Toy Review – Q-Ba-Maze

 


MindWare Q-Ba-Maze Marble Run Starter Set 2.0 – Cool Colors

Addison has been asking for Q-Ba-Maze for the past two Christmases.  This year Santa finally got the hint!  Plus my parents got him a set (they didn’t know Santa was bringing a set) so two times the fun!

Q-Ba-Maze is a marble maze building toy that uses interlocking clear plastic cubes.  It is similar to the Blocks & Marbles Super Set we have in that the marbles race down through the pieces to the bottom and can be built, torn down and rebuilt in an endless possibility of configurations.  The wooden Blocks & Marbles set is kinda like playing with building blocks but taking it to another level by adding a marble run.  If that is the case with wooden marble runs then Q-Ba-Maze is similar but taking it yet another step further with the way they interlock with each other.

A lot of problem solving skills are involved when building with Q-Ba-Maze.  Which blocks you chose and how you arrange them make for different outcomes in the path the marble takes.

We have a lot of different marble maze toys.  Each are fun and unique in their own way so they all get a lot of play time.  There is one big difference between Q-Ba-Maze and Quadrilla and the Blocks & Marbles set.  The marbles that Q-Ba-Maze come with are smaller than traditional marbles and made of metal so they are much heavier.  I have to point this out because that means regular marbles WILL NOT work on Q-Ba-Maze.

Another difference is that marbles run through the maze much slower than Quadrilla.  That’s not a bad thing…just different.  They seem to be taking their time, enjoying their view on the way down, stopping to ask for directions and deciding whether or not to turn left or right.  No rushing for these marbles…they are out for a Sunday drive.  Slow and steady wins the race.

I would say the age range for this toy is 6 and up.  A 5 year old with great dexterity might have fun with it but it would take some practice and help from a parent.  Click HERE to purchase Q-Ba-Maze

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *