The boys and I were very excited when we got the opportunity to play with the Skeleflex sets.  Part of our review included the Powerflex lab, the Triceratops kit and the Akafly aliens kit.  The Powerflex lab came in a spiffy box with a handle- great for storage and transport- and the two other sets came in unique cases (Triceratops in a large bone and Akafly in a skull case- very cool).

Skeleflex is a set of toys that are pieces you put together to build a skeleton of a dinosaur or monster.  Our sets included a Tiriceratops, a winged alien monster and T-Rex that came with the Powerflex lab.  Each animan was un-assembled and had instructions on how to put it together.  Basically, you build a spine, arms, legs, head, tail, etc. using plastic pieces that have one side with a ball joint and the other with a ball opening for the joining piece to snap into.  Pieced together as instructed, the make a great dinosaur or alien.  Pieced together more creatively and you can let the fun begin.  That is the great thing about these sets- you are free to mix and match and create all new creatures and creations from the parts.

The Powerflex lab includes a motorized torso that causes the T-Rex head and tail to thrash about.  Locking in the T-Rex feet on the Powerflex lab platform and the motorized action makes the skeleton come to life.  But you can also take the T-Rex off the platform and have him move about.  The boys found it especially funny to have him bang his head against the table- boys will be boys.

The assembly of the animals is also unique.  For example, the wings on the Akafly alien are held together with a rubber piece that allows you to easily press down on it and activate the wings in a flying motion.  The boys really liked this as well and it immediately brought on some crowing noises.

The way that these items connect is a tough science to conquer.  When puttting them together, at times, the boys needed help.  The pieces need to be snug to maintain the integrity of the shape of the animal but still be able to more them around.  As for disassembly, that is an even tougher nut to crack.  In trying to take pieces apart we unfortunately snapped a ball joint off causing its piece to be rendered useless for future assembly and the piece that it broke off into required some heavy digging to get it out.  Luckily the sets come with a couple extra "flexible" joints that can be used in place of the plastic ones but this design seems a little too easily broken.  With great care we were able to deconstruct other pieces but only with a great deal of stress that we would snap another- much more care than the average child would give to the process.

Overall I think these toys are a great concept.  They involve dinosaurs- a big hit with the kids- assembly, motorization and open up a world of creativity when using more than one kit.  Although the assembly may be a little tough for smaller hands and muscles, getting adults involved is definitely not the end of the world and might actually add to the fun.  My only con of the toy is the tightness required for the connectivity of the parts and how that can result in broken pieces during disassembly of a creation.  The toy seems geared toward constantly recreating new animals/structures and until the pieces wear out a bit (and perhaps lose their ability to retain structural integrity), the fear of breaking them while taking them apart could cause some stress.  But hopefully the fun with these kits will outweigh that stress and keep the joy going for quite some time.