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37 of 37 found the following review helpful:
High quality, open-ended toy, and endless funDec 27, 2007
By Hard2Please
I bought this set for my 5 year old son for Christmas and he loves it (as do the rest of us). We have played with a variety of other marble runs, both wooden and plastic, and have often been frustrated by how hard they were for my son to assemble by himself, how unsteady they were, or how easily they broke. By contrast, his set has been very satisfying and fun for ages 5-40. It is easy to use, is very stable, and is durable so that my son can design and build marble runs without help. I am already amazed by how inventive he has been.
The blocks are high quality, well-milled hardwoods. Before I made this purchase, I did a lot of research and knew that I wanted one of the higher quality products. I chose this set because it is Made in America (I bought no toys made in China this year), it is very open-ended, and it seemed a good value for the money (I believe in paying for quality). I was not the least bit disappointed (a rare occurrence).
It's worth getting as big a set as you can afford. Initially, I thought my son might be overwhelmed by too many pieces (as he was with his Brio train tracks), so I held back some of the blocks. But the first time we played with it we got out the reserve blocks to build a 3-foot-tall marble run. I find the board to be useful as an even, stable building surface which keeps the marbles from rolling all over the place. If, however, you choose a smaller set that does not include the board, a level wooden carving board with grooves would work just as well. In fact we use one when a second person wants to build a separate maze.
This product is heirloom quality, encourages creativity, is a great lesson in simple physics, and sustains interest as it is different every time. Most importantly it offers tremendous play value if you or your kids like to build or design. Please, do not be fooled by imitations. I am glad I bought the original.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
I love this toy!Sep 24, 2011
By Diane Trimble
I first bought this toy (Master Set size) three years ago when our oldest grandchild was five. Right out of the box it seemed too difficult for me to figure out. I was very disappointed that there were no diagrams to get me started, the box simply saying that there were "thousands of combinations". I presented it to my son-in-law to try with his five-year old son, but he didn't get around to trying it during that visit.
No one was ready for it.
I just took it out again for visiting grandchildren who are 7, 7, and 4 years. They were quite excited to see how easy it was to set up and try different patterns. I could tell right away that we didn't have enough, and I bought two more Super Sets, so that everyone would have their own opportunity to reflect and discover how to get the marble to flow. It is all about the flow, isn't it?
Then I watched the youtube video on "Blocks and Marbles". Wow! I would encourage anyone interested to tune this in to be inspired. As other reviewers have said---with some toys you need to have enough to get the maximum fun. I am also thinking here about Magna-Tiles, another great toy. Today I bought two more Super Sets which I think is finally going to be "enough".
Now about the toy itself. The blocks are beautifully made and colored, amazingly smooth, nice weight in your hand, with several different shapes that can be combined to make other turns and tunnels. The Master Set comes with a cutting board of sorts with grooves cut to collect marbles at the end of the run. You could also use a plastic food storage lid. Building works best on a coffee table or the bare floor, but we've had good luck with a piece of plywood on carpet.
How does Blocks and Marbles compare to Quadrilla, which makes its own lovely collection? Well, "Blocks" doesn't have any curves and there are no "musical features" to purchase. I haven't played with it, but Quadrilla looks like you buy the components and simply configure them together.
Blocks and Marbles, on the other hand, have to be built up, like traditional block-building, and then ramps and drops are fit in for the marble flow (see youtube). The actual building seems more thoughtful, and requires more skill, since fine-motor coordination and balance are needed.
Another observation: marble runs generally promote building up, rather than knocking down, so (with 7 year olds, anyway) there is no temptation to build up in order to crash it down as is sometimes the case with typical block-building.
All in all, I could not be more enthusiatic about this toy. We are taking it out for a an upcoming adult weekend guest, and can't wait to watch the children on their next visit. If you have children over 3 (or are good at monitoring), consider this a family investment: I see teenagers building on youtube.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Good Old Fashioned Fun & Made in the USA!!!!!!Feb 27, 2011
By J. Bean
My nine year old son received this for Christmas. This is a toy that evokes creativity, thought and planning. He has spent countless hours creating mazes. There are enough blocks to be shared for marble races. All of the pieces are machined from solid wood and sanded quite smoothly. A handful of cobalt blue marbles are included, however any regular size marble will work as well. In my opinion this toy, if cared for could easily be passed down to the next generation. This kit also comes with a canvas draw-string bag for storage. I am proud that this is made in the USA!
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
MarvelousDec 26, 2010
By M. Heiss
The wooden pieces in this toy feel so smooth -- so good. It is a joy to handle and manipulate these pieces -- they are unsealed/unstained raw wood, with color variations and well-sanded surfaces.
This is a free play toy -- there is no end to the configurations and changes you can make. You learn about balance and gravity and slope. This Master Set set gives you enough pieces to really get creative -- plus a large wooden work surface with a groove cut into it to contain the marbles as they complete their journey.
This is the kind of toy that beckons adults to get involved and work side-by-side with the kids -- you don't need many words to build amazing systems.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Great skill building toyDec 12, 2010
By Engineer
Bought this toy for our son who is almost 4 and he loves it. It's probably is a bit advanced for him but he does enjoy playing with it and can still construct things even if he doesn't care about running the marbles through it. Older kids that come and visit enjoy it too and our son will really get into it. Construction of the pieces is first rate with top quality woods. As an engineer I can say that this is a top toy, well designed, thought out and constructed. I would say it should last many years (may have to replace marbles when they are lost).
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based on 8 reviews
