Snap Ships PlayMonster Sabre XF-23 Interceptor

My nine year old really enjoys putting these together and collecting them. It helps to build his confidence in his own skills because he is able to assemble the snap ships without help from anyone. I saw a huge difference when he tackled a stem project and again did it on his own. Prior to the snap ships, he would have automatically gone to someone looking for help and not trying first on his own. I believe the snap ships have not only been fun for him but also incredibly beneficial, which was an unexpected bonus. They also go on sale from time to time making them even more of a great value. The display stand that is included is a nice thought for those like my son who want to collect and display them. All things considered, this makes a great stocking stuffer, Easter Basket item, birthday gift, incentive, or just because. We highly approve on this item!

Bastante bueno. Facil de armar. Ojalá se haga su lanzamiento oficial en México para que baje de precio. Recomendado para coleccionar

The Sabre is one of the smaller "mid-sized" Snap Ship sets. Takes about 5-10 minutes putting together the default build in the instruction manual, very easy. There's a small mistake worth noting though, in the first build: the instruction call for panel parts to be plugged into all the underside holes, and yet if you do that, there's no open hole for the support stand for the base. The instructions don't identify that, leaving you to choose which part to leave off. As with the other sets, the parts are very detailed, they fit very well, and of course, you have lots of choices in rebuilding the ship in many different configurations, and they are inexpensive enough that you can buy multiple sets and create monster builds if you like.

Snap Ships are a compelling product: take the creativity and fun of building blocks like Lego, but make it a system that is honed in for space ships (and a few mechs and tanks). That means that you can more quickly build and re-arrange them, and also that your custom builds look pretty cohesive. If you buy two smaller ships, it takes very little effort to make one larger ship that just looks 'right.' This particular kit is not only the most classic design for a space ship, but it's also, for whatever reason, currently very cheap. This makes it a great value, and a great starter set to try out.

I'd never heard of Snap Ships until Amazon tempted me with a banner while I was searching for some other toys, but it worked, because I picked up the Sabre and Locust today. As someone who loves toys like LEGO and the Star Wars Hot Wheels ships, this was right up my alley. Packaging/Design The packaging and art style fit the line perfectly, a blend of campy 80s scifi and model kits that make you feel like a kid again (if you aren't already). Opening a package for the first time was a little annoying: I think I was expecting something along the lines of LEGO where everything's bagged individually, so when I opened the box up several loose cubes and pieces went flying across the floor. Instructions/The Build If you've ever built a LEGO or MegaBloks set, you'll be comfortable with the overall approach: what parts you need are shown first, a callout box shows a sub-build if needed, and the main step is shown in the center of each panel. I do wish the parts were differentiated a little better: having everything depicted as white, light grey, or dark grey made IDing what parts were needed--and in what orientation to attach them--a little more challenging that I'd prefer. Several steps show "this is how it should look" insets so just go slowly and double-check that you've got the right parts and orientations, and you'll be fine. IIRC the box says 8+ on this, and I'd agree: you need a surprising amount of pressure to push the pieces together and even I (as an adult) struggled doing so in a couple steps. There's a bit of "wiggle" attaching certain parts together--two cubes attached without any reinforcement, for example--but the Sabre remedies that by using longer pieces that help bind the central core of cubes together. Still, some parts like the rear engine blocks just don't feel as sturdy as other areas. And the feature of the moveable wings drives me bonkers: I prefer my pieces to stay where I put them and not get easily knocked out of alignment. The Bonus "UJU" Piece Every kit comes with a "surprise" piece of UJU KUN tech, but given that the instructions specifically have a description and image of what I got, I assume each kit has the same one. I wasn't terribly excited about this: the shooter function feels cheap and the projectiles don't lock into place satisfingly. Additionally, when I was trying to fit all three into the launcher, the mechanism bugged out so that I could only insert two and the third would make them shoot prematurely, like the springs were out of alignment or something. Not a big deal because that part got tossed into the "extra parts" bag, but still didn't give me the best impression. The Ship Overall I really like how the Sabre turned out. It feels like something ripped straight out of Gradius, R-Type, or some random Saturday morning anime. It's very solid thanks to the reinforced core, a ridiculous amount of fun to swoosh around, and overall just feels like a very nicely substantial toy for the price. Recommended, or Not? If you like LEGO, MegaBloks, model kits, scifi ships, or swooshable toys, I'd definitely recommend this specific kit or even just trying Snap Ships in general. The overall experience could use some tweaks like clearer pieces in the instructions, but those are small nitpicks in the grand scheme. I'm excited to see what future waves bring.