Reviewed by Martin Seidler

Martin has over 50 years of model-building experience and has completed 30+ Book Nook kits in just a few months. He specialises in adding lighting, custom details, and storytelling elements to bring each build to life.

My Build #1 – Where the Obsession Began

There is always one kit that starts the entire journey, and for me that kit was Beyond Library Max by Minicity.

Looking back now after building nearly forty kits, I realize I was actually very lucky with my first choice. This is not a simple beginner build at all. In many ways it sits comfortably in the intermediate-to-advanced category, especially because of its size, wiring and final assembly. But at the same time, it proves that even a patient beginner can successfully complete a more ambitious project with a little research and determination.

Opening the box felt like an event on its own. The laser-cut MDF sheets were packed with detail, vibrant colours and precisely engineered parts. At that point I had never seen anything like it before. Everything separated cleanly from the boards and the fit between parts was excellent throughout the build.

Very quickly I discovered one of the classic book nook tricks — cleaning the notch marks and colouring exposed MDF edges using furniture repair markers. If you look closely at my original build video, you will probably still spot a few edges I missed, but at the time I was learning everything for the very first time.

The build begins with the lower level and cabinet sections, and quite early on comes installation of the first LED light. That moment genuinely felt magical. Before even starting the construction, I had already tested the lighting system because touch-activated LEDs inside a miniature model were completely new to me. Thankfully everything worked perfectly and gave me confidence to continue.

One of the earliest challenges was the dinosaur skeleton model, assembled from numerous tiny plastic pieces. At the time it felt incredibly intimidating, yet surprisingly it went together very well. I added a few tiny drops of glue to reinforce some of the joints because I did not trust my beginner handling skills enough to leave it unsecured. Eventually the miniature dinosaur proudly stood in place as one of the standout features of the entire kit.

As the build continued, I became more impressed with the engineering. The large wall panels, staircases and especially the transparent railings all fitted together with remarkable precision. This was the first time I truly understood how enjoyable a well-designed kit can be.

My only real customization was the sofa. I carefully softened the sharp edges of the cushions using a small grinder and then coloured the exposed edges with markers to create a more realistic appearance. Compared to the custom work I do today, it feels very modest, but at the time I was extremely proud of the result.

Then came the books. So many tiny books.

Back then, even folding and gluing miniature books felt fascinating. Combined with all the small decorative details — the globe, airplane, statues and ornaments — the whole kit constantly rewarded progress with new discoveries.

One particularly memorable moment involved the small statue in the upper-left section that looked vaguely like a Maui-style sculpture. Somehow I completely lost the original piece during construction, so I scratch-built a replacement from spare materials. Naturally, just before finishing the entire build, I found the original piece sitting exactly where I had already searched multiple times.

The only truly stressful part arrived during final assembly. Because this was my first ever book nook, my precision was far from perfect and fitting all the wiring inside while maintaining proper touch sensor functionality became a puzzle of its own. Eventually, after a fair amount of adjusting and repositioning, everything finally closed together correctly.

And just like that, my very first book nook was complete.

Looking back now, I could not have chosen a better introduction to the hobby. If Minicity maintains this level of design quality across their range, then it is absolutely a brand worth exploring further.

For me, this kit will always carry enormous sentimental value because it was the doorway into an entirely new hobby and creative obsession.

Summary Table

Additional Notes

• Size: Larger than standard book nook dimensions at 180 × 230 × 180 mm (L × W × H). The width is roughly double that of many traditional book nook kits.
• Difficulty Rating: 4.5 / 5
  Intermediate to advanced, although a patient beginner can still complete it successfully.
• Instruction Quality: Excellent
• Overall Score: 9 / 10
• Recommendation: Every serious book nook enthusiast should have this kit somewhere on their bookshelf.

Final Thoughts

This build may not have been the easiest place to begin, but sometimes the best hobby experiences come from jumping straight into something ambitious. Beyond Library Max delivered memorable details, excellent engineering and a sense of accomplishment that completely hooked me into the world of book nooks.

Even now, after many more builds and far more advanced customizations, this kit still feels special.

Check out the price on Amazon here