The Marble Machine X is not only one of our newest instruments, but is actively being finalized by the community.
Wintergatan's Marble Machines
Martin Molin began building the Marble Machine in 2014 and published a video on YouTube in 2016 showing the machine in action. The video quickly went viral and now has more than 240 million views.
Neither the original Marble Machine nor the Marble Machine X were ultimately able to go on tour, as both were plagued by a variety of problems. However, at Martin Molin's request, the aim is still to complete Marble Machine X as far as possible with the help of people from the community. This makes it a “living” exhibit. And the original Marble Machine has not yet missed its chance to go on tour. However, it is likely to be a tour of exhibitions rather than a tour of world stages.
Marble Machine

A visit to the Speelklok Museum in Utrecht (Netherlands) inspired Martin to build the Marble Machine. It was built by hand without any precise, preparatory planning, so many parts were improvised. It took 14 months to build the machine. The selection of tools and machines was limited. As an example, the gear wheels were cut out with a band saw. The construction took several years. An initial 60 days of filming were needed to create the video. This was followed by a further 60 days of reworking the video before it could finally be presented to the public.
Before the first Marble Machine arrived at the Musikkabinett, it stood in a shelter open on one side to the elements for around 5 years. This was not good for the wood and the other materials used. The aim is to preserve the Marble Machine and possibly make it usable again. The weaknesses and problems of the Marble Machine showed very early on that a world tour was not feasible. Nevertheless, it is possible that it will visit the world's museums and still reach its original destination.
Marble Machine X

Construction of the successor model, Marble Machine X (MMX), began in 2017 and the progress of the MMX was recorded in weekly videos. A community developed around the YouTube videos, which Martin soon involved in the process. Wintergatan community members were involved in the development of the design as well as the craftsmanship of the MMX. As a result, some elements and parts of the MMX came from the hands of community members who had made them for Martin.
4 years later, however, the new version continued to show so many problems that Martin Molin decided not to finish it. Despite numerous issues being solved, new ones kept appearing that made a world tour with this machine impossible. As the community was already involved and still interested, the decision was quickly made to work together and at least achieve the status of “all instruments can be played” for the treasured MMX.