- Pathfinders STEM Kit – Leonardo da Vinci Helicopter Model kit Science Kits | stem Toy Physics Toys | Engineering | Learning Resources

This was my first time putting something like this together, and it was grand. All the pieces were there including 1 extra 4 cm gear dowel, and went together correctly and fairly easily. So the directions are pretty comprehensive. My only hiccup was the section on attaching the canopy.. If you want to be able to play with the amount of luff the canopy has more precisely between its horizontal supports and be more flush with them, for a generally better looking finished product. The best way it would seem to me, is to follow only half of the first step in the attaching the canopy section. Line the canopy up like it says, and instead of 2 put 1 dot of glue only on the inside of the top horizontal support. Then pin the canopy in place with one of the little clothes pins that came with it, where that other dot of glue would have gone on the outside edge of the top support. Then follow these same steps on every support, to the last support of the the first piece of canopy. Checking and adjusting the canopy as you work your way down each. Then go ahead and do step 3 of attaching the first piece of canopy, and then finally do the second step last. Allowing you to adjust the amount of luff and how flush the canopy is as you glue the outside edge to the downward spiral. Same idea for the the second piece and steps for the canopy. This method however will likely require trimming of the excess canopy cloth when finished like the note says. I'm letting any interested reader know all this because I missed the footnote that tells you the canopy may require trimming. Until after it was already glued, and the directions look as though they're telling you to line up and glue the edges of the canopy and the downward spiral as if the cloth was going to line up and fit just right the first time. No worries though, I made it look not so spottily luffed with some careful trimming on the inside egde, and creative adhesive work. No random foreign language problems, and the tube of glue could've used another ounce or two. Just coated mine with a 15 spf lemon oil which gave the whole thing a ton more character.

An excellent product, designed from a single drawing by Leonardo. Quality of materials is excellent. Assembly is thoroughly and entertainingly laid out. Being American, I'm unfamiliar with the metric system, which, of course, is used by this Canadian company. I was able to identify similar parts by comparing lengths, though. Instruction book also covers the historic and scientific aspects. The model is beautiful. I use it as a centerpiece on the dining room table!

Having no real building or assembly experience beyond that of, like LEGO and Lincoln Logs, I would say it was relatively easy to put together. It doesn’t spin extremely well and I may have got a little carried away with the glue on the cloth (it’s not super attractive to see the glue through the cloth). However, as an artifact for my classroom it’s a great piece for discussing Davinci and does actually work. It took roughly 4 hours for me to get together and the instructions are fairly easy tonubderstand. So yeah, worth it!

I liked it, it was fun to build, had to do some light sanding on most of the pieces but I enjoy that. Check the gear wheels to see if they are warped, sanding a bit should fix that, It’s wood after all. If you installed the canopy support dowels correctly the cloth canopy will fit, tight but fit exactly on mine, there will be be hills and valleys in the cloth, but small and flowing, looks good actually. A washer on bottom of main gear shaft helps a lot in keeping it from binding. The glue is really good, and there is enough.

A great little kit. I bought it to build with my kid, but it was just difficult enough that I ended up building it alone. Still it was a nice escape from the daily grind. A great gift for history and engineering enthusiasts. Should be fine for older children.

My son loved this. He put it together on Christmas morning and just enjoyed looking at it.

Got this as a Christmas gift for my husband who loves to put things together. As soon as all the kids left he pulled it out and started it. He spent a couple of hours working on it and is fairly close to being finished. It's apparently a great kit since he didn't utter one curse word or sigh during the entire construction of it. And it's a lot larger than I expected.... All in all, Santa did well ; )

Very cool model. Decent, sturdy materials. The sail is a little tricky to put together--to glue it down properly in its intended alignment. Read the instructions all the way through once before you start. Better for a teen or an adult and not a younger child.

Awesome little project to do with a young kid. Helps introduce simple concepts and mechanics. Makes a great decoration after completing.

debes añadir colas blanca para el montaje,

所々ハマりにくいパーツもありましたが、4時間ほどで完成。ボンドや、パーツも加工してあるので届いたらすぐ組み立てできます。

Mon fils adore ces maquettes: simples à monter et plaisant à découvrir.

Quel genio di Leonardo, precursore di tanti progetti realizzati grazie a lui. Artista, inventore, scienziato e genio. Per me, fino ad ora, è il più grande in assoluto di tutti i tempi. La vite aerea o elicottero è una delle immagini più iconiche di Leonardo ed illustra un modo in cui Leonardo pensò di come il volo sarebbe potuto essere possibile. Modellino non troppo complesso da montare (non sono un modellista e non ho esperienza in merito), a patto di seguire scrupolosamente le istruzioni della ditta inglese (circa 30 pezzi in legno e tela); gli inglesi, com'è noto, sono "precisini" e nelle istruzioni sono stati così dettagliati e spiritosi (classico humor inglese), che ad un certo punto, a metà del lavoro, hanno scritto e raffigurato una merenda, dicendo: "ora prenditi una pausa e mangia una merenda nutriente". Questa battuta mi ha fatto fare un sacco di risate e li ho perdonati per non aver scritto le istruzioni anche in lingua italiana. Consegna veloce il giorno dopo l'ordine. Amazon impeccabile come sempre. Consigliato per gli amanti del genere, ma anche a scopo educativo per bambini di più di 12 anni. 5 stelle meritate.