MetalEarth 3D Metal Model - Black Pearl Pirate Ship

This is sort of like the paper cutouts with tabs that you build into animals and such. Except it is cut out of metal. If you aren't puzzle or build minded, this probably wont be your thing - it isn't exactly hard but it has quite a few parts. The tabs that connect the pieces are SMALL and most need to be bent to hold in place. The metal is easy to get out of the sheets by hand and large bends are easy by hand. The tabs are not because they are so small. The best tool I found were tweezers. I suspect anyone that suggested needle nose pliers didnt test anything else - they were much too big. DO NOT bend parts multiple times - they will snap after 3 or 4 bends along same spot. I'm pretty good at this sort of stuff & some of the parts take some time to get into place correctly. Once complete, it makes a model that is display worthy and guests may think it was bought assembled.

As long as u don't go at it like a bull in a China shop it's super easy to get the pieces out without snips if you don't have any. Just be aware that if you have to twist the pieces at all, it could warp them and the ship could be misshapen when it’s all finished. It does take longer that way without snips though.I love how it looks when it's finished! It's so metallic and detailed and it fits in the palm of my hand. I actually put it in a dollhouse and I set it up to look like the kids art project!It was the perfect size!! Not hard to put together, me and my husband did it in a night and had fun doing it.The instructions are clear and easy to follow.I highly recommend!

Really cool model but kind of hard to put sails together. You’ll need tools to do this unless you want to ruin your fingernails. Bends quite easily too

It takes some skill to put this thing together, but the results are fantastic. There are very tiny tabs, around 0.75mm wide , to fit into tiny slots in order to join the parts together. You then either bend the tabs or twist them to secure the connection. Needless to say a very good set of needle nose pliers (the kind used in jewelry making would be best) and a very good set of eyes (or a good set of magnifying lenses) are of great help. The finished model is 9.5cm (3-3/4") tall when sitting on the base by 10cm (4") long. The instructions show the base as just a rectangle but the ship sits on it better if you bend the sides out some beneath the bow and stern to narrow the structure.Laser cut steel parts that detach surprisingly easy from the parts sheets. The flag might look like it is blowing the wrong way, but closer inspection reveals that the fly is what is attached to the foremast. Yeah, that's the ticket.

If you've done laser-cut steel models before: this is not the easiest, but it's certainly not the hardest. It takes a while but isn't too frustrating, just finicky, and the final product is amazing. The model isn't actually bigger when assembled than the simpler ones, just more complex (two sheets of steel parts instead of one).If you haven't done one of these before, be warned, these are not puzzles, but rather small models. You need: needle-nose pliers (while some of them can be done with fingertips only, the Black Pearl is too complex); something round, like a pen, to roll the sails around; and the instructions (difficult to do in the right order otherwise). The results are gorgeous but fragile, suitable for display rather than for playing with.All in all, an hour or two enjoyably spent, and an appealing final product.

I'm torn between my rating - I ultimately gave it 3 stars instead of 4 because of the difficulty it is taking to put it together. I love that this is a ship - which was the deciding factor in buying it - BUT it takes a lot of patience and an extra tool to put it together. When I got it I was so excited to put it together and then keep it on my desk at work, but it isn't working out like that. I had to go out and buy some needle nose pliers and after that I haven't completed it yet. I got so frustrated that I needed to set it aside. The pieces are tiny and very thin you need to take extra caution when removing them from the packaging. I'm sure once I get it completed I would give it a 4 star rating, but until then it will need to only be a 3.

As others have said its a very nice product comes with two sheets with the parts cut out i recommend you use a scissor to cut them out so you don't end up bending it the hardest part was bending the little tabs that hold everything together you definitely need some sort of tool to put it together i used a study tweezer you can use a nose plier or tweezers as i did the size is very small it's about 2 1/2 inches i took a photo with a car remote so you can see a size comparison be careful not to cut yourself some parts are sharpPlease let me know if this review was helpful by clicking yes below enjoy the photos

I have built abiout 2 dozen of the metal earth models ... some more or less difficult than others ... but all buildable. Since I built the Golden Hind sucessfully I figured "how hard could the Black Pearl be" ? I was in for a rude surprise. Avoid the model like the Black Plague ! The Masts are almost impossible to assemble. You have no idea how much to shape the hull, you will disort the hull trying to get tabs to align and when it is done (if you are lucky enough to get that far) it wont mount in the stand ... just flops on it's side. I hope the ICONX version is more buildable ... i'll try that soon ... but for your own good .... avoid this smaller version.