I really hate having to write a bad review because I've been so happy with other UGear products. To date I have built the Hurdy Gurdy, Jewelry Box, Roadster, and Steam Locomotive/Tender. All of these have been superb. I received this kit recently as a gift and, had it not been a gift, would have thrown it away by now. I've had several problems. First, the laser cutting on this kit was not as good as the others. A good deal of force was often needed to remove the pieces. In a number of instances this resulted in layers of the plywood being taken off when the piece was finally removed. Second, the assembly of the various pulleys was difficult. The slots in the pulley "wheels" required quite a bit of widening and the pulley "V" pieces (piece #31) would have to sanded ... MoreI really hate having to write a bad review because I've been so happy with other UGear products. To date I have built the Hurdy Gurdy, Jewelry Box, Roadster, and Steam Locomotive/Tender. All of these have been superb. I received this kit recently as a gift and, had it not been a gift, would have thrown it away by now. I've had several problems. First, the laser cutting on this kit was not as good as the others. A good deal of force was often needed to remove the pieces. In a number of instances this resulted in layers of the plywood being taken off when the piece was finally removed. Second, the assembly of the various pulleys was difficult. The slots in the pulley "wheels" required quite a bit of widening and the pulley "V" pieces (piece #31) would have to sanded down in order to make the pulleys. Even with all that (and wax) many of the #31 pieces were broken (fortunately UGears provides lots of spares. Third, much of the assembly involving toothpicks was overly difficult; the holes were too small. Even with sanding and waxing the toothpicks, a pair of needle-nose pliers was required to complete the assignment. I'm giving the kit 3 stars instead of 1 because it is a good looking model when completed. Overall the design and instructions were good. It just seems like the tolerances in the cutting were too tight. Overall this turned from a pleasurable experience into more of a battle that I was determined to win.

Already assembled 6 models

I have not unpacked this Ugears Bike DIY kit yet. I have already assembled six different Ugears model kits, 2 locomotives, research vessel, articulated truck, vintage GP car and a roadster. I must say I have enjoyed all of themvery much. I have now the two Ugears bike models to build now that I have put up some new shelving. All the models are first class and I recommend them, they’re great. I am hoping that Ugears will bring out some more vehicle kits.

Beginners guide to Ugears.

I have just this moment finished building my product, did I enjoy it? Yes. But I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t nearly throw it at the wall a couple of times. This was my first U gears model, I found the instruction in whole, easy to follow. Once assembled it looks amazing, all the intricate wooden pieces look well placed and have purpose. During the assembly, I found some pieces just did not fit and needed extra sanding down. I followed every instruction precisely yet for some reason the gears do not function as they should, the wheel is able to wind up but it does not release therefore, does not move on its own. Regardless, Iam happyWith the outcome of my first assembly and would purchase more. If your a beginner and reading this I recommend having1. A cutting ... MoreI have just this moment finished building my product, did I enjoy it? Yes. But I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t nearly throw it at the wall a couple of times. This was my first U gears model, I found the instruction in whole, easy to follow. Once assembled it looks amazing, all the intricate wooden pieces look well placed and have purpose. During the assembly, I found some pieces just did not fit and needed extra sanding down. I followed every instruction precisely yet for some reason the gears do not function as they should, the wheel is able to wind up but it does not release therefore, does not move on its own. Regardless, Iam happyWith the outcome of my first assembly and would purchase more. If your a beginner and reading this I recommend having1. A cutting board2. A scalpel3. Some crafting files4. Extra strength glue on standby5. Crafting pliers

Build Your Own Mechanical Bike

I love it. Was brought as a gift for my dad for Father's Day and he was super impressed with how detailed it is. We've had one building session so far all sitting around wide-eyed at how it fits together and is beginning to become a mobile system with moving pistons and all! Not too hard to assemble - similar picture instructions to a Lego set. Some of the smaller pieces were a bit fiddly to pop out of the wooden sheet/fit into their slots without damaging them. However the pack does include surplus pieces of this part in consideration of this.Overall a beautiful set! So fun and fascinating to assemble as you see it all coming together and I can't wait for us to finish putting it together in our next little DIY session.

