K'NEX Plants VS Zombies Wild West Skirmish Set Plus GIVEAWAY 6/25

***Disclosure: I received complimentary samples to facilitate my review. No other compensation has been provided, and all opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***

Okay, so unless you've been living under a rock somewhere, you probably know that zombies are all the rage right now. Between hit series like "The Walking Dead", movies like "World War Z" and games like "Plants Vs. Zombies", I can't go a day without hearing something about the brain-eating undead. (It probably doesn't help that my husband and teen are basically obsessed with anything zombie-related!) 

So when I learned that the folks at K'NEX offer a nice variety of Plants Vs. Zombies building sets, I was pretty excited. What a great way to incorporate zombies into creative play! After all, building sets are a wonderful way for kids to hone those fine motor skills, as well as develop critical thinking skills as they create their play structures. 

Here's more info about the K'NEX Plants Vs. Zombies Wild West Skirmish Building Set:

Defeat the zombies and save your brains…in the Wild West! Includes 2 Cowboy Zombie figures, 1 Prospector Zombie figure and 1 Peashooter figure plus K’NEX parts to build an area of the Wild West level from Plants vs. Zombies 2! Defeat the zombies using the Peashooter’s shooting action . Seven peas are included with a buildable ammo stand. Slide the Peashooter back and forth along the track for target practice. Easy to follow building instructions included. For ages 5+.

Features:

• Buildable level from Plants vs Zombies 2: Wild West
• Includes 2 Cowboy Zombies and 1 Prospector Zombie
• Peashooter with shooting action
• Easy-to-follow building instructions included
• Ages 5+

Pretty awesome, right? Well my kids couldn't wait to get their hands on this set! My teen assembled it, since it's a bit advanced for my 3 and 4 year olds to tackle. Kyle had it together in under 20 minutes, and we were ready for a showdown....Zombie style. 

Here's the "big picture". There is a western themed structure that reminds me of a saloon in some dusty, desert town. There are also zombified cowboys who are itching for some brains to chow down on. I don't think they're on the menu at most mess halls, do you? Sounds like a special order to me, haha.  The zombies are a bit scary looking, too, with ashen skin and bulging eyes. And of course, we've got some intimidating plant characters who seem all too ready to tackle anything the zombies try and throw their way. (Luckily for the plants, they do not have "brains"...They've already got the upper-hand here.) 

This set is actually really cool because it's totally interactive. There is a Peashooter on a sliding platform that actually fires "peas" at the zombies, effectively knocking them off of their platforms on a spinning, seesaw type apparatus. (As you can see by the "dead undead" laying on the ground.) 

Now I have to be completely honest. We had one heck of a time getting the zombies to balance on the seesaw. They just would not stay, and for some reason, their feet wouldn't secure to the platform to hold them in place. My kids didn't seem too concerned about this, and had lots of fun anyway. 

Now you see those rather tough looking plants? They are not included in this set, aside from the peashooter. These guys were great finds that came in K'NEX Mystery Bags! These bags are only $3.99, and each one has a mystery character inside. Will you get a plant? Perhaps there's a zombie inside? No matter what the bag contains, it's bound to be FUN! 

After a long and rather exhausting battle, it's been decided by my 3 year old son Xander that the plants are the winners of this round. (And unless you want a blowout tantrum of epic proportions, you don't argue with Xander.) They definitely showed the creepy zombies who's boss! 

Overall, I am definitely quite impressed by the K'NEX Plants Vs. Zombies Wild West Skirmish Set. This was a ton of fun for my kids, big and small, and it has somewhat of a carnival feel, so it's not too scary for younger kids. I love all of the moving, spinning pieces, too. But my favorite part would have to be the peashooter. This adorable, Venus Flytrap looking character really launches those peas with some power behind it. My kids had a lot of fun seeing how far they could shoot the peas, and what they could manage to knock over. I was really surprised to see my teen playing nicely with my preschoolers. That never, ever happens. Thanks, K'NEX for making toys that bridge such a large age gap and allow kids young and old to play together in relative harmony!

I would definitely recommend checking out this and other K'NEX Plants Vs. Zombies toys. They'd make a great indoor activity this summer on those rainy days when the kiddos inevitably get bored. These toys are sure to keep them engaged long enough for Mom to (maybe) enjoy a few blessed moments to herself. Peeing in private has never been so sweet!

Don't forget to grab some Mystery Bags to add even more characters to your fun!

How to Connect :

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Enter to WIN :

I am thrilled to announce that one lucky reader will receive their very own K'NEX Plants Vs. Zombies Wild West Skirmish Set! How cool is that?!

Simply enter using the easy Rafflecopter form below!

This giveaway is open to US residents 18+ until 11:59PM EST on June 25, 2014. No PO Boxes. Winners will be drawn using Rafflecopter's Random Number Generator. All entries will be verified, so play fair! I will notify winner via e-mail and they will have 48 hours to reply before I am forced to redraw winners. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. This contest is not affiliated with Facebook in any way. Thanks for entering, and Good Luck!

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