marble sets

We bought this toy for ou ... see more

We bought this toy for our daughter and had to fend off our older kids to give her some time to play with it. Because there is no formal set design the kids can be very creative with the use of the different shaped tracks. They made loops, dips and even jumps. They all really loved it. I even had to tell my husband to let his daughter play with him! :) see less

We bought the 250 piece s ... see more

We bought the 250 piece set for my 7yo son's birthday. He and his 9 yo sister have been playing with it non-stop. The instruction booklet shows a variety of layouts but the directions aren't step by step like you'd get with LEGO. After some initial guidance from dad, the kids were able to build the starter track. They were creating their own layouts within one day. The pieces are easy to put together and sometimes take some experimenting to make a successful track...but that is part of the fun & learning. The track pieces are flexible and seem rather sturdy. My only concern is how long the support towers will hold up under my son's rough play. Overall, a great toy! see less

We ordered this set for m ... see more

We ordered this set for my son's 8th birthday. This is just the kind of toy my children love. Although the idea has great potential, in reality the set is cheap and flimsy. My very handy 12 year old son spent hours setting up different tracks and on each track the pieces would tumble over. The pieces are too lightweight to support themselves and additional support is necessary. My kids were running to the pantry for cans of beans and peaches to prevent the track from tipping over. At one point there were 10 cans supporting the track! Not my idea of a well-designed toy. In addition, no matter how well the track is laid out, the marble only makes it to the end about once for every five or six tries. The other times the marble flips right over the side. The box says GLOW IN THE DARK, which it was NOT, but who could see the marble in the dark anyhow? My children were good sports about the cans and the marbles flipping off the track and they had a good time anyhow. [...] see less

I read the positive and n ... see more

I read the positive and negative reviews on this and I'm so glad that I took the change and bought this. It's true that it did not come with instructions to build the set up on the front of the box, but there are 4 configurations pictured between the front and back of the box and it was easy to set up. We didn't have any problems with the marbles running through the tubes and tracks. The plastic is sturdy and the pieces fit well together. There are tons of parts, way more than imagined, we are going to be able to configure this thing a hundred different ways. It is not flimsy at all, and even with three kids going nuts running around it and bumping it, the worst that happened is a tube would disconnect and I put it back together. My sons are turning 3 and 6 and I have a 7 year old daughter. They LOVED this toy, all three of them. And as a bonus, I saw this same item at other stores for almost twice as much!!! see less

My DD has wanted a marble ... see more

My DD has wanted a marble run seemingly forever and she got one this Christmas. She absolutely loves it! You don't really need instructions...that's what your imagination is for! There are examples on the box of runs you can build. All the pieces seem sturdy. We are very happy with this gift and would reccommend it as a good alternative to Legos. see less

By far the best of the ma ... see more

By far the best of the marble-run type toys out there in terms of building potential, fun and quality of build. The parts are made without any deformation, they fit well and look like they will survive the rigors of play. The possible designs are limitless, unlike other similar toys. The marbles also make a neat sound as they plink down the tracks and ramps. I am in no way disappointed. Actually got 3 extra marbles. Very pleased. see less

We have this toy in our c ... see more

We have this toy in our church nursery and all the kids love it! It's used every week and multiple children will sit and watch as one plays without fighting over it. see less

We actually have an older ... see more

We actually have an older version of this toy that we have had for 5 years (since my older son was a baby) and we recently got this one as a gift for my younger son. And let me tell you, during all the playgroups I've had here and all the babies and kids that have been through this house, this toy is ALWAYS a favorite. Even after they figure it out, the babies just love it (and so do the toddlers!) I'm actually buying it for my 1-year old niece, too, b/c even with the hundreds of other toys in our house, it really is still such a favorite with everybody. see less

My daughter got this for ... see more

My daughter got this for her first birthday over two months ago, and it's quickly become her favorite toy! She had a little trouble putting the balls in at first, but it didn't take long for her to figure out how to push them through the holes on the top. Now she thinks it's really fun. She hasn't gotten the concept of the hammer yet, but she'll entertain herself with that in her own way. Another positive: there are screws so you can take it apart should your little one put things other than balls down the holes. :-) A great birthday gift! see less