UGEARS Astronomer Table Clock with Tourbillon - 3D Wooden Puzzles for Adults Model Kit - Mechanical Clock Kit Functional DIY Wood Model Kits for Adults, 3D Puzzle for Puzzle Lovers

Background: This is the second UGears model that I have assembled and just like the first one (Steam Locomotive U-460), the plywood quality felt very good and hefty and the engineering put into the model was very impressive. I purchased this clock thinking that all the lessons I learned from building the Steam Train would make getting this clock smoothly functioning in a jiffy. I was extremely wrong in this assumption. Assembly: My kit was missing the cardstock for the clock dials, but I contacted UGears's customer service and they mailed me the parts to me with no charge. Very nice! It took me 3 days to assemble since I spent the time to wax and sand for a soft finish on every surface (it is imperative that a 90 dollar kit should look and feel good). The build was very complex but satisfying to engage with. I however do recommend buying your own set of quality round toothpicks as I found the ones provided to be of quite low quality. Also, consider buying own your supply of paste wax as you will need a lot more wax than what the kit provides. The instructions for installing parts were clear, though I had to look online to understand some of what was happening when it came to the moving/calibration steps - the descriptions there were a bit lacking. Fortunately a QR code in the manual pointed me to videos that I found helpful. Tuning: It was daily process of fiddling with the tourbillon to figure out what needed sanding or further lubrication. After assembly without tuning, the clock would run for a minute at a time before seizing - which wasn't up to my standards. Learning how the mechanism works before fiddling with it and sanding down actual geometries is vital for not bricking this expensive puzzle. I did craft some parts myself, such as a cleaner pallet lever with lower friction gems and a longer guard pin essentially get near perfect performance. It runs as advertised now, keeping up power for 2ish hours before stopping. I am now extremely familiar with the Swiss lever escapement mechanism. If I had some final tips - it would be that friction is the enemy, and always know how things work before deciding to make permanent modifications. Conclusion: This is a very nice kit and the plywood is of good quality. Costumer Service was helpful in proving me with missing parts and had a fast response time. The toothpicks and wax provided are insufficient in quality and amount so it would be best to purchase your own. The Clock is unlikely to work well right after assembly and will require to be taken apart for further tuning. Perfecting the clock is time consuming process and requires a passing level of knowledge or mechanical intuition but doing so will result in a clock that runs as advertised. I recommend this to anyone with a passing interest in these sorts of things and the patience to back it up.

5 Start because the kit is well made, easy and fun to assemble. BUT... The instructions are sparse. if this is your first kit it will be hard. Prior experience is useful. The main problem is with the Tourbillon (spelling?). The instructions are not very specific about how to make the clock movement work. The instructions indicate 10m to 'reseat the tourbillon'. The images are not too clear. After multiple days and a total of few hours or trying, I was only able to run the clock works outside of the main assembly, and only in the upright position. Which is a problem for such a mechanism (the tourbillon is designed to rotate on three axis, to counter the effect of gravity on the timing). When it was running it was very successful, nice movement, nice sound... Only added to the frustration of not being able to run the clockworks inside the assembly. My guess, after many hours, is that the friction of some of the key parts is just too great. it does not take much. the friction of wood on wood is high, and it adds up. My recommendation is to make sure you use the sand paper very extensively, use the wax liberally, and put two of the spacers provided where one is called for. All in the effort to reduce the friction. I also think the 'reseating the tourbillon' mean running it with manual assistance for some time. The movement should reduce the rough spots with use, making the whole smoother. And last, maybe enjoy how it looks and lower your expectations as to the function.

Update 9/24/2022: It's been over a year and the clock still runs. Now that it's thoroughly broken in, I reduced the weight in the bag to about 2 1/2 lb. and it runs fine. I messed with the balloon mechanism and now it works much of the time. It's still lousy as a timepiece, and it still gets stuck occasionally, but I didn't buy it so I can get to appointments on time. ===================================================== Update 10/31/2021: Almost three months later, the clock is still running. The short video was shot tonight. It has run pretty much continuously, except for the times I forget to wind it. The issue with the balloon still exists (see below). I solved the problem by disconnecting it. So the balloon now just hangs there, doing nothing. The clock is still not good at keeping time, but it happily ticks away with a pleasing tick-tock sound. I wonder how long it will last... ===================================================== I've built several Ugears puzzles over the last several months. This clock went together as well as any of them, there were no missing parts, and it was fun to assemble. It's hanging on the wall right now, ticking away behind me as I type. It sounds like ... a clock. lol It does not keep good time, though. It gains or loses several minutes a day. It's raw wood, so it's highly susceptible to temperature and humidity changes. The biggest problem is the balloon. About 30% of the time, when the balloon drops, the gear that is supposed to lift the balloon back up clashes rather than meshes with the driving gear, and the clock stops. Yes, I sanded and waxed appropriately, and tinkered and tinkered with it, trying to get it to reliably work. I gave up. So now I think of it as a clever knick-knack... But it's cool, I'm glad I got it, and would probably buy it again, even knowing what I know now. Just know you're buying a well-engineered puzzle that mostly works, and not a timepiece.

This is an excellent kit, and I had fun building it and putting it together. I have it adjusted very well, but I do have trouble winding it every day. The mechanism catches on the inside when trying to pull down the little car to wind the sandbag weight. It’s really finicky and I’m not sure what it catches on inside the drum. It’s really hard to get it to release to pull the car down so you can wind it. Has anybody came across this situation or has a fix for it? I’m at a loss. Thanks.

