UGears Mechanical Models 3-D Wooden Puzzle - Mechanical U-9 Grand Prix Car Idea

This is my first Ugears kit and chose this one because it appeared to be one of the more complex models and expected it to take several hours to complete. I watched a few YouTube videos and knew what to expect and when it arrived, it did not disappoint. Everything was nicely packaged and I also appreciated the spare parts on pieces more susceptible to breakage. The kit took me about 13 hours to build and this is because I took my time. I properly sanded and waxed all moving parts and also checked operation every time something new was added on. I did manage to break the cam shaft while pressing in the valves and had to disassemble the engine to replace it but the spare parts saved me from needing to order another. The model works exactly as it should. It winds up, the engine runs and forward and reverse are both operational. Now that I know it works, it’s just going on display on my desk. Anyone who thinks this is a toy is mistaken. It’s very delicate and many pieces will need replacing if you continue to goof around with it. I’m okay with that though. Anyone building a car out of thin wooden pieces shouldn’t expect it to stand up to repeated use and abuse. It’s a great kit. The laser cut pieces are absolutely perfect and everything went together just as it should. There’s a few challenging components during the build but that just added to the appeal for me. Can’t wait to build another one now!

This was a very complex and time consuming to build. I loved it! the working motor is amazing. Sanding and waxing is the smaller parts in the motor will make this run like a charm. It is fast and looks amazing! I just loved this one. The instructions are great. the spar parts are great. im not to happy with the "hand crank' used to wind this. the gear and crank broke apart quickly. You do get spare parts for these however. caution is needed when winding. I coated the extra parts with white glue, let dry and lightly sanded. this will harden these vulnerable parts. I have had no issues since. I would buy this again. Just a joy to build!

This was my second attempt at this model. It is important to SAND & WAX the indicated parts. I used a Dremel tool with a buffing pad to apply the wax and get a mirror finish on the parts. No joke, it's the only way to get this thing to move on its own when you crank it up. Anything less and it will seize up on you. The problem is not the individual components, i.e. engine, drive shaft, final drive. It's when you put them all together is when the issues start. The engine is a marvel with working pistons and valves! I spent some time on this chamfering the crankshaft edges and polishing all contact points. The final drive especially is intricately engineered and very delicate. The parts #103 are impossible to install without breaking and will require some super-glue to attach, it's a cosmetic part so NBD. Overall I really love these UGears puzzles. They are seductively challenging and, with a bit of skill and luck, you end up with a very nice mechanical display piece.

This is a pretty cool kit. The laser cut and burns are extremely precise. I did not break an parts removing them from their "sheet". Though I did chip off a few small corners but nothing really noticeable. The kit took me like 3 days to put together. I used 220 and 320 grit sandpaper on pieces that butted each other that are supposed to move. I did not use any wax as specified in the instruction manual. Instead I used a product called SLIPIT which I also found on Amazon. It left no stains on the wood. The kit was pretty easy to build following the visuals in the instructions. I have two complaints for which I took off 1 star. The 4 rubberbands are used in this system to be wound up which then power the engine. They have to be inserted into 4 rather small discs. Extra discs are supplied in case any are broke. I'm an adult male with average sized hands. While i did not break any of these discs I just found this impossible to used all 4 bands as shown. I only used 2. Subsequently my engine it not able to move on it's own. I don't attribute this to the use of SLIPIT instead of wax, but using half as many rubberbands as directed. So my finished model looks great but the engine is pretty much non-functional. The kit was enjoyable to work on and again it looks rather cool. The cherry on the top would have been some engine functionality (though that probably falls on me). Having said that I would probably buy more UGEARS items if I found others which piqued my interest.

This kit has a great direction booklet with high quality diagrams. I would not recommend it for kids below 14 as the directions are detail oriented with lots of small parts. It took me 13 hours to complete and it looks great as a display item. You will be lucky if it will actually run and show its parts moving as there are many wooden gears powered by rubber band with many places that could stop movement. Once assembled it is next to impossible to find any problem areas. Even with not moving, the car is a great teaching tool to understand automotive operation. Also, extra tools may be helpful. A micro tooth model saw helps cut the tooth-pics, extra 150 sandpaper, needle nose pliers, exacto knife, and even a small vice helps in the wheel assembly. I found some instant model glue helpful in several areas. The design by the engineers and execution of creating this kit is amazing. The kit has 5 sheets of plywood laser cut parts that were easy to remove. The only materials used are plywood, tooth-pics, and rubber bands.

That said, this is only for advanced and/or ultra-patient and thorough builders. This is an engineering marvel and with proper construction, results in a virtual museum-quality piece. You'll have hours and hours building it; more if you take the time to do it right. Pieces require sanding and waxing, and assembly is both an art and a science. I can't say enough about the integrity of this kit. The perfect gift for the zen-level builder. Amazing.

I was torn on what to rate this, because I am truly impressed with the quality of the components and I had a lot of fun putting this together. However, when it was finished, it simply didn't operate correctly, though I have been able to get it to work to a small degree through some additional efforts. I am a pretty experienced builder and followed the instructions, so I am confident it was assembled correctly. As constructed, it's simply non-operational and for that I have to say it's a 3 star item. I think it's still a decent product, but the lack of true functionality was a big disappointment. Some of the mechanical linkages, which are held in place by toothpicks, simply do not function well. The gear shift lever has already snapped several toothpicks, requiring replacement. Some of the gears do not perform well, and the axles of some of these gears are too loose and slide out. I have solved some of this with glue, which has improved performance but is not supposed to be required. It feels like they were a little too ambitious in offering forward/neutral/reverse and should have simplified a little bit. While the individual systems seem to work OK, there is enough slack in them that when they are all combined they do not work smoothly. PROS Pieces are quality material Laser cuts are precise Plenty of spare parts are included Instructions are quite comprehensive When it works, which is a roll of the dice, it's very cool It's an interesting conversation piece, for sure CONS Doesn't mechanically function correctly Requires a candle (for waxing parts) and sandpaper (for removing burrs) - I had these items on hand, but it's a little annoying they weren't included - for an extra 10 cents they could have put together a comprehensive kit The steering is extremely lackluster Many of the mechanical linkages are extremely weak If this worked as advertised, I would give it 5 stars. As it stands, I give it 3 stars because the build is interesting and fun, but the end products does not function as it should.

This was so much fun to build. The quality and engineering are excellent. Pay attention to all assembly notes. Use plenty of wax on all moving parts. After each step, make sure everything moves smoothly before moving on to the next step. The only issue I had was the fan blades catching on the radiator post. This prevented the motor from running and the car not running. Sanding the edges of the fan blades and plenty of wax solved the problem. This was an excellent project.