Vitascope

Got this for my wife for x-mas as a fun little activity for us to work on while we watch TV at night, and couldn't be more please with the result! This was our first 3D style wooden puzzle/model, prior to this we'd done some more advanced lego sets, but this was much more fun and engaging for several reasons.... - first, it's challenging....honestly it felt a little overwhelming when we first opened the box and looked through the instructions. It is way harder than the most advanced lego kits out there, because the pieces won't just snap into place automatically. It requires some steady hands and lot of patience for some of the steps, but nothing that requires a Phd or engineering degree - secondly, it looks beautiful! way more appropriate to leave out on the shelf as a decorative piece than a lego toy. It's also fully functioning and self-powered, so no need to ever crack it back open for any reason! Pro tip: some of the earlier steps (especially where you mount the gear wheel to the alternator that powers the light) will result in loose fitting connections that seemingly won't hold....that made me worried about whether this thing would ever work correctly. However, my concerns were unwarranted, because the subsequent steps add in stabilizing bearings and connections that tighten everything up and result in a perfectly working unit at the very end, if you follow all the steps correctly. In fact, I was ultimately extremely impressed with how precisely the pieces were cut and manufactured. The tolerances are all very tight and sturdy and you can tell the designers really prioritized that with this model. 100% would recommend to anyone looking for a challenge, you won't be disappointed!

My fourth puzzle, third Rokr and past practice goes a long way to help. This is a complex puzzle and will take a bit of effort to complete. Don't get discouraged because it has you installiing the generator and gears very early on and the whole thing is very sloppy if you try to turn it as I did. It worked but gave me great concern that I might have done something wrong and it was not going to work. But I was wrong. As long as you follow the photos to the tee, step by step the whole project comes together very well and it works like a charm. As I said small hobby files are almost a must and will save a lot of broken parts. I did have to resort to glue a few times due to clumsy fingers. The hardest part I found to assemble was the flexible stip that wraps around the film wheels. These strips are very hard to handle and will break easily if you force them so sand, test, sand, test, sand and test. Sanding will help imeasurably and no need to worry becuse the tape will finish it off nicely. I wouldn't recommend it as a gift unless you're sure the recipient is capable. It is a challenge. When done it makes a nice conversation piece for display.

its so cool! these adult puzzles give me hours of satisfaction.

It took patience to build, but it was fun and the end product is cool.

The only thing, is that the light stopped working. Overall it was an awesome puzzle, and an awesome gift, even though the light stopped working.

Bought this for my son and he loves putting these together! Absolutely amazing functional models!

Fun to assemble. No difficult doing the puzzle. Our daughter collects old cameras and we thought this would be a nice addition to her collection and it also functions as a real camera for viewing! She has it in her library in her small apartment and she loves it!

It was an extremely fun build! The reel was a bit tricky, though.

Kept me busy for about 4-5 hours. Great project and sturdy!!

I bought this for my 11-year-old son for Christmas and he loved the idea, but he does not have the patience for building kits, unless they are Lego. However, being aware of this, I knew I would be building it so it was mostly a gift for myself that he could then play with afterwards :). I must say that i was very impressed by the quality of the product - the pieces are solid and machined with precision. I thought a few would break when separating them from their sheets but, if you patiently separate the pieces, they come apart well. It does take some patience to build - it took me about 6 hours for this vitascope. There are informative videos that are accessed through QR codes at various stages, which is very helpful, but the instructions are well designed and with a bit of common sense, the kit comes together remarkably well. The finished product is beautiful and works just as advertised. I will DEFINITELY buy another kit for my son for his birthday... ahem... I mean... for myself. I recommend this for anyone who loves building kits and have the patience to do so - a real pleasure!

Hoping it’s going to be entertaining for my elderly brother

Facile

This model was so much fun to put together. The instructions were clear and the parts are easy to snap out of the sheets. It does take some patience and a light hand because there's lots to do with small pieces, but as you build up the projector it becomes stronger and sturdier. My only small complaint was that the film detached overnight but there is plenty of tape supplied to fix it. You can actually see a small grainy movie. A great result!