The box of parts

March 2025

UGears

This is another wooden kit, this time from UGears.

UGears is a 2014 Ukrainian startup aiming to produce unique, self-propelled, wooden mechanical DIY models, puzzle boxes and educational toys. They are located in the suburbs of Kyiv, more than 1,600 miles away.

The kit mainly comprises plywood sheets that are precision laser-cut for accurate push-fit assembly without the need for glue. Additional materials are supplied for the sails, rigging and mechanical components.

The Kit

This particular kit is graded as Advanced level, requiring 9 hours to build. Many online reviewers quote their build time, presumably timing each session. However the enjoyment is mainly in the build, and a slower build prolongs the fun and reduces the risk of mistakes.

The number of parts is stated as 365. Whether this includes spares is unclear, but it does suggest that the build could be extended to a year, adding a new component each day. This sounds fanciful, but it is not impossible that someone will accept that challenge.

Finally, the blurb indicates that the fully wound model can travel up to 4 metres... we'll see.

The Parts

The front page of the instruction book supports a number of languages, but the step-by-step instructions are pictorial.

The Build

A number of tools are required in addition to the parts.

The kit provides a stick of wax for lubricating moving parts. Graphite may be a better lubricant as it is less sticky, however it is potentially far messier, and I've yet to try it. The instructions show where to apply the wax, but in many cases there are further areas of contact where it should be applied - there was certainly enough to go round.

Another addition is a small sheet of emery cloth for sanding moving parts. It could also be used for removing the sprue where pieces are attached to the plywood sheets. However I used a small file for this, as it seemed more effective.

The third tool is a small wooden stick for pushing out the wooden pieces. For fragile pieces the forked end of the tool helps to break a recalcitrant sprue, while the pointed end helps to eject the smaller components.

The final tool that I found useful was a magnifying lens - but that may be an age thing!

Each page shows the pieces required, even identifying their positions on the appropriate plywood sheet.

Symbols are used for special instructions, such as to wax or sand parts or to pay particular care over alignment.

Motorisation

The drive mechanism uses a coiled spring, which is a tad tricky to set up but works well in practice. An elastic band is used to engage the winder ratchet and a lever at the top is for stop/go. The winder itself is removable.

Starting to take shape

The various sub-assemblies are mated and the yacht structure starts to emerge.

The wheels are slightly tricky as they comprise a number of similar but different disks, with a rubber band forming the tyre.

The anchor can be raised and lowered, and the removable motor winder is housed in a recess in the fore-deck.

Incidents and accidents

Progress is not all plain sailing.

The first and only breakage occurs while trying to extract a lengthy component. This calls for a glue repair.

The kit is designed to be glue-free, and many purists would consider this as sacrosanct. I have no such qualms, and end up using glue for a small number of cases, some remedial and some aesthetic.

The anchor hangs down the side and, as mentioned, can be raised and lowered. However it does not hang neatly as it is not very heavy and looks rather ungainly - I therefore decided to glue it in position on the deck.

Other cases are the stanchions holding the side ropes. In this case I decide to glue the corner stanchions to ensure they stay upright when the ropes are tightened and tied down.

Finally, glue is used on the ends of the rigging ropes. These 'ropes' are actually fine interwoven filaments that tend to fray when cut. The use of glue helps to thread these through various holes and also to provide a neater finish.

Rigging the sails

The rigging, as mentioned, appears to be shiny multi-filament nylon. I toyed with using the left-over thread from the ship-in-a-bottle project, but it is black and may jar visually.

April 2025

Well the yacht is meant to travel up to 4 metres, and that is technically true. As this is a rather strange thing to do anyway, a shortfall of 1½ metres is of no great concern.

Scaling up

Recalling that contents box at the start of the project, my boat is said to be a 1:50 scale model. As it is around 16″ long in old money it corresponds to a 66 footer.

That is quite a significant sailboat. The sea-faring Kraken 66 has 8-10 berths and received a gushing review from Yachting World in 2019. For some reason it forgoes a clockwork spring motor for a 195hp engine. Useful for propulsion when its 214.7m² of sail won't perform.

Conclusions

This was an enjoyable project, with clear instructions and good quality parts. The guide rewards careful scrutiny to ensure the right component is used in the correct orientation.

The weakest part is the nylon cord used for rigging, as this tends to fray when cut and can be difficult to thread through small holes. A dab of glue on the cut end helps, but another choice of cord would be preferable.

The kit provides a large number of spare parts, presumably reflecting the parts most likely to snap. Most parts can be extracted with care using fingers or the included tool - there was only one case where I had to use a craft knife.

Finally, there is one tool so far unmentioned that contributes aesthetically. As with previous models, I used a brown felt tip pen on the areas where sprue is removed. This renders the light patches less visible, somewhat improving the visuals.