First off, the "sheets" were roughly only half-sheets. It would have been nice to include some FULL sheets-at least 8X10 1/2, since that is the standard size that kids usually work with in art class. Cutting them in half does not make me feel like I'm getting more.
I was mostly impressed with the light catcher addition. The light catchers are a very interesting and clever twist that is not as easily reproduced from home. I think that it is worth purchasing the stand alone set, also found on amazon:
Scratch Magic Light Catcher(rm) Deluxe Kit
Though we were excited about seeing the sparkled ones, they are not as impressive up close. The silver backing reminded me of some metallic holiday wrapping paper I've seen, but only less shiny. My 10 year-old daughter enjoyed it well enough, but it paled in comparison to the light catchers.
Everything scratched off easilyno problem for either of us, whatsoever.
There is a lot of extra packaging for a mostly paper product. The different types of scratch boards are wrapped separately, but without labels. Sure, white is obviously identifiable and should be separated from the black,the light catchers have a bendy, plastic feel, but other two types are IDENTICAL before scratching. My daughter had to begin scratching before she could figure out which of the two she was working with.
Why put them in separate plastic bags (that aren't re-closeable) without labels? Couldn't the backs of the two identical-looking types (sparkle and original) be labeled or color-coded?
Then there was ONE medium card stock 1/2 sheet of stamped-out forms crammed together (several were repeats, so not much here, especially if you're not into the peace sign and finger gesture). They could have included stamped out forms of other things like the fish and seahorse on the cover of package, because my child really wanted to be able to reproduce it. They could have put simple squiggled algae, trees, vines, a basic house and animal shapes with little if any extra cost. It would have been nice if the stencils were of a lightweight plastic to ensure that they would last a little longer and not be vulnerable to bending or ripping that may occur with repeated use.
Instead, there are 3 red glossy 1/2 sheet "easel frames" made of light cardboard that have slots to try to slide the corners through without messing up the artwork or bending the corners of the cardboard too much. My daughter and I didn't care for these at all. Instead, we really wish there were extra stencils or sheets. This "deluxe" set has a total (8) 8 1/2 X11 sheets (aka 16 of their 1/2 sheets) and two wooden styluses (sticks) skinnier than standard number 2 pencils for this price.
Regarding those styluses, they're both points in two different sizes...Couldn't the other ends be wedges or something for another visual effect? If you lose one of these, sharpen a pencil with the lead broken off-works just as well, even a stylus from an old phone is good.
So, this set was OKAY, but could have really been a cool craft project for youngsters with more thought devoted to the packaging, stencils and unit price. Forget about the 3 cheap easel frames that are so thin they kept falling over, or the sticky mount strips that together form 1 1/2 inches of glorified tape (mysteriously ripped somehow-we couldn't even attempt to use).
What about adding additional sheets of different sizes-even different shapes like for ornaments during Christmas or something, some with sticky backs for labels, or a party activity set for birthdays and other get-togethers? So many applications...
If this seemed more like a truly deluxe set, I could see people paying such a price for something that gets used up quickly. "Bulking up" this set would surely earn a number of satisfied customers that will purchase additional sets and tell their friends.
I have seen a few other variations on this craft, but again, as this set stands...We find the light catchers to be the brightest aspect of this set, by far.
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I bought this for my 8 year old daughter after she had received a smaller, similar version and really enjoyed it. This kit is a lot of fun but the pieces all need to be kept somewhere besides the box. She has enjoyed making pictures for everyone using her new kit. Some of the papers are easier to use than others.Best Deals for Melissa & Doug Deluxe Combo Scratch Art Set
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program We tend to be a crafty family, and "scratch art" has been a staple in our house for a long time. As such, we found this kit as enjoyble as always... there's black (or white) waxed paper, and when you scratch it with the included tool (or a penny, or your fingernail, or a kebab stick from the kitchen), it scratches the wax off, leaving an interesting colored-rainbow design behind.In this kit, the rainbow black was about what you'd expect, the rainbow white was unique but didn't look quite as cool as the others, the "scratch and sparkle" was a little harder to work with and not as shiny as you'd hope (my kids didn't seem to mind, but I wasn't impressed), and the stained glass sheets... looked precisely the same as the plain black ones, so my kids never realized there was anything special about them. The stencil was OK, though it only had a few shapes, and the frames were flimsy.
This seems like a good unit to give as a gift because the packaging is nice, but if you're looking for something for use by your own kids and don't need the fancy packaging, you can get a comparable set for less elsewhere if you try searching for "magic color scratch kit"
Honest reviews on Melissa & Doug Deluxe Combo Scratch Art Set
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program My daughter's been drawing non-stop lately, and I thought I'd give this Scratch Magic paper a try. I don't remember seeing anything like this when I was younger, but it sure looked cool in the stock picture, and I thought she'd at least think it was fun for a couple of minutes. Well, those couple of minutes ended up being about 60, because she went through the whole box within an hour. These scratch sheets are a huge hit with her! And I gotta say, I was pretty impressed with them as well, and I'll definitely be ordering more like this in the coming weeks.In this set you get 4 Scratch and Sparkle boards, 4 Rainbow Black boards, 4 Rainbow White papers and 4 Scratch-Lite translucent stained glass sheets. There are also two wooden 'pencils' and a sheet of shape stencils, some cardboard easel frames, hanging strips and the usual instructions too. All you have to do is use the wooden pencils to draw whatever you want on the sheets, and it scratches off the black, revealing golden sparkles or a rainbow color. If your pencil gets dull, just use a sharpener and you're back in business, though just about anything else can be used too. Of all the sheet types, my daughter loved the translucent stained glass sheets the most. Thinner than the others, the image you draw is shown on both sides of the paper and can be put in a window to have light go through it just like stained glass. Things like this encourage you to use up more of the paper, kinda like what's shown on the box. The other paper types are fun to draw on too of course, and the included stencils are useful if your child has trouble drawing hearts or other shapes. I remember being in first grade and trying to get the hang of hearts and stars for what must've been weeks...
Really, the only downside to this kit is that it feels like you're not getting enough for how much it costs. It's definitely not expensive, but the size of the sheets is small, and there are similar kits for around the same price or a little bit more that give you bigger papers to work with. I just see this as a kind of sample kit, to see how your child likes everything, and if they enjoy it, you can go with something bigger when they're done with what's here. Some parents have complained about the sheets being messy when you scratch them with the pencils, but it's not bad at all. Just a tiny bit of black dust is left over, and it's easy to clean up.
I highly recommend this kit. My daughter's 5 and she didn't stop until everything was used up. And even then, she went back and added more and more to some of the drawings because she liked it that much.
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