This is a really intricate cool project for my husband. He has loved working on it! They have backed up their products when he accidentally broke a piece. He ordered a replacement and it came fairly swiftly from the Ukraine! Very cool! I would definitely buy something else from this company!

Don't get this. Go check out the models from Robotime instead. By far the worst model I've put together. Once assembled, if you get that far bc the pieces are so difficult to put together, it won't keep time, even if it worked. The tourbillion gets started but never keeps going and so it doesnt actually do anything. And, be careful. If you even don't get the lock engaged, the spring will unwind and someone could lose a finger. Wish I hadn't spent the money on this one

This is about the fourth UGEARS model I've built, and by far the most expensive and complicated. If you've built their models before, you know the routine: go slow, look at the diagrams _very_ carefully, and if something doesn't make sense or seem to work, take a deep breath and look at the diagram(s) again. They do a good job of illustrating the process. But, as I assembled this model I began getting increasingly concerned about the practicality of trying to make a complicated piece of machinery like this work smoothly when everything is made of wood. Wood isn't the most frictionless material around, and not the most accurate when it comes to critical dimensions. And, even though the kit does consist of very well-cut snap-out plywood parts boards, there are some pretty sketchy concepts involved in assembly, like using toothpicks for axles, and very unreliable methods for trapping the ends of the coiled springs that power the model - very easy to have them snap free under tension and render the model useless. If you need detailed written instructions, this isn't the kit for you; almost every step is presented in diagram form and you need to be able to interpret the visual data into usable assembly information. I did have to contact UGEARS' customer support to replace a missing part (I lost it) and to ask a question about assembly. They responded promptly in both cases. Long story short, got the model built, fiddled with it for a while to make sure parts were moving smoothly, cranked the mainspring as directed, something deep in the interior snapped and fell out, and this model will now serve as fireplace kindling when winter arrives.

Beautiful! Took a bit longer than expected to build but so worth it. Winding the strings I did have some issues so please be carful when assembling it. No issues with leaves breaking but take note they are thin so a light handed approach to building will help.

This is the first time I’ve built one of these wooden models, and I gotta say it was super fun. Instructions were pretty clear for the most part and the end result feels like a solid mechanism. Didn’t break anything and got all the strings set up without too much trouble. It looks great, especially when it’s in operation. All that said, don’t expect it to work smoothly without putting in some extra effort to fine tune it. It’s super important to sand all the places that are indicated in the instructions, as well as any gear faces that may pass against the static supports. Especially important to sand the pendulum and escapement gear. The wax included in the kit is tricky to apply properly to the gears, so I got some candles from the dollar store and applied melted wax with a paint brush. That took a bit of time but overall it was enjoyable. I’ve spent a bit of time trying to break the clock in, and so far I’ve been able to get it to go for about 15 minutes before I need to give it a slight nudge. It’s improving quickly with more use though, so I’m feeling optimistic about it breaking the hour mark by the end of the week. Edit: 1 day later and it’s going for more than an hour now at a time now. Didn’t do anything except keep nudging it along to break in the mechanisms. I’d gladly build more of these models if I had the space for it!

Todo bien. No es difícil de hacer y pasas un rato entretenido. La pena es que el reloj no funcione las 24 horas, si fuese así se acabarían desgastando las piezas

初めは長く動かなかったけど、しっかりメンテナンスしてら動くようになりました。 付属の蜜蝋が塗りにくくて塗りやすい部分しか塗らなかったら15秒ぐらいで止まっでしまうので、別で蜜蝋クリームを購入して塗り始めましたがなかなか塗るのに手こずりました。 その時、歯車という名前で閃きました。 歯車というぐらいなのだから歯ブラシを使用してガシガシ塗り込んだ所、止まらなくなりました。横回転させる部分の軸受け回転部と下部構造の溝の深い歯車にしっかりと塗り込んだ所、現時点で5分以上止まらなくなりました。（稼働時間確認中） 潤滑は大切です。

Heel mooi. Wel voorzichtig ermee zijn. Ben er druk mee. Fijne tijdsbesteding. Hoge kwaliteit en duidelijke omschrijving. Prima product.

I don't do reviews, but in the case of the Ugears aero clock I just had to make an exception. The design and construction of this kit is definitely on another level. You get what you pay for in life. The build quality is of this kit is at the highest level. All I would say to would be buyers is take your time. Yes you could probably have it all together in a far less time than the 11 hours indicated by Ugears, but the result would certainly not be a working clock. Care and attention to detail are required. Sand all rough edges and pay particular attention to those parts with mating surfaces. Anything that rubs against or contacts with another part benefits from more attention when sanding and waxing. The smoother the better. The instructions are excellent, but in my case I had some difficulty in understanding the cord winding. Youtube did however quickly solve my problem. The end result is fantastic. Visually a work of art. A work of art that actually keeps good time and a pleasure to watch as the hour sees the balloon quickly descend from its slow rise over the hour. Personally I would not consider this kit as complex. Not for a child that wants quick results, more suited to teenagers and budding teenage adults who want to spend time creating something to be proud of. If you take your time and follow the instructions carefully you will love what Ugears have helped you create. Looking foward to my next Ugears kit. Have made many hints to Santa