ROKR · Mechanical Gears Series · LK701
Locomotive
$55–80
ROKR Locomotive Photo coming when we build it
- Pieces
- 350
- Build
- 6–9 hrs
- Glue
- Not needed
- Difficulty
- 4/5
Our take
A real step up from a marble run: spring-driven, with connecting rods and a gear-turned chimney doing visible work, and 370 mm of it, so plan on a mantel rather than a desk. Two store reviewers rated it three stars: one for gears jamming between the centre axle and the driver gears once the rear support stays crept loose, one for a kit missing its 90 mm axle. Wooden gears want wax, and customs sometimes removes it.
We have not built this kit. This entry is based on the manufacturer's published specifications and on reports from builders who have finished it — not on a build of our own. See how we review.
What works
- Actually self-propelled: wind the spring on the left side and it rolls forward with the driving wheels and connecting rods moving in sync, no batteries or motor
- Real mechanical detail that does something - a gear-driven rotating chimney, a gear set that controls speed, and double front wheels for directional control
- 370 mm long assembled, the largest display footprint of the gear models here, which suits it to a shelf or mantel rather than a desk
- 5/6 official difficulty for roughly 6 hours makes it a meaningful step up from the marble runs without the 482-piece commitment of the Pinball
What to watch for
- A store reviewer (3/5) reported the model would not run smoothly after assembly, tracing it to gears jamming between the centre axle and the driver gears when the rear support stays slip out of position
- Another store reviewer (3/5) received an incomplete kit missing a vital 90 mm P11 axle - a stopper on a spring-driven model
- ROKR's own product page lists 350 pieces while retailers list 349 wood pieces; minor, but the spec sheets do not agree
- ROKR's store page explicitly warns that customs policy may strip wax, glue or batteries from the package, and wooden gear trains like this one really do want wax to run quietly