Hape Wooden Quadrilla Marble Run Vertigo Construction with Instruction| 134-PIECE STEM Educational Learning Toys for Kids

This was a birthday present for our 5-year old grandson. His 7-year old brother also took great interest in this. After years of putting together Lego models, you would think this might not delight younger boys....wrong! The older one joined in helping to make the models and was intrigued that the blocks would direct the the marbles in different ways. The red 'toggle' block was very interesting as it would change the direction of the path of the marble, alternating with each drop. The younger boy watched us build the models. He would help place the ramps and run test marbles to make sure it was working correctly. When the model was finished, the younger boy would feed the marbles into the structure and run to pick them up as they spit out the end. (I would strongly recommend buying the optional marble trays, or make your own. The marbles will roll all over, especially on hardwood floors). The kit comes in a nice heavy cardboard box with a built in handle. This is a great way to store the parts in between uses.The kit is very well-made. Although it is manufactured in China, the Swiss design is evident. The pieces are smooth and have no rough edges. The spiral mazes are solid and well-designed. You need to have the model on a level surface, since the tracks depend on the red ramps to accelerate the marbles through the maze. The tracks must remain level, and not inclined to work properly. The manual points this out on the first page.The manual is a necessity as you start building the models, and seeing how the parts impact the marble direction. Each model takes about 20 minutes to build, once you are familiar with it. One critique about the manual is that you need to view it in good daylight. The colors of the blue, green, and cyan blocks in the printed manual are very close in color. The same can be said for the yellow and tan blocks. A 'C', 'B'. 'G' printed on or near the block in the manual would help out.I am looking forward to seeing how my grandsons do later down the line with this kit. I think they will try their own designs, which enhances the fun factor of this toy.Yes, it is expensive, but I believe it will be a well-used toy and enjoyed for years. Even the parents were eager to help make the different models.

This is a great product! We gave this to my almost 5 year old son for Christmas because he had wanted a marble run. We had bought one a year or two previously that was plastic and the pieces cracked and broke almost immediately, so I was hesitant to spend more money on one - but I'm glad I did.The construction of this is high quality, nice wood. The pieces are smooth and the packaging is useful for carrying around to different areas of the house. The run comes with a great booklet of multiple designs you can build (in addition to designing your own) and plenty of marbles. We have had great fun building the different sets and testing them. There are some inserts and accelerators you use to make the set work properly, and despite the good instructions, we often forget to put one in, so our marbles go out of the holes to early, but it is fun for the kids to test and determine what we need to make it work - and then of course the joy of a full run.Some of the pieces have toggles so each marble will switch directions from the previous, which makes the set more interesting as the marbles don't exit the run at the same place each time.The only challenge I've seen thus far is that because its a marble run with pieces that slot into each other, it can be a bit wobbly, and we have spent a bit of time building and then have someone accidentally bump it and have the whole thing fall down. That is a bummer when you have invested some time, but it happens. I do with perhaps the pieces were made to fit a bit more into each other so the chance of accidental knock-over was less.All in all, a great set and we are currently considering buying another (or an add on) for my son's birthday since he does seem to enjoy it. I do believe this set will hold up with time and use, so well worth the price.

The Vertigo Quadrilla was our first marble railway, but was not been our last. We've quickly built on our set with other sets and additional parts. It's a great first set. The building instruction booklet offers several different towers to build on, some use each piece included in the set (build it correctly or suffer the consequences :) ). All is fun and games, until the tower collapses. However, with every crash gives you a chance to build another new and fun tower. This set gives you enough options to keep building without getting bored.Our 3 year old loves watching things move (AKA balls falling down the stairs, cars going down the ramps, etc). Our 3 year old is mesmerized by the marbles rolling down for hours on end. Our child is exhibiting some sensory challenges and the sound is soothing.The parents are getting as much out of this toy as our child. It's probably the first toy that we've been able to truly enjoy as a family. So much so, I've told the grandparents should keep this at their house for company (they have many visitors--old and young). It's a great rainy day toy.Stepping back, I have to admit to the brilliance of the Hape brand for developing Quadrilla (not paid or given product for this review). The parts are color coated (each colored tower has a different purpose), well built and lock into place. Pretty smart! I'm glad that we went for the Hape brand over the Haba brand for our 3 year old. With that said, we plan to add Haba tricks to the mix later.

My 3 yr old son loves his marble run. He recieved 3 very different brands for Christmas. Hape, being mostly wood, is the most durable and I'm sure it will last many years. However it takes awhile to setup and reuqires someone who can follow the picture instructions. Not hard, but time consuming. It also falls down at the slightest bump and it takes awhile to rebuild. My son is learning what the word careful means, and I am learning how to rebuild this without the instructions. Other than that, definitely a hit. I can see us getting more Hape marble runs in the future.