Thinking about buying this for my son who is turning 8. He he too old for this toy?

I think 8 is a great age for this toy. My 4 and a half year old just made his first working combination on his own after having the toy for 6 months. I find the toy very entertaining and potentially challenging as an adult. Its a quality toy with many possibilities. I would think a 10 year old would still be pretty engaged with this toys. All ages that have used it at our house really enjoy it.

does it come with marbles?

Yes, came with a bag of marbles!

Does this have to be put together in one of the suggested configurations, or can a child just randomly create different patterns?

All the Quadrilla sets come with instructions for functional tracks. Instructions for more configurations are available on the Hape site. But it is certainly ABSOLUTELY possible to make up your own tracks and combine sets or parts of the expansion packs. And that's when the real fun starts!Little kids will do well with simple linear tracks but this set is capable of much more sophistication when you learn what each specialized block does. They are packed with function on their top and bottom halves and from every side to direct marbles through the runs. Little kids will also enjoy the set or extension pack with the musical tone bars.* The ORANGE blocks have a simple vertical chute* The NATURAL wood color blocks combine a vertical chute from the top with tunnels that open from either side and let a marble drop vertically* The YELLOW blocks direct a marble from the top opening to a chute that exits at one side* The GREEN block has the top opening that directs a marble out one side and also a bottom tunnel that opens from either side and lets marbles drop * The TEAL blocks have a chute that exits one side and also a simple through tunnel that will not let a marble drop* The BLUE blocks have a chute that lets a marble drop from the top and directs it out one side; they also have a tunnel opening on another side that allows a marble to dropThere are two different RED blocks. * The one with the big dot on the side takes marbles in from the top and has a toggle inside that alternately directs the marble out one side or the other* The other red one also has a toggle but the openings that alternate are on 90˚ sides.So you see, this is well engineered to create all kinds of possibilities. This means it's engaging and fun for adults as well as kids. And it will present appropriate challenges for kids of all ages. Just put the more complicated parts away until the little ones are ready for them. Also, the parts build like blocks but note that the connector blocks and tracks interlock with little sockets and studs (somewhat like Legos but less tight fitting). That means your construction doesn't move and need constant adjustment when marbles are rolling but they can be knocked over. It's actually a really good system because part of the fun is adding on and re-designing so it doesn't get old. My family has 3 sets and we've added a few expansion sets. It's an investment but it's a toy with great learning potential, adaptability and enormous amounts of fun. We recommend Quadrilla enthusiastically! Start with a simple set to see how it works for your family but I bet you'll be back buying more too. This is an investment toy for generations to come.

Item Dimensions	21.34 x 13.39 x 5.43 inches
Unit Count	1.0 Count
Theme	Buildings
Material Type	Wood

Hape Wooden Quadrilla Marble Run Vertigo Construction with Instruction| 134-PIECE STEM Educational Learning Toys for Kids

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