Tuesday, January 6, 2015

WWOG: Pastry Cart - Part II


In yesterday's WWOG blog, we unpacked all the tiny accessories to the Pastry Cart--and now Grace Thomas is ready to show you her cart!


But first, a closer look at the cart itself.


The cart came well packed in styrofoam supports. I was glad that the cart was all one piece and required no assembly.


The cart is big, but its footprint is quite compact! On the front of the cart I've set the clear baguette case which opens and closes. It sits nicely on the shelf. I also hung the menu board and bell.


The cart is composed of both plastic and metal pieces. The countertops of the cart have a faux-marble effect.


The sign above the cart is cute and features a red heart in the simple scroll design. (Count the hearts!)


Count the hearts! The wheel is plastic, but seems sturdy enough.


The Pastry Cart completely filled with all of the accessories!


View from the front.


The baguettes fit perfectly in their case and the tiered stand is quite fun to load up with treats.


There are several scrolls from which shopping bags can be hung.


Grace is ready to take this cart on the road. 

The cart is quite spectacular. On the plus side, this set packs a lot of visual fun and play into a very small footprint. The cart comes preassembled and ready for play. 

(Edited to add!) As mentioned above, the cart itself is made of both plastic and metal pieces. The best I can figure out, the two main shelves and the silver and black scroll work including the red scroll supporting the La Petit Patisserie sign, are all painted metal. The three wheels and the chassis (the parts connecting the wheels to the bottom shelf) are all plastic. The La Patisserie sign is plastic. Also, note the menu board is plastic, but the bell is painted metal. I believe the cart itself is sturdy in spite of the plastic components. I think the most vulnerable pieces would be the two clear plastic pieces--the tiny half-moon shelf on the leading edge of the cart and the baguette case.

On the down side, while all cart components seem sturdy enough for careful fingers, the paper accessories will crush and become worn quickly if used for much more than display. I wish AG would offer a "paper products" kit with more boxes, bags, and paper currency for the cart to supplement or replace the items as they get worn out. 

Overall, the price tag is quite steep for the Pastry Cart set. If you have the patience, perhaps see if the Pastry Cart goes on sale and then grab it quick. I may need to reserve the right to downgrade this item based on how well it holds up to light play, but my initial grade for the Pastry Cart is a very happy A-.

2 comments:

  1. Are the wheels the only plastic part (other than the countertops) of the bakery cart? I'm debating over what things to buy from Grace's collection!

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    1. Thanks for your question! I edited my review to add a fuller description of metal vs plastic pieces in the third to last paragraph. But in brief, the two main shelves and all the black, gray, and red scroll work appear to be painted metal. The wheels, chassis, and La Petite Patisserie sign are a very sturdy plastic. The most vulnerable plastic pieces are most likely the half-moon shaped mini shelf and the baguette case, both made of a clear plastic. I think an adult collector or a child who has gentle fingers (and remembers to store things away) would generally have no problems with this set. However, as I mentioned already in a few places, the paper goods just have limited playability before they will inevitably show wear. Hope that helps!

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