ROKR3D Wooden Puzzle-Self Propelled Mechanical Model-DIY Building Kits-Brain Teaser Games-Best Gift for Boyfriend or Girlfriend on Birthday/Anniversary/Valentine's Day/Christmas(Locomotive)

The wooden steam engine model made by ROKR is called a “3D Puzzle Kit.” I completed without great difficulty it over the span of two days. The model is made from laser cut wood parts that need to be punched out (carefully) from eight large flat wooden panels. The individual parts are labeled by board and number. There is no glue used, the pieces are all pressed together (again carefully.)The model is fairly large at 14 inches long, 9 1/2 inches high and 2 inches wide. It weighs almost 3 pounds. The instructions are detailed and, for the most part, are easy to follow. Where there are unclear issues, they can be resolved through several on line videos that show the construction of the model in detail.Considering that it isn’t glued, the model holds together very well and can be easily moved from place -to-place. It has a spring driven wind up motor, but I have locked the wheels as I built it as a display piece and I really don’t want it to move. The spring motor has been built inside just in case I ever change my mind.I found the assembly to be interesting and great fun (although it’s a bit hard on the fingers to press together all those parts.) The model is intended for older teenagers and adults. I would not expect a young child to built it without adult supervision.

A good challenge. I will need to glue on the two triangle-ish pieces by the pistons, but otherwise solid. I was hoping to find some cars to go with it, but haven't found any. It wouldn't be able to pull the cars as the spring is barely strong enough to push itself. I have to nudge it to get it going. However, if the spring were anymore powerful it would probably break the wood. I gave it 3 stars for "Easy to Assemble" because it is a challenge... which is what I wanted. So, 5 stars for good challenge. You have to really pay attention to how the gears align. But the instructions are very clear and even include links to how-to videos. Very well thought out!

This was a Christmas gift. My friend, who loves trains, loved it! She said it wasn’t hard to assemble just rough on her finger tips snapping (carefully) the pieces together, until she noticed the wax stick that was included and it went much easier. I saw it and it is awesome. We wound it up and it went across the floor. If your looking for a gift that is challenging for a certain person and who loves trains, this is perfect. Her hobby is putting puzzles together so figured I’d get her a 3-D. Well worth the money spent.

I'm on my second day of working on this kit. What has prompted me to write at this early time is that I am assembling the drive wheels. Doing this has been a real project for me. The assembly of each wheel involves three different parts layered together and held by pegs. Unfortunately, the holes that are supposed to accommodate the pegs are too small and I have broken two pegs and have spent considerable time sanding each of the 24 pegs so that they can be safely inserted. What should have taken 10 or 15 minutes to assemble the first wheel took an hour, and it took me assembling 4 of the 6 wheels before I developed a system to get the wheels together in a reasonable time. I certainly hope the rest of the project goes a little more smoothly than this.I marvel at the engineering that went into creating this kit. I hope it goes more smoothly going forward.

This model (puzzle) was beautifully designed with incredible accuracy and functionality. The laser cutting of the plywood parts was very accurate and removal from the sheets was easily accomplished as long as you exercised patience and proceeded cautiously. I rated the kit as a five of five overall, while I would rate the instruction booklet as a four of five. Read the ENTIRE instruction booklet carefully and then review each step before assembling the parts and you will be successful. A suggestion I would offer, would be to generously lubricate all of the moving wooden parts (gears - slides) once the model is completed. I used Liquid Wrench Dry lubricant sprayed generously over all of the moving parts, and the entire model performed flawlessly. This spray lubricant goes on wet, drys fast, doesn't leave an oily residue, doesn't color or warp the wood at all.

Got this for Christmas. I truly enjoyed putting this puzzle together. The parts fit great and take your time.The only problem occurred when winding it up spring slips like it is stripped. The same problem i read in other reviews. The locomotive looks great when done! Looking forward to the next one to build

These ROKR kits are lots of fun. There is a learner curve however. It is easy to get discouraged the first time, but with experience it gets easier.

This was insanely fun to put together. There are a lot of small pieces so 1) be careful not to lose them and 2) consider the risks before assembling with smaller kids around (plenty of choking hazards in this kit).The train moves faster and more smoothly the more effort is put into construction. Best way to ensure efficient locomotion is by carefully sanding rough edges on gears and making sure the coiled leaf spring that drives the gear mechanism operates smoothly before you install it (you cant ever get to it again without disassembling most of the train).This was an awesome kit to put together, highly recommended.One last suggestion: DO NOT OVERWIND THE TRAIN. This was done on mine and the threads on the winding arm stripped out, making it impossible to wind up again (remember what I said about how difficult it is to get to this part wafter assembly). I could get around this issue by just spinning the wheels in reverse to wind up (which takes forever due to the differentLy transmitted gear ratios at the wheels vs the winding arm). Luckily I was able to use Blue Loctite to glue the winding arm back on without any other problems... but I had to get a little creative to correct my foolish mistake.

Really nicely made, be careful of the difficulty of this little project. Kept my boyfriend occupied for a couple of hours, he had a lot of fun making it and playing with it afterwards. Highly recommend it for a gift or for yourself.

This was a difficult but incredibly enjoyable and satisfying project. The end result looks and functions just as described! I did have to super-glue a couple of pieces that kept falling off when the train was running, but outside of that, there were no hiccups.

Bought as a Christmas gift for my train/model loving son. He's never finished building it because it requires some type of wax (not included) that we haven't been able to find to purchase. Waste of $$

Got it for my husband. He loves it. It is a very good looking piece to display

My husband loves these things ❤️. They make a great gift. He used to make aeroplanes as a child with his Dad and these are an easier version of the same kind of thing. They have thought of everything, including making the tools you will need to make the train. We are supposed to be getting ready for work and he's still at it. Enjoyable, relaxing,fun. Thanks