REVIEW – As a writer for The Gadgeteer, I get to review a wide range and variety of devices and products that provide exposure and insight into things that I might have otherwise never known existed. Some devices and products target futuristic ideas and concepts that push the boundaries of our concepts. Let us see what the ROKR Parallel World Marble Run The Last City & The Future City are about.
What is it?
The ROKR Parallel World Marble Run The Last City & The Future City are designed to provide entertainment and to explore engineering concepts and creativity in a fun, engaging way. They showcase architecture’s beauty, mechanics’ complexity, and the synergy between playful and artistic that inspire a sense of wonder and anticipation.
What’s included?
- 1 x ROKR Parallel World Marble Run The Last City
- 1 x ROKR Parallel World Marble Run The Future City
Design and features
- The Last City: Welcome to the extraordinary, futuristic urban landscape that is The Last City. This parallel world is set in the universe of industrial steampunk and neon lights. High-rise buildings are built on a backdrop of pipelines, factories, and sharp bends, bearing witness to the frantic chase embarked by multiple speeding marbles.
- The Future City: Step into the future of marble runs with ROKR’s Future City. This sci-fi-inspired complex is a captivating visual and kinetic experience with its automatic staircase, 174cm layered tracks, cosmic tunnels, and thrilling obstacles. Watch as marbles race through a maze of unpredictable paths, turbines, criss-cross mazes, and gravity-defying spirals.
The ROKR Parallel World Marble Run The Last City & The Future City are made of plastic and feature an electronic circuit board that controls the input, LEDs, and mechanism that keeps the metal balls moving continuously until it is powered off. The devices are shipped completely disassembled with the numerous parts attached to template frames. Each part must be carefully cut from the template.
Assembly, Installation, Setup
Assembling the ROKR Parallel World Marble Run The Last City & The Future City takes much time. Both involve numerous parts, some quite tiny, and there is a need to be careful when separating them from the template border. It is also important to pay attention to the alignment to ensure that each part is properly seated so that the metal balls can roll freely. The instructions are good but great attention needs to be paid when reading them ensuring that you do not miss a step and that each part is in the correct orientation. Then there is the add-on mechanism that automates the return/cycling of the balls, This device must also be carefully attached and aligned. If you are into this type of assembly you might look forward to it. However, I found it tedious. It took me about 5 hours to assemble The Last City and even longer for The Future City since I kept experiencing issues with the add-on ball return device. I also had to attach a circuit board and wires to the back of each device. The circuit board controls the LEDs and the power. There are 2 USB-C 5V ports on the board. Ultimately, I assembled them as 2 separate displays to avoid additional complications. Here are some photos that I took during assembly:
The Last City:
Once the assembly of the slides was completed, I attached the circuit board to the back and attached the wires for the lights. The circuit board also had the 5V USB-C connectors for power.
The Future City:
Performance
Once all the parts are properly aligned, the ROKR Parallel World Marble Run The Last City, and The Future City provide a visually interesting and attractive display of the metal balls moving through the cities that are lit up using the LEDs.
Here is what the 2 cities look like when working side by side. This is the simplest configuration:
Final thoughts
The ROKR Parallel World Marble Run The Last City & The Future City are visually entertaining. If you are a techie, they are a nice conversation piece for any environment. The neon lights add color to any decor and the various layout options add interest. The metal balls make noise and IMHO make it difficult to focus on work in the same space while these devices are on.
What I like about the ROKR Parallel World Marble Run The Last City & The Future City kits
- The attractive design
- Adds to decor
- Offers a variety of layout designs
- All necessary tools are included
- Multiple units can be powered on/off by one unit
What needs to be improved?
- Tedious to assemble. Each piece seems to be on a different template
- It makes a lot of noise
- The clear plastic front doors attract lint/dust easily
Where to buy: Robotime website and Amazon
Source: ROKR provided a free sample for this review. ROKR did not have a final say on the review and did not preview it before it was published.
