Ravensburger GraviTrax: Starter-Set | Innovative Marble Run & STEM Toy for Kids Ages 8+ | Engaging & Educational Building Game

Fun learning activities with the kids! Great for kids who like building and seeing how things work! This was a fun project!

The media could not be loaded. My 7-year-old has been asking for a marble run for years now, but I've hesitated because they all look so cheaply made. Even though Gravitrax is plastic and cardboard (which made me nervous at first) it has held up really well. I love how the Gravitrax is helping my son learn through trial and error. He loves building his own tracks and making his own stunts with the marbles. (The included booklets also have excellent setups to create.) Nothing makes me happier than when he runs to the table to work on a Gravitrax build after school rather than to watch TV. My only complaint is that Ravensburger doesn't sell all of the expansions in the United States. We want to try the tunnel and elevator!*In the video, we do have a few of the extra accessories- an extra Magnetic Cannon and a Hammer. My son created this build on his own, and it took some experimenting to get it to run perfectly. He was learning and having fun!Update July 2020: Everything is still holding up very well, and they did release the tunnel and elevator in the US, so we have both of those expansions now. (Of course there are other cool expansions not yet available in the US.) I still have only positive things to say about Gravitrax!

The media could not be loaded. Amazing game. Keeps my 12 year old son busy for hours. We got some more. 3 boxes

Son likes this he can create his own obstacle Course with these marbles.

I admit I have a certain fascination with marble runs, even as an adult. This one is different from anything else I've seen on the market, so naturally, I had to buy it. It arrived yesterday, and I've been experimenting with it for hours. This set is a lot of fun, and it's almost perfect, especially compared to the other marble runs I've had.The hexagonal grid is definitely unique, and takes a bit of thinking at first to get the pieces oriented properly. That's a good thing, though, right? :-) The marbles (actually steel ball bearings) stay on the track 99% of the time. The pieces don't actually lock together, and occasionally you'll accidentally bump something and knock a piece off, but it's usually easy enough to put it back. It's not really an issue for older kids and adults, but a young child whose lacks dexterity would get frustrated very quickly.I was a little surprised that the base plates are actually just cardboard ... heavy cardboard ... but cardboard nonetheless. It's only been a day, but they seem to be holding up fine so far. Other than the cardboard base plates and the steel ball bearings, everything else is plastic. From the video, I kind of thought the silver track pieces would be metal, but they're also plastic, and obviously need to be handled carefully.It comes with instructions in several languages (each language has its own pamphlet), and there are two pattern books that show different layouts, starting with simple ones all the way up to harder ones. I found them all to be super-simple, because it shows you step-by-step what to do, and where to put everything. Make sure you have your base plates turned the same way they do in the book, and use the green hexagons as guides so that you put the pieces in the proper places. Even the most complicated layout only took me about 15 or 20 minutes to do. It's worth mentioning that some of their layouts that use the cannon (included) , and I had to alter those to make them work. The cannon is surprisingly powerful, and would almost always send the ball shooting right out of the track. One ball has already rolled behind my desk and seems to have vanished from the face of the earth. They only give you 6 balls, and all 6 are needed for the more complicated cannon layouts, so that's a little frustrating. I did order all of the expansion sets and the other two "tricks" (loop and hammer), and there are supposed to be extra balls included with some of those. I wish all of the balls were colored, but it's not a huge deal. I got a red one, a blue one, a green one, and 3 silver ones.I like that the launch pad has a button that launches the balls simultaneously, making races more fun. The clear level platform pieces are sturdy and it's nice to be able to see through them. I wouldn't recommend building underneath the centers of the platforms, though, because if something needs to be repaired or changed, there's often no room to reach under and fix it. If you do build under it, stay close to the edges where you can more easily reach the tracks, otherwise you'll find yourself carefully lifting the whole platform and hoping it doesn't come apart. ;-) I wish the vortex piece was bigger so the balls would take longer to spin around it. Sometimes they just kind of drop through without any spinning action.Unlike some other marble runs, this set tends to be more horizontal than it is vertical. In other words, you're gonna need a big table. The four base plates measure a little over 24" square when assembled in a 2x2 layout.The starter set alone gives you a decent amount of pieces to play with, but you'll probably find yourself wanting the expansion kits and the add-on "tricks". The video that's in the listing is a little misleading, because you don't get the loop or the hammer with the starter set. Those are extra. They also show more than one set in the video, so go by the written list of contents rather than what you see in the video. I wish they sold individual pieces separately, because some items are only available in the starter set. I would've liked to have a spare launch pad, a spare catcher, etc, but best as I can tell, you'd have to buy a second starter set to get more of some of the items. You might consider buying two starter sets and the "tricks" add-ons, rather than a starter set, the two expansion kits, and the "tricks". The cost difference isn't much. It just depends on which pieces are most important to you. EDIT: Yes, in hindsight, I wish I'd simply ordered two starter kits rather than the expansion kits. It's about $7-8 more, but you get a lot more stuff.Value-wise, yeah, it's a bit overpriced for plastic, cardboard, and steel, but it's nicely designed, and you do get hours and hours worth of fun for the money.The set is very nicely packaged in a sturdy box (great for storage) and arrived in perfect condition.Edited to add this tip: If you have several level platforms and run out of the gray/black height tiles, use paper towel or toilet paper rolls cut to the right size instead. That'll free up a good number of height tiles, without having to buy more. :-) Usually 3 stacks of the height tiles are needed to support a level platform. I still use one stack of height tiles to make sure the platform stays in place, but I've been able to replace the remaining two stacks of height tiles with paper towel rolls. (Hope that makes sense.)

Pros:Variety of components for creativity.Fun learning of STEM concepts.Infinite track design possibilities.Expandable with cool accessories.Enjoyed by kids and adults.Durable.Cons:Initial setup can be complex.Additional expansions are pricey.Needs ample space for building.Pieces don't always securely connect.Marbles are quite small (tough for kids).

I ordered this for my son's 11th birthday. He loves them. He is able to be very creative in his creations and tracks. We plan on ordering a second set to create more complex tracks.

Got for my 11yo boy who loves building robots, it was very challenging for him