I’ve been looking at 3D pens for a while (for myself ) and the opportunity came up to review these kids sets from I do 3D which we were delighted with. Logan and I stepped up to the challenge and I have to admit the airplane project is very intricate and so we worked together on this project very carefully as fusing some of the parts together did require two pairs of hands. One to hold the pieces together and one to hold the light.
The box contents included two coloured pens alongside a worksheet with templates, a transparent sheet to work on and also a little mould to work on some extra projects. We completed our plane in about 45 minutes and made a few little mistakes along the way but we got there in the end and we’re delighted with the end result. The pens are squeezed and then a gel like substance comes out instead of ink.
For this project we traced carefully over the 2D design template on the worksheet – placing a transparent sheet over the top of the paper and you use the blue light to cure them (a bit like they use in a nail salon) and then all of your components can be gently peeled off before finally constructing the plane by using the gel from the pens as a glue. It takes a couple of seconds for the gel to cure, depending on the thickness of your design so we took our light off the pens to give us more time to be accurate.
There was more than enough gel in the pens to be able to complete the project, fill the moulds to make some shapes and then get creative with drawing some freehand items – we went for our names and some simple shapes and are delighted to have a second project to try on another rainy day. Logan said he might give the plane another go all on his own using the opposite colours as a challenge.
We worked on a laminated table top and it wasn’t a challenge to clean up as the cured gel simply peeled off but you could work on a plastic tray if you have wooden surfaces. Overall I’m impressed – these retail at about £11-£15 from toy shops and online retailers. I think they’re a great gateway product for creative and construction minded kids to get the hang of working with 3D design concepts and have a little play before considering some of the more expensive products on the market. Pitched at 8yrs+ and I’d say this is just right with adult supervision.
What a fab idea!
These are super cool make a great gift