Got this to send to our grandson in California.Kit was decent, but the instructions were not done very well.. anyway, I got it put together (I was a master auto mech for 40 years, so I could figure it out), started to run it.. the motor rotated, but the gears in the electric motor setup, were stripping once per revolution. So since I knew I could prob figure it out, I took it apart and saw the shaft was slightly bent, I straightened it, and that fixed it.I also added a micro on/off switch to the battery box, since they have no on/off switch..if you have some mechanical aptitude, you can do this, but I just wanted people to be aware.

Spent hours trying to get it to work. I know, part of the fun until it turns into frustration. Spent weeks on it and we are close but still can't get it to stay levitated but for a split sec.

Our grandchildren liked them and built them quickly.

My grand son loves the archialogical digs. He is 10 and this was probably the simplest one he has done, he prefers more of a challenge but he did like it.

LOVED THE IDEA OF THESE FOR MY GRANDKIDS, BUT HARD FOR THEM TO CRACK OPEN. HAD TO ASSIST, THEY HAD FUN ANYWAY EVENTHOUGH IT WAS DIFFICULT. HAD TO GET A SMALL HAMMER BECAUSE THE ONE THAT COMES WITH IT DOESN'T REALLY WORK WELL. ALL THINGS CONSIDERED IT WAS FUN TO DO WITH MY GRANDKIDS

Really hard to get some of the pieces out, but very interesting!

it was a gift. the grand kids enjoyed it played with it until they had it dug out and assembled

Great product but i purchased based off the smithsonian name. Which i paid more for the name while there are similar products with higher quality for less.<br />You pay for the name, not the quality

This was a Christmas present for my grandson, he really enjoyed it. He loves anything dinosaur

Very fun item for the price. Bought as a Christmas gift and my cousin loved it.

Adult supervision for my 4.5 yr. old grandson. Used a tray for 'dirt' and kitchen tools to aid in 'digging'. Completed project in an hour. He enjoyed it.

hard to break sand block

Cool project for the kids. Would like to see more.

Our 5 and 6 year old grandsons LOVED these! It did make quite a mess and I'd suggest &#34;excavating&#34; outdoors.

Firstly, this is an excellent toy to get for a kid (or adult) who enjoys the more tedious affairs of life and loves the feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. It's a great introduction to paleontology or archeology, and may even awaken the inner explorer.<br />The tools are decent quality, though the chisel showed significant bowing after being hammered multiple times, and the earpieces of the safety glasses became quite uncomfortable to me. Forget about using the brush for anything but future digging after you're finished with this project. The clay the skeleton is encased in is very soft and compliant, easily broken away with little effort. The skeleton itself is made of strong enough material (plastic) that it would take a purposeful attempt to actually break it, so damage done during excavation shouldn't be too much of a worry. Some useful tips if you choose to purchase this product: you can use the box it came in as your work area to keep things clean, just cut the front off and keep the side tabs taped together. If you're having trouble with clay stuck inside smaller parts of the skeleton, you can use the opposite end of the brush to scrape and loosen it. If you want to keep your model, use super or hot glue to stick the parts together more permanently.<br />Unfortunately - and this may or may not be the fault of the company so much as possible warping from the clay - the model is of very poor quality (at least mine was). The pieces fit together awkwardly and the resulting T-rex looks as if it were in a horrible, tragic accident before becoming a fossil, body twisted grotesquely to the point it can't even stand on its own legs. My excitement built up during my diligent digging was cast away upon assembly of this pitiful &#34;trophy.&#34; I suppose one could figure out a method of stretching and reshaping the plastic to force it to look presentable, but I found it hardly worth my time. So into the trash it went.<br />Overall it was a pleasant and enlightening experience, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who likes to keep physical mementos of such experiences.

Bought this for my nephew for his birthday. He turned 7. He lover it!<br />My 5 year old son got one for his Birthday in August and he spent 2 days digging for dinosaur! I highly recommend it. Just wish it was bigger with more boned to scavenge for!

Great fun!! Wll be hetting more of the same. Got the whole family involved!

My 7 yo son is onto dinosaurs and some friends gave the stegosaurus version of this kit to him for his birthday. While I recommend using tools other than those included in the kit (they are small, plastic and will turn this into a real time fossil dig). The substrate is extremely compacted, so metal tools make this more fun. As for critics of the quality of the skeleton; what do you expect for such a price? They have good detail and proportionality but if you desire to havethe bones stay in place over the long term, one word: glue. That said, this is about enjoying something with your child, that they enjoy. It's about the process not the end product! Great activity to engage with a child interested in Dinos!!!!

Was a gift to grandson,heard no complaints

Bought this for a friend who is obsessed with dinosaurs. Was great entertainment after we got coked out and needed something to focus on. The only downfall being the plaster dust everywhere. Was it coke? Was it plaster?