Smartivity DIY Pinball Machine for Kids 8-14 Years Old | Global Award Winning Arcade Game | Build Your Own Pinball I Birthday Gift for Smart Kids | STEM Toy for Boys & Girls

I purchased the smartivity pinball machine for my 7 year old son, who desperately wanted a pinball machine for christmas. After looking at some tabletop machines, browsing through numerous reviews, and weighing the pros and cons, I decided that the likelihood of a cheap plastic machine ending up in a landfill after only a couple of months was probable, and not aligned with my less waste goals. Upon first opening his gift, my son was surprised as I'm sure he was expecting an electric game. Once we opened up the box to begin building he was very excited to see all the components, and he couldn't wait to start building. We first made sure everything that was included came in the box and decided it would be best to leave the sheets intact until we were prompted to take the pieces from them. Now let me get to the instruction manual. If there were ever an example of what a perfect instruction manual should look like, it would be this. The directions were exceedingly clear and concise consisting of written description and coordinating pictures of the front view as well as the reverse view which was very well planned out. There was honestly not one step of the way where we were confused on what to do next. we completed the build together in two sessions that were about 1 to 2 hours each, Which I feel is a perfect amount of time to inspire anticipation in my son while not causing frustration or burnout. We're getting to the best part now. This completed pinball game is so so so much fun! my son played for 2 hours straight on the first day. On the second day he played a total of 4 hours trying out all the different techniques and variations. I have never seen him so involved and interested in anything as I saw him with this pinball machine. My teenage son's friend has been over twice this week as well, and he was drawn to the pinball machine both times playing with it for a good amount of time. I especially love the balls in the vaults for keeping your score which doubles as math practice. Overall this has by far been the best online purchase to date that I have ever made, and it has been the most enjoyable thing that I have ever taken part in building. The pinball machine is solid, high quality, and obviously very entertaining as well. If you are looking for a great gift for an engineering-minded kid, I can't recommend this pinball machine enough. Buy it!

Can't say enough good things. What a wonderful project. Huge fun to assemble. Have to give great credit to the designers. Enormously clever, goes together nicely, directions are 98% clear and helpful (way better than average), parts fit and do what they're supposed to. A 10 year-old and 7 year-old were able to do everything with supervision. Took a couple of hours to assemble, but that was the point. And they loved the completed toy when it came together. Ingenious design and legitimately entertaining game, with many features of electronic pinball, but entirely powered by rubber bands. Recommend for parent/child teams who can work delicately and sustain attention to details. Maybe OK for unsupervised kids but they'd probably be at least early teens with good fine motor skills.

Absolutely wonderful design. My 11 year-old who enjoys putting items like these together was able to read the instructions page-by-page and complete the Pinball Machine. The colors are great, the ease with which he picked up the instructions and was able to begin again was impressive. He really enjoys playing with the Pinball Machine now. This was so educational with each of the steps needing to be completed in order. At age 11, this was definitely age appropriate.

This game is amazing! All pros, no cons. The quality is fantastic. The company is quick to respond. And the game, once built, is a hit with our whole family. (We have kids aged 43, 41, 14, 11, and 8.) The pieces are sturdy and well made. They are strong enough to withstand an 8 year old removing them from the sheets they come in while being just delicate enough to teach using careful movements. The instructions are clearly depicted in photos AND clearly stated with words. Great for visual vs audio learners. We did run into one hiccup which was quickly resolved with no hassle. One of the plastic plugs didn’t fit into the hole it was made for. When I contacted the company, I sent photos of the plug in question. The company sent me a replacement of the plug AND the sheet of wooden parts that it was supposed to fit into. As it turns out, that was great because the plug ended up not being the problem, but the hole; which was too small. So I was grateful they foresaw that solution and sent it without being asked. Once the piece arrived (took about a week) we finished the build quickly. For my 8 year old, the whole machine took about 3 different sit-downs of an hour or so each. If my Lego-building teen had done it, I think it would have taken him only slightly less time. I appreciate that the build took a while and was very involved while being simple. Mostly, I love that the game is so fun. A throwback to the computer game I played as a child in the early 90s. All three of my sons enjoy playing it as much as I do.

