Thames & Kosmos Gumball Machine Maker Lab - Build Machines with Physics & Engineering Lessons | 12 Experiments | Make Your Own Gumball Machines | Includes Gumballs | Award Winner

Purchased for a 5 year old friend for a gift. Hudson requested it and loved it. Wonderful gift idea.

My granddaughter loves this gumball machine

The media could not be loaded. First of all it arrive with a crack in the container to hold the gum balls. Easily fixed with tape but still. Plastic seems cheap overall and we were afraid of breaking it further the entire time putting it together.Got it as a silly gift for my adult brother and I and our father. We would probably rate it as a 2 but going to give it a 3 for kids.The mechanism to release a gumball was almost useless. It constantly jammed in both directions and was almost impossible to get a gum all out. This would be the biggest frustration for a child.Several of the “experiments” are overhyped, especially the claim that they teach physics. The dominoes is a disappointment - the ball is intended to fall off the track. Actually it’s intended to fall off for several of the “experiments”. The momentum trap track was basically just the same as the 180 degree track.A few experiments were fun though! Trampoline was cool, although assembly was confusing. Centripetal force funnel was also cool. Slingshot was definitely entertaining even as an adult.Be aware that you can only do a few experiments at once due to the height of the gym all machine, especially if you want to do ones requiring more height like the pendulum.Overall I guess I’d recommend it if it was $10-15 max but for the price it’s not really worth it and I could see it being frustrating for children.

I think this is a great gift for kids. Especially good for kids interested in STEM and have the patience to build. Id recommend 7 and older.Downside is that it's hard to no lose pieces over time. Plus like anything else, kids get bored of it.

This product is a pain to figure out and very cheaply made. I bought it for my eight year old and she could not figure it out. We followed the instructions and things did not line up. We watched the videos and followed their instructions and it did not work. The pieces keep falling off, the domino section does not work at all and the dominoes keep falling off their track. The gum ball dispenser just crushes the gum balls. It is so hard to turn it feels like the handle will break and we must constantly keep twisting it backwards to unclog a jam. I would not recommend this to anyone even if it only cost a dollar.

THIS WAS A BIRTHDAY GIFT FOR MY 12 YEAR OLD GRAND. SHE REALLY LIKED IT AND ENJOYED PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER. HER BIRTHDAY WAS IN DECEMBER, AND SAID THAT SHE ENJOYED BUILDING IT.

My son loves gumball machines and this has been a favorite of his Christmas gifts this past year. The gumballs looked like they had melted and they were no longer round and fit through the machine just right. I notified the company and they were so easy to work with and replaced the gumballs quickly.

The concept behind this gumball machine maker is super creative, and it definitely sparks curiosity in kids who enjoy building and experimenting. The variety of track pieces and physics concepts it introduces make it more than just a toy—it has a nice educational twist. The gumballs doing stunts is a fun payoff when things actually work right.That said, the plastic components feel a bit flimsy and don't always stay together well, which made it frustrating at times to keep the setup intact. Some parts are tricky to align, and the instructions could be clearer. It's fun once built, but not something most kids will be able to tackle alone. Overall, it’s a cool STEM activity with room for improvement.