Meccano Set 1 Easy Construction Box

We bought this for our son (who is now four-years-old). He cannot do it on his own yet but it is a fun thing to do together and he is very excited to build the models (we are on our third model now, about half way though - it takes hours to build each model at his age so we don't do it in one sitting!)

The parts are durable (they will bend rather than break for example) so that is great for small children.

The only negative comment I have is that it is impossible to tighten the nuts/bolts sufficiently: when our son does it he doesn't have enough strength so if he tries to play with a finished model it falls apart in his hands and if I try to tighten them then the threads jump through (if that makes sense) and suddenly it is loose again. There is a sweet spot where you can tighten it just enough so it is as tight as possible before it jumps through the thread again but even doing that he only needs to push the car around the room once or twice before something falls of or it collapses altogether.

However, this does not seem to put him off at all, he just asks me to help him fix it and then he plays for a bit again.

And in the end he spends much more time building the models carefully and taking them apart after wards so the fact that he only gets to play with it a little bit really is not a big deal to him.

But I could imagine some children might be more end product oriented and then could potentially be a bit disappointed that the models fall apart when they try to play with them...

All in all it is a very good product though. My son is nowhere near ready for "grown up" meccano so this is a great start into the more serious construction world.

I got this for my 5 year old son in the hopes that it would be easy for him to build, but he has difficulty putting it together. The instructions are clear, but it seems that you sometimes need two pairs of hands.

After helping him build one of the models he just wants to play with the toy, but is unable to. After 5 mins it is falling apart and needs re-tightning, by which time he has lost interest.

The box also states that you can build 10 models with the parts enclosed, but frustratingly, they only supply instruction for 5! I also found that it is not as durable as I hoped with some of the parts splitting after very little use.

A dissapointing toy.Meccano Set 1 Easy Construction Box

My daughter was transfixed - never has a child been so quiet on their birthday, the silent concentration. Another plus is that Daddy loves making them with her. Only drawback is that is says there are 10 models to make, but only 5 have instructions. The instructions for the rest are supposed to be on the Meccano website, but we can't find them there as there is no mention of this set.

Other than that it's brilliant - and i'm looking forward to what she (and I) can make using our imaginations!!!
We shall definitely buy the follow on set for christmas.

Perfect for all building & putting-things-together lovers. My kids (age 4 & 5) love this stuff. Wonderful idea making the infamous meccano 'soft'. This toys will be used for years to come, untl they are ready to move on to the real meccano. Mummy had lots of fun making the machines too!

Bought this as xmas present for 3 yr old boy. Mum reliably informs me its the best present ever. Very easy to follow instructions on how to make the different types of items and mum and son thoroughly enjoying making things together. Fantastic introduction to meccano. Worth every penny. Box is excellent as you just throw everything back in again.

it is a great toy for constructions.
It helps kids to develop their hands and minds (if they have it into them)
It is quite difficult for them though. It will take a kid more than 6 years old to play with it.
I bought two of these for two boys age 5 and 6.
The small one needs a big help. The older one managed to put together some pieces but not very complex ones.
Both of them were thrilled by the outcome.
It is entry level for 3D construction and can put their mind to work to build many things!

Very good product

bought this for a third birthday present for my son, he really enjoys playing with it. He needs help to build the models in the instruction book as they are pretty tricky but he can fasten different bits together himself and is happy doing either. the only down side to this set is that the pieces are really small and can easily get lost but so can most things with a 3 year old!

I have a 5 year old building toys for his younger brother. They love it. Yes they do need some help sometimes. I think its called team work... Meccano is the best toy ever.