Geomag Glow in the Dark Magnetic Rods and Mechanics Challenge Review

To start, both of these sets are made primarily of recycled materials, with the Mechanics Challenge being 88 % recycled plastic, and the glow in the dark rods being entirely recycled! Starting off with the Glow in the Dark Rods, you get 28 rods, 28 metal spheres, and 4 bases (two square and 2 pentagonal). Using the bases, you can build all manner of shapes; the only limit is your imagination, and of course, the piece count. While you can build a wealth of different constructions with the materials provided, you may be surprised how quickly 28 rods will run out! Still, the hand feel of this toy is wonderful, it’s very satisfying to click the magnets together and go with the flow of building. The glow in the dark feature works well even in a standardly lit room. Of course a strong light source will make the resultant glow even stronger. Cleaning up is a cinch thanks to the included plastic containers. Everything packs up nice and neat with little effort.

The Mechanics Challenge has a different approach to play, offering a specific construction, but more variety of play. The instructions are fairly easy to follow, but the launcher section is very, very specific in its layout so pay close attention there. After you’re done, you’ll have a sphere launcher, some stationary targets, a goal, and a spinning target. Use the launcher to aim and fire to either strike targets or sink goals. On a flat surface, the spheres launch quite a long distance, and the automatic reloader is really cool and satisfying to operate. While the plastic is strong, it doesn’t feel like it has much pliability. Be careful during assembly, and don’t stress any of the thin connection points after construction is complete.