Description
About Crowdfunding
In June 2024, JMBricklayer launched a crowdfunding campaign on the renowned platforms Kickstarter and Indiegogo, and the project achieved remarkable success, raising 1363% of its original funding goal!
About Story
JMBricklayer Steampunk Marble Run 70003 is a building bricks GBC(Great Ball Contraption) set that combines elements of the industrial steam age and dinosaurs. Powered by a dual-motor system, once batteries are inserted, sets the balls rolling continuously along predetermined tracks (including rotating/vertical ascending routes and horizontal dual tracks), with other movable parts also in action, recreating the bustling scenes of vintage steam-era factory. Boldly incorporating designs from ancient times adds an innovative and dreamy atmosphere to the entire setting.
You’ll find this to be a uniquely creative idea. Unlike other marble runs, they boast the richest details and unique scenery!
PS: It’s not just your ordinary toy! Assembling it requires a great deal of patience, hands-on skills, and critical thinking. If you can tackle this challenge, you’ll certainly enjoy the immersive joy of building and feel proud of your accomplishment! Alternatively, you can use it as a means to cultivate patience and concentration, experiencing your own progress along the way.
Fully Cyclic Closed-loop
The Steampunk Marble Run 70003 features a diverse range of tracks and is ingeniously designed as a cyclic closed-loop, powered by motor operation, which drives the rotation of gears within the mechanism, thus propelling the entire apparatus. Internal tracks interconnect all components, allowing the balls to roll in a closed loop, resulting in a visually stunning effect.
The components that operate in sync with the motor include:
1. Elevators that lift the balls to the highest point to start a new cycle.
2. The T-Rex’s mouth flame that moves up and down, randomly setting the balls’ paths.
3. The dinosaur bone stairways that go up and down, taking the balls forward.
4. The pterosaur that rotates along with a connected column.
Design Highlights
Lava Tunnel
When high-temperature lava, ranging from 650°C to 1400°C, cools and forms lava tunnels on the surface, the inner rock walls are mostly orange. The 70003 cleverly incorporates transparent orange bricks, allowing observers to see the ball rolling along the steps of the tunnel from the outside.
Cranes
When you turn the gears beneath the cranes, you can control the ropes for lifting operations and also perform a 360-degree rotation – faithfully replicating the real working principle of cranes!
Chemical Tank & Dinosaur Bones
The dinosaur bones swing up and down with the movement of the gray stairways, accentuated by the green transparent chemical tank, resembling a real chemical experiment in action!
Flamethrower
After phosphine is produced, it emerges into the air through cracks or holes underground and burns, emitting a blue light (also known as will-o’-the-wisp). Inspired by this, we designed this green flamethrower. Additionally, we crafted a unique design for its support pillars, ensuring stability while enabling a 360-degree rotation. Inside the desolate ancient factory, flickering will-o’-the-wisps burn unpredictably…
Storage Tank
No one knows what’s inside the energy storage tank. Be cautious and avoid casually rotating the yellow disc and handles to prevent unknown hazards.
Reactor
Also, refrain from touching any buttons on the control panel at will. The warning from the red indicator light is significant. It could awaken ancient dinosaurs or result in uncontrolled dangerous chemicals from those large tanks – both scenarios could potentially destroy the entire factory!
The Dinos
T-Rex
In reality, the T-Rex in this set is much larger than depicted in the pictures. The massive T-Rex spans the upper and lower tracks of the marble run, with small balls rolling in through the upper track on its back and then out through the lower track from its belly. Perhaps due to its captivity by humans, the T-Rex is highly agitated, its gaping maw spewing out angry flames – serving as a diversion point for the ball’s path, where it can either continue rolling forward along the original route or drop into a funnel for a downward journey. Gears adorn the shoulders and legs of the T-Rex, while its neck features three spring-like connectors, reminiscent of early industrial mechanical aesthetics.
