Metal Earth 3D: Himeji Castle Model

I've put together about a hundred of these kits. So I thought I'd share some of my insights with you about them as I think they would be helpful. First, I'll address what these kits are not. They're not made for kids to build on their own. They involve tiny and sharp metal pieces that can do some damage to fingers. They are not easy to assemble. The packaging is deceiving a bit in this way. As for the assembly process, don't expect the process to be as simple as cutting out the pieces, bending them and then putting them together via a pair of pliers. If you start off with these expectations, then odds are that you will be very disappointed and frustrated. So here's what these kits really are about and what's required to assemble them. They're made for people who really like to put things together and have the time and patience to do so. If you like putting together models of ships or airplanes or complicated Lego sets, then you're probably going to like these kits. You're going to need some special tools. Having these on hand will make all the difference in the world. As mentioned above, scissors and pliers won't do the job. The tools I use include the following: Small short needle nose pliers. Small long needle nose pliers. Small flat end pliers. Long nose tweezers. Sharp, small metal cutter. Small metal file. Two types of photo-etching bending tools. One for bending straight edges and the other for making curves or circles. A good light source. A strong magnifying glass that can stand by itself while you're doing your work. Instead of this, I have a special pair of glasses that my dentist uses. As mentioned above, you're going to need time and patience. It takes me a few hours to build their simplest of models. Once you have all of these, then my suggestion is to start with the simplest kits first. These are pretty easy to spot versus the more complicated ones; one sheet versus three, more straight edges versus curved, etc. My next suggestion is that for your first several models that you consider buying 2 or 3 kits of the same model. You can count on that you're going to make mistakes early on and you're going to wish you had a spare part or 2. The good news is that the kits are inexpensive. Assuming you have the expectations and the right tools, then these kits become a real joy. At least they have for me. They're a workable challenge and the finished result is very gratifying and fun to show off. Building these can become an obsession. Your skills will improve with the construction of each model. You'll also find yourself more discriminating of the results and want to do a better job on the next one. This is a fun and challenging hobby that is worthy of consideration assuming, again, that you have the right tools and expectations. Hope this helps.

It looks awesome when fully assembled

5 estrellas no hablan mas que de un buen servicio (en la entrega) y calidad del producto . . .

Super produit. Livraison rapide.

Product was very well made, exactly as described. This is the second metal 3D model I have built and i was able to follow instructions easily. Patience is key.