Disappointed with product

Looks good, to fragile though. Prices seem to snap even after sanding them. There's no glue pieces snap together. This is no good if you've got banana fingers (large) you can't hold the pieces in correct position. The numbering of the pieces is farcical not one after other but all over place. I won't be buying anymore od these models. The instructions are all pictures, pretty rubbish, all round. Doesn't tell you how fragile the pieces are.

Frustrating but highly satisfying

So where do I start. This is a fantastic model set which will not only provide great satisfaction once completed but also great frustration whilst building . The model it self looks amazing but is really challenging at times. Now I have completed this one I have learnt my ways to make the build slightly easier for future models. The model is held together with toothpicks and interlocking each piece. The holes for the toothpicks are very tight and even with using the wax you feel that you could snap the toothpick if you push a little hard. Towards the end of the build I started sanding down the toothpicks slightly which helped. I have marked it down to a four start due to the frustration factor but it's great value for money and I highly recommend buying on.

Not quite as awesome as I was led to believe

Ugears makes good products, and I have other models. This one is great to look at, yet the assembly posed problems. Some of the connections are so tight, that things can break. Some times I had to use pliers to squeeze parts together due to the location. You'll need to provide your own toothpicks, as the included amount is not enough to cover all the broken ones you'll end up with due to super tight fitting. The description of the rubber band motor was not clearly explained and the color scheme made it hard to distinguish between the band and the wood. After it was all done, the thing didn't move. Either the parts are too tight to allow movement or the rubber bands aren't strong enough. This would make me wonder if I didn't use enough rubber bands, which was a tad ... MoreUgears makes good products, and I have other models. This one is great to look at, yet the assembly posed problems. Some of the connections are so tight, that things can break. Some times I had to use pliers to squeeze parts together due to the location. You'll need to provide your own toothpicks, as the included amount is not enough to cover all the broken ones you'll end up with due to super tight fitting. The description of the rubber band motor was not clearly explained and the color scheme made it hard to distinguish between the band and the wood. After it was all done, the thing didn't move. Either the parts are too tight to allow movement or the rubber bands aren't strong enough. This would make me wonder if I didn't use enough rubber bands, which was a tad confusing from the picture description. Aside from that, the pistons didn't move either. This mechanism is on a different sprocket, so it's not affected by the rubber band. I enjoyed it, and it looks great, but I'm starting to realize that not all Ugears work well. Some do, some don't... so understand that before you buy.

Perfect gift!

I bought the race car model for my husband for his birthday. He enjoys model-building, likes race cars, and loves truly uniquely-crafted items. This one was all that! It is a challenging model--he's been working on it for a couple of weeks now, but he is really enjoying it. The laser-cut wood pieces are precise and fit well. It's very cool-looking, and really amazing to see it moving when all the gears engage.

We can’t wait!

The motorcycle was purchased as a gift for my son. We haven’t sat to put it together because of an ongoing debate. Technically he’s too young (7) to put it together so I said we’ll need to wait until we both have a day to work on it. His argument is he’s put together 2 of these, similar kits, by himself and he doesn’t need me. So, right now it sits and I bring up the subject frequently. Eventually we will have it together! I can’t wait!

quality kit - don't expect it to roll well though

This is a very well thought out and put together kit, but be very careful putting it together. The laser cuts are precise and I can't fault the model building and final build as a static piece. It's just that the elastic band engine power isn't going to set the world on fire, yes the torque force will help propel the model a little while it's also pushed by hand but that's all. I did wax and sand all the parts as instructed. I've docked it 1 star for that but all in all it's really a fantastic model and I'm happy with my purchase and if I could would only dock it a half star, I also got my Dad one, different model. He had similar issues too regarding the engine power (and he was a mechanic). 4.5/5