Bruder02738 Man TGA Concrete and Cement Mixer, Realistic 1:16 Scale Construction Truck for Pretend Play

A working cement truck was requested for our five year old granddaughter's birthday - this was a GIGANTIC hit. Played with it for a LONG time upon opening, both inside and outside - the working cement mixer is super-cool - dispensing whatever you put in the "cement tube" - easily operated and controlled by a very savvy five year old. Bruder trucks are so well made - TOUGH and fun. There will likely be more Bruder trucks added to the fleet in the future.

When santa delivered this toy my boys were almost 3 yrs & just turned 5 yrs. After careful reviews this was one of two bruder trucks we purchased. The truck, because of its size, colors, and because it really works, was and is super cool to my guys. They both love it and play with it equally. Will it break? It may at some time, nothing in this world is lasting, it's plastic, and played with by boys. There are no obvious plastic pieces that stick out and look as if they'd be the first to break. However, I took the time to show my boys what parts could break and how that might happen. They can sometimes be rough boys, and they carry it around the house and up and down flights of stairs, but they love their trucks. However, days go by where they didn't even touch the truck, which surprised me. Then one day I dumped a bag of dried white beans into a kitchen pan of mine, placed the pan on the floor in the playroom, and showed the boys how the beans could be turned into the barrel of the mixer, or cranked out, while the beans pour out of the chute as concrete would. I have to be creative during our long WI winters. This the boys fell in love with. This changed everything. Now every day the beans and concrete mixer are taken out and played with. When summer comes, I'm not too sure I like the idea of sand in the truck, any type of dried legumes, beans, or corn kernals seems preferable. As for the educational factor, we barrow library books and dvds about concrete mixers & learn the proper names of its parts, how one has to drive slower and use even greater care when driving such large equipment. The boys love it. I'm pretty frugal, and a lot of thought and research goes into each gift my children receive. This will be played with for a few years, and I am happy (with the addition of the beans) how much they play with it. It is a great purchase I recommend.UPDATE- Almost 3 years have gone by since I've purchased this toy, it's still very special to my boys, it's still one of the first toys played with by visiting friends, and still in perfect condition.

It may not be a Tonka, but based on this Bruder purchase for my 4yr old grandson's recent birthday...and his absolute failure to destroy it within the first day of using it...I'm absolutely sold on Bruder toys. He played with it for hours, took it to bed with him at naptime, and used that marvelous imagination of his to the hilt with this mixer. He put Lego pieces in the drum and not a single one got stuck, due to the ingenious interior drum design where everything just corkscrews it way out the chute...every last Lego piece exited properly without a problem. The hose and water tank and the little bucket are wonderful touches as well, and although it's mostly plastic, it is well made and should last him a long time!

My 3 1/2 year old son was so excited to see this Christmas morning. The first words out of his mouth were "Santa brought me a cement truck that won't break!!!" That was all he was asking for from Santa - a cement truck that doesn't break. And with this Bruder Cement Mixer it is true. I had searched high and low for a cement truck and the ones I did find were either cheap plastic (that would break) or too small. This thing is heavy duty - strong, durable and big. It has working parts and stuff can be put into the mixer no problem. Of course he plays with it on and off as he got quite a few new toys for Christmas - but it is definately one he keeps coming back to and plays with for long durations. I am so impressed with the Bruder quality, I would recommend this toy and any of their others. I will definately purchase Bruder toys in the future. The one thing that would have made this toy absolutely perfect would have been electronic sounds; but, that would be something that probably would break.

Given the low quality of children's toys today, it was refreshing to find something that was considered at least average quality while I was growing up. That said, this truck seems to work well, though the hose is difficult for my 2 yr old son (I realize recommended age is 3+) to coil up and reattach, and the mixer handle is rather small for *anyone* to grasp and use the mixer. I would suggest some sort of rubberized grip or simply enlarging the little stub that turns the mixer.Finally, instead of the doors opening on the truck, the cab tilts forward, exposing the engine. Most kids prefer to put characters in the cab, not just stare at the engine. The Scandia model seems to get this right, for 20 dollars more. I need to pay better attention to this brand and their toy variations in the future. Most of their offerings appear well designed, and make for excellent sand box toys.In conclusion, this is better than most of the junk that's out there for kids today, but still misses the mark in terms of what kids seek, and overall functionality.

We bought this as a Christmas gift for our almost 4 year old son. He is more than overjoyed by it. It's extremely durable, entertaining and very engaging. You can actually fill it with sand, rocks, etc., and dump it like a real cement truck. It also has a water tank that you can fill with water and use the hose to squirt it out. It's a bit on the spendy side to me for a plastic truck, but it's more than worth it for the durability and interactive aspects, not to mention how realistic it is.

My kiddos love this cement truck! It has proved to be quite sturdy and provides hours of play both inside and outside.