Fascinations Metal Earth 1908 Ford Model T 3D Metal Model Kit

I bought this model to make for my grandfather who collects model cars. It came in two sheets of lasercut metal and a yellow sheet of instructions. Altogether, it took me about 3 hours to put together (I took my time as it was a gift) and it came out beautifully. My grandfather absolutely loved it and marveled at the detail and intricate parts. A lot of folks are complaining about how hard the model is or how unintuitive it is. To respond to their first complaint: duh. It is a model. If you want something that is easy to put together, get a tube of tinker toys or legos. The whole idea behind a model like this is to have something that is challenging, takes time, and when you are done, you have something exquisite. The model was meant for adults, not five year olds. To respond to their second complaint: The instructions are a bit cryptic at first, but on closer inspection, they are actually quite simple. The instruction look like something IKEA cooked up - simple, a tiny bit cryptic, but very effective. If you take the time to read the legend, the instructions are easy as pie.

This was my first metal model and I really enjoyed putting it together. I found it to be the right level of challenge for me -- not too easy and not too hard. Others might find it more challenging than they expect/want. Some cautions/caveats: * Some of the pieces are extremely tiny. It's very easy to drop a small piece and then spend the next 15 minutes trying to find it under the couch. It's a good idea to work on a piece of black fabric, so pieces are easy to find if you drop one. * Don't even think about trying to put this together without at least a pair of needle-nose pliers. Tweezers, wire-cutters, and a tool that lets you bend the metal into curves are also very helpful. * Follow the instructions closely and don't rush. Trust me, once you attach a piece, you don't want to have to detach it. * There are a few points in where the instructions aren't as detailed as they could be. Notably, assembling the wheels and attaching them to the chassis has to be done in a set order that the instructions don't sufficient emphasize -- you may want to attach the inside wheel-rim to the tire/outside wheel-rim before attaching the entire wheel to the chassis, but it's important to attach the inside wheel-rim to the chassis before attaching the rest of the wheel to the inside rim. The instructions should make that clear, but they don't. * This took me about three hours of work to assemble and the result looks very nice!

I got this model (and the Black Pearl ship as well) as a gift for a 13 year old. The pieces are TINY and the tabs that need to be inserted into slots are even smaller. This issue, coupled with the fact that even though the steel sheets are thin, they are STRONG. This makes getting the individual pieces out of the sheet difficult and bending the tabs to a 90 degree angle AFTER they have been inserted into the slots almost impossible. I suppose, with the right tools, magnifying glasses, the hands of a surgeon, and the patience of a saint, this model could be put together. Not having any of these things, it was a frustrating experience. Not to mention, the instructions are small and not sequential (Step 1, Step 2, etc.). I can't recommend this model to anyone.

A co worker of mine had built a guitar and I thought it was the best invention since toothpaste ! So of course I search them on amazon. I found this one since I'm a beginner I didn't want to get anything to complicated yet to easy since I'll be doing this at work because I have a lot of free time I wanted something to stimulate my brain . Personally I found this project the right amount of complicated . It does take a lot of patience, I personally just use a Q-tip for the small things I had to roll and a marker for larger. For cutting and other shaping I'm cheap so I used cuticle cutters and tweezers and it worked perfect ! I highly suggest and recommend as a gift! mine came out horrible but it was fun to make and I will be purchasing more to up my skill set.

This product and all of the Metal Earth items are not toys. They are an intricate model that takes patience and skill to complete. They were not FUN to put together but challenging. The result s very satisfying and the models striking. Do not give this to a child or anyone who has a short attention span or gets frustrated easily. They are fragile before you start building, during the building process and after. The metal bends very easily and care must be taken to properly shape those pieces that require shaping. The right tools are essential. You will need fine needle nose pliers, tweezers, straight edges for bending, a shear cutter to remove the pieces from the metal sheet and a good magnifying lamp. The effort will be worth it.

I've put together more than 50 metal earth models and love every one of them. Many times you can find a set of multiple models for a much lower individual price. Some are just harder than others. A few considered "easy" on metal earths web site have been harder than ones considered "challenging" or "expert". I like the harder ones. Spending $7 to $10 on a model that I put together in less than 20 minutes sucks. Having the proper tools is a must. A pair of small wire cutters (I purchased the Hakko CHP-170 for less than $5), a small pair of pliers or two (I purchased at Hobby Lobby in the jewelry section), a set of small electronic/watch repair screwdrivers (to bend the tabs or to take apart when I mess up), and since my eyes are not what they used to be, a head magnifier or cheap reading glasses you can get at any dollar store. I search around the house for things that may help. Round pencils, small wood dowel, markers of different sizes, anything that fits the shape I need. Many of the pieces in the models are very small, and the tabs to be bent or twisted are hard to get to or manipulate. But isn't that the idea of a model? With all Metal Earth models, take your time and if something doesn't seem to fit then stop, backtrack, and look and see if you missed something or have a wrong piece in the wrong place. The instructions are easy to read, but on the more than 50 models I have put together only 2 or 3 have had an error in the instructions. I have learned that if you come to a spot in the instructions that is hard to understand then slightly twist the tabs. This allows for a much easier time taking apart. You can then bend or twist the tabs when you know it is correct. The tabs can be bent several times before they break (I can't seem to put together any of them without messing up and having to take a piece or two off to correct).

This was the first Metal Earth project I have ever tried. Very fragile and very small pieces. You will have to come up with some very creative items to be able to shape the pieces to where they will fit. I used everything from toothpicks, paint brush handles, miniature craft clothes pins and sockets. It's amazing how small these pieces are. The car comes in two flat sheets of metal. You have to cut them out. I did manage to break a couple of pieces, (the gear stick and steering column, but with some glue, they were fixable. At one point, I went on line and asked people that do these projects all the time for help. This is what I can pass along if you consider trying this: You may have to use glue, you may have to twist the tabs instead of bending them, and have small needle nose pliers, long needle nose pliers, small flat nose pliers, tweezers, wire cutters, and several very small items to bend your rounds pieces with. One big help was that I used a jewelers magnifier/light to be able to see how to connect the parts. One person suggested using crochet hooks, but I had to use a lot smaller items. When the car is finished it about three inches high and maybe three inches long. Once I figured out what I was doing- it was a definite challenge. I had ordered the Ferris wheel and the Black Pearl Ship also, and I returned them. It was just too small, too fragile, and too hard for me to see. The car is very detailed and looks very nice when finished, but it was too much for me.

Beautiful look. The detail is great and some parts even functioned unless I have the wrong car. My son had great fun building it