The Best Wooden and Metal Mechanical Model Kits for Kids and Adults

Mechanical model kits are the perfect tool to blend education and fun and create a great learning experience. These challenging kits are both educative and fun to build. Both kids and adults can have fun while learning and have a great time. The time spent putting these together is great quality family time, and the end result is an amazing decorative piece for any room or office.

What are the best mechanical model kits for adults?

All the models presented on this page are great gifts for engineers, in the case of adults. And for aspiring engineers in the case of kids.  

If you want your kid to learn complex concepts in fun ways, these mechanical models are ideal for that.  

In reality, science is interesting and entertaining. And it is due to bad teaching methods that school assignments may seem boring or challenging.  

But with these mechanical models to build, science is not only educative, but exciting and inviting. And more than often, kids seem attracted to dig more and more.  

This is why I created this site. It will help students, teachers, fathers and mothers to go about learning in new and exciting ways.  

Let’s go over some of the best mechanical model kits you can get, and explore the possibilities. As I just said, this site has mechanical kits for adults as well, so not only the little ones will have fun.  

I want you to know is these mechanical models are not expensive, and with this I mean they are less than 100 USD.  

And in most cases, you can find high quality models for less than 50 USD.  

So you won’t break the bank account here. Let’s look at some of these models and you’ll see for yourself.

I’m warning you, you’ll find some of the best mechanical engineering kits for adults on this page, so don’t be surprised if you start thinking about getting all of these and more.

Let me start with two of my favorites for you to have an idea of what we are talking about.

Advantages of these Mechanical Model Kits for Adults

High quality materials: Whether these models are wood or metal, the way these metallic plates or wooden sheets are created make them resistant and durable for the assembly process.

Easy and clear to follow instructions: These kits are fun to build, and this is also thanks to their instructions manuals are easy to follow and people can focus their time and attention building the sets and not trying to understand the instructions.

Exquisite Design: Each part of these sets is made to look good. When you finish building the kit, the end result is beyond beautiful and perfect to decor any room or office. More than one will stare at them admiring its complexity and beauty.

Functional models: These sets not only look good but they actually work. The cars can actually move, the clock do work to tell the hour, the Hurdy-Gurdy does make sound and the mechanical spider moves and walks. This is why these models separate themselves from many other assembly kits.

Educational kits for adults and kids: There is an educational component when building these sets. Putting pieces in order for later assembly requires a bit of a strategic thinking. This is one of the skills STEM toys want and look to develop. Then the mechanical aspect helps kids learn about how components fit together and to produce a functional model.

Unbeatable price: At the moment of this writing none of these models are beyond the 100 USD mark and some of them not even reach the 50 USD price tag. The value you get compared to the little money you pay is huge, so the cost-benefit with these model kits is amazing.

Great quality family time: These sets are great excuses to have some amazing quality family time. The building of the kits takes hours and is the perfect project to do as a team. Kids can learn from adults how to assemble all the pieces and have a great time together.

Reduce Stress: After a long day at work, nothing like getting a dose of your favorite hobby with one of these sets. The patience and the attention needed to put these kits together require you to disconnect from the world for a few hours and this translate in a reduction of stress.

Reputable brands: These sets are sold by companies and brands people love. The comments and reviews online are a testimony of this and the 4+ star-ratings keep growing every day.

Mechanical Wooden Models

If there is a material that is great for building these models that is wood.  

The reason wood is so fantastic is manufacturers can do almost anything they can imagine with it. Building with wood is also an ancient art form, so it makes sense to use wood for these kits.  

Also…  

You can paint on wood, add more details, and go wild with imagination if that is your wish.   Wood is light and has tends to give a vintage look to things that make them even cooler.   Last but not less important, wood is safe to manipulate, so you won’t hurt your hands when building with it.  

Let’s look at some of the wooden mechanical model kits you can start building right now.  

The Hurdy Gurdy Mechanical Kit

One of the most beautiful things that can science can define is music. Everyone knows music is the result of vibrations.  

These vibrations are a well researched and studied part of science. For now, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to introduce the concepts related to vibrations. This is because the first thing we need to create is interest.  

If students get interested in a science topic, all the related concepts will follow along. But the first step is to get them interested, to attract their attention.  

This Hurdy Gurdy mechanical kit is perfect to look at the scientific side of music. At the same time, when complete, you’ll have a real musical instrument that can produce sounds.  

A modern and real Hurdy Gurdy instrument looks and sounds like this.

Did that get you interested?  

If so, then the Hurdy Gurdy mechanical kit is for you. I have to disclaim this is a simplified version of the real thing, but you’ll be able to make music with it.  

This is one of the best adult engineering kits. The minute you open the box and see all the pieces ready to pop out, you realize this is a high quality piece.  

The model inspires its design in the 15th Century instrument. It resembles the medieval version of this magnificent piece.  

This Hurdy Gurdy model has detailed decor all over the place, and it helps look more realistic. You’ll love it the minute you see it complete, and will know this is a true piece of art as well.  

