There is a small selection of toys that have been played with and loved by all of the children and one of them is a marble run. There is something fascinating about constructing the twists and drops and then being mesmerised by the marbles zipping down and around. My daughter often asks to play with it but over the years, pieces have gone astray and she often gets frustrated about the length of time it takes her poor old mother to build it.
Enter the Hape Quadrilla Loop de Loop Marble Run and there will be no more frustration. The Loop de Loop Marble Run is part of a range Quadrilla sets which are all made with brightly coloured, quality wooden pieces. Inspired by Da Vinci and created by a German engineer, the Quadrilla sets are made up of a combination of seven different coloured blocks and each colour represents a different function. The set includes 130 pieces altogether, including marbles, a seesaw, straight and curved rails, and accelerators.The Loop de Loop is one of the bigger Quadrilla marble runs, featuring a special funnel with two entrances so marbles can approach from both sides and go head to head. The Quadrilla sets can also be combined.
What did we think of the Hape Quadrilla Loop de Loop Marble Run? We love it. The design of the pieces is very clever as it gives you the opportunity to experiment with the pieces and discover different ways to arrange them in order to make the marbles run around your construction. So not only is it a great toy for playing, but it is a toy for exploring and discovering and is perfect for curious minds who love to see how things work.
There is an instruction booklet that gives you four different designs that you can create and the step by step images are really clear and easy to follow. The Loop de Loop is fun to build but once built, the real fun begins. It is very therapeutic just letting the marbles roll down and the seesaw fills and then tips to send marbles flying in all directions which my daughter loves. Of course, the instructions are really great to start off with but once you are feeling more confident. you can try and put together your own working marble run.
The set comes in a sturdy box with compartments which make it easy to put away and store along with a drawstring bag to store the marbles and smaller pieces. My daughter has packed it away independently a few times now without any problem.
There are so many things I love about the Loop de Loop. Firstly, it is a toy that makes children think. It is a set that is amazing quality and is obviously built to last. The design and bright colours make it really appealing. There are no batteries or noisy gimmicks. It is a simple toy that will inspire hours and hours of independent and creative play. Finally, it is a toy that everyone loves, the Loop de Loop has been out a few times already and even the big kids in the house can’t resist playing or trying to redesign it.
The Hape Quadrilla Loop de Loop Marble Run is available from Amazon along with other sets from the Quadrilla range.
We were sent this set in return for this review. All images and opinions are our own.
