...ugh. 10 out of 10 for ergonomics, Meccano, because we all have amazingly intricate fingers the size of wires, don't we...There's nothing wrong with the basic principle, but it seems Meccano haven't thought this through at all. I found myself in many positions in which it was nearly impossible to actually fix the nut to the bolt, in one case as I had a 2mm space to do so in. This was no mistake, although I was sure I must have made one, and this dilema eventually led to me scrapping the whole model as, try as I might, I couldn't continue. As well as this, the instructions are quite tricky to follow and the slightest mistake can lead to a long time dismantling everything you've done since going wrong - something easy to do with such hard-to-follow instructions. Even if something goes right, it is a constant irritation that nuts will either work their way loose from the bolts or be stuck so tight that you can't move or easily unscrew the piece you're connecting. That's why I've given this 3 stars for durability - it's either too durable or not durable at all, landing it nicely in the middle. A finished model, presumably, is more durable than an unfinished one, but that's hardly very good if the age group it's aimed at cannot achieve the former! (I'm not an excdption to the rule. In fact, I'm usually rather good with this sort of thing)
For educational value, I've given it 4 stars - it shows you a lot about how not to do ergonomics, how things that are branded as something fun and interesting aren't always as good as they seem (an important lesson for many children...), not to buy similar products again, and also that the actual mechanics of fixing nuts and bolts together is best done by machines, especially those they use at Meccano as they are the only things that appear to have the precision and skill to make these models!
Finally, for fun, I've given it one star. Of course making models is no fun if you never reach the finished project and are constantly frustrated by tricky, irritating stages of the building. I'm not saying that this shouldn't be a challenge; if it was all easy then there'd be little fun in making it at all; but Meccano have overdone it a bit here. Some parts are just not do-able. If you want more fun building it and something you'll actually complete, I'd recommend something similar from Lego. Lego Technic do motorised models similar to this for about the same price as this (although slightly higher in some cases, they're well worth the money, especially in comparison to this), and they are a much better buy in my opinion. However, I have given it the one star for two reasons - firstly because if it was actually do-able, it would be fun, and secondly because I drew so much pleasure from dismantling my failed attempt!
