The Bradford Exchange Thomas Kinkade Animated Tabletop Christmas Tree with Train: Wonderland Express

We love this piece! It was expertly packed and arrived in excellent condition. Be prepared to dust off loose glitter from the wood base though. It took awhile, but we found a volume control for the sound so it can be played as lovely background music. The battery door has a small phillips head screw to hold it in place. Because this piece is so delicate, we did not install batteries and will plug this in instead. There is a one hour timer that does turn it off whether running on battery or electricity. The bottom floor isn’t as well lit as the middle and top but from other reviews that looks as if that’s by design. We’re excited to have this gorgeous new piece in our home!

The item is intricate, having villagers and lighted villages placed throughout the tree, Santa in his sleigh is pulled by the eight reindeers around the tree's Star topper, and 3 trains circle within. I was concerned about its shipping, and found it very carefully packed. I haven't counted the number of songs the music box unwinds, but there are many, and the music is delightfully complex. The tree can be `on' with lights, music and motion or without the music box. You can choose to power it with either the adapter or 3 AAA batteries... instructions advise to not have the batteries installed when using the adapter. The unit turns itself off after an hour. I found that my new AAA batteries provided operation for only 2 or 3 plays (hours). The battery cover is held by a very small screw and with the tree being so very intricate, I am cautious when turning it over to unscrew the cover to remove/install new batteries - and hate to disturb the snowflake glitter. I've decided that for centering the tree on a table for company viewing on all sides, I'll use the batteries. Otherwise, for its viewing on a side table, I'll use the adapter. Empty nesting, holiday decorating is no longer enjoyable, but this lovely and more sophisticated décor gave back the pleasure.

The media could not be loaded. I’m very happy with this. I’m a huge fan of Thomas Kinkade’s work may he rest in peace. I only wish this had some additional internal lights and that the top level train moved. Other than that I like it on one of my end tables.

I looked for something unique for a Christmas present for my son and his family (boys ages 3,5,and 7),and had it shipped directly to them early in the Christmas rush. It arrived in 3 days... standard shipping. I called my son and told him it was coming. It was already there. I told him it should be opened before Christmas because it was a decoration. The boys and parents love it. It's in constant motion since it arrived. I haven't seen it, but my son says it's very well built, operates as advertised, and is the center of attention in the household. I may have to get one for myself.

I purchased the Thomas Kinkade Animated Christmas Tree with Train because of his reputation for excellence. With only the two of us home now & grand children,we felt this was a perfect Christmas tree for us. The detail is amazing. The only disappointment is that the trains don't actually run on a track and after about 45 minutes,it will shut down. This requires starting again every 45 minutes you want the piece to be on. The other animated pieces we have don't do this so it is aggravating to have to turn it on again & again.

Wife got this as a Christmas present. She was very pleased with the over all look. Just loves the trains that move as well as the flying Santa at a tree toper. She was excited to see the Kinkade like houses with lights shining through the windows. The was very happy with the variety of musical tunes that played. She also loved the the music came with a volume control so she could play the music loud enough for the entire household to share in the listening,or she play the music low enough or just her to hear or turn the music off entirely while still enjoying the lighted tree with all 3 of the trains in motion and Santa circling the top of the tree. She gives the tree a double thumbs up for this year and hopes it will last for her to set out and enjoy for many years to come.The tree will be lit up with trains moving, Santa circling and the music playing everyday until at least New Years. If any problems develop I will be back to update my review.

Once upon a time, I owned a ceramics studio and I also made items to sell at shows. I had an N-Scale train layout (small trains, about half the size of HO scale trains) that I spent nine years building, including making 200+ buildings from kits and also painting the teeny-tiny people that populated the town. I believe my expertise with both of these activities qualifies me to give an accurate, honest appraisal of the "tree" that arrived at my home today. I looked over the pictures provided very carefully because I believe if something is miniaturized, it should be done properly. The people, for example, shouldn't be almost as tall as the houses on the piece. They appeared to be scaled to size in the pictures, but they are not in reality. The paint job was sloppy in places, as well. There is no quality whatsoever anywhere in this piece. "Lights" are very few and far between. I had to pay $26.99 to have it shipped to me and I believe I'll have to pay the same to return it. Normally, I wouldn't return it but, to be honest, I'd rather waste $54. on shipping than the entire $242.02 that I spent to purchase it. I've been burned by Bradford before, but never quite so spectacularly. I will never purchase anything from them again. I hate posting this review because I'm a very positive person and this just goes against my grain. In this case, though, I'm absolutely positive that no one should buy this item. If it was $50 or so, I might have kept it, but to pay the exorbitant amount of money that I paid for it and have it be such a poor piece is just unacceptable.