Inside the box are the 3Doodler Start Printing Pen, USB charging cable, instruction booklet, 'How-to' Activity Guide and 2 packs of biodegradable eco-plastic refill filaments (48 strands in 8 colours). There's a big plastic insert which I'd like to see replaced by card in the future.
The 3Doodler Pen is wireless, which is so much easier for children especially. It charges pretty quickly and lasts a fair while, at a guess it's 90 minutes / 20 minutes. I've been caught out with how quickly it's charged each time so far. It has a clear green LED to show whether it's active / inactive, and charging / fully charged.
There is an on / off switch and just 1 control button - it couldn't be simpler to use.
Even when the plastic first emerges it isn't hot enough to stick to skin or burn, and the 3Doodler Pen isn't hot outside either, not even at the nib. The 3Doodler Start is very safe and I was happy to get on with making dinner and leave my boys working.
Getting the hang of drawing 'with something that doesn't stop' is tricky to start with, as anyone who has iced a magnificent cake will tell you. My 9 year old got the hang of it instantly, my 11 year old needed to get some hints from the included Activity Guide.
The Activity Guide has 10 step-by-step projects, but it shows you how to get started and goes through the techniques for using and making the most of the 3D Pen. There are also stencils to help create the designs in the book. You start off in 2D and it doesn't take too long before you are making something recognisable!
Next step is to either 'fill in' the shape or build it up to be 3D.
3D objects require you to think differently as you build, and it's a really useful skill. The plastic will 'stand up' to a certain extent, but it is quite soft at first and bendy if it's allowed.
The 3Doodler Start Pen can only be used with the 3Doodler biodegradable eco-plastic filaments, which cost around £5-£9 for 24 filaments depending on how many you buy and which colours you want. I think that's pretty fair. We've played around and 3 of us have learned to use the pen, and we haven't emptied an entire pack yet. We haven't built any big projects though!
The 3Doodler Start 3D Printing Pen is great fun. It's very different to 2D art and the scope possible once you learn some of the techniques is very exciting. It's really caught the imagination of my 9 year old, who has great plans and rarely spends long concentrating on anything - so it's a hit here!
The 3Doodler Start 3D Essential Pen Set is available to buy now from all larger toy shops including Smyths, where it is currently £44.99. To find out more about the 3Doodler pens and peripherals, and to get some hints on how to create something awesome, take a look at the 3Doodler website.
We were sent our 3Doodler Start 3D Essentials Pen Set for review.
Some really interesting points you have written.Helped me a lot, just
ReplyDeletewhat I was searching for :D.
You're welcome! :)
DeletePrice??
ReplyDeletePrice?
ReplyDeleteHiya. The price at the time of typing, as well as a link to it instore, AND a link to the 3Doodler website (for stockists) appear in the final paragraph. Hope that's helpful.
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