Review on 🎈 Rev up the Fun with Ontel Balloon Zoom Balloon-Powered Flying & Racing Set, Perfect for Ages 3+ by Tim Roby

My 5 year old twin grandsons love all kinds of toys but they have a special fondness for race cars and balloons. So when I saw the Ontel Balloon Zoom I knew it would be a winner with them. And it didn't need batteries...how new is that?!? The toy was relatively easy to assemble...for me. All I had to do was snap the handle and attach the "dock" to the pump. Now remember that this toy is intended for children over 3 years old. I really don't see a kid that age that could pull that together. The direction is a bit unclear for a few steps. After some fiddling, I assembled the Balloon Zoom and was ready to try it out before my grandkids got around to it. The Balloon Zoom comes with a car, an astronaut figure and a rocket, all of which can be 'flown'. Attaching a cylinder to them and attaching everything to the pump unit. The balloon is now easy to put on, but attaching it to the pump requires some practice. The instructions aren't very clear on how to do this and once you get that figured out the parts don't really stay attached to the pump unit but you can inflate them. It took me three or four tries before it worked. I can't imagine a little kid being able to do that, let alone have the patience for it. But once I got everything hooked up, I was itching to try it. I started with the rocket... made a couple of swipes to inflate the balloon a little and let go. She lifted about 6 inches off the ground and fell. (I was afraid to apply more gas as I didn't want it hitting the ceiling and doing damage.). I tried again and did about 10 compressions so the balloon was almost fully inflated. The rocket lifted off the ground about 3 feet and crashed. Well, at least I didn't have to worry about him hitting the ceiling. The astronaut behaved similarly to the rocket. Then it's time to test the race car. It's a bit more difficult than attaching a balloon to a car, and it attaches to the pump differently. But once everything was hooked up, I gave him a couple of pumps and let her go. The car went about 3ft before sir went out. My grandkids love their Balloon Zoom. But they constantly need help to connect everything. I don't mind, of course, but I think if a toy is rated for ages 3+, any child of that age should be able to handle it on their own. Great concept but needs improvement.