Asked for this at Christmas (just for something different) and got it. As someone who has 50 years experience building scale models, this was easy for me, but I would not recommend it for someone who has never built anything like this before, and kids will need adult supervision when building it.Aside from what's included in the kit, I'd also recommend that you have a sharp hobby knife, a good pair of tweezers (some parts are very small), and either fast-setting wood glue or a superglue that also works on wood.The main difficulty for me during the build - other than not getting fingerprints on the clear acrylic parts - were the clear plastic axle washers / spacers... clear plastic isn't very flexible, so I would defintely recommend using wax (included) on the axle pieces to put those washers in place; you will still need some muscle to get those in place.Breakages can be easy if you're not careful - this is just thin plywood for some parts. For any parts that push into the base, I'd suggest opening the holes in the base just slightly, otherwise you'll be putting a lot of pressure on a fragile part for a very tight fit. And yes, to repeat, be careful - these parts are fairly fragile just because they're thin plywood. Some parts should be carefully cut out of the sheets instead of just pushing them, and you should definitely trim / sand the parts where they were connected to the sheet.Following the instructions, the build was easy enough, and they do include QR codes in a few steps so you can see where a part goes or where it fits. The only exception - as far as doing the steps in order - would be the nameplate with its sticker (one of the last steps)... I'd suggest doing that as one of the first things before you build anything on the base, so you have easy access to the brass screws for it. Also make sure that you trim any excess from between the various sections of the spiral... follow the markings.Overall, the build was fun and easy - two (long) afternoons; I'd say that overall, assembly will take 10 hours or more. The operating machine... not bad, could be better. Make sure that you 'grease' wood pieces that rub against each other (especially the gears) with the wax included. The wedge that pushes the balls out of the acrylic gear and on to the track needs reinforcement, so crank slowly; otherwise a ball might not get pushed out, and could end up following the acrylic gear around, dropping to the ground.I would recommend this for someone who likes to build, but not necessarily as a toy that will get used often. Though you must admit that it makes a good conversation piece.
Rating: [4 of 5 Stars!]