ROKR Marble Run 3D Wooden Puzzle Kit - STEM Educational Building Toy for Adults & Kids, Brain Teaser DIY Model Craft for Home Decor & Family Game Night

I gifted this to an 84-year-old gentleman who is beginning to have cognitive issues. He enjoyed this 3-D puzzle very much and was quite successful in putting it together. He enjoys showing it off to others as the marble run just keeps on scooping up the marbles and running them through the maze as long as you turn the crank.The instructions are very clear and detailed. The parts are durable and easily removed if you take it slow and easy. Having an Emory board handy to smooth out the rough edges is a must.Bought this for my son's friend who loves building and engineering. He picked this one out for his friend and he was so happy to have received it!SuperIt was definitely only for an adult to assemble. Kids will struggle. I’m good with my hands have good carpentry skills and it was hard for me to do without a little tweaking of parts. On the upside it works, it doesn’t work anywhere near as smoothly as the videos but it works. It is also smaller in real life than the pictures make you believe. It was however fun to put together and see working. It’s a challenge and I’d buy more of similar styles.I bought this puzzle to work on with my son. The instructions come in the form of pictures, much like the Lego kits - are easy enough to follow. The pieces come precut in several thin boards of wood. Detaching has not been a problem. However, when fitting the pieces together, several have easily broken apart rendering the piece unusable. I've had to superglue a few together using small pieces of paper towel to reinforce the repair. You also have to get creative with how to get some parts together as they have to be manipulated in tight spots. Overall, I wish the pieces were a little more sturdy. We are enjoying putting it together and seeing the progression toward the end product.This is one of four ROKR kits I have. They are quality-made precision cut parts that can be assembled without glue or tools, however I found that glue in some places and some tools make the assembly easier (see photo). Assemble on a hard surface to ensure the base is completely flat. A small flashlight, magnetic screw driver, needle nose files, seam ripper, etc. are helpful. A magnifying glass is needed to see the orientation of some parts in the instructions. It is VERY important to lubricate moving parts, especially those that slide. I used the wax provided and added Sewer's Aid (silicone oil). The oil enhances the wax lube and the oil is able to reach places that are difficult to wax - such as gear teeth. Check for proper assembly and free movement of moving parts during each step of assembly.We loved the design and the amount of “engineering think” that goes on as you put it together and you’re seeing firsthand how things work. But there are some very tiny pieces that hold things together that I thought would be the easiest to push out of the boards and surprisingly those were the ones that broke for my son. He’s sort of stopped building now, though I think (hope) we can find a work around.I haven't done one of these before and thought I would try it. At first it looks like a daunting task, specially when you see all the pieces.I admit it was fun putting it together, but here are some things to keep in mind.The instructions rely heavily on you paying close attention to the details as one piece can easily be installed backwards if you don't look careful. Cutting the pieces out from the stencil requires some care. I strongly suggest you cut out a few of the larger pieces to get some practice. The hardest part for me was snapping the pieces out careful enough so you don't break them. Make sure you take you take your time taking them out as they get damaged very easily.The pieces don't really snap into place, you have to push them into place and judge that they've gone far enough. You'll need sand paper for sure, I bought some extra, which I used to lightly sand some of the edges off from the connecting pieces. I found sometimes some of the pieces didn't want to "snap" in so a little sanding let the pieces slide in nicely. Just be careful as you can end up with a piece that's too loose.Finally... keep in mind that this is a patience game. You must have patience or you'll get frustrated and could easily break a piece.Overall, the whole process was fun, a little stressful sometimes, but definitely satisfying when it was all complete and worked!. I will buy another one... but I might just have to wait a bit before I decide to commit myself to going thru that process again. I have large hands and can be a bit challenging working with small pieces.As you can see from the pictures, the Quality of the product is GREAT! ... it's important to have good quality on these types of puzzles, or they just won't work well when you put them together.I read up on the top reviews on this before purchasing and have no idea where they are coming from. The instructions are extremely easy to follow and not sure how much clearer they could be. They even include scannable links to see how moving parts should work. If you have any experience with lego you will find this better than those instructions. As for the time spent i would say all in i was around 3.5 to 4 hours. REALLY cool craft/puzzle, enjoyed every minute and now the kids love watching it go.Received this as a Christmas gift. Not sure if the giftor was trying to be funny, but a serious amount of money was paid, so I took it as a serious gift. It had many tiny areas to work in which my adult fingers would not fit. The instructions were poor, and I had to go to You Tube Video - which wasn't helpful. Gave up halfway through - it sits in a box in storage - until I can dispose of it with a clear conscience. Not worth the money or time invested.Too expensive for what we are getting. A lot of pieces but the quality of the wood is very thin. A lot of pieces get broken and some main pieces are bent and do not fit. I have to figure out other ways to make it work. You would think that the system is complicated but it is not. I think all these puzzles do not worth what they are charging, these puzzles should be cheaper. I do not recommend it.