Fat Brain Toys Trestle Tracks Pro Marble Run Set, 274-Piece Modular Marble Track, STEM Toys for Kids, Fun Science Kits for Girl and Boy Ages 8-13+

This is not the same as the traditional marble race. It is so much more complex and engaging for my kids. I bought this for my 10 year old and hours, HOURS of building. Instructions are easy for him to follow or he can build whatever his brain imagines. What a great toy. I’m so glad I finally purchased this!

I had received one of the smaller sets for Christmas and decided I wanted more options so purchased this set. It is super fun and I’ve spent time with my 15 year old nephew building our own unique marble runs.I wish there were more side by side tracks and we figured a way to add tiers which enabled us to build higher than one would have thought.They need to sell or have an option to purchase the risers and the specialty tracks separately.In any case I’ve found this to be a great way to spend time (other than reading great books) on cold snowy days when going outdoors isn’t practical.No complaints at all!

This was our first marble run set and wow, it's awe-inspiring! You can build an incredible amount of variations and get as complex and intricate as you'd like. Honestly, this set seems to be a bit more for older children and teens, but my elementary kids enjoyed it as well, though they needed a bit more guidance than the instructions provided, so be ready to assist if kids under 8-10 will be using it. It was a lot of fun for them as well as me! The pieces were well made and I liked that the structures are transparent with colored pieces that lay on top.I do wish the pieces were either a bit heavier or snapped together a bit more solidly as more caution than I expected was necessary not to knock the whole thing over. Not a huge deal, but it was a bit frustrating at first to realize that it needed to be built rather gingerly. I would recommend this set for the marble run aficionados for sure, but for the beginners or younger users (under about 8-10) you may want to start off with a less overwhelming set.These are my thoughts and opinions on my family's personal experience using the product "Fat Brain Toys Trestle Tracks Pro Marble Run Set, 274-Piece Modular Marble Track, STEM Toys for Kids, Fun Science Kits for Girl and Boy Ages 8-13+" by the brand Fat Brain Toys.Visit the Fat Brain Toys StoreThe possibilities with this educational set are endless and I can see my kids able to use it all the way through high school. It comes with lots of pieces and marbles and two of my kids were able to play with it separately rather than cooperatively and I enjoyed the fact that the set was large enough for this.

Grandson loves it. Great for fine motor development. Gets the creative centers working. It would be better with a little substantial plastic used in build but it hasn't broken yet!

Quality is poor for the price

I had something when I was a kid. I swear it was called Bing Bang Boing. It was a bunch of little drums that you had a rubber membrane on. You lined them up after carefully and, after practicing and lots of adjustments, you ended up with a Rube Goldberg looking thing that you rolled ball bearings through. It sounded great, especially if everything was lined up.And the ball bearings also got lost.This is not that, but a lot of similarities. Not much in the bouncy department. Very fun. Lots of pieces. Careful with it around your littlest kids, especially the balls.Easy to put together. Harder to create a working ball / marble run. But that's part of the STEM value of it. Learn about motion, levers, gravity - all the things!It's not meant IMO to be kept up and available. Becasue of that, I think it's sturdy for what it is and usage.Fun for 7-10 year olds (my lab rat ages!)

All three of my kids between ages 4 and 9 loved playing with this. To be expected, they lost a few pieces fairly fast as there are a lot of them and fairly small. I have seen a few different Fat Brain brand toys before and they always seem to entertain my kids. This one allows them to be creative and I love being able to find toys that will keep all three of them busy at once! It seems sturdy, but a tower won't withstand against a very determined Toddlersaurus Rex ;).

We have some relatives that have a family with a wide span of kids. I was looking for a toy that they all could play with. I got them this.AGESThe ages of the children in the family are late teens, 8 and 4.PIECESWe have had marble racing games for three generations in our family. This one has a lot more pieces and is a little more complex than the others we had. However, they are still as much fun to do and everyone seems to get in on this.STURDY?There is one issue with the base of this that makes it easy to knock over. That has argument potential, so be sure you have it in a place where you can have it as sturdy as possible to avoid accidental knock overs.DO THEY LIKE IT?This seems to appeal to everyone who can not resist it. It is fun to play, and once in a while the easy knocking over part causes some tension, but for the most part, it is fun to play with and enjoyable.INSTRUCTIONSThe instructions in this kit can be hard to follow. This does need some supervision from older kids or adults if you have younger kids that need some guidance in reading the instruction illustrations.THE BOTTOM LINEThis is a really fun set. It is a bit expensive but enjoyable for the entire family.MY RATINGFOUR STARS. The pieces in this do not seem quite as strudy as older sets we have had and the ease of knocking over takes off a star (high price too). However, it is still recommended as a fun project for family.The four year old in this family is pretty mature for her age so she isn't too hard on the set. A more active child of that age might be too rough and frustrate the activity. Otherwise the age range could go as low as 4 or 5 but only if there ar older chidren and adults at hand to help. It depends again on the child.