It was about time that I assembled one of the brand new series from Robotime, this time it was a DIY miniature dollhouse kit called "Homey Kitchen"!
While I could be biased because of fantastic former and "older" kits that I made by Robotime/Rolife, this doesn't mean I wouldn't be critical about this one, like quite on the contrary, as you will notice in this review haha!
Because frankly, I don't like the path right now that Robotime is going, and I will explain why!
( besides the book nook kits though, like the Sakura Densya, I still love those!)
What is this DIY miniature dollhouse kit by Robotime called Homey Kitchen?
This DIY house kit called Homey Kitchen is a fairly new design by Robotime and it represents a homey kitchen, yes of course Lizzy haha!
What this means is that this "room box" (it is not an actual dollhouse), needs to be assembled/glued by yourself and that it is not a completed dollhouse.
And I must say: it doés look "homey" and cozy, and it would be a great and wonderful gift for a kid or for a school, to be admired by them.
So, as you can see, it looks cute, but as always, it has, in my opinion, its pros and cons. (and I think I'm quite unique and frank with my opinions on these lol)
But first:
Which tools and materials do you need to assemble this DIY miniature dollhouse kit?
As I explained in my article on tips and hints on glues and other materials to use for these DIY miniature kits, the principle stays the same, although, in the newer kits like this Homey Kitchen, you don't need as many tools anymore. (so that might be a "pro" for you, definitely).
A "quick" list of the materials and tools that you need for this kit:
- Glue!
The former kits from Robotime used to supply and come with glue (for certain countries only apparently), but these days it is never included anymore.
These days I tend to use Grab Fast Tacky glue for about anything in the dollhouse world, except for wallpaper (just regular paper glue) or pieces of metal that need an even "quicker fix" than Grab Fast Tacky glue (super glue to the rescue!).
I also want to note that I use the version where the glue bottle stands on "its head", so that it is always instantly ready to use.
- A tweezer.
There actually was a plastic tweezer included in this kit, but to be honest, it is really bad, so I just throw it away instantly and use my usual metal tweezers.
- Scissors
Small fabric scissors are not included, so it is better to get some
- Batteries.
This kit requires 2 AA batteries for the LED lights, and they are not included.
- Spare electric wires.
If you can manage the electric wires in one go, then kudos to you haha! But myself, I have a spare pack of tiny and thin electric wires in my house, in case I break the ones included in the package. Just a little hint lol!
- Wire cutters.
A pair of strong wire cutters sure is welcome, to cut any metal pieces and wires.
- Extra toothpicks
Toothpics always come in handy when you need to apply just a tiny bit of glue on a very small piece!
- A cloth
Just to wipe off those fingers from excessive glue
- A crafting knife aka an X-Acto knife
A sharp crafting knife is perfect for cutting sturdy plastic pieces, thin wires, and scraps of paper.
OR you could use a fingertip knife, I personally love those as well and use them a lot.
- Sandpaper.
Having some extra sandpaper at hand is always a good thing.
Furthermore, for this kit, you don't need paint or paintbrushes, unless you want to go "kitbashing" ;).
So, what IS included in this Homey Kitchen DIY miniature dollhouse kit?
Let's see which things are included in this kit, shall we?
- Tons of wooden pieces that you just need to "click out" of their frames, and glue together. Sometimes you can even assemble pieces without glue.
This time, there are also a lot of plastic pieces.Paper bits that you need to cut out or also just "pop" out without the need for cutting them.
- A manual in English. If you want me to upload it for you on my website, feel free to ask down below in the comment section and I will scan it in for you if it is missing!
- A small screwdriver to open and close the batterie box.
- A plastic tweezer
- A batterie box and electric wires and a LED lamp
- a plastic ruler, which is more than efficient enough for this kit
The Assembling of this DIY miniature dollhouse kit.
Well, assembling this miniature kit wasn't hard, at all, or even long, I think about 10 hours max, even less.
So I decided to not make a very long video with a walkthrough, like I sometimes do, because, in my opinion, there would be no need for it, and the manual points it out on its own.
Just follow all the steps in order and I'm sure there will not be an issue at all, but if you do have any questions, please feel free to ask them below.
Only maybe you will not get an answer or help anymore from me if three years have gone by (from the date of this article) and it was too long ago for me to remember, haha!
Anyway, the only time that it might get a little bit frustrating is when you need to glue tiny bits together that won't hold up straight right away haha! As in my video below when assembling the tap.
The tap is built in 4 stages, with a wire that needs to be bent exactly like a water tap, not so easy!
The Homey Kitchen by Robotime, a little review.
This is my personal review only, and not bound by external factors.
- Quickly assembled, it takes to about 10 hours max, even less
- The box says for +14 years old, but in my opinion (and my opinion only), this can be done for 11+ years old, with a little help from adults for the lights/electric wires
- no need to paint or cut out many pieces that require a lot of time, in fact, most of them are precut or even pre-bended
- Simple and cute design with some nice touches
- sturdy laser-cut pieces
- way too many plastic pieces for me and I don't like that path
- the large piece with the sink is just plain blank wood, it could do with a nicer decoration
- the price seems a bit high for this kit
Check out more details and the price of this Homey Kitchen on Amazon
Compare it to:
Check out the price of Robotimes Homey Kitchen on Robotime itself
Also check out the final video result, which includes the unpacking of this DIY house kit:
My conclusion on this DIY miniature dollhouse kit called Homey kitchen
Overall, I don't think that I will be buying the miniature kits from these new designs anymore if all the plastic remains, there were less in the Candystore from Robotime.
But I still like their new series of book nooks with all the wooden pieces, love it!
Now, I might be totally too conventional or something haha, as I see sooo many people still loving these new series, just because they are done quickly and it can be a fun and fast project to do with your kids or grandkids, and that is of course totally cool!
What I have in mind now, is (finally) a new idea on kitbashing this one, as I did with Simon's Coffee.
I have always wanted to create something "creepy", "weathered", or "dirty", and I am now going to explore this further by turning this kit into a "dirty and dark" bar, with maybe a drunk little figurine in it, if I can find something like that anyway lol.
To be continued and if I do, I will place more pictures of it in this article of course.
Did I totally dislike it? Not at all, there were a few things that I loved about this kit:
I really like the look of this chair, and I will definitely use it for a future "dirty bar" hack haha!
The way that this miniature stove is designed, with the silver look (it was a silver sticky sheet) on top of it, is absolutely adorable!
The way this water tap was designed and engineered is definitely genius and I will implement this method for sure in future work! (although it is a little bit finicky to glue it together)
This goes for the design of the small candle as well and I will be happy to place it in my mini treehouse lol!
I hope that you found this honest review on the DIY dollhouse kit called Homey Kitchen useful and fun and answered all your questions about it.
If you have any questions or would just like to give your opinion as well, feel free to leave it below in the comment section or join me on (one of ) my social media channels below or my cozy Facebook group.
I wish you happy crafting!
Kind regards,
Lizzy
Related article: Which materials and tools do you need to build your own dollhouse kit?
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Hello Brian!
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment and I wish you happy crafting!
Kind regards,
Lizzy
Wow, i never knew of this kind of products out there. Certainly, lot of things to consider, but it is a great, alternative gift for children or anyone really who appreciate attention to details products. I like the fact it takes time to assemble, as will keep the little ones away from smart phones, tablets or video games.
Hello Martin
These aren't meant for younger children though, mind you, as you can read in my review:-)
But thanks for your comment and appreciation!
Kind regards,
Lizzy
