ROKR 3D Wooden Puzzles for Adults-Wooden Marble Run-Wood Puzzles for Adults-Model Building Kits to Build for Adults-Hobbies for Women Men

I have just recently completed the Rokr Chocolate Factory Marble Run kit and the following is my review. It is divided into three parts: Overall Kit Review, Review of Specific Kit Components, and Comments and Tips Regarding the Assembly of this Kit.1. Overall Kit Review:This is an excellent Kit for those who are starting to assemble Intermediate Level Models and/or Marble Runs. The parts quality is excellent, the instructions are relatively easy to follow, and there are numerous YouTube Assembly Videos to follow and review for help. If you take your time in removing and preparing the parts, review and follow the instructions, the result should be an enjoyable and successful model build.2. Review of Specific Kit Components:a. Packaging and Parts Provided:The kit is packaged well and contains all of the parts necessary to construct the model including spares of critical parts. However, there are some other tools and items (all available on Amazon) that one might want to purchase to make the assembly even easier. See my Comments and Tips section for a list of these items.b. Wooden Parts Boards:The wooden parts are located on 10 sheets. The sheets vary in thickness and some of the sheets contain colored or decorated areas that add to the attractiveness of the model. The quality of the wood and the laser cutting of the parts is excellent. Having the parts on different thickness sheets allows part thickness to be appropriate for the stress the parts will see when the model is operated (e.g., gears and other critical mechanical motion parts are thicker to compensate for the expected forces seen in assembly and operation) this is a great feature but does have one draw back in the many different boards must be searched during the parts extraction process. In my Comments and Tips Section, I give some advice on how I managed this situation. Also, the part identification numbers are on the parts (in most cases) which makes checking that the correct part is being used during assembly easier.c. Other Parts:The quality is good and contains ample spares. The use of steel shafts to add additional strength to rotating parts is a particularly good feature of this model kit.d. Assembly Instructions and Assembly Operation:Unfortunately, Roke does not post pdf file versions of the assembly instruction on its website as some other wood model manufacturers do. I consider having access to these instructions to be an important aid as it allows one to access their abilities to build the model prior to purchase. However, there are numerous assembly videos available on YouTube that allow such an assessment and also serve as aid in the model assembly. The included instructions are pictorial and are clear enough to follow and allow successful assembly if followed. There are also some assembly hints available on the Rokr website that are assessable from scanning a box on the assembly instructions. One major feature of this model kit is that assembly operations start with building the base of the model to allow a solid platform for construction. The model does contain a large number of parts and there are a few steps that require slow and delicate assembly operations. The only difficulty I encountered in my assembly was the routing of the wiring for the LED lights which proved to be rather stiff and difficult to wrap around the anchoring parts. But all things considered, this is not a difficult model to assemble if you follow the directions and take your time.e. Customer Service and Support:I did not require any of these services so I cannot comment on how responsively or well these items are handled with respect to the claims stated in their advertising or on their website.3. Comments and Tips Regarding the Assembly of this Kita. MOST IMPORTANT: Page 2 of the instructions contains the location and use instructions for two very important tools that are used to place the plastic sleeves in the correct positions on the steel shafts. The correct spacing of the sleeves on the shifts is critical to insure proper mating of the gears necessary for model operation. Failure to use the correct tool or improper use of the tool can result in the need to disassemble and correct mistakes much later in the process when they will become apparent.b. Options tools (all available on the Amazon website) that I have found useful especially if you intend to construct more model kits are:(1) A single bladed razon cutter or Xacto knife.(2) Extra sandpaper (I use 240 grit nail files), small rat tail and flat wood files, and paraffin wax candles.(3) Non-serrated curved and straight needle nose pliers.(4) Straight and curved tip tweezers.(5) A cutting mat like those used in fabric or other hobby cutting tasks.c. In order to keep track of the parts sheets, I used small boxes like those used for packaging shirts or sweaters for presents to store the sheets and sections of sheets still containing needed parts. I used 10 of these boxes which I labels in the case of this model.d. Carefully review the instructions and if you don’t understand them watch YouTube videos or ask Rokr customer service for help.e. Take your time in assembling the model, the assembly and assemble the model in short sessions. I only use the assembly times given on the packaging as a rough estimation for how complex the model and its assembly are.f. Using a single razor blade or Xacto knife is especially helpful in removing parts from the boards. The small remaining wood connections on the board are usually located on straight sections, so inserting the razor blade in these areas and slightly twisting it breaks the remaining tabs making removal easy. Using this method, I was able to remove all of the wooden parts without any breakage.Final Thoughts:If you read the instructions and take your time, the final result should be an enjoyable experience and successful model build.

Very well designed construction model. Never disappointed with Rokr.

The media could not be loaded.  I'm kind of obsessed with this kind of wood "puzzle", and I'm thinking this is my favorite so far (have done maybe 10) ESPECIALLY for the money. Imho ROKR is probably the best brand out there, but this one is just a gem. Most are just about super cool functions, but this one has all sorts of aesthetic details that add another element of enjoyment that I really appreciate. It's really well thought out, everything ends up so tidy when it's finished. Little things like...robochef be down there doin his thang and you wouldn't know unless you stick your face real close like under the awning, which forces you to enter the little world more fully. #stoked

My daughter got this puzzle for my birthday so I brought this along with me when my husband and I went to meet her for a weekend. The parts are well labeled and there are very detailed instructions. This is not for the faint of heart. I am an engineer (electrical) and I found this a challenge. The kit is well designed and if you have patience this can be a lot of fun. This is my seconds kit from this company and we did the first as a family project as well. The maker does give you some extra parts so don't worry if you don't use everything.

I purchased this for my 15yr. old daughter and she loved it.

The media could not be loaded.  Very entertaining. Kept my mind busy for 7ish hours. Pretty good instructions. I used videos for help in a couple of areas. Make sure you file parts and wax gears!

Nice puzzle but the lights were cheap broke apart. I put together and it looks good & works.

This was a lot of fun to put together. But only because I've done kits like this before and know the unspoken tricks, like often you have to push pieces in a little at a time to avoid breaking. This would be too fragile for kids and beginners. Don't do if you don't have a light touch.Most importantly to me is that a small yet vital step is missing from the instructions. After you've built the factory sign and put it in with piece C5, push the pieces at the bottom into C5 (see my pictures for details). Without this the gears won't have room to move so you can't use the marble run. Easy to miss since it's not in the instructions. It took me an hour and a half to go back, fix this error, and put everything back together. If I'd been much further it would have been impossible to fix without breaking something.I'm less than impressed with some design elements, like the robot chef being buried under decorations and how underwhelming the lights are when on.Speaking of lights: you need to supply your own batteries. Also the piece that goes at the bottom of the factory sign prevents you from being able to turn the light on and off easily. I recommend skipping this piece. Or at least don't push it in all the way.However, I personally like this. I enjoyed the challenge of it. I liked being able to color the wooden pieces as I wanted. I enjoyed the marble run. And I do like other design elements, like the decorations on top and all the sweets. I got this mainly as a fun piece for my bookshelf and I'm happy with it for this purpose.Will I do another kit from this seller? YesIs this for everyone? Definitely notDetermine what you want and your skill level before buying.