My 8 year old daughter absolutely loves this! She can play for hours and the product is just great. Her favorite part is the elevator. It's pretty cool.
Yes, assembly is a challenge, but can be a valuable and fun experience with your child; overcoming the obstacles is part of the experience plus a good intro to the toy.
The elevator has a tough transition between floors because the plastic does not fit closely - I used tape to cover the elevator shaft joints and Gorilla Glue to affix the lift cable - which will come loose every time the car hits a snag. Armorall is a good lube for the shaft.
My daughter says she likes it and will have lots of fun with it. Now, the real challenge - WHERE TO PUT IT?
This Barbie house is AWESOME! I am withholding one star because my TV doesn't pop all the way up. Mattel did offer to replace the house - with shipping at their cost. But I couldn't see taking it all apart and shipping it back . The TV will come all the way up- it just has to be pulled out about 1/2 way up. When I pushed the fireplace into the wall - it made the TV mechanism not quite right. Other than that - it is a great house. I did have to put some glue on the top of the elevator to get the little thing to stay in the top - but not a big deal. I love the graphics of the 2012 refreshed version - and the colors too. My 4 year old is over the moon crazy about her Dream house!