4M 404753 Mould & Paint-Zoo Animal, Multi, Natural, Earth Tones, Neutral

This is the 5th of these mould sets we've bought or received as gifts, we are big fans! In my rush to purchase I didnt realise that unlike the other ranges, this one only includes 1x bag of plaster, hence why it is half the price of the others. The detail of the mermaid design is a lot more intricate than other sets, (e.g. cupcakes) so would suit an older more careful child 7yr old+ more than a rushing 5yr old. Due to the need for precision, the makers have kindly included a finer point paintbrush and still the same amount of paint as other sets. You are expected to mix your own colours. This is not realistic for very young kids to achieve with these miniature pots so I always have our own ready mixed poster paints at the ready. Lovely craft set to kill a few hours. When mixing the plaster and filling the provided mould tray, we always have enough leftover to fill 2 or 3 extra moulds from our other design sets (see photo showing our bonus extras we made). If the child mixes the plaster gently they are less likely to get bubbles which make holes when the plaster is set. Fab set, but trickier intricate design than others. Amazing value for the length of entertainment it provides.

A lot of kids craft activities honestly are a rip off, they are either way too complicated or such terrible value and take five mins to complete. This is not one of those! This kit makes beautiful plaster fairies that you then paint. They are very easy to make and turn out beautifully. The paints they supply are pretty dire but who doesn't have kids paint? We used our own and they turned out really pretty. They give you a lot of plaster mix so you can make far more than the six moulds. Highly receoomnded and great value.

We spent a lovely Sunday making these. We over filled the moulds a bit - they don't need to be flush to the top, and the badges were a bit fiddly to keep out of the plaster of paris until it had set. I took off one star as my son really wanted to make badges and only a couple of badge pins were provided. As there is enough plaster in the kit to make a dozen moulds I'd have thought at least half a dozen would be in the box. However all other aspects are great. My son really enjoyed mixing the plaster and pouring into the moulds. And he loved painting them once set later in the day. Really nice product.

it was fun to make these magnets, but its not too easy for a young child to paint them because they are quite small. so don't expect the magnets will look like the ones on the packaging. nevertheless my daughter was very happy with her work.

I like to give my niece and nephew presents which they can spend some time assembling, and then enjoy whatever it is they have made & customised. It helps keep them quiet for an hour on a rainy day, and maybe even helps nurture their creative skills. I think they are great presents, and the children enjoyed decorating them.

It is easy to get started, all you got to supply is about 60 ml of cold water and a mixing bowl and spoon (plastic recommended). You will also need a pair of scissors to open the packets. The instructions tell you to mix water into the plaster. This is wrong! You must always put water first and then sprinkle the plaster on top. Once it's wet, you gently stir the mixture and pour into the mould. If you do it the way they suggest, your mixture will have lumps in it and be brittle. After you pour the liquid plaster into the mould, do not forget to tap the mould on the table to help the air bubbles rise to the surface. When the plaster is cold and has hardened, you can turn out the mould onto a towel. Break any extra plaster around the figurines with your thumb. You can smooth the edges with fine sandpaper if you wish but I am sure the kids will be eager to start painting. Advise them to start with the lighter colours first and let each layer dry before they proceed to the next. You will need to mix the paints for them in a palette because at a younger age they are not able to do this successfully. Protect their clothes and surfaces as the paint is not washable (no matter what they claim). The amount of times that strip of paint tubs has dropped on a carpet or overturned on the table... It takes increased manual dexterity and colour sense to produce figurines as beautiful as the ones pictured on the package. Some children may find using felt tip pens easier than using the brush as it is miniature work. Now to a bit of criticism to the product: 1) the moulds are not detailed enough 2) the plaster is not good quality. It is not Plaster of Paris (the white one which gives a really smooth and pleasant finish). 3) the pins are fiddly to insert so wait till the mixture has thickened (but not fully set) before you insert the pin and hold it till the surface hardens or it will drop into the mixture and be unusable. I don't like the pins and anyway the figures are bulky to be used as badges. But the positive thing is you can reuse the mould with some Plaster of Paris (buy it at any Craft shop) and keep experimenting. Craft shops also sell magnets. PS: to clean the bowl used to mix the plaster, wait till the remnants have hardened and then give it a bash against a hard surface and the pieces will come off easily. For environmental reasons and to save yourself from pipe blockage, do not pour powder or liquid plaster down the sink!

