Building Sets Reviews

I bought this for my son's 5th birthday (who is very mechanically-minded) and am very diappointed that the pieces do not stay together. He can hardly move it or play with it without several of the pieces falling off. It seems too complex for 4+ which is what is says on the box (my husband had to put the whole thing together for him), especially given that the pieces do not stay together well - it ends up being frustrating instead of motivating. On the other hand, my 3-year-old daughter likes playing with the 2 mini-people and animals separately. Overall, we are very disppointed especially for the money...I don't think we'll get much long-term enjoyment out of this one. I liked the concept but after this experience I'm hesitant to try any of the other Gears! products.

From a parent of 2 boys (7 and 11) who love playing with KNEX. We bought this for our son for x-mas (prior to the reviews listed above being posted) and read the description stating it came with a battery powered motor. Just what our son needed to go with his other k nex sets. When it arrived, there was no motor nor did the packaging reference one. reality is that we were duped into believing it was something it was not. As a basic Knex set it lacks as compared to the others also.

We considered buying knex for a long time. I wish we had bought some a long time ago. My boys (6 and 7) have been entertained for hours. The plans are easy to follow. The things they construct are sturdy enough for them to play with. I will definately be buying more knex. I wasn't expecting a motor and don't think we miss it.

My son received this set as a gift, so we did not anticipate a motor being included. That aside, these sets are great for kids that don't have a similar 30 or 40 model building kit from knex. My 6 year old loves them, and spends many evenings building new models with or without my help, and frequently prefers to build new models over TV and video games---I did start him out by encouraging him to build his first few, and you may need to if this is for K-5 or 1st grader, but once they get it, the models seem much more satisfying to him then legos or other similar products and the designs are endless, and at remarkable at times. Some of the 3D spaceship/airplane/vehicle builds become fun toys when the building is done.

These blocks arrive to you in easy-to-asseble (flat) format. It take some time to put these all together, but once you do, there are YEARS of construction fun to be had by you and your child (or classroom). I have had these in my 2-year-old preschool classroom for nearly 3 years now.

They are colorful and STURDY. They have held up to rough play by a group of tough kids. Although not intended to be stepped on, they have held up to many such occasions. If storage is an issue for you, keep in mind that these are LARGE blocks.

Another key point is that these are easy to clean. Being in a public preschool, these blocks are cleaned with a bleach solution on a daily basis, and have retained a good appearance. Giant-sized fun for 2 to 6-year-olds!

When I first saw these online, I thought they were great, but then I saw that they were made of cardboard AND I would have to put them together. My first thought was...how sturdy can these be? I went ahead and ordered them and my children absolutely LOVE them. And, believe it or not, they have held up beautifully. I've had them for two years now. They've been stepped on SEVERAL times, thrown MANY times and stacked and knocked down constantly, but they are still in great condition. They are definitely worth the time and money!!!

My son loves these blocks. They are durable, easy to clean, and they do hold weight. My son is 30 pounds and they do not collapse when he stands on them.

I see in other reviews people seemed to have a problem that it required some assembly. I don't seem to mind taking the time with my son to put them together. It took us 30 min for 40 blocks. I figure the older he gets more of his toys will require the time for assembly anyways.

They do lean a little but we can usually get 7-8 high. That is more than what we could stack with the peek-a-blocks we found. All in all I think it is a great product.