UGEARS3D Puzzles Research Vessel - DIY Model Ship 3D Idea - Unique and Creative Wooden Mechanical Models - Self Assembly Woodcraft Construction Kits

As someone who loves intricate puzzles, the Ugears Research Vessel was a captivating challenge from start to finish. The attention to detail in the design and the satisfying click of the mechanical components coming together made each step of the assembly process incredibly rewarding. However, I found that patience was key, as some parts required delicate handling to avoid breakage. Once completed, the finished model was truly impressive, with its moving parts adding an extra level of fascination. Overall, the Ugears Research Vessel is a must-have for anyone who enjoys both puzzles and model building. I definitely recommend this product. With the level of difficulty, I recommend 15 years old and up.

The media could not be loaded. THis is a very interesting model with a lot of pieces to assemble. It will take you plenty of time and a good deal of patience to get it right. I have built ten of UGears models and several from other companies, this is not the most difficult, or the most complicated. Thend rocker gear motor in this is not very complicated, it just takes patience to get it assembled. Sand the gear teeth lightly with fine sand paper (I use 320 grit) and wax them well ( a common paraffin wax candle works better than the supplied wax). Sand all the bearing surfaces and wax them well. The pendulum gear and rocker need to be smooth and waxed. If it moves or slides, wax it. I don't think you can overdo it. once the mechanism is together, you need to wind it (the instructions say 5x360 but that is wrong, it should be 5x180) and run the mechanism. You will have to help it along by hand the first couple of times, but after it wears in it will begin to function on it's own. It usually takes four to six runs through a winding to get it working well. The rubber bands fit the wheel parts just fine, but you have to stretch them to get them in. You might need two people, or a bench vice like I used to get the bands in the small retainer. Wax the tabs on the wooden parts before you push them in, they go in much easier, wax the toothpicks too, it really helps. There are only a few pieces that use toothpicks, and they are on the external components, not the gear mechanism. This ends up being a very nice looking model. It works well and mine runs about 9 feet on a wind. Another quality product from UGears.

This was a pretty fun model to assemble. It was definitely time-consuming to do it properly. I’ve done a lot of these type models and this one ranked as one of the most time consuming. I could have done it much faster, but I didn’t want to break anything and I wanted it to function properly the first time. I succeeded in that, but with a lot of effort and patience.Like their other model kits, the instructions were mostly pictures. This is great as it provides details and makes it easy to know where pieces are found where and exactly what the pieces will look like when assembled properly.Other pros of this kit are the multiple different types of materials used in the construction. Of course the wood pieces are similar to other models, but the use of rubber bands to attach the life rafts to the ship and nylon cord to form handrails added a fun challenge. I also liked the larger piece of sandpaper that came with this model compared to their others. It was helpful for the larger pieces to be sanded more quickly and also made it a little easier to hold for sanding the small pieces.A small criticism would be that some of the sheets were cut with wood knots on some of the most prominent exterior pieces, which takes away from the beauty of the completed project. I understand that’s how wood is sometimes, but surely they could use those pieces as interior pieces that don’t affect the exterior appearance.Overall this was a great model and I would recommend it for experienced builders of these type models, or for a beginner with a LOT of patience, but it really isn’t for kids or people who don’t want to spend some time to build it properly.

Wonderful quality, amazing guid book, and beautiful final product. I just received another ship kit from another MFR and it was a piece of junk and way more expensive. Get this kit, you won't regret it.

Okay so I'm gonna do this in parts. First, it takes a very long time to build compared to some of the other smaller ones, that's a good thing. It took me over 10 hours but that was with me not taking breaks so it could take longer if you go easy on yourself. Secondly it works, it doesnt work well but I think that's more of my lack of experience with these mechanical builds (this being my first) but it does work. Third, the instructions are great, they even call your attention to small little things you need to pay attention too which is a great little addition I've never seen building models. Lastly, even though it will hurt your fingers it's an amazing build and I couldnt recomend it more. At first I felt it was a little pricey but now that it's done and it has so many moving parts it is so worth it to me!

I enjoyed building this model. It went together, well, very few frustrating moments, as it is a little difficult. The pieces release from the plywood sheet easily. There are a lot of parts on this model, so it took some time to put together.

Fun to make and cheaper than on the UGEARS site.

This Model is Super Fun to build! Extremely well crafted. the parts fit very well and most important, the instructions are great! Wish I could get all of them! I would highly recommend..except, regardless how careful I was in the construction, it will not run. Also, you may have difficulty if you have very large hands as many of the pieces are quite small.