Made with my 3 year old, she loved painting them and adding the glitter.

I brought this as a fun activity for my niece's and they loved it (5 and 9). The clay comes out of the molds easily but you need to make sure there is no air bubbles, luckily the bubbles were on the back and couldn't be see. My nieces loved painting but couldn't always tell what bit they were painting. I had to mix a lot of paint to get the colours they wanted. We had no problems doing the badges as you do them when setting the clay but had problems getting the magnets to stick.

Me ha gustado mucho este kit para realizar figuras de escayola con forma de pequeñas hadas. Realicé la actividad con dos niñas (6 y 8 años) y un niño (10 años). A las chicas les gustó mucho, el mayor...bueno, se animó, pero después de decirle que no tenía que pintar su hada "cursi" como él decía. Hizo una "versión gótica" jajaja (véase el hada en blanco y negro). El producto viene en una caja tal y como se muestra en las imágenes. Incluye: - unos botecitos de pintura (sólo lleva unos pocos colores a partir de los cuales podemos obtener más mezclando los anteriores) - un pincel - una tira plana de imán (que se puede cortar y poner a nuestras hadas para pegarlas en el frigo, simplemente quitando un adhesivo que lleva detrás y pegándolo al hada) - un par de enganches (por si queremos hacer dos de ellas como broches) - el molde para echar la mezcla - un sobre de polvillo blanco que debe mezclarse con agua antes de echarlo en los moldes - un sobre pequeñito con purpurina iridiscente para darle un toque final de brillo a las hadas, muy chulo Como única pega, las instrucciones vienen en inglés, aunque lleva unos dibujos con los que se entiende bastante bien el proceso. Básicamente consiste en mezclar el contenido del sobre (polvo blanco) con una cantidad aproximada de 60-80 ml de agua en un recipiente adecuado. Hay que ir añadiendo el agua poco a poco y removiendo hasta conseguir una consistencia adecuada y en ese momento debemos verterlo en el molde transparente, en cada uno de los 6 huecos con forma de hada. Se solidifica enseguida, por lo que no se debe tardar más de 5 min en hacer la mezcla y verterla. Y se debe dejar secar al menos una hora para poder desmoldar y pintar, aunque si lo puedes dejar de un día para otro la masa estará completamente seca y el resultado será mejor (nosotros hicimos la mezcla una tarde y pintamos las figuras a la mañana siguiente). CONSEJO: cuando echemos la mezcla en los moldes hay que intentar que la superficie quede lisa porque si no los imanes lisos luego no se pegan bien por detrás a la figura (ver foto). Una vez secos y desmoldados se pueden pintar y decorar. Los colores que tienen nuestras hadas en las fotos no son los que traía la caja, al menos no todos. Las pintamos también con otras pinturas acrílicas que teníamos por casa, y echamos purpurina de la caja y de la que ya teníamos. Buena calidad-precio. Lo volvería a comprar.

the mould is hard and it creates a mess when making it. when the clay hardens, there are still bits and pieces falling out and it's not kids friendly as i got a cut myself from the broken pieces.

Meiner Nichte hat dieses Geburtstagsgeschenk sehr sehr gut gefallen . Vielen Dank , weiter so . Gerne wieder . Bis zum nächsten mal.

The Dragon Mould set is an absolute blast! My 9ear old son loved the hands-on creativity of molding and painting their very own dragons. The kit includes everything needed—molds, plaster, paints, and a brush—and the instructions are super easy to follow. The finished dragons turned out great, and the 3D aspect adds a fun, realistic touch. It’s an awesome activity for fostering imagination and artistic skills. Perfect for a rainy day or a gift for dragon enthusiasts, this kit provides hours of entertainment and proudly displayed creations. We just wish there was more Plaster Paris with it, so we ordered more separately. Highly recommend for kids who love crafts and mythical creatures!

Es hat meinem Kind viel Spaß gemacht. Das mitgelieferte Magnetband ist zu schwach. Wir haben stärkere Magnete genommen und in den feuchten Gips gedrückt. Das ging prima. Die Gießform ist leider ganz schnell geplatzt und hat Risse. Aber eine tolle Sache ansonsten.