Ugears U-9 Grand Prix Car Model

When I saw that big V8 with working pistons and valves, I just had to get build one. This car kit is very cleverly made from thin plywood and the instruction book is very detailed and works well.I originally assembled the whole car as instructed using wax as a lubricant but I found that the car didn't work very well at all. Even though it looks cool as a stationary model, I wanted motion so I disassembled the entire car, including the engine and started over again.This time I did a better job to lightly sand every friction point including every gear tooth to remove the wax and make the parts work smoothly. I also used a very small amount of white lithium grease and light oil at every friction point and the car now works very well in forward motion. Neutral and ... MoreWhen I saw that big V8 with working pistons and valves, I just had to get build one. This car kit is very cleverly made from thin plywood and the instruction book is very detailed and works well.I originally assembled the whole car as instructed using wax as a lubricant but I found that the car didn't work very well at all. Even though it looks cool as a stationary model, I wanted motion so I disassembled the entire car, including the engine and started over again.This time I did a better job to lightly sand every friction point including every gear tooth to remove the wax and make the parts work smoothly. I also used a very small amount of white lithium grease and light oil at every friction point and the car now works very well in forward motion. Neutral and reverse are still a work in progress.Note: spare parts are only available to US, they will not send spare parts to other countries so be extra careful not to break parts. I found the crank handle and Part #83 are not strong enough to wind up the rubber bands and they will break so I made parts 122 and 83 out of metal. So even though the car isn't 100% wood now, at least I can wind it up and watch that great big V8 spin and propel the car! Great job Ugears.

Finished kit makes a perfect display item and conversation piece. It's not durable enough to be used more than a bit -- it's not a child's toy. Visually it's stunning on the bookshelf. Worth the time, challenge, and money, without question. Some very clever innovations throughout the design. Engineering is tops, presentation, laser cutting, wood quality, all excellent. It took about 15-20 hours for me to assemble the kit, but I'm an old man and I took my time to make the experience worthwhile. I have immediately ordered the new Cobra presentation and look forward to the assembly. I did make two non-fatal errors during assembly that I discovered quickly and corrected. Part of the fun. Truly a great modeling experience. Thank you UGEARs for a superb model.

While this project was intermediate as far as difficulty was concerned, it was a challenge for me for two reasons. First, I have a condition known as essential tremor which causes my hands to shake quite a bit. I also have osteoarthritis in my hands and elsewhere that makes it difficult to handle small parts. This was still a fun project to complete, but I found the hardest part for my shaking hands was the rubber band motors. It was very difficult getting the last band on each motor. It was also very hard to get all the band's at equal length, which I didnt, but it still works. I also colored the wheels (spokes silver, tire sides dark grey, tire edges black). I will be sending a picture of the finished product for display in the gallery if they so choose.

Challenging construction

This was a great project to complete, after reading some YouTube attempts at building. I have put not durable only because it is not a toy to be given to children. There could have been instructions to try to run the drive at the stage of construction before building the body which I did as was initially tight but by getting the parts to turn with just a partial tension on the drive bands was able to make sure everything was free. The car only runs about three metres in both forward and reverse and looks great so will be putting it on display as it looks really impressive and will shortly be ordering the Railway Engine as have the bug and really enjoyed the challenge.

Perfect gift!

I bought the race car model for my husband for his birthday. He enjoys model-building, likes race cars, and loves truly uniquely-crafted items. This one was all that! It is a challenging model--he's been working on it for a couple of weeks now, but he is really enjoying it. The laser-cut wood pieces are precise and fit well. It's very cool-looking, and really amazing to see it moving when all the gears engage.

Ruined by Cockup Sticks

Parts were cut well and fitted together but the cocktail sticks supplied for the kit were too small and did not enable the kit to be fixed together properly. I had to buy a separate lot of cocktail sticks to be able to assemble the kit. This may sound trivial but the kit relies heavily on cocktail sticks in its construction and did not work with the sticks provided. In other kits I have had from Ugears the sticks have been 2mm diameter and the holes have matched perfectly these were just cheap nasty irregular shaped sticks not even round in section. Shame as this has put me off buying any further kits.

Stunning and challenging piece of mechanical art

Wanted a kit that looked good and provided something different to other plastic offerings. It over achieved this requirement easily. Parts are perfectly cut and presented with clear instruction booklet. Quality is fantastic. The challenge of assembly keeps you focused and is rewarding as you build and test a fully functioning engine and gearbox (even before you tackle the rest of the car). Displaying the finished model is a natural progression from hanging your planes from the ceiling with fishing wire when you were a kid starting out. Met all expectations and more from start to finish. No glue, no screws just lots of patience with a level of problem solving added for good measure. At the 36 I paid, it feels like an absolute bargain. Buy, build, display and smile!

Very Challenging

I’ve built a few UGEARS models over the years and this one is by far the most difficult. The most challenging and extremely frustrating part was the engine block. The ends are not pinned by toothpicks so unless you have 4 hands trying to keep it together it is impossible. I almost gave up several times. This is why I gave the kit only 4 stars. I finally turned a few pages down to move ahead and was able to stabilize it using a frame piece. For awhile I actually had all the pistons running but gave up trying to make it work when the engine block wouldn’t hold together. So except for that the car looks cool and has kept me busy.

Very cool! Very satisfying!

These models are so much fun to assemble. I found this one to be the best one so far out of the five I have completed. This is a high quality product that takes some degree of patience and skill. Design, engineering and laser cuts are outstanding! The high quality instructions are mostly pictures. Follow these exactly. I am finding that moving parts, linkages and gears must move very freely before you move on to the next step! The instructions tell you this but I stress the importance. This particular model is quite ambitious in its design to propel it so be especially careful with this build. Very cool! Very satisfying! These model/puzzles make great gifts. Cost can vary so shop around even for particular models. UGears is one of two comparable companies I have ... MoreThese models are so much fun to assemble. I found this one to be the best one so far out of the five I have completed. This is a high quality product that takes some degree of patience and skill. Design, engineering and laser cuts are outstanding! The high quality instructions are mostly pictures. Follow these exactly. I am finding that moving parts, linkages and gears must move very freely before you move on to the next step! The instructions tell you this but I stress the importance. This particular model is quite ambitious in its design to propel it so be especially careful with this build. Very cool! Very satisfying! These model/puzzles make great gifts. Cost can vary so shop around even for particular models. UGears is one of two comparable companies I have found. Both offer excellent quality products and while UGears may have a slight edge in quality, it does not include a small build kit. Free shipping from this supplier is very fast.

We can’t wait!

The motorcycle was purchased as a gift for my son. We haven’t sat to put it together because of an ongoing debate. Technically he’s too young (7) to put it together so I said we’ll need to wait until we both have a day to work on it. His argument is he’s put together 2 of these, similar kits, by himself and he doesn’t need me. So, right now it sits and I bring up the subject frequently. Eventually we will have it together! I can’t wait!