This must have been the easiest one of the Robotime DIY house kits that I have done so far: Miller's Garden.
Do you remember how much I struggled with their other kit: ' Cathy's Flowerhouse'? Well, I would advise not to start with the latter, but to start with Miller's Garden, if you don't want to get to frustrated with these miniature kits from Rolife ;-)!
But first: I now finally uploaded the manual in English from Miller's Garden. There is one page that is smaller than the others, but it should be readable. If you have any other questions on this, feel free to ask!
Update 02/07/23
Let's dive right into it:
All the information you need on this Robotime DIY house called Miller's Garden.
Product name: Robotime Miniature Kit DIY called 'Miller's Garden'
Place(s) to buy: Amazon or straight from Robotime. You can compare prices!
Owners: Robotime, a little more info:
Robotime was founded in 2007 and specializes in educational toys for children and adults. They were the first to offer worldwide puzzles in 3D Assemblage Technologie and have more than 400 DIY Wooden model puzzle pieces.
This allows children and adults (most kits are suited only for ages 14+ though) to assemble their own music boxes/dollhouses/miniature scenes, alone or with a parent. To make it even more fun, Robotime also has DIY wooden model kits with LED lights and music. Children ànd adults will have hours of fun with these great DIY kits!
Warranty:
Buyer Protection: Money-Back Guarantee, Refund in 15 Days
Product Overview:
Robotime DIY Miniature Dollhouse Kit Garden House with Furniture Sets, plants, a bench, wired things, LED-light/lamp, and lots more.
Content:
To assemble:
- wooden pieces
- cardboard/paper cuts
- paint (white)
- glue (2 kinds)
- a tweezer
- batteries and battery holder
- instruction manual
- wires..
You have to provide yourself with a ruler, scissors, a pencil, wire cutter pliers, wire stripper tools, and a crafting knife.
- TIP 1: Using a 'Fingertip crafting knife' from Fiskars is a VERY handy tool!
- TIP 2: the glue.
Sometimes you run out of the glue that they provide, so getting some extra glue would come in handy!
I have recently found out that you can buy the same type of glue, if you run out of it or it is not in the package, on Amazon.
- TIP 3: Have spare electric wires (1mm) and heat shrinkable tubes available, because trust me: you will break a lot of them, especially in the beginning.
- TIP 4: For this project, I have also used my magnifying lamp a few times, especially for attaching the electrical wires to the right spot.
- TIP 5: If you need to glue wires together, it has to be done quickly or they will not stick.
To solve this problem, I have learned to use "Fast grab Tacky Glue", instead of superglue, which can be super annoying in gluing your fingers together instantly.
Pros and Cons of this Robotime DIY House
- much easier made than 'Cathy's Flowerhouse', for sure!
- clear manual, apart from 1 little thing (see 'the bad' part), no more mistakes
- no more missing pieces or pieces with a different color!
- a lot of plants, I'm not sure to put this in the 'good' or 'bad' section, as after all, it is a 'garden' and it is to be expected, I don't mind doing them. You might think otherwise 😉
- very nice design and colorful
- this one I am not sure to put it in the 'good' or 'bad' section either, as some people really like a challenge.
I am one of those people, but I can imagine that when making something that takes over 2 hours to make, can get a little bit frustrating 🙂
For example, these 'lamps with candles', they took forever to make! :
- Putting some things together is really hard, as this cupboard is made with wires. I must admit that I got a little bit frustrated from time to time 😉
Also, this little table, I just could NOT do it haha. So I replaced it with one of my own that I made myself from Balsawood.
(mind you though that these kits are so full of stuff, that I don't even think you would miss a small piece like that. So you could just leave it out, there are lots of things left to be seen !)
Just a little bit confusing in the manual, was this part.
As you can see, number 2 and number 3 are both marked as 'orange paper', while the third one needed green paper.
Rolife's Miller's garden- Instructions and A complete walkthrough!
