Built & reviewed by David Richards

I purchased this kit from Temu although the same kit is manufactured by a top brand. I suspect however that the packaging and instructions were generated by the reseller – more later!

Summary Table

Category	Rating
Build Quality	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆☆ 5/10
Instructions	⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ 3/10
Difficulty	Intermediate
Lighting	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 10/10
Value for Money	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 10/10
Overall	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆ 7/10

Packaging & Instructions

The kit arrived in a plain white box which was slightly damaged. The instructions are an A5 colour manual. The instructions are poor and confusing throughout and the zoomed in photos do not make things any easier.

As per the above photo the image of where the pieces are meant to go are so faint that it is impossible to make out – this is on a high zoom level! The main problem area is the fixing of the door hinges and I just couldn’t work them out. Eventually I went to YouTube and watched Daniel Builds (he does a lot of videos) and he faced the same struggles – so it wasn’t just me

The Build

Despite the bad instructions this is a relatively straight-forward build but as there are a lot of lights it is not recommended for a beginner so I have rated it as intermediate.

Whilst this is a snap and click kit when I felt the fit on a lot of pieces I did add a bit of glue. The first most important stage is when you are inserting the fibre optic leads. Two of them are longer and it is important that you get these in the right place as they need the extra length to travel extra distance but you don’t actually observe this until a number of steps until inserting them initially. The instructions show you attaching the end of the cables to the side with some adhesive tape – easier said than done. In the end I left them lose and it doesn’t matter.

All the perspex pieces have one layer of protective film; I use my craft knife to peel it off. The adhesive paper for wrapping around the edges is not very adhesive (this is a general problem with most of the original manufacturers kits).

A slight annoyance for me on a lot of kits is using the adhesive paper for the folding books. Whilst it is necessary for the book covers it doesn’t work with folding books as you cannot use a ruler to get a straight edge.

When it comes to adding the upper floor onto the lower floor my suggestion is to take the two securing posts off the base, attach them to the upper level and then slot them in. The reason is if you try and push down it is very wobbly and difficult to do.

The Doors

This is the first time that I have seen split pins to attach hinges between the doors and the box. At first though, Wow, this will be much easier than securing tiny screws! I know realise why I haven’t seen them again as they are useless.

Firstly the instructions were very unclear and having tried a number of times this is when I went to see how Daniel Builds coped. It seemed that he was having the same problem – I was secretly pleased. The solution is that after attaching the hinge to the box the second half goes on the inside of the door. Seems obvious now but it was not apparent.

The second issue is that the pins do not expand well enough to hold the doors firm and so they wobble. Also they look a mess afterwards.

Customisation Potential

I have ordered a standalone flashing blue LED to add onto the roof so when it arrives I will update the photos.

If you are making this for a Dr. Who addict then there are 2 potential additions

3D Dr. Who Miniature

Whilst the 2D included figure is not too bad a 3D figure would enhance the model. However this was quite expensive. Also the painted models are scale 1:21 which means it would be about 2 cms too tall for the model. I would suggest searching for 3D printing services to get one produced

Signage

The wording on the roof surround boards are “Mysterious Blue Box”, these could be changed to what is actually shown on the tardis. I created these with the help of A.I. and these could be printed off

Final Verdict

The doors are the spoiler on this kit and therefore I would not generally recommend it. If you wanted to make a gift for a Dr Who fanatic then it would still be a nice display item.