MiniCity Phantom of Opera Book Nook Kit, DIY 3D Wooden Puzzle Decor

Fabulous quality. Patience required. Fiddly but very satisfying. Clips/slots together perfectly. Soo detailed. Looking forward to my next one now.

I had waited some time for the perfect book nook to come along, and I think we have now reached perfection with the Beyond Library Max! It's 'literally' perfect. All of human enlightenment and discovery packed into one box. And it is 'beyond' in so many meta ways than just being a library that sits within a library. There are so many little elements of attention to detail, and hidden features to this set that I found it taking much longer to assemble than I first expected, because I was constantly stopping to check the molecular correctness of the double helix, the choice of philosopher for the bust, the anatomy of the T-rex skeleton, the medieval parchments... By the time I got around to assembling the hundreds of book covers, my eyes were starting to strain making out the various titles. There are a few hidden surprises in there, like contemporary works of boy wizards and teenage vampires, plus many literary classics. Even the overt nod to 'All the Young Dudes' was cute. ...I did hit on what I thought was a pretty obvious criticism...the very well made crystal etched globe has Earth's continents back-to-front. However, I think even this detail is intentional, as the globe is illuminated from behind, so it brings the map of the world into correct orientation through refraction...these are the sorts of attentions to detail that I live for! As for the build quality, I simply can't fault any part of it - the wood, stickers, plastic, even the glue....everything is the highest quality that a set like this demands. They even throw in a nail file should anyone want to get pedantic, and file-off all the tiny lumps from the wood etching process. Also, it turned out that having spare parts was a must for me, as I snapped the dino backbone on first attempt at assembly. To sum up this set, it is the perfect crafting kit for those with patience, a keen academic mind, a love of detail, and a desire to create something worthy of display. It took me four fairly long sessions to assemble, so I'd say something like 15-20hrs to do it justice. And hopefully a lifetime to admire.

Well made Book Nook Kit clear instructions, looks lovely when finished.

For something like this, you need to be quite dextrous, and patient. You will not build it in the time they say, double or triple the time if you want it to look right! I spent around 35hs on this project, but what a result! This come with a very detailed colour instruction book with 52 pages! Make sure you measure the cables for the lights so you exactly what LED goes where. This book nook comes with decent glue, an emery board, tweezers and a small hammer (but you will need a stronger glue (super-glue) for the acrylic globe stand, otherwise the ring that the glass globe sits in will pivot on the stand, so you want this to be as solid as possible. The tiny blocks of wood that you stick the book coves on will take you an age to complete, but they do look great! Be aware of the 2 different sizes of books too, shown by image 1. A few pointers to help you - on page 13 step17, when making the tall bay window, lie the 3 sections on a flat surface and place the sticker curtains on gently, so don't wait until you get to step 18 to do this when the window is already in position. This makes it easier to put on the curtains and fold the bay window into shape before step 18. When you've made the dinosaur - don't glue this on until very near the end of the project. Remember to remove all the fine film coatings on the balustrades etc (but they do remind you of this throughout). I had to use a scalpel blade carefully to get the corners up to be able to pull the rest off. Use a light brown felt tip pen to colour in any marks left when removing the wooden pieces from the boards, sand down to a smooth finish and use the felt pen, and a cleaver way to blend in any blemishes it to just wipe over the wood, and the marks are then difficult to see. Page 13 step 15, piece A14 should actually say A18, you've already used up the 3 x A14 parts in step12! When constructing steps 76 and 78, I recommend colouring in brown, the other sides of pieces D3 and G19, don't wait until it's all constructed and you look in and can see the lighter wood of the uncoated side (i.e. look at the back of G1 in Step 19, this uncoated part of the wood is visible on the book shelf, although if you don't colour in D3 and G19, the books on the shelves will mostly cover this up. You may need to do the same on pages 44 step 106 for H5 and pg 45 step 109, part K2. Be careful with the wiring, it can be a bit fiddly. Then, after about 2 weeks, when picking up the set, the bottom came away, so my recommendation is to glue the 2 side walls to the base as the slot in parts aren't quite tight enough here to hold on their own. But what an amazing finish, I'm sure you'll agree in those pictures. Overall, this is a fantastic looking book nook. I have also recently done a review on the Lucky Pirates, Age of Sale book nook, which is also amazing. The clear acrylic fronts help to keep the dust out too.

Looks great, fun project to build, very detailed. Good customer service - we made a mistake when building the staircase, and they replied to emails within 12 hours and sent a replacement board free of charge.

Came with everything you need to assemble, glue, tweezers, tape to secure the wiring and a small sanding strip though we didn’t need this. Only needs 2x AAA batteries (not supplied). All the parts fit together very well and secure. Even comes with some spare wooden parts for fragile or very small items like the dinosaur. All the parts are wood, the printing is quite detailed and you can easily identify some of the small books. The glue takes a little bit of time to set (maybe 20-30 mins to stop sliding around), so when gluing some of the books it’s best to do in small batches. Be prepared to apply stickers to about 260 small books! Glad it comes with a clear dust cover as it would not be easy to keep clean otherwise. The instructions could be clearer in some areas but are enough to get the job done with lots of colour pictures that match the model. Bought as a gift for my wife who’s an avid reader and she loves it, we had lots of fun assembling it and couldn’t be more pleased with the result. Probably took 8-10 hours spread across a week.

Loads of parts. Assembly challenging in some parts, repetitive in others. I assembled this in my spare time, in the course of just over a week. I would suggest this is around 20 hours, and I am an experienced modeller! One thing I would recommend is that you don’t bother with the included glue. Instead buy some “canopy glue” from Amazon or a model shop. This a type of thinned down Pva type glue, and one modellers use as it dries clear and is easy to apply with a small paint brush. According to the box it mentions ages 14+, but in my opinion it would be a challenge for someone of that age without adult assistance. Hardest part? Assembling the dinosaur skeleton, which requires patience and care. Making up the books is really repetitive, but the end result is a wonderfully detailed model. A huge number of components in this kit and it’s really satisfying as it nears completion. Looks really good when finished, highly recommended.

Brilliant book nook. Very intricate and took around 5 days to complete. Be careful when fitting the lighting strips to each side otherwise the wiring will show and the sprliral staircase was quite tricky to complete. Building all the items was quite easy, the hardest part was fitting the 2nd side and Tring to get everything into the correct place. The glue supplied was okay for the plastic parts but I used wood glue for everything else. I think the price was spot on for what was in the box.

This was the 3rd book nook that I have done. I found the quality to be outstanding and instructions clear. I did use medium CA glue on the dinosaur skeleton which I found challenging to put together. I would not recommend this as the first book nook. There are a lot of miniature book to compile which I quite enjoyed and the finished product looks great in my book shelf. I thought I followed the instructions but I had 2 pieces left over which is messing with mind.

I love these .. and I like good quality.. this brand never fails

The kit itself is a lot of fun so far but to LED light does not work even with new batteries and there is a piece missing. I have contacted seller.

I love it, however there is smell from the glue that really won't go away despite having it for a few months

Es una maravilla, montarlo es fácil y queda precioso!