Child's age
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.
Difficulty level
This setting determines how time-consuming and demanding the process of assembling 3D puzzles is. Gradation by levels of complexity helps to select those models that correspond to the experience and skills of the user.
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Easy. Easy assembly level suitable for beginners and children. As a rule, these are the simplest models with a minimum number of moving parts. With a gradation of difficulty of 5 steps, the easy level is usually designated by the numbers “1” or “2,” but if there are 7 or 8 steps, by numbers from “1” to “3.”
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Average. The target audience of such models are users with some experience. This could include detailed cars, buildings with interior detailing, etc. For manufacturers with gradation of models into 5 levels of complexity, the average rank is indicated by the numbers “3” or “4”, for 7 levels - “4” or “5”, for 8 levels - from “4” to “6”.
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Advanced. Advanced level 3D puzzles are aimed at experienced modelers. They often contain a large number of small and detailed elements, complex and point connections, moving parts, and assembly may require the use of various auxiliary tools and materials. The advanced level is ranked as follows: for manufacturers with a 5-step difficulty scale it is designated by the number “5”, with a 7-step difficulty scale - by the numbers “6” and “7”, with an 8-step difficulty scale – by “7” and “8”.
Type
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:
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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 .
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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.
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Air transport. Various flying equipment: airplanes, helicopters, airships, etc., both military and civilian.
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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).
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Railroad. Puzzles of this type can copy not only trains, but also station buildings, as well as very specific elements — for example, crossings or rai
...lway construction 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.Number of pieces
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.
Moving elements (mechanics)
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.
