Since I took to it with a will, I assembled it in just about 24 hours. Despite crushing a few wooden pin heads, I faithfully followed the directions (written in hieroglyphics) to successfully make the instrument. Unfortunately, one of the final instructions seemed to indicate that I should cut the string before tying it, and that prevented me from making it playable. Trying to use another fishing line produced no sound, and I can find no information about what type of string that I should be using.

Very cool, detailed and fun to put together. Wish it sounded a little better, a lot of noise coming from the wheel but it's not like I didn't expect that. Still pretty awesome.

Ugears has done it yet again! Another fantastic product. My fingers didnt mind this model having no toothpicks (i just finished up the locomotive). Also the added hammer tool will be great for future builds.

Overall this was a relatively simple build. The only part that was a little challenging was the strings themselves only because i have larger hands and fingers so reaching into the neck to tie them off took some time. Total build time was about 3 hours or so.

Amazing and a fun toy after it was all done. It comes with a built-a-hammer and its own wax and rosin.
1 recommendation I have is when waxing the gears use the stuck not a toothpick. Just make the grooves in the wax it makes the waxing so much easier.
And tuning is fun and yes it's easy to tune but boy if you never had a string instrument I'm going to tell you the strings can take the pressure don't worry.
It's the smoothest ugear I have and I do believe because I put a lot of work into assembling it but also they give you sandpaper and wax for use so you can set it up correctly the first time.

Hello Ugears!

I thought I would take a few minutes to introduce myself and share my experience. This past Christmas I was looking for a Christmas present for my father who is 94. While he wouldnt be able to . kbuild the models, I thought he would appreciate looking at them and seeing them work. So, for Christmas I bought the Mini tram town model as practice to see how difficult these were to build. I was very impressed how detailed the instructions were. After the first mini town set, I started on the locomotive which has been so far my favorite model to build. I really cant believe it worked on the first try! So, here is a list of the models I have purchased (all through Amazon, I believe). Had I known there was a rewards club I would have ordered directly from store. I do have the UPC codes that were on the plastic and I could snap photos if need too, but would I be able to give you that information and you add it to my account?

(**Please note I first saw the Locomotive via comerical on Facebook, back in Kickstarter and have been following closely until my recent purchases)

The models I have purchased are as follows:

Mini Tram town set
Locomotive
locomotive train track expansion
Hurdy Gurdy (currently building)
Fire Ladder Truck (next after Hurdy Gurdy)

Models I am interested in, but have not purchased"
-Roadster car
-Robot factory
-Puzzle box/Safe
-Any of the clocks or timers

Models I would like to see in the future"

-Mechanical Robot Hand
-Clockwork Owl from the classic movie Clash of the Titans (not the new movie!)
-More musical instruments
-Woodworking tools (I love the hammer, not sure if you can make other tools too)
-Cuckoo Clock
-Secrets! (I like it when I am surprised to find out theres little extras to build in addition to the main model (Like the wooden mallet to help build the models in Hurdy Gurdy box) I use this mallet often!
-Mechanical robot
- Universal building pieces w/ woodworking tools as a seperate kit.

Building Experience:

Overall, the instruction book is great but some areas that I feel need improving are:

-I consider myself highly mechanically inclined as far as skill level of model building, I take my time to study the instruction book, and I wax the pieces thoroughly. Perhaps tips on building the models would help (How much do I wax? Or specifically on the locomotive to keep the front wheels straight you insert a peg (toothpick which I assume can be removed later for curved track, but there maybe should have been some explaination as to why you do that. I had to red ahead to find another picture to see if tht toothpick was still supposed to be there).

-For new builders, its never made really clear to punch out the measuring/alignment.building tools. For example, its handy to know to build the mallet in the Hurdy Gurdy from the beginng with a little more explanation on the proper uses (like dont tap too hard, or use the mallet to save your fingers, stuff like that). Also, you guys could include disposable/short use hobby knives with the kit. I like how you guys are adding more things like that...candle wax included extra. The toothpicks I am getting better at not breaking, so its good you include so many.

-Durability: Most of the pieces are pretty durable, some do break. I broke the front upshaped rib on the locomotive (where its thin at the top) I managed to glue it back together so thats ok. Of course there is the issue with gear teeth coming off, but since its only usually ever one tooth and just a third of it, the models still work. I can tell you guys are always trying different things as far as howthe pieces punch out.

Well, This is all I can think of for now.

Please feel free to reach to me as I would love to test out new models, or offer any feedback you might require.

Sincerely,

Christopher Ament