Old West Gold Mine

Gold! The bright shiny metal is the thing dreams are made of. People have fought and died trying to acquire it. Kingdoms rise and fall when its gold reserve grows or shrinks. What is it that makes gold so precious?

Way back in the middle of the 19^th Century gold fever hit the United States. People from far and wide traveled to far away territories rift with danger, severe weather and harsh conditions. Robbers, cutthroats and con artists proliferated.

Lumibricks’ Old West Gold Mine captures the feel of the age of prospectors with its craggy cliff and open mine, sparse vegetation, dry dessert floor, cobbled together mine equipment, a flickering camp fire, a mine car filled with gold nuggets, rails, a lit lantern and fire, a cow skull, a camp tent, cooking and mining utensils, supply boxes and barrels, a small creek, a crude wench with hooks, a Hanford Gold Mine sign, wooden pylons, and more.

The crane works, you can set of a simulated explosion with the a simple push of a stone and the mine car rolls on the track, creaking along. Rotate the spit over the fire and don’t forget to turn on the mine light and lantern.

All of the various components are very colorful, cleverly designed and executed and the kit looks great on any bookshelf, table or wherever you want.

I really like the way Lumibricks ships and packages its kits.

I received my Lumibricks Old West Mine Kit sealed in a heavy duty cardboard box sealed with tape.

Once opened the box contains the kit. The kit box is also made of heavy gauge cardboard and features a flip lid with side flaps. It too is sealed shut.

A full-color photo of the completed kit is on the front of the box. On one side are a couple close-up photos of the figures that come with the kit. Unlike ‘other’ building kits the figures in the Lumibricks Old West Gold Mine have heads that actually swivel making different poses possible. Cool!

The kit is made for those 16 years old and older and consists of 658 pieces. On the back of the box is a warning section cautioning about the danger of batteries (not included). Keep out of reach of children.

Inside the box is a full-color User Manual with a Service Card insert. Pages progress through the build of the kit using highly-detailed, full-color diagrams that follow kit construction page-by-page. Bags inside the kit are numbered to coincide with the pages in the booklet.

Be sure to follow the User Manual to the letter beginning with the lighting. Light wires are cleverly hidden by channel bricks on the kit.

Sixteen bags containing parts are in the kit. Parts are color-coded to match the colors in the assembly schematics. It makes the build soooo easy.

Two bags contain the LED lights (batteries not included) and a Brick Separator is also included. You’ll need tweezers and a small Phillips-head screwdriver (included). A Brick Separator comes with the kit. I suggest a strong light and a magnifying device.

I have large hands and since I’m 73 years old my eyesight and eye-to-hand coordination are not what they used to be. I can use all the help I can.

I started with the lights, progressed to the base and before I knew it the kit was complete. And I didn’t mess up once-well, maybe once. But I’m an old codger. Give me a break!

The trick is to go slow and enjoy the process. Parts snap together easily and securely and by following the User Manual step-by-step mistakes are at a minimum. If you goof up, use the Brick Separator and start again.

Visit the Lumibricks site to see what other kits are available by clicking here. To see more of the Old West Gold Mine click here. There is even a video, click here.

The quality of the kit is excellent. Bricks fit together with a snap, the User manual is very comprehensive, part bags make building the kit organized and easy and the color bricks coinciding with the schematics make finding the right bricks a breeze. I especially like the lighting that flickers, the moving parts and the attention to detail.

Psalms 34:4I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.