Definitely a favorite Christmas gift. It is suprisingly sturdy and functional for a DIY! So that end result- great. Well thought out and fun to play! Read on for assembly experience: I got it for a 5 year old who has been enamored with pinball machines and I couldn’t find one! I don’t think he would have been happy opening the gift as it came—a box with beautiful picture of a pinball machine with a bunch of “stuff” inside…. un-assembled. He’d want that thing in the picture RIGHT NOW! could be tough for younger kids. So we opened it the night before it was to be given as gift. We were fortunate to have an uncle (age 45) who loves to put stuff together. He spent 2 or 3 hours assembling it (while we sang “we are santas elves” from Rudolph). Had a whole table to lay everything out..recommend planning space. and, again— he LIKES to make stuff so we didnt deal with any frustration. The wood looked like cardboard at first but it is remarkably sturdy and right for this! The use of rubber bands— brilliant! Uncle elf Assembler said instruction booklet was phenomenal. Best instructions I ever saw with a toy! As far as the “child assembly with adult supervision” idea— I’d reverse that thought with the child “supervising”. Maybe an older kid (over 10?) with good attention span & patience could take part in assembly and potentially enjoy the process. A teen seemed interested and helped —for maybe 15 min. Perhaps an excited gift recipient (with patience), would get into it more. I think it would be alot for a younger kid to get involved with assembly. If you want it for the end result (working pin ball machine) and want to minimize adult—kid frustration, I’d suggest: —plan for 3 hours and assemble it ahead of time. —then wrap up the box with all the remnants of punch out parts too — so they can see what a gift it is to receive it assembled!! The gift recipient parents were VERY appreciative of that part! End result was worth it— a nice table top pinball machine which the younger kiddo loved (after some guidance on how to use the flippers WHILE holding the thing in place on table). Learning curve. I’d say a 4 year old on up would love it fully assembled. I don’t write reviews— (I am sure this is too long!) but wanted to share our experience because I really studied reviews before purchase. As others noted—It could be a “project” gift for kid/adult pair who like to put stuff together . But, if you don’t have that think about having someone to assemble ahead of gift giving day!

Age-appropriate, great quality especially for the price. It is educational and strengthens those fine motor and planning skills. The game is fun to play and is one that stays out on the regular!

This is way better than I expected! The instructions are good. It is a bit time consuming but I think 8-9 years old is an appropriate age. It’s really cool to see the final product and how it works! Build quality is very good considering the price and that it is diy. The pieces are finely cut and fit together perfectly. My kids LOVE it!

Where do I begin?! My 7 year old is in love with this pinball machine. At first she wasn’t super thrilled when she saw the box but once we got to work she was locked in for every single step (and there are a lot!) The build is part of the fun. The instructions are incredibly thought out and written perfectly. So much so, that my 7 year old did a significant portion of the build solo. There were no missing pieces and even included some extras. This is such a solid, sturdy pinball machine. My daughter has been playing for over an hour and this point and is not slowing down lol in this exhaustingly digital age, she is beyond delighted with having something real and physical to interact with. I never do reviews but I HAD to after this one. For $35?! I’m buying whatever else this company offers. This legit should have been closer to $100. Significantly cheaper than legos and 1000% more interactive. Buy!

A mio figlio è piaciuto tantissimo costruirlo, si diverte giocandoci e a sfidare gli amici. Lo consiglio!

We all have played pinball as kids and now I got a chance to assemble a set with my 7 year old daughter who loved doing it. This is an excellent toy and the quality is good too. I would highly recommend this.

Unglaublich genialer Bausatz. Alle Teile passen perfekt zusammen. Mein 7-jähriger und ich hatten großen Spaß beim Bauen. Die Anleitung ist so gut bebildert, dass man auch ohne deutsche Übersetzung kein Problem hat, ihr zu folgern. Interessanterweise lagen ausführliche estnische, litauische und lettische Übersetzungen bei, vielleicht fälschlicherweise. Es gibt kaum Plastikteile, sehr nachhaltig. Alle Kleinteile sind überreichlich vorhanden, so dass auch was verloren gehen kann. Und der fertige Flipper? Spielt sich super. Kein kurzer Gag, sondern ein tolles Spielzeug von bleibendem Wert.

Very good machine. Creative for everyone. Quite durable.

My 10 year old son worked on this off and on on Boxing Day and completed it with no help. It’s well made and the instruction book was clear. I was impressed and he really loves it and it’s actually a pretty cool pin ball machine.