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For Ravensburger GraviTrax Starter Set (27590), 393 customer reviews collected from 3 e-commerce sites, and the average score is 4.8.

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29.7.2018

This souped-up variant of a marble run is more about horizontal travel than vertical travel, and it has a slightly more overt ‘technical’ (therefore by implication educational) slant to it, but for the most part there’s a lot in common. For a start, it takes far longer to build each of the prescribed designs than it does to exhaust the entertainment value of those designs. And as we’ve found with other marble runs, the ‘switch’ elements, which ought to be simplicity themselves, are liable to keep jamming. (It’s worth mentioning that obviously, the balls themselves are metal balls, not marbles.)On the positives, it’s something a bit different and my kids were nicely engaged with it.Despite being right at the bottom end of the target age range they rattled through the booklet of track designs with quite a pace, only needing my help to ensure they got some of the riser elements into the right slots and sorting everything else out for themselves. Once they’d seen the point of each track, my youngest would get involved and it became a bit more free-for-all with extra elements being added here and there in no particular order, and that seemed to provide a decent amount of entertainment.On the negatives, the whole STEM & leaning element of it is seriously underbaked. Somehow Ravenburger managed to not include the English version of the contents list in the pack, but thanks to a bit of half-remembered GCSE German and some Google Translate I was able to cope without it- and it didn’t really say all that much. The individual layout plans are printed language-free, in an instruction manual that’s just a little like Lego instructions but marginally less clear.As the parent and/or teacher you need to be quite pro-active in coming up with ways of making this educational, as there’s no real prescribed lesson in it. A lot of the concepts involved- gravity, distance, speed- seem pretty basic and should already be intuitive to most kids right at the bottom of the advertised 8-80 age range. The magnetic ‘ping off’ element and the concept of force- and how the slow-running ball can suddenly cause a different ball to ping off much faster- is a bit of a step up, but this set is not a whole physics lesson in one package.The building quality is OK. Some of the constructions are a little fragile at times- it’s easier to knock pieces out of their slot, and as mentioned before some of the switch elements tend to jam too easily- so there are minor flaws but in broad terms the product quality is fine. It does feel a little over-priced for what you get- in a normal marble run about the same price, you’d expect more pieces- but not massively so.Fifty quid (at time of writing) does seem a little OTT overall but if you’re looking for something that’s a marble run but with a bit of educational value, this certainly ticks boxes.
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11.8.2018

This Gravitrax kit is a hyper-engineered marble run. This has positive and negative points.You can make some amazing layouts with this kit, that are really fun. Three (different coloured) balls zooming in different directions. Junction points that alter direction when the balls past them, a gravity well (ok, a hole) for the balls to fall down before carrying on their way, and better still, a magnetic "Gauss Canon" that fires the included ball bearings off on another loop. When you've set it up this kit is great, and allows some interesting physics learning points too.The drawback is the pieces and set up are quite complex. They're not easy to put together as your standard Marble run.The pieces are well designed. Everything fits into the hexagonal baseboard very well and all the pieces slot together without issue.The instructions are a little peculiar, probably not helped by the introductory pamphlet came in about 7 different languages, none of them English. (I expect this was a mistake, rather than deliberate. There were two Spanish sheets and no English. It's easily remedied They're online or I'm sure Ravensburger would supply a replacement, if I asked them. As it is most stuff is self-explanatory, so its omission isn't too bad.)To get around this language problem the rest of the set up instructions have no language. They're presented "LEGO" style, but for me, they don't quite work. Well they work fine, but they're not terribly inspiring, which is a shame, because they layouts they make are great.The whole set is slightly over-engineered. The point of marble run is building your own stuff. You can do this here, but the need to fix everything in the baseboards (or the two extra layer boards) does rather cramp ones creative style. So far I've shoved this under my 9 year old's nose. He loves it, but he quickly became bored because he couldn't readily create his own runs. 9 is right at the bottom of the age range of this set. I imagine 12-13 is possibly the optimum age for taking the set to the next level.
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29.12.2020

Here you'll find my honest review, based on my own experience. I really hope you'll find this useful.If you're looking for a gift for someone (anyone!), or you have some Christmas money to spend.. look no further..I bought this for my 7 year old Lego-obsessed boy, hoping to branch off slightly from his usual.Age range is 8+ which i think is appropriate given the need for a steady hand and the presence of cardboard bases.The track itself is very basic and easy to build. Box contains:•Step by step (very easy to follow) instructions for multiple builds•4 card bases•2 transparent levels•6 spheres (marbles)•Multiple rails•Plenty of track!The kit is clean looking, sleek,almost futuristic.The simple colours make it very easy on the eye - white, black, grey & green. This has been a pleasant change from the standard rainbow of chaos of my kids' toys. Dare I say, it's...cool?Educational toys have improved drastically over the last 10 years and this STEM kit from Ravensburger is bang on the money.It's a very basic concept of construction, and we have already encountered and discussed:•Problem solving•Measurement•Physics•Energy•Gravity•Mathmatics•Design•Speed•MagneticsYou have the option to add to your collection with additional kits (standard and PRO - all compatible) and numerous expansion packs.The kits range from £10+Along with the physical kit, there is an app available (iOS & Playstore).The app is already being well used - we have dedicated a Thursday night (Grandad & Pizza night) to building the track from what he has created via the app, which enables totally 3D construction. You can save and share your designs within the app.(Grandad has the app too so they can build together throughout the week!)Both the physical set and the download are incredibly well thought out.Overall my rating is a solid 10/10 for design, accompanying app, affordability, availability of additional sets and expansions, instructions are great.By far the best thing I've bought all year!
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9.8.2018

