A Beginner's Guide to Choosing Wooden Model Kits

Building wooden model kits is a wonderful hobby. It's not just a way to spend your free time, it's about relaxing your brain, relieving stress, and being completely satisfied with the final result. The pride and joy you'll feel when you see the completed model can't be compared to anything else. However, you can't just go and buy the first thing that you see. There are some things to consider.

What are Wooden Model Kits?

These kits are one of the most popular pastimes for many people. They're a good way to get your mind off your daily tasks, work problems and, of course, to have fun. The kits are made of lightweight and durable wood pieces with intricate designs and a lot of details. Once you put those pieces together, you get one big piece. The final result can be cars, planes, buildings, animals, toys and much more.

This is a modern hobby that is made by modern technology. The fine cutting of the pieces and the final 3D object are all a product of modern ideas. These kits have wonderful shapes and intricate patterns and come in many scales. Also, you can use different adhesives to put them together. Some of them don’t even need adhesives, just a few simple, everyday tools you have in the house. There's a variety of wooden model toys to choose from. It all comes down to personal preference.

What to Consider when Buying

Skill Level

These kits come in many different difficulty levels. If you’re a beginner, it’s not recommended that you start at a higher difficulty level. When you start to struggle with the building, this might overwhelm you or even irritate you. As a result, you will lose your excitement and stop doing it. So, it’s best to start at a basic level. The easiest kits will teach you the basics of building and increase your love and appreciation for this hobby. Once you become more experienced, you can level up.

Interests

There isn't anything more fulfilling than putting together a kit that will impress you when it's finally made. Think about your interests, what you like most, what things you enjoy and your favourites. Is it musical instruments? Is it vintage cars? Maybe historical monuments? Or maybe a group of animals? If you choose a kit that will result in something you absolutely enjoy, you’ll be more interested in building it, you’ll be more excited, you’ll have more fun and you’ll be much more focused on the building.

Size & Scale

The size of the kit depends on what you prefer. Is it smaller, minimalist designs, or large pieces that will stand out on the shelves? To prevent becoming overwhelmed by the size, it would be smart to carefully consider the scale before making the purchase. You can also experiment if you want. Buy one larger and one smaller and see which one suits you the best.

Materials & Accessories

It's always a wise idea to read and check what kind of tools and materials you’ll need to assemble the kit. Always if there are any screws, adhesives, or other accessories you need to buy separately if they’re not included in the kit or you don’t have them at home. This will eliminate the stress and disappointment when you get to the part that needs those tools. These details are usually listed on the box, but in case they aren’t, you can always ask the seller.

Budget

This is one of those hobbies that won’t break your budget. There are wooden model toys that cost only $15-$20. Of course, there are more expensive models, but they’re also more complicated, detailed and bigger. If you’re a beginner, you can always start on the cheaper side and upgrade as you go. But overall, this is a budget-friendly hobby.

Types of Kits

There are many types of kits you can find on the market. There's something for everyone, from cute flowers, to space rockets, to ships and navigation tools. Space rockets are very popular choices. They're replicas of the most popular rockets humans ever made, like the Saturn V. These kits are historically accurate and have a great internal structure.

Cargo trucks are also a fun option. When assembled, most of these kits are movable and functional. This means the truck can move to a certain degree. They have detailed interiors and a spring motor that makes the truck move for at least 2-3 meters. Bicycle kits are also a thing. They're easy to make and are sometimes movable.

If you’re into historical monuments, you can get kits from the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Rome Colosseum, the Big Bed, the London Eye, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and much more. Planes, trains, submarines, airships, helicopters, ships, working clocks and calendars, flower bouquets, globes, booknooks, music boxes are just some of the options you can choose from.

Benefits of Building Them

Challenges the Brain

Building a model requires sophisticated problem-solving skills as you determine how each component fits together. This tests your cognitive abilities. It can improve cognitive processes, maintaining mental clarity and curiosity. By doing these things, you will strengthen your memory, increase your concentration, and boost your critical thinking skills. This is a hobby that’s especially recommended for people of older ages because it can prevent dementia.

Mindfulness & Enhanced Focus

Building wooden models demands a certain degree of focus that will distract you from your everyday problems at home or at work. This leads to a state of mindfulness that can be great to experience. Building a model or painstakingly painting one helps you to enter a level of concentration and flow that soothes the mind. And in this fast-paced way of living, all you need is a peace of mind once in a while.

Creative Expression

You'll notice a boost of creativity once you start these kinds of projects. Building a model car, a bridge, or a flower will make you more creative. This leads to new interests and you can project this creativity in other aspects of your life. As a bonus, you’ll feel much more satisfied with the final result, which is always a great mental boost.