🧪 Chamber of Exotic Beasts (ASLOWSNAIL)

Review by D.J. Gibson. Picked up on Temu, this one has been doing the rounds for a while and it’s easy to see why. The Chamber of Exotic Beasts leans heavily into that fantasy/science lab theme—think jars, creatures, and slightly mad scientist energy—and it delivers a really unique look compared to the usual street scenes and libraries. D.J. is often helped with his builds by his 11 cats, read an amusing story about pets helping here

The kit itself is made from printed MDF, acrylic, acetate and stickers, with some nice decorative extras included throughout. One thing that stands out straight away is the print quality—vibrant, clean, and well aligned with the cut pieces, which isn’t always guaranteed with marketplace kits.

Instructions are in colour and generally easy to follow. Like most builds, rushing will catch you out more than anything. There was one slightly unclear step where an acrylic piece needed gluing to the back of a wooden panel without being explicitly stated, but nothing too difficult to figure out. The only real quality issue was a bubble rod being slightly too long, which needed trimming—annoying, but an easy fix.

Build-wise, it’s mostly straightforward but does have a few moments:

The second floor installation feels a bit fragile initially (only supported by two rear tabs)
The tentacle chandelier is definitely the trickiest part—fiddly to build and even trickier to position the light properly (nice workaround using cardboard to centre it 👍)

The lighting system is colour-coded, which is a big plus and makes wiring far less intimidating than some kits.

🧠 Overall Thoughts

This is one of those kits that punches above its weight visually. It’s not a premium brand, but the design creativity really carries it—there’s a lot going on and it feels quite different from the usual book nook themes.

👉 Difficulty: 3/5
👉 Beginner friendly? Yes, with a bit of patience
👉 Quality: Good for a marketplace kit, with minor quirks

🏁 Final Verdict

A really enjoyable build with a standout fantasy aesthetic. Not perfect, but definitely one of the more interesting kits you’ll find outside the big-name brands.

“A creative, slightly quirky build that’s more about the theme and imagination than flawless execution.”

If anyone else has built this one, I’d be interested to see how yours turned out—especially that chandelier 😅

Book Nook Workshop