I had a sneek preview before I let the kids loose on it because I knew I'd get pushed out and not be able to see and feel how it works or whether it's well put together. It's amazing! I loved it and it is very well thought out and uses quality pieces.It comes in a very sturdy box so all the bits can be loaded back in at the end of play and kept safely in one place. It comes with instruction leaflets stating how many pieces there are and what they do, in several languages (except I got two Spanish and no English.) The Ravensburger website also has this leaflet information in English on it. There are also two blueprint (plans) booklets so that you can follow how to make easy,intermediate and difficult marble runs. Before handing it over to the children I constructed the easiest run to see how it all works and the plans are very easy to follow – photo attached of the easy run.There are four very thick and sturdy card bases which fit together like a jigsaw to make one large card base to build on. The hexagon shapes have slot out card to fit the hexagon bottoms of the pieces you will build with, this then makes them more secure than just building on a flat surface. It really does look just like the pictures on the product description with loads of quality hexagonal blocks, white diversion pieces, rails to go from one height to another, as well as the more exciting magnetic door opening and ball flinging pieces.Once the kiddies started playing it felt like Christmas. They absolutely loved it and were more excited than when the ice-cream man comes!!There are plenty of pieces to build complex runs and this starter box is plenty adequate to buy as a gift to get them well on their way. There are several add-on sets which will all fit together with this set but will give different aspects to the runs. This is one of the best sets that the kids actually play with, build, use their brains and enjoy.
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27.8.2018

Gravitrax is like an advanced marble run. Using pieces of track and bridges between them, you can create a 'run' for solid metal ball bearings. It is great fun and my children aged 7 and 4 are loving it - they are creating their own tracks (not always successfully!) and it is really allowing them to be creative and get a feel for the physics of it, both gravity and speed.This is a large set with loads of pieces and everything you need to make some fabulous tracks. It is, for the most part, really well designed and very easy to use and build tracks.There are a few things that are less good:- The instructions are poor - there were instructions in every language but English in my box.But this is not such a big deal because the important instructions about how to make tracks are pictorial, and reasonably easy to follow.- The magnetic cannon (a great piece that, when hit by a ball on one side can fire another ball out at speed on the other side) is too powerful to work properly with the suggested tracks, sending the ball flying off the track. We managed to get around this by increasing the length and height of the track immediately after the cannon to slow it down, but the strength of the cannon (while fun) does limit its use in practice.- The card base is the weakest element of the set. Four board pieces fit together like a jigsaw, but a rubbish jigsaw that doesn't lock together very well meaning it can come apart with the slightest knock, affecting the tracks. This is bad design and is constant issue with young kids touching the board as they excitedly set up their track pieces on it.Despite these negatives, this is a great set overall and my kids are having so much fun with it.
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27.12.2018

I am not one for writing reviews normally but GraviTrax has kept our 10 year old and his 7 year old sister engaged for hours on end... literally! Lego was starting to lose its appeal and we were looking for something else that would engage his creative engineering mind. We found the perfect resolution in GraviTrax.The Starter set cleverley teaches you the basics as you follow the patterns in the book, then you reach the pages where you have to figure out the heights for the track patterns to make it all work. Well worth going through all this before you start your own designs, which is a process of trial and error as you try to figure out how to keep the momentum up and several balls going in various directions.The satisfaction of it all working is hard-earned but well worth it. Many a cheer has been raised in this house as ambitious plans finally work out.We bought some of the add-on items as well as the expansion set and can see that we will be buying more expansions soon enough as the project ideas grow. That said, there is something real about having a limited amount of resources and working out how to make the most of what you have got.Highly, highly, recommend this for children of all ages (including parents!)
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26.5.2019

This is essentially a high-tech ball run and I loved it - probably more than my daughter!This Gravitrax takes some time and patience to put together and my six year old daughter certainly couldn't do this on her own but as a father-and-daughter activity, we both found this really engaging. As with many of these types of things, once it was made, we had fun with it but the main focus of our enjoyment was taking the time to put it together.Similar to Lego, this appears to be one of those kits that you can combine with other kits to make even bigger, better and more complex tracks. However, this starter kit provided more than enough for us to work with.The kit also felt well made and quite robust; certainly none of it broke when it was in our use.You don't need an interest in engineering to enjoy this, any more than you need an interest in architecture to enjoy Lego but it may well stimulate creativity and curiosity about this disciplines. Great fun, sturdy and highly recommended!
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14.5.2020

