Forge with Bridge Model Kit

I bought this model for my 8yo as a real-world replacement for Minecraft and she absolutely loves it. It seems to satisfy a similar part of the brain that wants to conceptualize and execute on spacial designs, which is great. I also like that, despite not being extremely large, it will provide many hours of work. This is our first first foray into model building since I was a kid with super glue building model airplanes, so some of my complaints may simply be out of ignorance to the model building world. Also, I don't consider any of my complaints to be worth deducting a star.First, while the bricks are beautiful, they very rarely have squared edges. This leads to problems trying to lay straight lines and form strong bonds with the cardboard backing. We have found some strategies to get better angles, but it requires a fair amount of work and careful execution because if you over-sand the bricks they become to small, which is also a problem. One of the things we found helpful was to dump out a bunch of bricks and sort them into piles that looked basically uniform, obviously defected and then broken ones. Save the broken ones because you will inevitably need pieces that are smaller and grabbing one of those beats trying to cut one of the full size ones. Which leads to my second complaint...The sanding. The kit doesn't provide sanding or cutting implements, which is fine, I just glued some sandpaper to a small, flat scrap of wood. The problem is how much sanding it expects you to do. For example, there are times when you end up with a stack of bricks where half of each brick is hanging over the edge and it wants you to sand them all down to be flush. There are a few issues with this... First, the force of sanding can dislodge the glued cardboard as well as the bricks. Second, it takes forever. Third, it makes a mountain of dust. I'm at least comforted that these are made in Spain so follow the heightened standards for "toys", but still, I'd rather not be breathing in and covering the room in fine particles of dust, and the last thing we need right now is another occasion for our kids to have to wear masks. My solution for this was to break out the Dremel and some cheap diamond cutting wheels. This allows for fairly straight rough cuts that can then be smoothed out by sanding. I would almost say that having some kind of fine electric cutting tool is essential for these kits, but definitely do this outside. We set up a box fan on our front porch to blow the dust away while I cut.Finally, the directions require a serious learning curve. They are not usually step-by-step. Sometimes they will explain how to do something in one picture, and then in the next three more things have been built with the assumption that you know how to make it work. There have been a couple instances where we have built a section only to have to carefully disassemble and rebuild it. Which reminds me of the second required tool, a utility knife and a pack of very sharp blades for separating bricks from the backing with out breaking anything. It's also helpful when you need to do fine sculpting, like cutting a small notch in a brick where the Dremel would be overkill.So I know that sounds like a lot of complaints, but they are more meant to be disclaimers so you know what you're getting into. We loved this set enough that we've now bought three more. We're still trying to figure out how to get these bricks just right, but the lessons learned on this model have made the subsequent ones much easier. I'd definitely recommend any of the Aedes Ars amazing kits, as long as you're willing to experiment to get the best results, and you have above average patience (especially if you're helping a younger kid work through these challenges and trying not to just do it for them). They end up being a lot of fun, turn out beautiful, and can even be incorporated into fun games like D&D.Also, we purchased these kits, so this isn't a promotional review. Enjoy!

Easy to understand instruction and solid product.

Another great item with proper building directions. Why raising the prices on other models?

It’s detailed and looks like a pretty good beginner kit

Wish the instructions were in English

I am very happy with it and am looking foward to putting it together.

Great product!

Takes effort but is addictively fun

È il primo kit della aedes che compro, e in realtà è il primo kit di questo tipo che compro. Ho aspettato di completarlo prima di scrivere la recensione, e adesso posso dire che è davvero un’attività rilassante e gratificante. Il kit è quasi perfetto, quasi perchè mi è venuta a mancare un pó di erbetta, ma forse ho esagerato le quantità in altri punti; mattoncini, tegole, listelli di legno in quantità adeguate; colla non ne parliamo, ma questa è facilmente reperibile. Finita a un quarto dell’opera. Pienamente soddisfatto; adesso vado alla ricerca del prossimo kit da acquistare. Brava Aedes!

Ha sido un regalo y acierto total. llegó en perfecto estado, Es para montar pero para mi gusto se necesita cierta habilidad y paciencia para hacerlo pues se trata de material de ladrillos, cerámica, no es de cartón o similar... Es precioso.

Cinque stelle meritatissime

No me gustó mucho por qué hay que lijar muchas piezas y poco pegamento para todo lo que viene

Bellissimo mulino da costruire con mattoni e legni, veramente un passatempo divertente e rilassante. Le istruzioni per la realizzazione non sono proprio immediate, ma con un po' di pazienza si capisce. Ottima spedizione molto rapida e qualità del prodotto eccellente. Ne compreremo sicuramente altri, magari per inserirli nel presepe