What is in the box
The pack includes the Turbo Dryer, five hundred Qixel cubes of various colours, four design templates to choose from and a range of accessories including two stands, two display bases, two plug in accessories and a bag tag and thread along with a storage tray for the Qixel cubes and water spray bottle.How to get Qixel-ing
The first thing we did was sort all the cubes by color into the storage tray - it is worth noting that you will find two green cubes which are for using with the plug in accessories. To get started creating you simply choose a template design, pop it on the tray and then one by one place the Qixel cubes on the template matching them to the color in the design. Once done, pop it on the Turbo Dryer, spray the design 25 times with water and press to spin for 30 seconds and then leave your design to dry for 20 minutes. Once dry you can turn it over and spray the back, leaving it for a few hours or overnight if possible to make the creation extra strong which is what we did each time and we have yet to have one break. It really is that easy as it says on the box you "Simply Make, spray, play - no heat, no glue".
Our Verdict
The Qixels Turbo Dryer set makes a fantastic craft activity for children which results in an awesome creation that they will love playing with or be proud to put on display. We especially liked the fact that you get a bag tag and Ben loved the shooter accessory which he plugged in to the rocket, it definitely added to the play factor of the end product.The set we got is aimed at boys aged 4+ with a spaceship, dinosaur, viking and scorpion templates but I am sure girls would love this kind of activity too. I do think the 'boy-ness' of the designs are great though as it makes the set more appealing to boys, who if Ben is anything to go by, often don't have as much concentration as girls their age when it comes to 'make and do' tasks. I found the fact that Ben was focusing on making a rocket or a scorpion for instance really helped them to keep him engaged and contrating on what he was doing as he was eager to see the task through to the end and create his cool design.
The big bonus for parents is that there truly is no mess with Qixels as all you use to fuse the cubes together is a water spray. Of course you also have the added bonus of improving fine motor skills which the picking, placing and pressing the cubes into place requires. I can definitely recommend Qixels, it's a fantastic one for keeping kids entertained indoors and they will love doing it not to mention the end products they create.
Qixels Turbo Dryer can be purchased online from Character-Online and can be found in all the usual toy retailers such as Amazon, Argos and Smyths Toys.
* Disclaimer: I received this Wild Pets Spider for free in exchange for a review. All views and opinions are my own and unbiased.
