UGEARS 3D Puzzles for Adults - V-Express Steam Train with Tender Idea- 3D Wooden Puzzle Model Kits for Adults and Teens Building Kit Wooden Model Kits

The media could not be loaded. I got the UGears train (with over 500 pieces) for my 16-year-old son this xmas. He was so enthralled by it that he spent almost two uninterrupted days putting it all together, and the results are visible in the attached video. It was very cool when started explaining how the transmission (that allows him to switch between Forward, Reverse, and Neutral) works. He commented: "If I didn't put it together, it wouldn't make sense." As a result, it not only occupied his time enhancing his fine motor skills, it also taught him a ton about gears, levers and much more.The craftsmanship resulting from laser-cut thin sheets of plywood was incredible. (There is a down-side to so many tiny parts... which I'll mention in a second). I was amazed for instance, when I saw that they crafted tiny (wooden!) roller-bearings, that were held in place by a circular (wooden!) race, when they knew the (rubber band) motor would have otherwise encountered a ton of friction as the lower plate tried to spin. It was also incredible that the whole train was assembled without any glue, using only wood, plus a set of rubber bands for the "motor" and "springs." (He broke one tiny part fairly ancillary part, that I glued back together before he installed it, but glue was not required.)On the downside, the parts were VERY small at times, which made it painful to push small things together, since it was friction that would keep them in place. For instance, toothpicks were routinely cut to 10 or 20 mm with a tiny jig-tool to get the sizes perfect (you do need to have a razor-knife to cut the supplied toothpicks). The "problem" came when pressing those toothpicks, or toothpick-fragments, into holes that were deliberately cut to be a VERY TIGHT friction fit with the toothpick. Worse yet, many times you needed to stand up a 10 mm fragment above a tiny hole, then THEN push it into place with notable force, which is really where "fine motor skills" were called for... until he discovered the following pro-tip.(Pro-tip that he discovered half way through assembly: The tiny "measuring jig" has two extra holes on it, that are "not documented." One hole is cut a tad larger than the toothpick diameter, for friction-free-holding of a fragment vertically, when you need to press it into a piece! The other hole is cut sufficiently smaller than the diameter of a toothpick so that it can be used to press on the "still pointy end" of the toothpick, without sliding! When you need to press a rather full-length toothpick through 6-7 stacked pieces with tremendous friction, this jig means that you don't have to grab the toothpick on its side and push. He also found it useful to have thimble (from our sewing kit) to press on these fragments. Lastly, I eventually lent him some small trigger clamps (see https://smile.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWHT83148-Small-Trigger-Clamp/dp/B0195UG2VG) which he used as a sort-of-hand-held-press, and they helped him as his fingers began to struggle. YMMV).

I've been working on this for the past two days and just completed the locomotive. I can't express enough how amazed I am about this product. It is so much fun to put together, though it can be frustrating at times. My fingers are so sore right now. This product is certainly not for kids. It is very meticulous and requires a lot of attention to detail.A few take aways that I found to be helpful:1. Grab a pair of wire cutters and needle nose pliers to help you cut the toothpicks and affix them to the tiny parts of the train.2. Get a wax burner. The nub of wax that is provided does not do a good enough job, especially when waxing the small parts and gears. Using a wax burner and a toothpick has worked wonders for me.3. Look over the instructions very carefully before putting the pieces together. Pay very close attention to the photos to be sure you're installing the parts in the proper direction. I've had to take a few pieces apart because something was installed backwards.4. Have some superglue hand. You can try to be as gentle as possible, but many of the pieces are difficult to remove from the sheet and if you accidentally apply too much force, you're bound to break a few pieces.5. Test test test as you go. If you wait until everything is complete, it might be too late to find out what went wrong without having to take the whole thing apart.Overall, this has been a very exciting project. There are so many moving parts and details. There are little surprises along the way which makes it that much more exciting to put together.

This kit takes lots of concentration and patience. You need lots of accessories around you to be successful and need to devote a large table just for this kit and its needs. There are delicate parts that just cannot be manhandled or you will break them. Directions need to be followed to the letter and all relative views and cautionary details. Take a break, don't devote more than perhaps 90 minutes per assembly session. When it says to sand something you do it, wax something you do it. Make sure to orient parts according to the diagram before dealing with them in any way, pay attention to the little dots, holes and lines depicted in the diagrams. They are shown for a reason. There are no words for directions therefore the pictures mean everything, you need to look and look again prior to doing something. The toothpicks are tricky and you will be using lots of them in very tiny lengths and holes need to be lined up perfectly in most cases. I made a point of cutting them a tad longer than required and then sanding them afterwards. I have even used a small magnifying glass to analyze critical orientation of certain parts prior to assembling them and let me tell you it has paid off, I caught myself a few times needing to "adjust" the orientation of a part or parts that were crucial to things. I look at it this way, even if the train doesn't move after building it, who cares, as long as it looks good and you learned from it as you perhaps venture on the other kits that you may purchase.

This was a fun, challenging project. This is not for the first time builder. Getting all of the rubber bands where they belong takes some patience . Follow the directions , read the on line advice, and you will have a great experience with an heirloom model.

I purchased this as a Christmas gift for my husband and he loved it! Very detailed and time consuming, perfect for a challenge driven person. He did break one part and requested the free replacement, which we are still waiting on a few weeks later, but other than that, this was a win!

A real good display piece.

This is a really well made model.I enjoyed putting it together and it is a nice addition to my collection.VERY integrate pieces, and took some time to assemble.Occasionally I take it off the shelf and let my grandson play with it.