This was the first time when making a miniature kit, that I filmed the whole process (excluding some things like the cutting out of the leaves of course) and made a 2-hour tutorial on Youtube.
Where to get support from Robotime/Rolife?
You can find a lot of videos from Robotimes miniature kits on YouTube. You could contact them through Facebook or email in case of problems.
- I am getting a lot of questions on how to contact them: this is their official émail support: Jack.deng@robotime.com. (people seem to be getting the most help for missing pieces etc through this mail ).
- Missing or broken parts? Now Robotime replaces them for free!
You just need to pay for the shipping costs and it doesn’t matter where you bought the miniature kit.
Follow THIS LINK to get replacements.
Extras:
Dustcovers, very handy if you want to make several kits! You can buy them here.
A little update: I purchased a dustcover myself for this particular kit, and I wanted to share my opinion.
It doesn't come with instructions, but it is beautifully packed and the wooden base is sturdy and pretty. If you are careful, you can run the wires outside, so that the lighting works without having to get into the case. It does come apart easily though.
Check out the price and more details on Amazon
Take a look at the price and details on Robotime here.
My final conclusion of Miller's garden
This product is from one of the many Robotime DIY Kits, I really enjoyed doing. That is why I give it 4 and a half stars. I think I finished it in about 20 hours in total. A few frustrations here and there, but nothing I couldn't overcome. (except for the 1 little table lol)
This is what the result looks like:
Do you have any questions about this miniature kit or any other questions? Then leave a comment in the comment section below!
Happy crafting!
Best regards,
Lizzy
These are some of the coolest little things! I've never really thought about how neat and intrigue these dollhouses can be. Even though some people may say dollhouses are for girls. I think I would enjoy building one these with my family. All the little details are quite interesting. I really love how you broke down with the pictures and listed all the details out so clearly.
I am sure it will take more than a few trials for me to this right if i were to do it but with the help of your guide, i am sure i can be successful. The fact that i have learnt something really tangible from this post is very satisfying. your website is nice and the simplicity of the color selection makes it so beautiful. Thank you very much.
Hello Shane,
Thank you for all the compliments, and be sure, adults can 'play' with these as well 😉 . I am 48 and I still do ..
happy crafting !
Lizzy
Hi Lucas !
Thank you very much for the compliments ! Yes I love the colors also, they match the theme of my site, which is called 'collormag', I love the blue color !
best regards,
Lizzy
I am enjoying the Millers Garden by trying to put it together as per instructions.
Yes, it is fun to do, right? I wish you much more joy in the future!
I am a 66 year old guy and I love these things. Before the dollhouse kits I used to build plastic ship and sci-fi models. I still like them and will build more but I have been entranced by these kits- they are quite satisfying to build and my wife and daughter actually enjoy them. Before, they would look at a ship I had taken 2 months to build, scan it for one second and say (patronizingly) "That's nice daddy" before they ran off. Now they stare and take in all the little details.
Hi David,
I remember my dad having a ship in wood, back in the days when I was a kid (40 years ago), I don't think that he build it himself, but I did admire the craftmanship already back then. But I can imagine that your wife and daughter only got interested when introducing these modern miniature kits, they really are fun to watch, aren't they :-). Also, I'm seeing a lot of people these days, passing by my fairy garden when hiking, staring at it. Seeing them smile from behind my window is satisfying and brightens your day haha.
Never stop crafting !
Best regards,
Lizzy
After looking at the two gardens, and your reviews, I think you’ve convinced me to try Miller’s Garden instead of the Cutebee garden. They’re both adorable, but as I have too many disabilities to even mention, I need a kit that is more clearly understood, and it appears that Miller’s Garden is the winner. Everything depends on if I’m able to get up to the US one last time, & load up my suitcases with goodies only found up there! And because the price of the kits on Amazon MX are prohibitively expensive—I just can’t see spending nearly a hundred USD for a small kit. But ultimately everything depends on the big IF I can literally survive a trip. I’m disabled, can’t walk, can’t carry anything, sometimes I can’t even talk ?! I depend on O2, & on the “kindness of strangers” (Streetcar Named Desire”), (which due to current horrific events worldwide, this little planet seems to be quite lacking these days in kindness) so that really puts a big kink in things, but I really want to visit my country before I leave this Earth. I’m so pumped about trying a kit before I die—only wish I’d known about them long ago—even 6 months ago I was in much better condition! I ABSOLUTELY adore your website, am thrilled with all your awesome tips, & how easily you turn trash into treasure! Wow! Thank you so much ?!!