To start the music, crank the handle with your right hand. Then press the wooden buttons with your left hand to start producing different notes.  

By the way, as you press the buttons the sound changes because the length of the string changes. Same concept as with a guitar.  

So there you have it, we are speaking about string lengths and how this produces different sounds. Pure physics and math!  

This wood model kit comes with 292 components and you’ll need between 4 – 5 hours to complete it.

Definitely a must have for every music and wood mechanical model kits lover.

ROKR Mechanical Gears

Right when you see it, it can seem intimidating, but it is not. This pendulum clock is full of gears and connections that make it work like a charm.

A spring drives the whole mechanism and that is how the clock can tic-toc for 5 continuous hours.  

The model is 170 pieces and the manufacturer recommends an age range of 14+ to assemble and operate. This is one of the best models for adults there is, and kids can help with, and have fun together.  

Being this a ROKR model, the quality of the pieces is very high. The puzzle pieces are precision laser cut, which makes them safe and convenient.  

All the instructions you need to assemble this model come inside the box, so don’t worry about this. Everything comes detailed step by step.  

Of course you’ll see a bunch of mechanics involved here. This model transfer the energy from a spring to a set of gears to do the work. It would be interesting to do some research about energy transfer and how this works.  

In case you find any issue with the pieces or manufacturing defects, contact the seller and you’ll be fine.  

This model will look great wherever you put it once is complete.

Metal Mechanical Model Kits for Adults

I wanted to create a section of this post dedicated to metal mechanical model kits for adults. This is because these look great as well, and some people prefer metal models.

These metallic model kits also offer an extra layer of complexity when assembling them, since these require some tools and extra care to not scratch the surface or damage the parts. This is also part of the fun for the enthusiasts adults of metal model kits.  

If you are more metal-oriented, or the style of the room you want to decor goes better with metal, this section is for you.

Silver Bullet Model Car Kit – Among the best mechanical models there are

This is a 3D puzzle model for adults car kit that makes a beautiful, vintage car model. A Silver Bullet Model car Kit.  

Right when you see it, this item here catches your attention. It is impossible not to notice it. This is one of the best mechanical construction kits for adults.

The design is elegant and exquisite, and the polished metal makes it look even nicer.  

This car kit model is not only for decoration, as it also works with a spring. The energy from the spring transfers to a set of gears, to make this car move.  

About the spring, you have to be extra careful with it, as it is a sensitive part of the model and damaging it is easy.  

If you damage it, the car won’t move.  

Other than that, this is an amazing mechanical kit for adults that I’m sure will give you hours of fun.  

Metal Mechanical Clock Kit – one of the best mechanical engineering kits for adults

Continuing with metal mechanical model kits for adults, here we have a model of a vintage clock.  

Again, right when you see it, it is impossible not to ask or watch closer.  

These engineering models for adults are super elegant because of the polished metal and the exquisite cut of the parts.  

Besides, this clock lets you see the inside of the mechanics that make it move.  

Like the Silver Bullet, this clock is functional as well. It moves using a spring.  

The spring is a very sensitive part of the model and you should treat it with extra care.  

All the instructions to handle the spring come inside the box, so pay extra attention to those.  

Once you put everything together, you’ll be very happy with the result.

Wooden Models for Kids

This is a popular kit that is also an educational robotics kit.  

It will fit best 6+ kids given the size of the parts it has. It will create interest in crafts and science.  

At the same time, this kit combines some basic engineering concepts in engaging ways. This is a great wooden kit that make perfect sense for kids.  

All the instructions needed for assembly come included inside the package.  

This kit comes as well with a glue that will help you connect some wooden pieces. This adds a bit of complexity to the task, and make it interesting to have fun with.  

Something interesting about this kit is that it comes with a remote control. This makes it a pretty unique model, as you get to see the circuitry of this technology.  

The solar panel as well is interesting on its own, as it introduces the topic of clean energies.

This is a great wooden kit model for kids and one that is pretty educative and fun to assemble.

Wood Trick Mechanical Spider 3D Wooden Puzzle

This is another mechanical, interesting, fun, and educative wooden kit for kids.  

A 3D spider wooden puzzle with 245 pieces to assemble and have fun with.  

Being this a mechanical kit, once assembled, this spider will move up to 7 feet.  

Many people may find spiders and spider models a bit repulsive. The truth is that we have learned a lot from how spiders move and applied that to technology.  

It is very interesting to learn how these beings move and do all they do. The concepts related to the biomechanics of this model are awesome.  

Closing Comments on these model kits for adults and kids

I enjoyed writing this post. I like everything related to mechanical puzzles for adults or for kids.  

I can enter libraries like Barnes & Noble and spend hours at the models and puzzles section.

I guess it is because of how these mechanical kits present science in a playful way to everyone.  

It is my wish you can find these interesting and playful ways to get closer to science with the posts I write.  

Feel free to leave comments or questions you may have. I enjoy learning about my readers and how they feel about these kits.