The Comic Cruiser arrived in a big Build A Dream Playhouses box. It was just as tall as me from toes to hair. Wow was my first impression, this is going to be big. Looks can be deceiving though as the cardboard pieces coming out were smaller and even more so as the build went on. However at thee bottom of the Cosmic Cruiser product page online it does clearly state: Assembled Dimensions: 49” x 33” x 18”, which is accurate and not overly small. My three year old fit perfectly inside the unit; my 6 year old – not at all.
The build took about 15 minutes. Longer than I expected, but I completed the build using the paper instructions only. These are a series of a few photos with letters and arrows only. Normally I do well putting things together. I even tend to have more patience that my husband, but I felt Build A Dreams Playhouses Cosmic Cruiser instructions were hard to understand and lacking the directions required to complete the task. Still after a few eyebrow raises we made it through and successfully I might add.
Note: if you plan to buy any of Build A Dreams Playhouses watch the hand dandy build videos available online. Seeing it in motion makes things much easier. I can only suggest that they improve their written drawn instructions soon. I would not give this as a gift to someone because of this factor.
The very last move of the build brought upon a disappointing feature in the Cosmic Cruiser: the brown eye sore. It stands out and if you plan to use this as a prop, that could be a problem. The only way to get past it would be to cover that part with a darker shade of…. *well I don’t know what to put here since the rep failed to answer my customer service questions*. I am guessing paint would be the best choice but that would be costly to cover the unit. Markers and crayons are my first thought with a child’s play piece. For a normal in home toy, that would be acceptable, and you could overlook the odd ball spot. Sadly because of the failed communication and this surprise, the Cosmic Cruiser did not make the cut for my son’s birthday party.
It did however become a fun play spaceship for about a week before the cardboard became distorted and fell apart from use. This is not able normal for cardboard playhouse structures in my home. If the kids really like them and play everyday on or with them, it happens. Build A Dreams Playhouses are reasonably priced considering as well. The Cosmic Cruiser is $29.95 + $9.99 in shipping.
One thing that I must give Build A Dream Playhouse a pat on the back about is the inclusion of the handles {as seen in the photo above and again below}. This makes moving the Cosmic Cruiser around so much easier and no doubt extended it’s lifeline. I was able to move it to the side of the playroom when they wanted to play video games and with other toys and back when Mr. E wanted to play spaceman again. I hope to see more of this handy feature in the future.
In the end, it leaves me in limbo if I would ever buy from Build A Dream Playhouses. While on one hand my youngest son enjoyed the Cosmic Cruiser and I like seeing that. On the other the ages listed on their website 3-9 is more suggestive than accurate in my opinion and their customer service {through their blog coordinator at least} was poor to say the least. This was not our first experience with their company, the first being much better than this but they were a newer company at that point. I do hope they go back to their roots and take customer questions seriously in the future as this change would take us from on the fence, to loyal consumer.
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Late February we contacted Build A Dream Playhouses with interest in reviewing their Cosmic Cruiser as a play & prop for my son’s upcoming space themed birthday. Everything went well until I asked them “Do you suggest a particular type of marker or even paint for the coloring details? I am sure you have lots of experience in decorating the playhouses.” Then Dead Air for weeks and weeks and weeks from the rep at Build A Dream Playhouses. Now you maybe thinking – well, maybe their marketing person does not know. So what do you do when you don’t know something, you ask; just like I did.
So here we are in June and same person who failed to answer my customer service question says that I am a bad blogger for being late. *Note we are still waiting on an answer.* I will tell you, I dislike writing unfavorable reviews and that is why you rarely see them on my site. Per their not so polite demand, here is what we think about the Cosmic Cruiser *poor customer service aside*.
July 1st Update: We finally received a reply from Build A Dream Playhouses. They say that they say, “use acrylic paint, although markers and crayons would work too.” I can see who paint would have been a top choice. I want to thank you for your reply.
