like 12 inches long. The vehicles look more detailed than mine. But her set only makes two different things and it's way harder to build. She always needs her mom's help. The Creator 3 in 1 Flatbed Truck with Helicopter Toy, Transforms from Flatbed Truck Toy to Propeller Plane to Hot Rod and SUV Cars, Gift Idea for Boys and Girls Ages 7 Years Old and Up, 31146 costs less and I can build everything myself.

If you want the biggest vehicles, get the K'NEX set. If you want a race track, get Tommy's Mega Construx set. But if you want the most different vehicles that you can build yourself and costs the least money, get the Creator 3 in 1 Flatbed Truck with Helicopter Toy, Transforms from Flatbed Truck Toy to Propeller Plane to Hot Rod and SUV Cars, Gift Idea for Boys and Girls Ages 7 Years Old and Up, 31146.

For kids who are 7 years old like me, this is the best choice because it's not too hard but not too easy either.

Who Should Buy Creator 3 in 1 Flatbed Truck with Helicopter Toy (And Who Shouldn't)

You should definitely get this Creator 3 in 1 Flatbed Truck with Helicopter Toy, Transforms from Flatbed Truck Toy to Propeller Plane to Hot Rod and SUV Cars, Gift Idea for Boys and Girls Ages 7 Years Old and Up, 31146 if you're 7 to 10 years old and like building things. It's perfect if you get bored with toys that only do one thing. If you like cars, trucks, helicopters, and planes, you'll love this because you get all of them.

This is great for kids who want to build by themselves without asking parents for help every minute. The instructions are clear and not too hard. It's also perfect if you don't have a lot of money to spend but want a toy that will keep you busy for weeks.

Don't get this if you're older than 11 because it might be too easy for you. Look at the advanced building sets instead. Also skip this if you want something that makes really huge vehicles. The biggest vehicle is 8 inches long which is medium size.

If you only like one type of vehicle, like only cars or only planes, then this might not be worth it. You'd be better off getting a set that makes three different cars or three different planes. But if you like variety, this is perfect.

Parents should know that kids will actually play with this for weeks, not just build it once and forget about it. That makes it worth the money.

The Verdict: Is Creator 3 in 1 Flatbed Truck with Helicopter Toy Worth $19.97?

Yes, the Creator 3 in 1 Flatbed Truck with Helicopter Toy, Transforms from Flatbed Truck Toy to Propeller Plane to Hot Rod and SUV Cars, Gift Idea for Boys and Girls Ages 7 Years Old and Up, 31146 is totally worth $19.97. I've played with it every single day for three weeks and I'm still not bored. The biggest strength is that you get four really different vehicles that all look cool and have moving parts. The biggest weakness is that the vehicles are medium-sized, not huge like some other sets.

This is perfect for kids who are 7 to 10 years old and like building different types of vehicles. You'll get way more play time than toys that only make one thing.

Jake's recommendation: Buy it if you want a building toy that will keep you busy for weeks and won't break your parents' budget. Get the Creator 3 in 1 Flatbed Truck with Helicopter Toy on Amazon here - it's the most fun I've had with a building set this year.

Check out all our toys reviews to see what else we've tested. You can also read more of Jake's reviews to see what other toys I liked.