My oldest son found his love for building things in elementary school. Enrolled in the aftercare program he joined a group that did nothing but build things like the K’nex Cosmic Twist Coaster. This new found (or old by now) love did not surprise me at all. I loved Legos, Tinker Toys, and Lincoln Logs when I was little. My son is a lot like me in that sense and we both prefer detailed instructions on how to build a structure vs. using our own imagination. Imagination is more my younger sons style.
When the K’nex Cosmix Twist Coaster arrived my son was eager to start working on it. The first thing he does anytime he tackles a product such as this is to color code and arrange all his pieces into groups. I hate that I missed a photo of this, all the pieces were spread out over his entire bedroom floor.
K’nex Cosmix Twist Coaster
Build a spine-tingling space-themed coaster! With over 600 K’NEX pieces and over 19 feet of track, the Cosmic Twist Coaster is sure to thrill advanced builders and coaster fans. Features cool comet graphics and a lightning-fast silver car. Color-coded, easy-to-follow building instructions are included. Go to knex.com to download instructions for a 2nd awesome coaster. Ages 9+. Standard parts made in the U.S.A. Special components made in China. Packaged in the U.S.A
It took Buddy a couple of hours to get the coaster together and working. I thought it would take him a couple of days but looking at the package and noticing the 600 pieces and 9+ age recommendation I think a couple hours for age 14 was fitting. He had no problems following the directions and was able to find all the pieces he needed and put it together properly.
My daughter enjoyed watching the little car as it worked it’s way up the ramp only to race down to the bottom and begin the process over again. When we first tried out how the coaster work it seemed to work pretty well, speeding down the ramp with enough speed to catch the chain and make its way back up again. When I tried to replicate this for the video I was unable to adjust the track to get the little car to catch on the return trip up. You can also see that the car seems to catch at the top of the loop. It is best to leave the car alone so it can eventually catch and make the climb and speed back down the ramp. I believe there is some adjustments to be made and it would run a little smoother. My son was just not around to help when I decided to take a little footage.
My oldest son has often asked for K’next products for Christmas, or he has in the past. He has always enjoyed the challenge of working on building something and seeing the finished product. I would LOVE to see my son tackle this K’nex product the 6-foot Ferris Wheel. I would liken this to my challenge of completing a 3000 piece puzzle, that took me about half of a year. This beauty has 8,550 pieces and reaches 6 feet when finished. At an age recommendation of 16+ I think this would be a challenge worth seeing my son tackle.
Disclaimer: I received the above product(s) at no cost to me by the company or representing PR agency. Opinions are my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. You may read more of my disclosure here.