u/niesnerj

Well, it wasn’t pleasant. The only other kit experience I’ve disliked so much was Cathy’s Flower House, and that was rooted solely in a deep misunderstanding of what I was getting myself into (I hate making things out of paper and fabric).

I thought that I had a pretty solid understanding of what I was getting into with the Kaayee kit: Poor quality wood and consistent fit issues, per all the reviews I could find. I thought I could manage, because I loved the theme (why aren’t there more desert/southwest kits???). I noticed the breakage and terribly tight fit issues right away and I rolled with them. Then I noticed the nonsensical AI clock face (really, it’s a CLOCK, how hard would it have been to draw?) which contributed to the initial inkling of feelings that I might not feel proud to display the finished product. Then there were multiple occasions when I scrambled to undo something because the instructions had been so unclear that I only realized my mistake after putting in the work to fit the (tight!) pieces together. Then my background did not move after all was said and done, which honestly may have been user error as I’d never done gears before, but they did turn manually before I put the whole thing together. I finally gave up on it entirely when the final step—the back installation—was quite literally impossible. The instructions show a smooth top and three sides of tabs, whereas the actual piece had tabs on all four sides, all of which needed to be inserted into the slots of the bottom, top, and sides, which were already in place as per the order of operations in the manual. So I could not install the back without breaking something, because physics exist. So I broke something, because I no longer cared.

As for positives, I’m certain that several pieces did NOT break in some way, shape, or form as I gently removed them from the boards. So that’s a win.

It’s a rare occasion that I don’t feel making a kit was time well spent, but I’m honestly regretting not just the time and effort that went into making this but also the amount of my acrylic pens (especially my gold!) that I wasted on this project.

We have a shed, a shed I rarely enter because it’s quite scary, and that is where the kits I don’t want to look at live. Kaayee Retro Train has landed itself on the Shed Shelf o’ Shame, right next to Cathy’s stupid flower house.

My latest three books have been SO different from one another but all very enjoyable. I just finished Venice Night Starlit, my first Funpola kit, and was extremely impressed by the quality. Everything fit beautifully and I had no broken pieces or wiring issues. I took my time with this one as there were a lot of edges to paint and I’m really loving the finished product.

I also made my first Anavrin kit recently, Kowloon Walled City. The quality here was also high, but I was a little disappointed with some of the minor issues I encountered at that price point. There were some moments where I wished the instructions were clearer, I struggled once with writing length and once with a delicate lighting strip that detached from the wiring, and I don’t like that the dust cover doesn’t sit flush with the front toward the bottom of my finished nook. That said, I know some folks struggle with the two bits of rubber tubing on the front and I didn’t have any issues there—I used super glue gel and it bonded immediately and firmly.

The Alley Waiting for the Cat was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed assembling each building vertically then seeing everything come together.

I didn’t do any customizations on these outside of edge painting. All three were a good time overall and a nice way to spend some weekend afternoons enjoying the spring weather at what was once our outdoor dining table and is now my patio crafting center!

I have some time off work this week and decided to get into something I wouldn’t choose for a regular weekend: the Kaayee Retro Train kit. Most kits I buy because I want to make them more than I want to have the finished product, but this one is the opposite. I love the southwest scenery and desert vibes, so I was willing to endure a frustrating build; if I hadn’t looked up reviews before ordering or been aware of the quality issues, I would absolutely not be having a good time right now, but thankfully I was prepared for the very thin wood and persistent fit issues so I’m able to just lean into the process. I’ll post photos when it’s done—wish me luck!