MARBLE RUN REVIEW
Quercetti Migoga Spinning
International Playthings
Lots of interesting pieces, a little wobbly, tricky to work with.
MSRP: £27.90
Mfr. Recommended Age: 5 Years+
Total score: 58 points
Components: Good (70 points)
Ease of build: Average (48 points)
Engagement: Average (55 points)
Repeat Play Value: Good (67 points)
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THE SCOOP
The Fun
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Interesting pieces
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Catcher included
The Frustration
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A little wobbly
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Quality concerns
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No directions included
The Build
Components: Good
90 Pieces + 10 Marbles
The Migoga Spinning includes the largest number of building pieces of any set we tested. The set has some nice variety to it, including funnels, route deviators, and swirls. It also includes a couple of pieces that function as catchers to keep the marbles from shooting across the room at the end of the run.
The quality of the building pieces is just okay. They don't have a very sturdy feel to them, and a couple pieces in our test set cracked.
Ease of Build: Average
This is the only set we evaluated that doesn't include any step-by-step instructions, either printed or digital. If you want to build one of the examples on the box, you have to try to piece it together without guidance, and there's an obscured view of parts of the model.
But the real building problem is stability. Pieces of the run often fell over during our builds. The pieces connect snugly but also come apart fairly easily.
The Run
Engagement: Average
The Migoga Spinning fares well on the overall interest of the run once it's built. The pieces have sufficient variety to keep things interesting while the marbles shoot to the bottom. The marbles didn't get stuck during our trials and only occasionally flew off during the run.
This run takes a big hit, though, when it comes to engagement during the build itself. As we mentioned, the set doesn't include step-by-step instructions for a single build. While that might seem like it would make this set a winner for littles inclined to create their own designs, the set's instability makes it difficult to really get the creative juices flowing.
Repeat Play Value: Good
Our littlest testers were eager to send marbles down this run once it was assembled, but they showed little interest in building it anew once it had been put away.
Conclusion
The Migoga Spinning is a good price for the number of pieces included, and it's got enough variety to make an interesting run. The quality of the components could use a boost, though, as could the stability of the structure. The set would also benefit from step-by-step instructions for at least a couple of runs.
