Locomotion Wooden 3D Puzzle

Loved building this model...again. First tried it about a year ago. This is my 57th of this type, including Ugears, ROKR, WoodTrick, EWA and others - locomotives, cars, trucks, and lots else. When I first built this a year ago it looked great, all parts moved as they should.... but it would not run on its own. Wind it up and nothing. Realized almost immediately that the fault was probably mine. The key to building this kind of model is patience. Decided to try it again. On opening the kit I noticed they had made some changes: most of the 6mm dowels had been replaced with flat parts from the plywood sheets. This worked well for the structural parts, and surprisingly even for the pistons visible at the top of the engine. Good materials (although I always prefer spring drive to rubber bands) , well laid out and well cut. Very good instructions and pretty good sequencing. My general advice is to read ahead several steps when working on the mechanicals of these models before you begin each sub-assembly, in order to have a clear sense of how things are supposed to work. And sand. And wax, not only moving part, but to help ease pieces together. Many people have complained about toothpick construction, which lots of these kits use. I don't like them either, but with experience one can manage them - much good advice in other letters. Use lots of wax, press part over toothpick, etc. Very good build, looked great when finished. And yes, ran really well on its own.

I enjoyed building this model, and it looks good. I would say, though, that this kit is not for beginners. The instructions are in pictographs and are not too clear in a couple of places. The quality is not as high as I have seen from other companys, laser cuts not going completely through, or not meeting on circular cuts, resulting in a small step. There were some places where the fit was so tight I had to use a modelers hammer to seat them, and some places which were so loose I had to resort to glue. These are the main reasons for 4 stars instead of 5. Still it made up into an impressive model, and I am pleased with it.

easy build and it wirks

I thoroughly enjoyed putting this together. With a couple of minor caveats, it went together as advertised. I had to use superglue in a couple of places because some parts that have holes that were supposed to be a press fit on the 3mm pins were too big, and the part simply slipped right off. The glue fixed it. The parts most affected by this were on pages 22 and 23 of the manual, parts #53 pressing onto the pins on the wheels. Also, I used a bit of graphite as lubrication on some moving parts that were "sticky". Once those two things were resolved, the little train works exactly as it should, and looks great, whether sitting on a shelf or chugging along the kitchen floor.

The product came on time and as described, packaged very well. This is an obsession for my husband and he's put together more than a dozen of these. As an 80-year-old retiree who needs something to do, this is a perfect hobby for him. These puzzles keep his mind busy and help him slow the loss of manual dexterity. They can get pretty pricey for folks living on Social Security, but he loves doing them so we'll keep looking for new ones.

Wood pieces are really hard to fit together, holes are super tight. I had to streatch them out with another tool before I could even get the toothpicks in. One of the main dowels was the totally wrong size (too wide) and must have been mixed up with another kit. Luckily I had a dowel from something else very close in size, so with some shaving down with sandpaper I got it to work. Otherwise the whole kit would have had to been scrapped. The directions aren't as easy as other kits I have worked with, no summary of parts page or indication what the symbols mean. We were able to get the adorable train together in the end, but I probably wont buy this brand again.

Toothpicks can be hard on the hands, but the finished product is beautiful.

Well made, fits together well.

The parts were not fitting well , not one of the toothpicks would fit in appropriate holes , every hole had to be drilled again so as to fit properly.Not the best of instructions .

good kit

Absolute Katastrophe, sowas hab ich noch nicht gesehen....Bauteil 2 lässt sich nicht auf Bauteil 1 stecken...Im Bauteil 3 fehlt eine Bohrung....Bauteil 4 lässt sich nur mit Gewalt auf Bauteil 3 stecken!!!Schleifpapier und Wachs fehlt....Ich bin sprachlos....

Ich hab schon etliche gemacht. Aber da passt gar nichts. Es ist von beginn an einfach unpassend. 3 Teile rausgeholt 2 zerbrochen nach 15 mal probieren fast alle Zahnstocher am arsch. Kauft euch was anderes aber nicht das!

Vor allem möchte ich erwähnen, dass dieses Modell nicht für Anfänger ist.Das Modell funktioniert einwandfrei (nach dem fünften Versuch, aber bei Holzmodellen ist es normal). Keine Probleme mit den Bauteilen gehabt. Sehr gute Qualität.