Fascinations Metal Earth Arc De Triomphe 3D Metal Model Kit

Some "Metal Earth" models are more complex than others, regardless of the number of sheets included, one, two or three. The Arc de Triomphe is two sheets, but the pieces are relative large, which make it rapid to assemble. If you want a complex build, this is not a model for you. But for around 10 bucks, it is a nice little project, and you end up with beautiful display piece.Note for all "Metal Earth" sets: Choose a reputable seller, and request they mail the model in a hard envelop or other secure medium. These are packaged in paper sleeves, and bend quite easily. I have ordered about 15 of these, and find the most effective way to ensure they are not damaged in transit it to choose a "Prime" seller.

I purchased these for my nephew and his friend for Christmas and they loved them. They were challenging but fun. They are Beautiful once they are finished. Something you can keep forever. Everyone should try building one atleast once. Pick your favorite. You won't be dissappointed.

These models caught my eye and I thought I'd give them a try. I chose the Arc de Triomphe as my first model as it looked fairly easy and had didn't have all that many pieces. It went together pretty quickly with just a needle nose pliers. The parts come stamped on two or three metal sheets. You need to remove the parts from the sheets before assembling the model. Some reviews on other models have suggested cutting the pieces from the sheets but I found this wasn't necessary. If you simply wiggle the piece back and forth the piece will eventually come away from the sheet. Each piece is only held onto the rest of the metal sheet by a couple of VERY small points of metal. By simply wiggling the piece those contact points will pop off cleanly.As another reviewer mentioned, you do need to be careful when bending the parts that require bending. The parts are perforated at the points where the bends are supposed to happen which makes them quite easy to bend but also makes them quite fragile if bent back and forth to many times. If you bend a piece back and forth to many times adjusting it, it WILL break. You really need to study where the piece goes and know how far you have to bend it it. You can tweak it a little bit back and forth to get it just right but keep the movements small and as few as possible. I didn't have any problems on this model. The most important thing I would say to anyone starting out with building the Metal Earth models is start out with what look like the easy models first and avoid anything that has complicated shapes like small circles or something small and many sided like the towers and turrets on a castle. I chose a castle as my second model (Neuschwanstein Castle) because even though more involved it looked fairly straight forward with a lot of box like shapes. It was fairly easy except for the towers and turrets, etc. Making very small round'ish shapes that have to line up perfectly for the tabs and slots to fit can be very difficult (in my opinion). Perhaps over time I'll gain more experience and my skill level will increase but for now I'm avoiding anything with those types of shapes and leaving those models for later. I think the Arc de Triomphe is a good model to start with for anyone new to the Metal Earth Models.There really isn't much bad to say about the models. I wish they were a little larger as they are quite small. I also wish for their size that they were a little cheaper. Some are more expensive than others.

good model

The shipment arrived early, which was helpful. However, the production description on Amazon's web page didn't clearly indicate two important pieces of information:1) Difficult assembly is required and 2) Special tools are required to complete the project. The project is so tedious it really requires watch maker tools, not the tools typically available in your home garage. We needed this product for a school project, but had to scrap it. Then, we were scrambling to find a good alternative. I would not recommend this product.

I love these models. They are fun to put together and offer a range of difficulties. They look great with great detail.

Too much work to assemble

The description clearly says the finished dimensions are 6X1X8 INCHES. It is really centimeters. I needed it for a diorama I was planning to build, and it is way too small. I strongly urge you to change the description so it gives the correct size and does not mislead people.

I have bought several products from metal earth before, but this one was my favorite.The metal parts are so perfectly shaped, and in the end the result seems amazing.I bought this as a gift to my boyfriend and we enjoyed very much building it together.

hours of fun!

Beau produit fidèle à l imagePar contre construction finie en moins d une heure donc pour niveau débutantVoilà

Absolutely teeny miniature, and a part missing (or may have lost it in carpet pile all so tiny)