| | |  | Dora the Explorer | Home » » The Learning Journey Techno Gears Marble Mania Mega Construction Set | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | WARNING:| CHOKING HAZARD -- Small parts. Not for children under 3 yrs. | | CHOKING HAZARD -- Toy contains a marble. Not for children under 3 yrs. |
| | | Description: | | This high tech version of Marble Mania has over 450 pieces allowing you to build a bigger and better marble run. New dual marble tracks, electronic sound chamber and a spiral track channel are just a few of the features of the Mega set. Techno Gears Mega Marble Mania will keep your "young architect" busy creating exciting working and moving creations. Requires one "AA" battery, not included. | | | Features: | |
• 430+ Piece Construction Set
• Power Lifter Automatic Ball Returns
• Interlocking Plates Gears Electronic Sound Chamber 3-D Connectors Shafts Channels Funnel And Pendulum
• Motorized Gear Unit
• Inspires Creativity
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 25.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 9.65 inches | | Product Height:
| 25.0 inches | | Product Weight:
| 8.45 pounds | | Package Length:
| 22.5 inches | | Package Width:
| 18.9 inches | | Package Height:
| 4.0 inches | | Package Weight:
| 8.6 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 31 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 31 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 30 found the following review helpful:
 Review from a day care teacherOct 20, 2009
By J. Naude
I am amazed reading all these reviews. Many state it took hours to build and doubts as to whether an 8 year old could do it. I have this set plus another from this company in my school age classroom (5-12 years old, before/after school and summer camp). It took 4 of my students working together to build this set about an hour. I only had to step in to break up any arguments. The youngest engineers were 7. There was one 8 year old, and the oldest was 11. It is possible for children to do.
As for the educational aspect, it is great for logical thinking and scientific experimentation. Once children start building their own creations, and yes it is possible, they start exploring the science of "what if", as in "what if I move this piece higher" or "what if I change this angle". Of course parents and educators sometimes need to supply the terminology and maybe an idea or two to move things along.
Last on the educational theme, paired with other household or classroom objects this becomes a great way to introduce children to Rube Goldberg and making new inventions. Go ahead and Google him, I'll wait.
My point with this review is you cannot to sit back and be a spectator with any educational toy. It does require some parent involvement. If children get bored with this amazing toy, then it is the parent or educator's responsibility to step in and encourage new play and experimentation. Let's face it, any toy becomes boring if nothing new is introduced.
13 of 14 found the following review helpful:
 Hard to build, fun if the parts don't break!!!!Jan 03, 2008
By KEK
We bought this for our son for Christmas. Part 16 in this product is very weak and breaks when trying to install it. There are 20 part 16s in this product. I called Learning Journey to get replacements and they want to charge me .25 per piece even though this is a defective part problem. I would not recommend this product nor similar products by Learning Journey / Techno Gears. We had a similar situation with a Fisher Price toy and they replaced it no problem, no charge.
11 of 14 found the following review helpful:
Way Better Than Crybabies Make It SoundJul 01, 2010
By Shannon
"shanphoo"
"I bought this complicated looking toy thinking it would be easier to put together than Legos... BooHoo. I had to actually help my child and be - gag - involved with his/her development, learning, and play... Waaa. Now my 7 year old isn't having any fun with this toy rated for 8+... Sob. I don't get the interweb thingy so I only have instructions for the model shown on the box... When I was a kid I hated Mousetrap!" Jeez, people! If this really was such a chore for you to put together, I'm surprised you actually bought it. There _are_ pictures on the box, and they don't make it look uncomplicated. The complexity is actually part of the draw for those of us who like this. SO... If you are someone who enjoys a puzzle and rewarding challenge, has good judgement about the play and assembly skills of your child, and wants to spend a bit of extra time together with your child(ren), then this is a toy for you. If you want an activity that slides out of the box ready for instant play and doesn't give anyone a headache, may I suggest Wood Blocks? You can even add marbles. "But wooden blocks are not sustainable..."
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Takes too long to assembleOct 20, 2008
By Hawaii Dave
I bought this as an impulse buy from Costco and I wish I hadn't. On the first page of the instruction manual, you will be informed that it will take a MINIMUM of 4 to 6 hours for completion. You will not see this little bit of information anywhere on the box. Although the toy is suggested for kids 8+, I think very few 8 year olds will be able to put this together themselves.
If you're looking for something you can put together in an hour or less, this is NOT the toy for you.
5 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Great for those children who like building thingsNov 29, 2010
By H.L.
My son and I spent 3 evenings putting this together. Has a lot of educational value if you only assist the child and resist temptation to put it together yourself.
After we put it together we sat back for 30 min and watched the marbles go up and down. What I liked about this is that you can create other structures from your imagination, use the instruction booklet or logon to their website for more designs so the fun really never ends.
See all 31 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