Hey Gail !,
Yes, the ones from Robotime surely are clearer!
A few things though to mind about Miller's garden and that is the wirework ( can get quite frustrating) and the lights (but that is always quite hard with any of these kits) .
In terms of 'easier', I would also advise 'Sam's study' : Sams Study , beware with this one though, that it can get quite long and you need to patient with all the books 🙂
I'm not sure though why you would want to pay hundreds of dollars for these, that seems like a very unreliable website this Amazon MX ? Have you tried AliExpress?
Hundreds of dollars is way too much.
Oh my gosh, I know what you are talking about, it seems like because of Covid, people are lacking empathy, I'm sorry this all is happening to you and others 🙁
Good luck with any kit (you bought the caravan, right?).
Thank you for all the compliments and I wish you all the best,
Lizzy
I tried to order to Mexico, using AliExpress, & as part of the registration process, they wanted a *copy* of my US Passport, which I never give to any business. I had already gone through supplying them with my credit card and Mexican visa, and then when they also wanted my US passport, well, I got scared & cancelled the order. Did they ask for your passport?
I order only items with Amazon MX that have a similar price to Amazon US. Amazon US will not ship to Mexico, so I must use Amazon MX. Usually their prices, especially for color pencils, are extremely expensive.
Before I got too sick to travel, I went to the US to visit, every 6 months. I loaded up my suitcases with all the good craft stuff that I could push inside them. I am good at making new items look as though I bought them at a second hand store, so I have never been charged the 16% import tax at the airport. I’m allowed to bring in $200 USD duty free. Anything over that, I must pay 16% in taxes.
In 16 years here, lol, I have brought in soooo much inside my suitcases that I don’t even want to reveal the amount here. And not once have I been charged any taxes. I never bring anything back with me in the original company box. I cut out all tags from new clothes, lol.
But now I’m too sick to travel & so I have to order with Etsy or Amazon MX. The shipping to Mexico with Etsy (I have to use DHL or else it will be stolen & DHL costs a lot) is very expensive. The prices are good, it’s the shipping that is not good. If I order a coloring book from Korea, the shipping is more than the price of the book. Sometimes I get lucky & the book is on Book Depository, which has free shipping & is reliable.
I cannot order an item over $49.99 USD, because then it gets lost in the labyrinth of MX Customs for months, & usually they make up a new rule which forces me to abandon the item. (They want it for themselves.)
I can order over $49.99 USD on Amazon MX, but the item price is expensive & then they charge 16% import taxes but they “do all the paperwork.” Basically, IMO, it’s a scam between the government of Mexico & Amazon.
So, to return to the original issue, why does AliExpress want a COPY of my US Passport? Hmmmm….
Oh my gosh, I didn't know about all of this, thanks for talking about it!
And for sure: Book Depository is great, I like them as well. Also to find dollhouse books that are no longer available elsewhere.
This is so useful!!
We are making this at the mo and are totally stuck at the cart on page 4!! Did you start with 5 wooden pieces? We have 5 pieces of brown paper and I just cannot figure out how we are supposed to glue them together and then wrap it with more paper! I think it’s a mistake?! Any help would be so appreciated ?
Hi Becca!
Thanks 🙂
It's been a while since I made this one, so let me try to see what you mean..
The cart is made from paper actually, not from glue. You just need to bend it along the sides and then just glue those edges like in the pictures. It looks like it is double bended 😉
Good luck!
Lizzy
