Product Review P0051 - WoodenTown Marble Run (Marble Climber) LG504

This was actually the first Marble Run set Pam and I started building, but we got interrupted and ended up completing the Marble Explorer (LG503) first. Like the other kit this one was well made and pretty straightforward to put together. After assembly the entire setup was pretty sturdy. There were a few areas that we needed to press down more tightly and during the runs there were a few times the marbles fell out of the track due to speed and lower sections around some sharp 90 degree turns.
Total assembly time was about 5-6 hours.
Like the other kit I got this off WoodenTown's website for $50/each for 4 kits.
www.wooden-tow...
I'm not sponsored by WoodenTown or ROKR and I'm not associated with them at all. I don't get anything if you buy from them and I bought the kits myself with my own money.

[@elmarty4803]

I saw some other videos where the commenters were saying that the item took longer to get than they expected. Some tried to exchange or return only to be stonewalled by the company. One person got the wrong item and they refused to accept it back. Just something to be aware of. I appreciate the video as it actually shows it being put together. I bought a different type and it never really went together like it should.

[@300lbcanary2]

Thanks for your review. Am considering these as Christmas presents.

[@bensaysthings]

Glad the review was helpful.

[@aleksdude]

Looks tough

[@conraddevera]

I see other brands (cheaper), so just checking, trying to see if the build quality is a lot better

[@bensaysthings]

Build quality is pretty good. Everything fit well and sandpaper was only necessary to knock off the burrs on the tabs that needed to be insert into slots. Finished assembly runs well although the blocking arm at the bottom of the the tower has a tendency to drop the marbles sometimes. I suspect the counterweight needs to be heavier.

[@pontifixmax]

Putting stuff together drives me nuts so its not for me.

[@Tom_Moose]

What’s the name of the song at the end? Nice video.

[@bensaysthings]

Thanks. The two songs I used are:
One Life - Patrick Patrikios
ua-cam.com/video/o7TBzgU2FgE/v-deo.html
Wishful Thinking - Dan Lebowitz
ua-cam.com/video/p0jjTRhUcDA/v-deo.html

[@sourodeepdeb501]

How do you attach the parts of step 56? I literally feel like my fingers are broken, and it keeps falling off

[@bensaysthings]

Those rail sections were a little tricky, I made sure to sand down the tabs to knock off any stray wood then press the flat sections (with the receiving slots) down completely to make sure they're seated all the way. It's a bit of a pain, but I had to use the fingers of one hand on top of the other fingers of my other hand to apply enough controlled force without my fingers slipping and breaking things. Good luck, hope this helps.

[@sourodeepdeb501]

Thanks so much, helped a lot

[@Elfalpha1]

Thanks for this review Ben. I thought this looked awesome from Robotime's video on it but yours is way better!

[@bensaysthings]

Thanks for watching!

[@benclark3513]

look's fun

[@selix7278]

Ok so I’m building mine now and am I the only one that is having trouble fitting the notches into one another like the base and when you attach the whole lift mechanism?

[@bensaysthings]

Yeah I had trouble on some parts also. I found sanding down the notches a little bit helped to knock off any protruding burrs on the notches. After that it was just carefully pressing down parts. Some assemblies were tougher than others.

[@selix7278]

Ok thank you

[@bensaysthings]

@@selix7278 no problem. I've built two of these sets now and after each build my index finger tips and thumbs were sometimes a bit sore pinching some pieces together. Good luck!

[@shawnpiasentin3663]

Is this easy to build mine came without wax

[@bensaysthings]

The two I built also didn't have wax. Didn't seem to need it though, however the sand paper helps. It's straightforward to build, but there are sections where you really have to be careful pressing pieces together because you're trying to apply enough force and also trying not to accidentally push too hard that your fingers slip and you end up breaking a tab.

[@benclark3513]

Ben lin how does it work

[@bensaysthings]

It's all just gears, levers, and gravity. Pretty clever design. Sometimes marbles fall out of the track but overall it's pretty good.

[@Dartheomus]

Shame they don't have a motorized version.

[@bensaysthings]

Yeah, not sure if a motor will end up wrecking the wooden parts if there's a snag, but it would be cool to see it continuously feeding marbles.

[@tobiasgraf2283]

@@bensaysthings I fitted a motor to mine, see ua-cam.com/video/_CTgVpjo1eQ/v-deo.html

[@bensaysthings]

@@tobiasgraf2283 Nice! That's pretty sweet!

[@rain-wanders]

I just want to put out there a consumer advisory about this company. They have the worst return policy ever. If you want to return the item, you must spend $60 to return it to Germany because they refuse to accept it at their U.S. location. I would steer clear of them. If you buy through Amazon, you can get a refund through Amazon, but if you go directly through the site, you basically are SOL if you want to return the item.

[@bensaysthings]

Thanks for sharing the heads up!

[@TrueMiz]

Mine doesn't seem to properly pick up the basket, any reason why?

[@bensaysthings]

I'm not sure but I would double check to make sure the "fork" piece that lifts the basket by the small metal rod is properly aligned. I've had similar issues on parts not moving smoothly and in my case I stacked up the spacers (small yellow rings) incorrectly and was either missing one or had an extra one that caused a misalignment.