Comparison UGears Roadster VM-01 vs Educa Venus De Milo EDU-16504

The age for which the puzzle is designed.

These recommendations are rather conditional, but you still should not deviate from them — primarily because a puzzle that is too “adult” may turn out to be too difficult for a child. In addition, kits for the older age category often contain small parts that a careless baby can inhale or swallow. The main age recommendations look like this: from 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, from 12 and 14 years old.

— Plastic. At a low cost, plastic is practical and convenient both in production and in use. Such parts can be given any shape and colour, they weigh relatively little; and the resilience of the plastic makes it well-suited for tenon joints commonly used in 3D puzzles.

— Foamboard. Sheet material in the form of a layer of foamed polymer (for example, polyurethane), glued on both sides with thin cardboard. Due to this foam board combines low weight and good rigidity. Another feature is that the details of such puzzles can be made in the form of flat sheets, which, when assembled, are bent in specially provided places and folded into three-dimensional structures. Thanks to this, quite large and voluminous items can be assembled from kits that, when unassembled, take up a minimum of space. In general, this material is considered perfect for puzzles that copy buildings ; most of the sets dedicated to architectural monuments are made of foam board (although there are puzzles on other topics).

— Tree. In 3D puzzles made of this material, individual parts are usually made of thin plywood; to achieve the required thickness, several identical parts can be folded side by side. The tree has a pleasant appearance and good strength, in addition, lovers of natural materials appreciate it. Among the shortcomings, a rather high co...st and sensitivity to moisture can be noted: in a damp atmosphere, a tree can swell and warp.

— Metal. Usually, thin sheet metal is used in three-dimensional puzzles. Such kits are rare: metal looks good, but for a number of reasons it is less convenient for 3D puzzles than plastic or wood.

— Cardboard. The material used in a rather unusual variety of puzzles — figures of complex shape (for example, in the form of a character's head from a movie), assembled from separate layers of cardboard. It looks like this: sheets of cardboard are alternately put on a vertical stand; superimposed one on the other, they form a figure. In other types of puzzles, this material is practically not found.

The general theme to which the set is dedicated. Note that belonging to military equipment is indicated in a separate paragraph (see below), and the most popular topics today are as follows:

— Architecture. Puzzles that replicate certain buildings or structures. These can be historical monuments of architecture and sights (for example, the Tower Bridge, the Arc de Triomphe, the Leaning Tower of Pisa), modern buildings (skyscrapers of the Empire State, Burj Al Arab), types of city streets, and even specific buildings like an oil rig or an assault tower of Ancient Rome .

— Ground transport. Various ground transport, both civilian and military: cars, motorcycles, horse-drawn carts, tanks, etc. Note that trams are also included in this category, but the railway is distinguished into a separate type.

— Air transport. Various flying equipment: airplanes, helicopters, airships, etc., both military and civilian.

— Water transport. For a number of reasons, among 3D puzzles, mainly sets dedicated to the sailing fleet are popular — including quite exotic ones (for example, Chinese warships).

— Railroad. Puzzles of this type can copy not only trains, but also station buildings, as well as very specific elements — for example, crossings or railway constructi...on equipment.

— Space. "Space" puzzles usually copy real equipment: rockets, shuttles, lunar and mars rovers, etc.

— Weapon. Replica weapons are often made fully functional and can fire safe projectiles like special rubber bands. A set of targets can even be supplied with such a puzzle.

— In the world of animals. Puzzles from this category can copy both very real and fantastic or historical animals — for example, dragons and mammoths.

— Anatomical. Puzzles dedicated to the anatomical structure of animals or humans. These can be either models of individual organs (for example, the brain or heart), or figures with transparent inserts that allow you to see the internal structure of organisms.

— Cartoon characters. Puzzles dedicated to the characters of cartoons, and sometimes real films (for example, Star Wars). At the same time, some of these kits, when assembled, are figurines of characters, others are certain objects painted in the style of a cartoon.

— Music Box. A music box is a mechanical device capable of playing a certain melody due to the rotation of the mechanism. Such caskets, assembled from 3D puzzles, are usually made clockwork — to play music, you need to start a spring.

— Marble run. Puzzles of this type, when assembled, are tracks along which balls roll. The main part of such a route is an inclined chute; in addition to it, the design usually provides for various additional elements: elevators, gates, movable dampers, etc. Modern 3D marble run puzzles can be quite complex and intricate.

The total number of individual pieces in the puzzle.

The larger this number, the more difficult the puzzle and at the same time the more interesting it is. At the same time, a small number of parts is not always a sign of simplicity: the parts may be small and may require some skill to assemble.

The most modest modern 3D puzzles contain up to 25 pcs. Numbers from 25 to 50 are generally considered small, 50 to 100 are considered average, and the most extensive sets can consist of more than 100 and even more than 200 parts.

The presence of certain moving elements in the assembled puzzle. Most often, these are various mechanisms based on gears or other gears — for example, wheels that turn when the steering wheel is turned, a retractable ladder on a fire truck, a movable crane arm, etc. Anyway, additional moving elements make the puzzle more interesting and attractive: such a puzzle is not limited to disassembly and assembly, when assembled, it is a mechanized toy.