Title: Island Holiday
Brand: TZGSONGP
Begun: June 17, 2024
Completed: June 18, 2024, Music box added June 21, 2024
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ of 5 based on ease of assembly, frustration induced, clarity of instructions, and appearance of final nook.
I had this on my wish list for quite some time. I kept analyzing the images, trying to figure out if it was the same nook as Island of Love by Tonecheer (which I already had), or if it was a new nook. Side note: this is one of the reasons I finally took the time to organize my TBD list. Once I finally determined this was a different nook, as well as a different vendor, I watched for sales. Yes, I love this craft, but I’m in public education. My funds are not unlimited. I set aside fun money each month, and I want to maximize the value I get from the nooks I buy. These lovely little microworlds can get hella expensive, and honestly most times the craftsmanship is WORTH it! But there’s nothing wrong with saving money when you can.
This nook is beautiful and charming. The colors are vibrant, and the island vibe is mostly there. I say mostly because I had to do a paradigm shift when I saw Boston, MA on the post office “window.” I had been picturing a tropical island for a holiday, and Boston was further north than my imagination had conjured. I did find out, however, that Boston has several small isles surrounding the harbor. Some are more geared for day trips and hiking, while others provide fun, family friendly activities and places to stay. You learn something new every day, right? Once my mindset adjusted, I could definitely see the New England charm influencing the island vibe, and I was once again imagining a delightful getaway whilst building the destination.
The biggest issue for me, which, in my opinion brings it down to 3 stars, was the assembly and the frustration that ensued therein. Not one of the pieces fit snugly into the notches created for them. (I’ve got to learn the terminology for the parts that stick out to go in the notches. I’m still getting familiar with this particular lexicon.) The notches were ALL too big. Every one of them. The pieces would go in and it would look good, but as soon as I moved my hands or fingers away, the structure would collapse. I ended up having to glue every single connection on each piece. Mind you, no glue was included in the kit, so gluing was not the intended form of connection. Granted, the piece sizes were only mismatched by 1-2mm, but in the miniature building world, that’s a lot. It’s enough for the pieces to fall apart instead of staying together. It could be simply a machine calibration issue. I would much rather trim the pieces to fit than use glue to solidify the connection. The smaller issue for me was continuity of patterns. The streetlight patterns did not match up on the lights. Again, they’re only off by 1-2 mm, but when the whole piece is 1 cm, that’s enough to throw the whole illusion off. My opinion of course. Many would never notice.
I did end up adding a music kit to the nook. There were holes in the back panel for one, and I thought it came with one. Apparently there were three versions of this nook, and the one I ordered contained instructions for adding a music box as an option on your own. That brought about its own adventure and frustration, but did not affect how I rated my experience with this nook. All I will say is this: All music kits are not created equally, do not have holes that match the pre-drilled ones in nooks, and are VERY sensitive to being overwound by even a smidge. Draw your own conclusions from there.
All told, I likely will not buy nooks from this brand again. There are so many other brands and companies that fit seamlessly and provide an entertaining, fun, relaxing build, that it doesn’t make sense to willingly subject myself to potential frustration again. I want to enjoy my hobby, not get mad at it.
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