Metal Earth Fascinations Hubble Telescope 3D Metal Model Kit

I just recently started building these models, my first was the dragon fly (!! good beginner model-- it allows you experience on how things need to be bent and formed-- I personally enjoyed it!). This model was fun, completed in one lazy morning and was not difficult. I was worried I'd break the antennas but the trick is to wait until the stand is set up so you can stand up the model and then pull them out. I use tweezers to bend the tabs and metal and nail cuticle clippers to break off the metal pieces from the sheet. It's a really nice thing to concentrate on and the end product does not always have to be perfect-- which is why I like them so much!

This is so much fun and I have a lot of them although some of them are very hard and the pieces don’t fit in the little holes but they are really fun 🤩

Difficulty Rating: 8/10 Tools Recommended: Clippers, Flat Nose Pliers, Needle Nose Pliers, Tweezers I've done a handful of these models and this was by far the most difficult. It took me a few hours of off and on again working to get it just right. This model has several pieces, many of which are small and flimsy. With that in mind, be sure to proceed putting this one together with caution. It is very easy to break pieces or bend them too far. While you might need a significant amount of patience to complete this model, it'll make an excellent addition to your collection! I rated this product 4 out of 5 stars because it may not be as fun as it looks to put together and it requires a steady, patient hand to complete. Additionally, you'll need to make sure you don't bend the middle tube pieces or the telescope won't be round when you finish! At the very top of this review I mention some recommended tools. You likely won't get very far without any. You'll need clippers or a sharp knife (think X-Acto) to separate the pieces from the metal sheets they come bound to. Afterwards you'll need tweezers or pliers to bend the metal tabs into place properly. Fascinations has a kit for sale that includes a few essential tools, but most people will have the ones they need around the house. Overall, this one is a great addition to any collection, but might not be the best for beginners or children. It may be a challenge, but it yields a neat result.

I’ve done about 4-5 of these metal earth kits and they are awesome. People really need to be careful and watch a video or two before purchasing/assembling them. There are almost no extra pieces other than some of the absolute smallest of pieces. They also break somewhat easily if you keep messing up when you bend them in place. Keep in mind you should expect that to happen though, so it just means you need to take it slow and be careful. Just think about what happens when you bend a paper clip back and forth too many times until it breaks. It’ll happen on these parts too, but that would only happen if you bent and un-bent the parts over and over. These sets are certainly meant for advanced model-makers (waaaaaaay more difficult than LEGO obviously) but the finished product is nothing short of magnificent. I recommend all the space themed ones.

I am surprised at all of the bad or semi satisfied reviews on this thing. I am blown away. What a beautiful detailed neat model of the Hubble. You should expect if you order something like this that there will be some challenge in putting it together. The quality of the product is excellent. Laser cut to precision, parts easy to identify and remove. The difficult part is having to shape the parts yourself. They are small, require care, and the proper tools. Get a good set of magnifying glasses, a very small needle nose pliers, small metal clippers, and a small knife. From there it is not that difficult. It took me about two hours to put it together. The final product is really awesome. Love it.

A great Metal Earth model for beginners. The details are amazing and it was pretty easy to assemble with only nippers to cut out the pieces cleanly and needle nose pliers. Hint: when working with the tiny pieces, have something under your hands to catch them if they fall or be prepared for a long search (a shallow tupperware or baking sheet works great).

Terrible..pieces break just removing them from holder.

I have a handful of these little models, but I can honestly say that if this had been my first one, I would never have made another. The end result is the same quality you expect from this series, but getting there was not fun at all. I found myself taking parts of it back apart, so here's what I suggest for directions: It's very hard to see, but piece 2 attaches to piece 1 in two spots. It lays parallel to and just above an engraving that matches it almost identically. I broke the tab off on accident trying to adjust this one after the fact, but thankfully it held in place. The directions aren't very clear, but once you attache all the tiny pieces to piece 1, it becomes "Piece A" in the directions. The "engraved side" vs "unengraved side" on piece 9 doesn't matter, so don't panic if you put it on wrong. Attach pieces 11 (there are two of them) and 12 to piece 10 BEFORE curving it. You won't have room to get inside to twist the pegs on 11 otherwise and they'll be wobbly. Piece 12 is terrible. It's flimsy, bends all over the place, and, despite the way the directions appear, does not have any gap at all between it and 10, which means if you curve 10 before attaching it, you will have to match the curve exactly and then try to get those little pegs in place. I mangled mine all to bits and then had to go inside with a metal knitting needle to smooth it all back out. Not to mention the scratches I made on the surface. Trust me on this - don't try to follow the directions. Then insert 13 on the inside of the middle, with the engraved part facing towards the flap. You may want to curve 10 a bit beforehand, but do not attempt to insert the pegs in the slots before you put 13 inside. This was the part I had to undo - I had to uncurl the pieces and then fight 13 to go in the slots because I'd already curved it around to where it needed to be and had zero room to maneuver. It's hard to tell, but on 14 and 15, you have two pegs to lock them together. Bend the peg on 14 out 90 degrees before you fit them together. Good luck getting it pulled out of its groove first. When you have them fitted together, bend the peg at the top around - I don't recall seeing that in the directions. From the addition of piece 16 on, there appear to be extra pegs somewhere. I don't remember what piece it was, but I had some I bent around the sides before attaching those round flat bits. It appears to hold together just fine, so I don't think I missed a step, but you'll have to look closely because there were two pegs paired off next to each other and only one of each set (either the outer or inner ring) fit in the other half of the telescope. When you reach this step, this will make more sense. This is very top heavy when completed. I suggest bending the stand back slightly to make it more balanced. If you attach it and keep it completely straight, you'll be picking this one off the floor quite often. You may even want to glue it to a heavier base or weight the bottom somehow. Hopefully this will help someone. It looks nice and will round out my collection nicely, but getting it completed was pure torture at some points.

Maqueta súper chula, muy pequeñita y cuca, hay que tener maña montándola porque se trabaja con alicates pequeños. Lo regalé a un aficionado de la astronomía y le encantó. Tuvimos problemas con el envío pero nos lo solucionaron rápido y bien así que todo perfecto!

Once completed this is a beautiful representation of the awesome Hubble telescope. A great gift for model makers and astronomers. The model is quite challenging to make as there are a number of parts that require careful bending into curved shapes (the model is supplied flat). There are a also a number of very small parts. As such I would recommend using a tray or bowl to hold pieces when cutting them out. I would also recommend that when making this or any other metal earth model, that you wear nitrile gloves to prevent finger prints and smears transferring onto the metal.

It's nice and detailed although it's very small . Given I did read the specks before buying but it's unbelievably small the whole pack is the size of a screen guard pack so read description before buying .

Un po' difficoltoso nello staccare i pezzi e a volte piegare il metallo se fosse stato un po' più grande avrebbe facilitato il montaggio !ora mi servirà un buon oculista 🤣

Juste génial. Tout est tellement précis. Mon mari adore ce genre de puzzle et il en eT très content. Il va prendre un grand plaisir à les construire.