Hot WheelsColor Shifters Dr. Bones Color Lab Playset

My two grandsons (11 and 10) are having a great time with Hot Wheels Color Shifters Dr. Bones Color Lab. It's the first thing they go to when they come over.

Ok, so the track is cool, easy to put together, and fun to play with... For a while, after a few days my kid got kind of bored of the same thing over and over... My wife got bored of the water all over the place... But that's a different story. Now, if you keep in mind that you can connect most of the Hot Wheels tracks the possibilities ti make it fun and different are always there.

What a mess!! It was more of a production than fun. My son wanted this for his birthday so we ordered it. The pieces were hard to put together, the water was a mess! This was a toy that we could not keep in his room because he would start playing with it and there would be water everywhere! Now as a parent I hated this toy, but my son likes it for about a month and then it was never talked about again.

Really messy so it's an outside toy but other than that it is really very cool!! My 4 year old sone loves it!

My six-year old son bought this set with some birthday money. I couldn't talk him out of it (I knew how much his mother and I would enjoy the watery mess). As a father of six boys, we've had many Hot Wheels sets in our house over the years. Most of them end up out of use (because of lost or broken parts) within weeks, and I've only found two or three sets I really like well enough to recommend. This one is a mixed bag.This was neither the easiest nor the most complex set we've had. My son was able to get some of the pieces together on his own, but needed some help with the rest. As has been the case with many sets lately, there have been no stickers to put on. To me, that's a real improvement.We got it together in about 15 minutes, and then we moved the set to the kitchen table, with a large bath towel underneath. You fill different parts of the set with water of different temperatures. The cars are finished with a temperature sensative material that changes color depending on how warm or cold the car is at the moment.The Spring Launcher is Great----------------------------The spring launcher is great. It shoots the cars out at a good clip, and can be used with any other track section, making it useful for other play. With just some extra track segments and a stack of books, you have a good launcher for your own stunt tracks.Don't Run it Dry----------------It's very clear that this set is designed for use with water. Without it, particularly in the blue tube on the loop, the cars go through too fast and end up crashing as they try to emerge from the little tunnel. That means that, without the water, cars won't run through the set as intended, making it largely useless.The Color Change that (Almost) Wasn't-------------------------------------With hot tap water on the far end of the track, and ice water in the blue tube (it's divided so you can actually put a few ice cubes in where they won't block the car), the car should go through a couple of color changes along the route. We found, however, that once the car got hot, the cold water did little to change the color. The car that came with the set, for example, is brown at room temperature, and yellow when hot. Once it got hot (all yellow), even going through the ice water tube did not change the color to any noticable degree. Of course, it also takes only about two seconds to go through the entire course, so if the color was starting to change, it reverted to yellow when it hit the hot water again.The only time the color changes were really noticable were when the car was left off the track long enough for the temeperature to better match the room, or when our son was leaving part of it dunked in one bit of water or the other (hot or cold). They were more noticable on the times (will your kids be able figure out the pattern) when the car falls through the trap door and into the central basin. Then it seems to get doused in enough water to change the temperature. In any case, our son still had lots of fun.Color Changing Cars-------------------While many Hot Wheels cars can be shot through this set, the real excitement comes with the color changing ones. Unfortunately, those cars are three to four times the cost of regular Hot Wheels cars. In my opinion, that's a bit spendy for a gimmick.One Annoyance-------------Nearly every time the trap door is activated (when Dr. Bones' skull opens up and flips back), the sponge brain gets thrown loose. We've tried it with the sponge wet and dry with no noticable difference. That means our son has to get down from the table to retrieve the sponge from the floor every time it happens (or he had to convince his younger siblings to do it). It also means that the sponge is more likely to get dirty faster. It's just a minor annoyance--the more he moves around, the more likely he is to spill the extra water we've set aside for him.Durability?-----------Our initial feel is that this set is similar to many of the sets we have not liked. The pieces come apart too easily, and since it requires water, it's not suitable for everyday play. As such, we're trying to increase the odds that it will last by boxing it up and putting it away after every session (unlike his Starter Set that can stay on his dresser). That means he typically only gets to play with it on the weekends, but we're fine with that for a water toy in the house.This Parent's Verdict---------------------Would I recommend this toy? Honestly, no. I think you'd be much better off going with something like the Starter Set (especially if your child's first set). That said, if s/he really, really wants it, just realize what your're getting: it's a water toy, it doesn't strike me as very durable, and the cars that work best with the set (the color changing ones) cost about four times as much as your typical Hot Wheels car. Still, if you expect it to be something that will only last a few months (or have one of those rare children who takes exceptional care of everything), it can be a lot of fun. If you're the type of parent (or grandparent) who doesn't mind putting toys away and bringing them out on special occasions, it would be a fun and memorable toy.

Although my son is enjoying this toy, it should be advertised as an outdoor toy. There is such a mess everytime he plays with it. Water is everywhere, on the floor, chair, the towel I stuck under the toy, and all over my son. I am all for him having fun, making messes, but this toy is way too messy with the water. On the plus side, it doesn't seem to be flimsy, and he does like it. If you do buy this, just be prepared for a major mess, or just set it up on a porch outside.

My son has had a blast with this toy. He absolutely LOVED it and plays it every chance he gets!

Got the Dr Bones lab at a huge discount after christmas for 10 bucks. My son just turned 4 and has high functioning autism. He has a bunch of color change hot wheels: the tub racer set, squirt bottle set, stunt & dunk, as well as a few hot wheels tracks that are not for color change cars (loop and 4 track raceway). I must say the Bones lab is his favorite by far. He doesn't have the best fine motor skills just yet but he can pull the trigger himself and push the button to launch the car. It is tough to pull back but to my surprise he is able to do it. He doesn't mind that the cars go thru the track once and the next time they get dumped by the skull. He has no idea it's a scary toy, he calls it an octopus. He can work the hand pretty well. Yes it is messy but we have a granite top table so I just throw a towel down. I do need to stand by to keep the cold water icy cold & the hot water hot but other than that he is playing all by himself!