Aedes ArsGerman House Model Kit

Before I get into any details about this model, let me start by saying that I've been building models for many years, and am no novice. I bought this model because of the way it looked, and thus began my journey. I wanted to include this rather long description so that others who order this know what to expect before undertaking it. The big drawback to this model is that it's made for the international market, so the instructions suffer in many ways. They are illustrated, but not clear as to their meaning. There aren't any mix ratios, so you're left guessing. There are different languages printed on the instructions, but are vague and brief.Once into the construction, I noticed that the wall's windows in the templates can either be cut out, or left in place. You must decide which to do before building, as you won't be able to cut them out after the walls go up. For my model, I didn't cut out the windows on the lower level, and cut them out on the second level. I thought I'd try it both ways, as the instructions weren't really clear. A warning: cutting out windows will cause loss of structural integrity.The plaster included is for the upper level of the house. There is no mix ratio for water to plaster, so it's hit or miss. If you miss, your mixture is ruined, and you may not be able to use it. You will be putting the plaster over the thin cardboard of the upper level. My plaster made these walls sag, as the moisture worked it's way into the cardboard. The plaster also dries fast, so you'll have to work quickly.Not happy with my saggy walls, I tore the entire upper level apart. I then took the templates, and traced them on to the thick cardboard of a box. Then these were cut out and applied (without plaster). It was much stronger this way, and easier to cut the windows out of. My plaster was all broken from tearing down the walls, so I used a marbled, white construction paper to cover my home-made walls.Application of the 'sticks' was my favorite part of the process. I used a brown magic marker to paint them on three sides, and then glued them to the structure. You'll need some sort of sharp cutting tool, like an exacto knife for cutting them to length/angles. I found that following the illustrations, I didn't have enough sticks to do all of the diagonal sticks, and I wasted nothing. So some walls have them, and some don't.The roof is probably the most difficult part of this model. When placing the roof tiles, I'd advise to start with one edge, and work up, or from the top down. That way you won't get caught with an odd size in the middle. Trimming tiles with a knife is like using a pill cutter; you'll never know if it will cut the tile, of burst it into pieces. I switched to using a Dremel tool, with a sander to custom shape the roof tiles, rather than trying to cut them. The attachments (the chimney and gable) aren't difficult to attach, but will definitely make it harder to shingle and place stones.To sum it all up, I enjoyed this model, though it required several workarounds and trials. It is near to completion, and I really like the look of it. I'd only recommend this to those who have a good degree of modeling skills.Pros: Plenty of extra stones and roof tiles.Easy to see illustrations.A project that will take time.Cons: InstructionsPlasterNot enough sticksMy glue arrived in the kit with the bottle neck locked up with dried glue, and the liquid in the lower part of the bottle. I tossed it out, and used Elmer's glue instead.

I could not understand the language used in the instructions, German I think and no English, and the pictures were very confusing. The bags in the box were opened, used? I am going to send them back as soon as I can find out what I need to do to send them back. Very disappointed in the product!

So nice to build

If you enjoy models and building things, you will enjoy this!

Excellent product.