The best Titanic toys for kids

Almost every kid goes through a Titanic phase. Mine never ended, and now it's my job.

Here's a list of the best Titanic toys I've seen.

156 pieces, snaps together, no glue and no paint required. Stickers included.

Of all the kits, this is the one most likely to actually get finished. Rated 10 and up, and that's about right.

Books are toys, ok?

The one I'd start with if they're new to the story. Large text, short chunks, a lot of pictures.

Written for 8 to 12, but a younger kid can be read to happily.

Back in the 90s, a publishing company made a Titanic model that floated, took on water, broke in half, and went down. Then the company folded and it became a collectable.

It's actually what our model is based on. Warning though: it's very expensive.

I built this one because the original was gone and nothing had replaced it.

It's 16 inches. Floats level. Thumb switch opens the hull break, then two-stage sinking means the bow goes first and the stern follows. Then you drain it and do it again.

It's not really a toy, strictly speaking. It's a model ship. And it's definitely not for under 5s – small parts, same as everything else here.

9,090 pieces, 53 inches finished, twenty-plus hours of building.

I'm including it because it's the first thing most parents find, and it is genuinely spectacular. But read the age rating: 18 and up. It costs as much as a laptop and needs four and a half feet of shelf when it's done.

Wonderful for an adult who loves the ship (and tedium). For a nine-year-old it's a project you'll end up building.

Most everything on this list has small parts. Funnels, masts, lifeboats, davits. Ours included. Always use caution with the young ones.