MAGNA-TILES Polygons 8-Piece Expansion Magnetic Construction Set, The ORIGINAL Magnetic Building Brand

I was nervous when I read the reviews saying that this expansion set doesn't offer much in the way of new creative possibilities. And after buying one set, I was worried that these shapes might indeed just be novelty items that would only get limited attention (cough cough shape mags cough cough). But then I realized that the problem is that having only four pentagons and four diamonds really is not enough to make interesting shapes. So I doubled (tripled) down and got two additional sets and WOW, these are some GREAT SHAPES that have really TRANSFORMED how our kids play with Magna-Tiles! They now make all sorts of interesting structures (castles, houses, bridges, towers, etc.), but no less important they are also really exploring geometric shapes for their own sake. The first thing we did once we had all 12 pentagons was to make a dodecahedron, and it was AWESOME. And since three diamonds fit together to make a pretty sturdy hexagon, having three sets means that we can have hexagons of a single color, which has been super fun. We've spent hours going through the list of "Johnson Solids" on Wikipedia to see what we can make, and we're now branching out to explore some really crazy stuff (like what my five-year-old daughter calls her "hexa-penta-square-ahedron," which turns out to be of interest to mathematicians as a "6-5-4 near-miss acrohedron"). Even my two-year old is having tons of fun with the shapes (his favorite is Johnson Solid #63, the "tridiminished icosahedron").Yes, buying three sets was pricey. It was a risk. But it's the best money I've spent on kids toys in a long time. I think the reviews warning that the angles and shapes aren't easy to work with are missing the point. Having new angles and shapes means that the kids really need to think in new ways about what they can build. They force you to abandon the familiar world of 90-degree angles and to branch out in new directions—literally!(For comparison, we also have the rectangle-and-big-square expansion set, which offers more obvious avenues for expanded play. We like it, but one set of those seems like enough.)

Magna-tiles are the best toys. My girl can play these for hours and hours and not get bored.

Our grandsons (2.5 and 5.5) received the Magna Tiles 100-oiece set for Christmas and have spent hours and hours in creative play. They've built towers, spaceships, and even a camel. I decided to try the expansion pack with pentagons and diamonds. The 5.5-year-old immediately made a new pentagon tower/spaceship with a double roof of equilateral triangles under isosceles triangles. He discovered he could flip the upper triangles down to make the tower "open" like a lotus flower. He has learned the shapes as pentagon, diamond/rhombus, parallelogram, squares, and the three types of triangles, so when he's building he asks us to hand him the shape by its proper name. The 2.5-year-old figured out how to make a balancing shape using the diamonds. What a fun and educational toy. Highly recommended!

The media could not be loaded. Colorful and strong enough to hold together, but not too strong to pinch even a baby.My seven year old steps on them all the time, not a single piece has ever cracked. She also never stops playing with them. They're in her every adventure, between dollbaby castles and hotwheels tracks, hair salons and smoothie stores.The only con I have is the price point for how many pieces. But for our family, it's worth building her collection.

Magna-tiles are, hands-down, the best toy on the market. They are awesome for kids ages 2-66, in my personal experience. Yes, that's 66. My father plays with them as much as my kid does. This expansion pack allows you to create new types of structures. We bought three of them.My kid and my father build giant Magna-tile buildings, usually on the treadmill. They reach the ceiling. She gets to push the button and the towers come crashing down. The Magna-tiles have stayed intact, with no casualties.

I bought this to use with other magnetic tile sets - works fine with other sets and really liked introducing the shapes to grandkids. They have made some interesting structures with them. My issue is the maker should have considered more tiles in the set and options for play.

Can you ever have too many Magna Tiles? Make sure you get the Magna Tile brand; they are the BEST!

Purchased to add different shapes to existing magnetic blocks. Works well and grandchildren approve!