I've been wanting more building blocks forever because my old ones were boring and I kept running out of pieces. The Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 Building Toy Set - Featuring Storage, Includes Train, Car, and a Tiger Figure, and Playset for Kids, Boys, and Girls Ages 4-99 review starts with a problem lots of kids have.

My Building Block Problem Was Getting Really Annoying

Most building block sets are super expensive and you only get like 50 pieces. Then when you want to build something cool, you run out of blocks and can't finish. I had this happen so many times and it made me mad.

My mom bought me some cheap blocks from the store once but they didn't stick together good. They kept falling apart when I tried to build tall stuff. And the colors were weird - like ugly green and brown that didn't look good together.

I also had a small set that came with instructions but after I built the one thing on the box, it was boring. There was nothing else to make because there weren't enough pieces. I wanted something with lots of blocks so I could build whatever I wanted.

The worst part was keeping all my blocks organized. They were in a big messy pile in my toy box and I could never find the pieces I needed. Some got lost under my bed and some got mixed up with my other toys.

So I tested the Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 Building Toy Set - Featuring Storage, Includes Train, Car, and a Tiger Figure, and Playset for Kids, Boys, and Girls Ages 4-99 to see if it actually delivers.

First Impressions & Unboxing

The box was bigger than I thought it would be. It's like 14 inches long and pretty heavy - my mom had to help me carry it upstairs. The box has pictures of all the cool stuff you can build on it.

When we opened it up, there was a plastic storage box inside that's yellow. All the blocks were already in the box which was nice. I didn't have to put them in bags or anything.

There are 484 pieces total which is way more than my other sets. The blocks are lots of different colors - red, blue, yellow, green, white, and black. They look really bright and new.

The coolest part was seeing the special pieces. There's wheels for cars, windows for houses, and even a tiger that's orange with black stripes. The train wheels are black and look real.

It took me about 2 minutes to dump everything out and start playing. No setup needed. The instruction book shows you how to build 3 things but it says you can build whatever you want too.

Key Features That Actually Matter

The storage box is the best feature. It has a lid that snaps on tight so blocks don't fall out when you move it. The box is 10 inches wide and 7 inches tall. Way better than keeping blocks in a bag or pile.

The 484 pieces means you can build big stuff. Other sets I've had only had like 100-200 pieces. This one has enough blocks to build a house AND a car at the same time. The pieces are all different sizes too - tiny 1x1 blocks and long 1x8 blocks.

The blocks stick together really good. I built a tower that was taller than me and it didn't fall down. When I take things apart, the blocks come off easy but not too easy. Some cheap blocks I've used either don't stick or stick too much.

The special pieces make everything more fun. The wheels actually roll good on the floor. The windows are clear so you can see through them. The tiger figure is poseable and fits perfect on the blocks.

The colors work good together. Not like some sets that have weird colors that look bad. These are bright primary colors that look awesome when you build stuff.

Check current price on Amazon

Jake's Hands-On Testing

I played with this set every single day after school for 3 weeks. The first thing I built was the train from the instructions. It took me about 20 minutes and looked really cool. The wheels rolled perfect on my hardwood floor.

After day 3, I got bored with just following instructions. So I started building my own stuff. I made a spaceship, a castle, and a robot. The robot was my favorite because I used the tiger as the pilot.

The durability test happened by accident on day 5. I built this awesome car and was driving it around fast. It crashed into my dresser and broke apart. But none of the pieces cracked or broke. I just put it back together and kept playing.

By week 2, my friends wanted to play with it too. We had enough pieces that all 3 of us could build something at the same time. My friend Marcus built a helicopter while I made a house. There were still blocks left over.

The storage box got tested a lot. I carried it downstairs to play in the living room probably 10 times. The lid never came off and no blocks fell out. Way better than my old blocks that were always getting lost.

After 3 weeks, I was still finding new things to build. The best Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 toys for creative play really deliver on the promise. I made a dinosaur, a boat, and even tried to build my dog but that was too hard.

One thing that surprised me was how the blocks still looked new after all that playing. The colors didn't fade and none of the pieces got loose or wobbly.

You can grab the Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 Building Toy Set - Featuring Storage, Includes Train, Car, and a Tiger Figure, and Playset for Kids, Boys, and Girls Ages 4-99 on Amazon here.

Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 Building Toy Set - Featuring Storage, Includes Train, Car, and a Tiger Figure, and Playset for Kids, Boys, and Girls Ages 4-99 vs The Competition

The LEGO Classic Creative Bricks Set costs about $35 and has 790 pieces. That's more pieces but costs $10 more. The LEGO blocks stick together better but this set is way cheaper for what you get. If your parents want to spend less money, get this one.

The Mega Construx Big Building Bag costs $20 but only has 200 pieces. That's not enough blocks to build cool stuff. This set has more than twice as many pieces for only $5 more. The Mega Construx blocks are harder to take apart though.

The Play22 Building Blocks set costs $30 and has 520 pieces. It comes with a baseplate which is cool. But the colors aren't as bright and some kids say the blocks don't stick as good. This set has better quality blocks even with fewer pieces.

If you want the most pieces and don't care about price, get LEGO. If you want the cheapest option and don't mind fewer blocks, get Mega Construx. But if you want good quality and lots of pieces for a fair price, this set is perfect.

Who Should Buy Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 Building Toy Set - Featuring Storage, Includes Train, Car, and a Tiger Figure, and Playset for Kids, Boys, and Girls Ages 4-99 (And Who Shouldn't)

If you're a kid who likes building stuff and wants lots of pieces to be creative, this is perfect. The 484 pieces give you enough blocks to build big projects. The storage box keeps everything organized which parents will love.

Kids who like following instructions AND making their own creations will have fun with this. You get instructions for 3 builds but enough pieces to make tons of other stuff too.

Skip this if you only want to build one specific thing like just cars or just houses. This is better for kids who want to build lots of different stuff. Also skip it if you already have a huge collection of blocks - you might not need more.

If you're looking for Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 Building Toy Set pros and cons, the biggest pro is value and the biggest con is it's not quite as high quality as expensive brands.

Don't get this if you want blocks that connect to LEGO exactly. These are compatible but not perfect matches.

The Verdict: Is Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 Building Toy Set - Featuring Storage, Includes Train, Car, and a Tiger Figure, and Playset for Kids, Boys, and Girls Ages 4-99 Worth $24.88?

Yes, the Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 Building Toy Set - Featuring Storage, Includes Train, Car, and a Tiger Figure, and Playset for Kids, Boys, and Girls Ages 4-99 review shows this is totally worth it. You get 484 good quality blocks, a storage box, and special pieces for under $25. It's perfect for kids who want to build lots of different things without spending a ton of money. The fact that I played with it every day for 3 weeks and still wasn't bored proves it's a winner.

Jake's recommendation: buy it if you want a good building block set that won't break the bank.

Get the Classic Medium Creative Brick Box on Amazon for $24.88

Check out more of my toy reviews here and see all of Jake's reviews.