Toysmith NeatO! Classic Toys Wind Up Diving Submarine

This submarine is about a foot long and is made of plastic. It also inexplicably has a sticker on the side that says "auto submarine", which is odd given that it doesn't have any auto-related accessories. In other words, this is pretty much your usual cheap Chinese disposable toy.The only difference: It actually works. My son loves it and it seems to hold up to abuse. Though it may not look like a great toy, it's great value for your dollar.

I bought this as a bath time toy for my little ones. The operation is simple, just a wind up toy. I found very quickly that it's easier to wind it up under the water and just release it right away. If you let go of the windup key outside of the water, the propeller just spins and it done before you can get it to the water.The front fins toggle up and down on their own, which makes it appear as though the submarine is surfacing and then diving. It's a really cool effect for the little ones.I was surprised that this toy was so inexpensive. I expected to pay close to $20, so was happy to find an inexpensive toy that looked decent for once. My only regret is that I didn't buy 2, since my older one had the idea to see what would happen if they snapped off the propeller fans. I don't think it's the fault of the toy, though, but rather the curiosity of my kids.

Pictures of this item lead you to believe it's larger. Disappointed to give as a gift. Looks like a dollar store toy.

I bought this because I had one as a kid and wanted to bond with my toddler son during bathtime.It's definitely fun in the bath- the propeller moves the submarine very quickly (it's not gonna just sit and spin). The diving planes do move, but not in any really coordinated way. A normal 'run' seems to last between 5-10seconds. We went to the pool and like a nerd I took it with us. The entire blurb about "dives and surfaces" is a load of horse---. It may or may not go up or down, and will often veer off to the side. I think I paid $17 for it; it's more a $10 toy. But then I think I'm being overly harsh from childhood memories. Bottom line I don't regret purchasing it, and my kid had fun.

Great product! Excited to play with my wind up submarine. The only negative is that the toy submarine came in a soft package instead of a box so the toy box got a little bent. I didn’t mind because it’s not a gift. However, if it was a gift it could be an issue.

I purchased this for my 5 yr old grandson to play in the bath tub. It barely worked tipping over sideways at first then got it dive once and stopped working completely. I had thrown the box away or would have returned. Poor quality and not worth the money.

This is a nice-looking sub, well built, but as other reviewers have observed, the wind-up mechanism lets loose in all of two seconds or less. That means the sub barely starts to move when the prop stops spinning. The manufacturer needs to find a way to slow down the wound-up spring's uncoiling to make for a longer "run."

Considering the price, I wasn't expecting much. I was expecting something that fits into your hand, while this is quite a bit larger than that. I was expecting something that with one wind-up would probably travel 1/3 or 1/2 of the length of our bathtub. Instead, it moves the entire length and probably could go further if it didn't run into the wall. The diving action is fun and mine has no problem staying right side up. The trick is to gently hold the propeller as you wind it up, like the instructions say. Then dunk the sub and keep holding the propeller. You will see air bubbles exit. This creates ballast. Once the bubbles stop, release the sub. I love it as much as my son.