About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

I really like Model Magic's consistency and the potential for really creative figures. Once they are assembled it's hard to separate the colors to put them back in the cans and the characters dry nicely, so this is better for a "one-and-done" use, like at a birthday party. They'd be a hit.



Pros

• No mess! No crumbling!
• Dough is not sticky on fingers, but it sticks to itself.
• It's easy for kids as young as 4 or 5 to make great figures.

• It's relatively easy to make figures that look as cute as the ones on the package.
• There's no need to clean the tools between colors.

Cons

• After you're done, it's hard to separate the dough and put them back into cans by color.
• The package does not work well for storing the kits because it has holes in the sides for the cans.
• This toy is kind of a one-and-done toy unless you throw away the used dough.

Description

• Modeling clay isn't sticky to fingers or tabletops, but it sticks to itself. It really isn't messy and it's easy to clean up.
• It's easy for kids as young as 4 or 5 to make cute creatures.
• They master the punching tools quickly and it's fun to stick them on, change colors and design creatures.

Guide Review - Crayola Model Magic Presto Dots - Arts and Crafts Play Without The Mess

When I first saw Crayola Model Magic Presto Dots I wanted to try them to find out two things: do they work and are they messy? The answers are yes!(they work) and NO!(they're not messy at all!)

The Presto Dots to the Max kits come with six colors of dough, three big and three mini forms (little plastic posts covered in bristles), and a bunch of tools.

Kids just roll out the dough, which is the consistency of circus peanuts, (remember those?) and cover the form. Then they use the plastic punch tools to cut out little mini-marshmallow-sized shapes from the remaining dough. Twist the punch and dab it on the form and they stick, covering the figure.

It seemed like it would be hard to do, but my 5-year-old mastered it immediately. In fact, I like humoring myself with the idea that he's developing his fine-motor skills and creativity in the process. He really (really!) hates to be sticky, so he liked this, and I liked playing with it along with him!

I let one of our fabulously creative creatures dry and the dough got hard (like stale circus peanuts!) and it doesn't fall apart. If your child is one who builds LEGO models and refuses to disassemble them, this is a great choice!

This is more of a one-time-use toy because it can be difficult to separate the colors and put them back in the cans. Also, the package doesn't lend itself for easy storage of leftover dough and tools. We ended up using a plastic container we had in the playroom.



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