Marble Runs

In today’s post we’ll be taking a look at some of these marble run sets from ROKR and will go in detail about each one of them.

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I got interested in these marble run sets was when I saw the movie, Fracture. Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling acted there. Anthony’s character had a big marble run set and I loved it right there.

These marble sets have the ability to hypnotise their audience. People seem attracted to watch the marble as it runs through the track. Although it is quite simple, for some reason people enjoy watching it.

And…

This is why today I will touch base on these ROKR marble run sets and review the four models they have available.

Some Marble Run Instructions and Tips

Before reviewing each model, it would be nice to know some general tips for assembly to avoid issues.

Marble Run Instructions Manual

Every ROKR model comes with an instructions manual. It is very important to locate this manual and follow each step through out the assembly process.

You must get familiar with this manual and learn how it guides you to put everything together.

For instance, look at the images and see how it designates pieces. Sometimes the parts will come numbered and you’ll have to match numbers.

Also, most of these manuals recommend to not pop out all the pieces at once, as it may be hard to identify them later. Instead, they instruct you to get only the pieces needed by section.

They usually go section by section, so you should be careful to follow these guides.

It is important to get familiar with these type of things, as this can mean the difference between good or great.

My advice would be to read the whole manual first before putting pieces on the table. This way you can expect things and know before hand what follows.

In the case of the ROKR marble instructions, these are easy to follow pictures. We are talking about step by step guides with directions for assembly.

You won’t get disappointed by these.

So let’s get into the details of these models and decide which is best for you.

ROKR Marble Run Sets Reviews

As you may know, ROKR is a world wide known brand that creates these fantastic wooden puzzles.

Yet, ROKR is more than puzzles. In fact, they have a some mechanical models that are amazing and pretty fun to play with.

This is the case of these marble run sets.

What is interesting about these mechanical kits is they need extra care for assembly. This is because at the end you’ll have both a great looking piece, but also something that must work in a specific way.

This means that if you force pieces or break something, it still may look good, but the parts may not move as you wish.

This is why you have to be patient while assembling these mechanical models. Make sure you follow the marble run instructions step by step for great results.

The ROKR marble run models are not the exception to this rule. And when done right, these are some of the best marble run sets you can find in the market.

What makes these so good is the quality of the material used to create the marble run parts. Every piece of plywood is laser-cut to ensure precision and safety during assembly.

Something else I love about these sets, is they don’t need any glue or tools to build them. While these sets may not be like the one in the movie I mentioned, you’ll have a great time with them.

Let’s look into the details of each model.

ROKR Marble Parkour Review

This marble run set honours its name, as marbles have to move through different obstacles.

In fact, the whole track looks more like a roller coaster where marbles have fun going from side to side.

Among the phases of the track you can find a spiral and a gear. While the spiral takes marbles to a lower level, the gear takes them up to start the journey once again.

The ROKR marble Parkour run moves thanks to a lever that the user moves. This is the source of power, so no batteries will have a role here.

Everything is mechanical and works when you make it work.

You can think of this as a downside, but in reality is the complete opposite. The essence of these sets is the mechanics of its parts. When you complete the model and watch it work, you can see the brilliance of the design of each part.

How each stage connects with the next and the previous one. How each part of each section has the right angle to work ok. How all this combined makes the perfect track for the marbles.

This is the beauty and the essence of these sets, and the marble Parkour from ROKR does that.

I already provided you with some general instructions to assemble these kits. But if you want something more specific, here is a video that can help.

ROKR Marble Climber Review

This set has two main parts, an elevator and a tower with different tracks that the marbles use to travel.

A lever is part of the set. The user has to spin this lever to power the entire system of gears that make the mechanism work.

With the gears moving, the elevator takes the marbles to the top part of the tower. Once there, another gear that works as an elevator takes the marbles one more level up. This is where the gravity takes place and does the rest.

The marbles will travel through the tower until reaching the lowest level of the set. Once there, the elevator will take the marbles up again and the travel will start again.

Completing the whole set will be after assembling all its 219 pieces. Doing it will take you some time, but in the end the effort will pay off.

This is the ROKR marble climber model. It has interesting tracks and paths that are interesting to watch.

As you may guess, this model is plywood made and the parts are laser cut. This gives precision to fittings and makes everything simpler for assembly.

In the spirit of honesty, the box comes with sand paper included. This is in case the pieces need a little trimming.

Also…

These models do not need any tools or glue for assembly. While this is true, it is convenient to have a precision knife like an X-acto for better results.

Nothing too big, but that is what I’ve seen is best.

Other than this, everything works as expected and the model is interesting to watch. Not only because of the marbles, but the plywood has some beauty that also catches your attention.

ROKR Marble Explorer Review

This is another plywood marble set model by ROKR. The ROKR marble explorer.

This set has a vertical elevator that takes marbles to the top of a tower. Once there, another elevator takes the marbles to the tallest part of the set and gravity starts to act.

There are two possible ways to go for each marble. A triangular box sends the marbles one way or the other. Each way has falls, curves, and a bit of crashing.

In the end, both ways merge into a single track and marbles meet to get to the elevator once again.

The whole system of gears gets its power from a lever that the user spins. This is a manual marble run set, and it will need you to move the lever all the time for the set to work.

I have seen that some people like to experiment with their sets and attach motors to them. This way the movement is for as long as the batteries of the motor last.

If you want to go this way, you have to be careful with the type of motor you use. Too much torque and you’ll rip the set apart.

The motor of course is not included, as ROKR sells manual models. The marble explorer is one of the four marble run sets available right now.

As with the other models, this does not need tools or glue for assembly.

But…

Having a precision knife available won’t hurt you.

Other than that, I would say this is fantastic marble run set bt ROKR.

And in case you need a bit of help assembling this model, here is a lengthy video that can guide you.

In case you need help, here is a video with instructions to assemble the ROKR marble explorer set.

ROKR marble squad review

This is the ROKR marble squad. The last of the four marble run models from ROKR.

You will have to assemble 236 pieces to complete this model. It won’t be fast, but your time will pay off.

In this case, we have a big gear going in circles that takes marbles to an upper level of the set. Once there, the marbles take another elevator which goes in steps.

With the last step, the marbles get to a bridge where they move thanks to the gravity.

After this, they take a tour through the set to finally arrive to where they started.

The whole set is plywood of high quality and the parts are precision laser-cut.

There are no sharp edges so you can manipulate the pieces with confidence you won’t get hurt.

Like the other models, you don’t need tools or glue to put this together. But… a precision knife may be useful here.

This is a mechanical model, so pay extra care and attention when assembling the parts. Last thing you want is to finish the model to discover something is not right.

In case you need assembly instructions for the ROKR marble squad set, here is a video you can use.

Last words about these marble run sets

I hope you enjoyed learning more about these sets. The models you saw on this page, are not the only marble run sets available. These are the ones that ROKR offers and I thought it would be nice to dedicate a post to these.

I will be writing more about other marble run sets in future articles, for now, enjoy these reviews.

Also…

Should you have a comment or questions, please let me know.

And…

Please do me a favor and share this on your social channels. That would mean a lot to me.

Hope you have fun with these sets.

Till the next one!