This is a marble run that will get you thinking! It is expensive, but goes together really well and looks like it will last a long time. Our 5 year old loves it but needs quite a bit of support to build working tracks so the guidelines of 8+ is about right for independent play. That said, as a family this has provided hour upon hour of entertainment. It definitely takes a bit of thinking about, so it is well worth following the track plans to get you started and learning the process.There are also add on packs available that make great suggestions when people ask for birthday gift ideas.The hidden gem with this set is that there is a gravitrax app available. This allows you to build a track on the app to see if it works,and then the app will give you the plans for the track to build it with your set. So a great introduction to the design and build process.So in summary this is a great marble run for young and old minds alike that will provide hours of entertainment.
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3.12.2020

My 6 year old and 4 year old spend hours every day playing with gravitrax sets - and seem to only be enjoying it more and more over time (we purchased the first set a full year ago!).Its a bit tricky for the 4 year old to work out how to make a good run, but he loves to watch his brother. Our 6 year old has always been obsessed with contraptions and marbles -- and really enjoys figuring out what works. He recently told us he liked it more than lego because it's easier for him to build more interesting things. I can see why the 8+ age range is appropriate for most kids.The rails are made of plastic, but none have broken yet.You need to set up carefully otherwise the balls fly off the track - but thats the fun part!Beware you might get sucked into adding more and more extensions over time. (The jumper and spiral are the best - the cable car one is the only piece that broke for us).
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10.7.2019

My son (aged 10) got this for his birthday and loves it. Once it was built he spent hours building tracks and reconfiguring tracks. It is a great system. My only complaint is that the tracks are plastic and feel a bit brittle. Almost immediately one piece broke, however, on contacting the manufacturer via their website it turns out they do a free replacement service - completed the online form and a couple of weeks later we received a replacement part, for free, in the post. Well done Ravensburger. The base is made of cardboard so I would advise keeping this game for slightly older kids (ages8+) so that the bits don't get damaged. It isn't cheap but it does provide hours of fun whilst experimenting with design/engineering and physics.We will probably buy more to extend the system.
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31.3.2020

I bought this for my 8-year old son who has always been a big fan of marble runs. It's a lot of fun and extremely clever. It's really easy to use and the manual is brilliant to work through, it increases the complexity gradually as the kids learn how each part works. By the time we'd done 4 or 5 of the set ups in the book, my son was modifying them and extending them himself.He was also gifted two extension packs which are great for adding more elements.I'd highly recommend this for age 8 upwards, even for adults it's great fun!The only downsides are that the base is cardboard and I do wonder if the holes will wear over time meaning it's no longer able to hold pieces in place.It would also have been nice to have a small pouch or box to keep the balls in.
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15.1.2020

This is quality. The weight of it reminded me of old fashioned games. It has really strong and well constructed pieces, loads of space for creativity and a few course ideas to get you started. It’s well packaged and sturdy and will last and last.It’s great that you can buy add ons and special pieces like trampolines and cannons.This starter set has everything you need to enjoy playing and designing. My daughter loved this so much she spent the rest of her Christmas money buying cool add ons. The add ons seem like good value to me, you get rail pieces, extra balls etc thrown in with the extras. Gravitrax is well worth the money, fun for all ages, educational, durable and creative.We all like playing with this. Give it a go! Makes a great prezzie.
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17.8.2018

Vine review : this is a really good start is that for creating your own tracks for running marbles down. It consists of sturdy cardboard bases with you then attach other plastic runs on to create your own model that your balls can travel through. I actually tried these myself and found them very simple to use although I can imagine some younger children might struggle So I feel that independent at a younger age of around eight would be more appropriate. I think younger children can enjoy this with supervision and it is probably a great activity for a rainy weekend day. The quality of the set up is good enough and I think that they can get a reasonable amount of play out of this set withoutnecessarily needing to buy additional pieces
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10.8.2018

Wow - what a joy this marble run is. So many different runs you can make, with increasing difficulty so it fits a variety of ages and has genuine longevity in terms of how it will engage your young ones.Everything about the materials has a quality feel in the way they are built and fit together. Instructions are clear and the sets themselves are well thought out, challenging yet straightforward to assemble.There's plenty to play with in this set but we will certainly be buying add on sets to carry on the fun.Our 6 year old son is so happy with this game and has been playing with it every day since we gave it him a couple of weeks ago.It does have some small parts to it so it's worth keeping away from very young kids.
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10.6.2020

This is a great set to get people away from the screen. Basically a marble run with some simple sets to build from the book. Also included in the book are some puzzles with diagrams missing which they have to guess the answer.The gift is the challenges they set themselves. One was how long a marble would run from a single start.Inclines reduced until the marble just..... got over the last section.Anticipation, joy if it did, head scratching and redesign if it failed.Getting marbles to arrive at the same time, maybe in different orders from the way they started.A hands on dynamic puzzle. It needs (builds?) patience beyond the basic book puzzles.Well worth it for a gift.

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