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Samurai Scorpion
Mega Mantis
Rhino Beetle Kit - OWI, $12 each
Does your child beg to help you assemble IKEA furniture? Does she stop and stare when you're walking through the hardware aisle? Does she read assembly manuals for fun? Budding gearheads have reason to rejoice. Kids who are mature and manually dexterous enough to handle real tools (like the miniature screwdriver and wrench included in these kits) can now go a step beyond classic snap-together—or even glue-together—models. Metal screws, bolts, and springs all go into the construction of these supercool aluminum arthropods, shown here at roughly their actual size. Some fine motor skills (or some help from Mom or Dad) are necessary, but the reward for patience and precision is a sleek, mean mantis, scorpion, or beetle with realistic features and movable parts. Getting one for your child could be your first step toward a future in which a handyman's services are no longer required. —Ages 8 and up
