Hi! I'm Abi and I have assembled every miniature kit and book nook kit on the website. I'm here to share some of my personal tips and answer common questions to help you get the most out of your kit.
Miniature kits are a great hobby and I find them relaxing to do but they can feel fiddly at times. If you find yourself getting frustrated take a break or try building another piece. Slow down, be patient, and you'll be suprised what you can achieve.
I like to take all the different sheets and individual pieces out of their bag and lay them out before I start. I empty the bags into different containers (I have a box with compartments but anything works) so I can see all the pieces easily. Just be careful not to drop anything!
Your Rolife kit comes with everything you need to build but it can be useful having some other tools on hand. Since I make a lot of kits I use our metal tweezers which are an upgrade on the plastic ones in the kit. I also like to use a cutting mat to work on and I have a craft knife on hand just in case. You might need scissors so have a pair of those ready to go just in case.
Once you've finished take the time to appreciate your new model. Show it to family, friends, and if you want tag us on social media so we can see too!
Please remember if you have a missing piece, get stuck on a step, or just want some advice, our UK customer service team are happy to help. Just send us an email, give us a call or use the contact form on this website.
Customers often ask
Rolife miniature kits and book nook kits come with the majority of the tools you need to assemble the model.
The only extra items you will need are two AAA batteries (for kits with lighting), scissors, and sometimes a craft knife.
Some kits may also suggest pliers for cutting wires or similar pieces, but we have never had a problem using strong scissors instead.
The first thing to do is not to panic. Most breaks can be easily fixed with glue (either your own or the one included in your kit) or strategically placed tape.
The Rolife miniature kits and book nook kits include spares of the most easily broken (or lost) pieces that are key to building your model.
Remember that when other people look at your model no one will know if a piece is slightly different. A well placed piece of furniture, an accessory, or sticker can hide most cracks or marks.
If your model arrives damaged please contact us at orders@littleworlds.store or via the websites contact form so that we can offer you a replacement/refund.
(Please note that replacement pieces are requested from the manufacturer and may take time to arrive)
One of the trickiest elements of our miniature and book nook kits is the lighting. The end result is stunning, but sometimes the journey can be challenging.
The most common issue people have is with connecting the ends of the included wires and there are a couple of ways to approach this issue.
Firstly, I recommend connecting the wires with the lights switched on. This allows you to see if the wires are attached properly before you commit to sealing them together.
There are two types of exposed ends you will find in Rolife kits.
The first type is a solid, single piece of wire. In this case keep one wire end straight (this is usually better as the battery wire) and coil the other wire around the straight wire. This can be fiddly but if you secure the second wire's tip firmly coiling should not be too difficult. From there you can seal the connection with either the included electrical tape or heat shrink tubing.
The second type you may come across has a frayed end with a number of different wire strands. These can be more difficult to connect together as the small strands are thin. The easiest way to twist the wires together is to hold the two wires parallel to each other and twist the ends across.
If twisting the wires is proving difficult then another way to connect them is to stick one wire to the electrical tape and then lay the other wire on top, wrapping them and sticking them in position. This method is simple, but it is important to be careful when wrapping to ensure the wires stay touching. If the wires move when the tape is sealed it can be very difficult to unwind and remove, although sometimes a squeeze or wiggle might be all it needs to get the wires back into position.
Some of the Rolife miniature kits and book nook kits come with heat shrink tubing to seal the connections between wires.
As the name suggests, this tubing shrinks when heat is applied to it. The most efficient way to do this is with a heat gun, but most people don't have these at home.
When assembling our models we used a hairdryer to apply heat to the tubing. This method will take longer than a heat gun, but saves you having to go out and buy one.
Simply place the end of the
hairdryer close to the tubing and wait.
Make sure to turn over the wires occasionally so that the different sides of the tubing are warm enough to shrink, and eventually you will have a tightly fitting tube around the wire connection.
Please remember to cover your hands or keep them out of the
hairdryers heat!
The pieces in our kits are designed to fit together snuggly and securely and this sometimes can make it tough to push them together.
This is especially true when the pieces have a painted coating or paper stuck to it, as the paint/paper will make the piece
slightly wider.
Each miniature kit and book nook kit comes with sandpaper to smooth down the edges of pieces, and this can be used to remove excess from a tightly fitting piece.
Often it only takes a few seconds of sanding to take enough
material off for the piece to fit properly.
Rolife sell two sizes of dust covers for large and small miniatures. The larger cases holds one large model and the smaller case holds two (or more) small models. You can shop them via the link below.
If you have any other questions or issues with your model please contact us at orders@littleworlds.store or via our online contact form.
