Metal EarthEiffel Tower 3D Metal Model Kit Fascinations

God I adore these. This was my fourth Metal Earth model kit and by far the easiest! I would absolutely recommend it as a starter kit for anyone unfamiliar with these models to get an idea of what they involve, if you have the correct tools of course (needle nose pliers, duckbill pliers, flush cutters, and tweezers at the least, though this particular kit needs precision tweezers). Be sure to check the dimensions and images of these first: they are SMALL and meant to be that way! Don't blame a product because you didn't research it beforehand, although I do think Metal Earth would benefit from offering product images that reflected scale. On top of having the necessary tools, understand that these kits take TIME and a lot of patience! This particular kit was pretty easy and only requires simple bends. Below I'll detail some notes and things to keep in mind for this build.The frames around the platforms can be a little tricky to bend at a perfect 90 degree angle without warping. Use the full length of your pliers to bend the entire part straight on two opposite sides first. Then just take the other two sides real slow with the duckbill pliers and move in small increments across the entire length of the fencing. The other thing to note is that twisting the tabs to attach the pieces is incredible difficult with normal tweezers for the ones that come up between the lil fences and the tower itself; I had to use angled precision tweezers that I just happened to have from a soldering iron set. If you don't have these, I'm honest not sure how you'd get those tabs twisted. So if you don't have precision tweezers and don't want to get some, maybe go with the cable car if this is going to be your first kit.But besides those things, this set is amazing for beginners I feel! All the pieces are very large in comparison to other Metal Earth kits, and it is a very straightforward assembly process that's hard to mess up. Just remember to be super careful with your bends: you only get one, maybe two shots before the steel is bound to break. Err on the side of caution with your initial bends and adjust as necessary.

This is the seventh Metal Earth model I've built and by comparison it was pretty easy. Once built it looks very nice. There is about a dozen pieces and with a little patience they go together without too much difficulty. I say that knowing there are many negative reviews about ME products so please follow these guidelines:1. Follow the age guideline of 14+ (with emphasis on the "+"). These are not toys and are not assembled in a few minutes.2. If you do not have any experience building models, especially small ones, you might want to try something else first. These are intricate and are only about 3" in size when finished.3. Building these requires precision and a lot of patience. Fascinations says it is easy to assemble but that is relatively speaking.I bought this for my wife who helped a little but was more interested in having the finished product. I cannot see her trying to assemble the whole thing as she would get frustrated. She has many great skills but they do not apply here. If you do have the skills though then you will be rewarded with a great looking piece. Also, the more of these you build the better you will be able do them. I did the tractor first (I later found out it is one of the hardest ones) and it was not perfect. But I used what I learned and my second one, the Sherman tank, came out much better. The Eiffel Tower came out perfect and I look forward to the next one.

I loved putting this together, it was fun to do, it looks great, and I've already ordered 3 more models. This is a relatively simple one, so it was a great first project.Be forewarned - the whole model is small, and those top two pieces are itty-bitty, but take a deep breath and hang in there. You'll need a good light and a decent pair of fine-tipped pliers. I'm using Xuron tweezer-nose pliers and they work really well to grip the tabs. I've also got a small pair of flat-nosed pliers that are useful for the pieces you need to bend. Some of the tabs fold over at 90 degrees, and some are twisted; that's indicated on the instruction sheet by small blue dots and green triangles. The ones that you twist really help lock everything together.The people at work were fascinated by the kit when I took it in to show them, and they loved the finished product. Take your time, read the instructions through completely before you start so you understand how it goes together, and don't be afraid to take a break and come back later. It's a lot of entertainment for less than the price of a movie ticket.