Model

WIND POWER BEAST MODEL KIT

KillerRobotics, , Leave a comment

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I picked up this model kit from AMAZON when I was in the United States recently. It is an inexpensive kit, priced under $10.

I have always been interested in the works of Dutch Artist Theo Jansen, especially his StrandBeest moving sculptures, and this model is a great way of gaining understanding of how the mechanics of the legs function.

The model is easy to assemble, taking me under 40 minutes to complete, requiring no tools or glue and once assembled the model functions surprisingly well. The one complaint I do have about the kit is that the provided instructions are not always easy to follow, this is in part due to the very poor English translation.

Even given this fact, I would still recommend this kit, not only because of the learnings it provides in walking mechanics, but also as it looks really cool when completed and to top that off it is really inexpensive as well.

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WIND POWER BEAST MODEL KIT

Metal Earth – R2D2

KillerRobotics, , , , Leave a comment

r2d2package

Metal Earth is a range of laser cut 3D models. They have the rights to various licensed models from series such as Star Wars and Halo. I picked up the R2D2 model and decided to give it a try.  

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So it took me a very long time to assemble the model, and it was not easy. The model has various tiny pieces (I spent a lot of time crawling around the floor looking for dropped pieces no bigger than a large grain of sand) and I found normal needle nose pliers too big for most of the assembly.

Assembly of the model was extremely frustrating and I believe for anyone with large hands building these models would be nearly impossible.

The model came out looking ok, but not close to the one on the packaging and I can only assume they got a neurosurgeon with the hand size of a small child to assemble the one displayed. 

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These models are a novel idea, and I believe that if you build numerous models and invest in specialised tools, eventually you can become better at building them. But even considering this, I cannot recommend these models to anyone except the most dedicated and experienced model builders. They are simply too frustrating and finicky to assemble. Simply put, it wasn’t fun.

Metal Earth – R2D2