UGEARS 3D Wooden Puzzles for Adults - Windstorm Dragon 3D Puzzle - Mechanical Model Kits for Adults to Build - DIY Building Set Gifts for Fathers Day - 320 Pcs

The media could not be loaded. This is my second time putting together an UGEARS puzzle. Much harder than the last one, but once adapted to reading instructions and all the sanding and waxing steps it became easier and faster.The wooden pieces are overall sturdy, but could crack during assembling if the force was not put in the right spots and angle. The thick elastic bands did take a big force to be dragged into place(and it's not very easy to see the step in the instructions, but you could use my photo to double check), but my wooden tool didn't break, just need to be slow and careful.The several movement checking steps during the whole process are very important. They ensure the gears and parts move more smoothly. Especially the checking step right after installing the start/stop button and dangling piece (page 13 in the photo). Somehow the dangling piece could not move very smoothly in the beginning. But manually turning the small gear(pointed in the photo) helped the mechanism to go past the stucspots on. So I took some patience and kept on running the mechanism for a while until it became very smooth.For winding up the dragon, I have tried 10*180 degree and seemed to be OK. But maybe try fewer turns in the beginning to be safe.Hope this could be of help! It's really rewarding to see the dragon fly in the end!

hight quality

Spending about six hours constructing this, I am left with a pleasant, though not overly striking, model.The parts come in five sheets of seemingly laser-cut wood, barely held in place by a few tiny connectors. This makes popping the pieces out rather easy, and with the exception of the outer wing bones, everything feels very sturdy despite being light wood. I generally fear breakage with wooden models like these, but in this case, all but two parts felt solid, making the construction of it quite relaxing.The instructions are mostly clear, with only a few steps needing a close inspection. However, some parts of the instructions seemed slightly misprinted, giving them a blurry look that is inconvenient.When the mechanism moves (more on that later), it is set up to make a rapid clicking noise as one part of the mechanism flicks back and forth, which gives it a pleasing, chunky mechanical style, though the key to wind it up is placed on the dragon's chest. This makes winding it a little annoying for someone with larger hands, like myself. I also pinched myself between the rotating key and the dragon's neck on multiple occasions well testing, so beware of that .This model isn't flawless though. The feathers are disappointingly made from thin, matte paper, unlike the preview images which show them with a glossy paper or card stock, making one of the most striking parts, that was advertised front and center) an outright fabrication.As well, the instructions ask you to test the mechanism multiple times through the construction process, and it worked flawlessly until the final test, just after stringing up the dragon's neck so it actuates. After winding the full, recommended twelve times, the mechanism works until the wings reach their lowest point, only to lock up. After half an hour of troubleshooting, the conclusion I came to is too much stress on the mechanism. As you know, wood flexes slightly, and the tolerances on the parts, while tight, are just loose enough to combine with the natural flex. This results in the gears consistently binding up, even with every point of contact being buffed and waxed. Due to this happening at the very end of the process, I am unable to disassemble the model without fear of breakage, and the nature of the material leaves me doubtful it would even fix the issue.Overall, while a fun model to construct, and rather pretty, I feel misled by the pictures shown on Amazon (where I am writing this review, in case it gets copied) and on the UGEARS website. The mechanism's poor function greatly tempts me to rate this product at a 3/5, but it is still a pleasing static model made of decent quality materials. If this product interests you, you will likely be pleased, but temper your expectations

The media could not be loaded. UPDATE: I received the replacement parts from the company, I chose to pay a few dollars for expedited shipping, and I've been able to complete the butterfly and it is beautiful!This is a stunning piece. My fingers are a little raw from the wood. I would recommend using the wax liberally, don't be shy with it. I made an error somewhere and my butterfly doesn't flap, I know it was an error on my part, I can see where I messed up, but I can't take it all apart to correct it. Even without the flapping wings it's still a beautiful piece.Right as I got to the end and was putting rubber band in place, I snapped the wood on the stand. I emailed the company and they are sending replacement parts to me.I would recommend this to anyone who likes to build. I may gift one (or three) to friends in the future.

The media could not be loaded. I was interested in this because I am a GoT fan.lol a little disappointed because it is different from the dragons there. But this is an awesome piece of puzzle art! I love how the mechanism works and makes it move. It took me about 2days to finish. Instructions are easy enough to understand, you really do have to follow it exactly, to have it move the way it should. Some of the wooden parts do chip off easily but it doesn't mess up the finished product. I just sanded most of the extra wood just to get a good finish. And be liberal with the wax when asked to put wax. I still had a big part of the wax stick that was included, but still, my dragon moves fine. I'm trying to print a different dragon wing to make it my own, or somehow looking like Drogon.lol

It was fun to put together but I wish I could have finished it. Some of the pieces aren't cut all the way and a major piece that was needed broke because it was cut thin but not cut to where you could get it out without breaking.

This was a Christmas present for my nephew! It was advertised as a teenager activity, but my 10 yo nephew has advanced puzzle skills so I knew the challenge would excite him. It was also fun to put it together with him. I could only visit for a bit so he and my brother finished it when I left.