Pterosaur
Apart from the towering watchtower, the most conspicuous sight is the enslaved, freedom-deprived pterosaur, firmly tethered to a massive pillar by a heavy iron chain, destined to oversee the entire factory from the highest. When the motor activates, it springs to life, rotating 360 degrees, overseeing the entire factory.
The Lifts
Rotating Lift
In the rotating lift, we use a silver ribbed tube that wraps around a black pillar. When the motor turns, it drives the silver ribbed tube to rotate as well. As the lift moves, the small ball at the bottom follows the path of the silver ribbed tube and the adjacent yellow baffle, smoothly reaching the top of the lift through the rotation. This initiates a new cycle of track movement.
Vertical Lift
To ensure both tracks at the top of the lift receive balls simultaneously, we designed the vertical lift accordingly. First, at the bottom of the lift, there is a sloped diverter, this design randomly directs the balls to the left or right side before they enter the lift. A space for a ball is reserved in the middle of the yellow belt. As the motor turns and lifts the yellow belt, it simultaneously drives the balls on both sides to rise along the adjacent green pillars. This way, the balls on both sides of the lift can enter the tracks simultaneously!
The Stairways
We designed a sloped mechanism for both stairways, which is connected to gears. When the motors are activated, they cause the stairways to oscillate up and down sequentially. As a ball enters the stairways and they lift, the ball moves forward along the slope, sliding step by step into the next track.
1. In the image, we can see that the T-Rex’s body is tightly connected to our tracks. As the ball rolls along the track on the T-Rex’s back and enters its body, there is a diverter slope inside the T-Rex that randomly directs the ball to either the left or right track.
2. You can also see a red flame at the T-Rex’s mouth. This is not just a decoration; it plays an intriguing role in influencing the ball’s direction. We’ve connected this flame to the device’s gears. When the motor operates, it moves the flame up and down. When the flame is up, the ball will continue along the original track into the pathway with dinosaur bones. When the flame is down, the ball is blocked by the flame and falls into the black and green funnel below.
3. The funnel has a sloped design with a small hole in the middle. After passing through the hole, the ball encounters another diverter slope, randomly directing it to one of two different tracks.
Motors & Battery Module
We’ve adjusted the motor’s rotation frequency to ensure the ball’s movement speed perfectly matches the contraption. Once you connect the wires and install the battery, the entire setup will start operating—it’s that simple!
About Shipping
Free Shipping Countries/Regions
- Ship Within 1-3 Business Days After Ordering: United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Korea.
- Backorder: for Canada, shipment before mid-December
- Backorder: for EU member countries (France, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Slovenia), shipment before the end of Dec.
None-Free Shipping Countries/Regions
For other countries, or customers in CA and EU who want fast shipping, please choose Ship To Worldwide
PS.
1. To those who have received the set, please be sure to check out our Official Building Guide & Tutorial video. We strongly encourage you to spend a few minutes watching the video carefully and more than once if needed, as we have labeled this set’s building difficulty level as “EXTREMELY DIFFICULT” on the Kickstarter page from day one.
2. Regarding the instructions, our team has made some updates to improve them for an easier and better building experience. However, the physical book will have to be updated in the next batch. You can find the latest digital PDF version of the building instructions via the link
3. Exclusive Build & Share Challenge for Steampunk Marble Run 70003: As we stated on the Kickstarter page, this is not just an ordinary toy! Assembling it requires a great deal of patience, hands-on skills, and critical thinking. If you can tackle this challenge, you’ll certainly enjoy the immersive joy of building and feel proud of your accomplishment! Alternatively, you can use it as a means to cultivate patience and concentration, experiencing your own progress along the way.Follow the steps below and win a free JMBricklayer set (designated)!
(1) Complete the JMBricklayer Steampunk Marble Run 70003 set.
(2) Post your completed set on your social media account, add the hashtag #JMBchallenge, and tag @JMBricklayer (you can find us on all platforms at @jmbricklayer).
(3) Contact the JMBricklayer team to claim your prize.
JMB –
from Mr. Ardee Santos
JMB –
From Backer Mr. Simon J. wells
JMB –
from backer Mr.Peter Bergen Henegouwen