Everyone loves a good trilogy. Except in this case. Because this is the final chapter in the trifeca of insanity otherwise known as miniature library kits (see parts I and II). But today it ends. Today, Katie is bringing it home with the Rolife 3D Creative Bookend: Sunshine Town. Our FINAL mini library kit (and possibly our favorite, honestly). Take it away, Katie!
To its credit, the Rolife 3D Creative Bookend: Sunshine Town (TGB02) looked seriously adorable online and, at quick glance, did not appear to be as complicated as Sam’s Study. Added bonus: it has TWO CATS that inhabit the cozy street scene!
Sunshine Town retails for around $45 on Amazon, though I’ve seen it on Etsy and Ebay for less. Like the other two Rolife kits we’ve tested, the suggested age range is 14+, which I completely agree with. Younger children will definitely need assistance manipulating the smaller bits and pieces, as well as tackling the lighting and battery box.
The instruction manual was similar to previous kits. One difference was the use of illustrations to indicate the specific actions I needed to take, such as what to glue together and where to paint. Speaking of paint, almost every step included painting one or more of the pieces white, which I skipped entirely after finishing the sign that greets you at the front of the display. I don’t think there’s much of a difference in appearance and, to be honest, it looks just fine unpainted.
There is a combination of wood and paper pieces to build together, and the provided glue stick has a small tip and works well. There were a few instances I did have to pause and allow extra time for parts to fully dry before moving on, but that was rare.
I was dreading the lighting display, but it was relatively straightforward and, dare I say it, remarkably easy to put together. Since this was not my first mini build rodeo, I knew exactly what to do when the instructions said to heat the “heat-shrink tube.” A lighter from home worked beautifully to melt and bend the little shaded light that illuminates the stairs in front of the coffee shop (a task I finished outside of the library walls, to ease the fears of any of my colleagues who may be reading!). All of the wires neatly tuck into a panel at the rear of the box.
The hardest task was to close the bookend with the final side wall. Making sure all of the connection tabs and the street parts were in the proper place to finish the build was a bit of a struggle.
My only other complaint is with the bookend being so deep and narrow, there are a few areas that are hard to see, even with the mirror to help reflect the back of the scene. The curved bay window in front of Carefree Books has a cute display inside that is difficult to enjoy, and you really have to search for the red mailbox on the building wall in the back (which looks similar to the mailbox we used at our Tintin movie event).
The touch pad to turn the lights on and off is really clever, and the two interior street lights along with the overhead pendant envelop the scene with an inviting warm glow.
As anticipated, Sunshine Town looks positively charming tucked on a shelf between copies of your favorite books. It’s my personal favorite of the three Rolife miniature kits we’ve tested. Because… cats! I give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
And thus ends our miniature library kit tests. They were tedious, delicate, maddening, and took waaaay to much time. But there are much worse games to play.
Today we’re featuring 
While I’m working on the illustrations, I use the computer to find reference photos and look up information I might need… and to entertain my ears with music. Once the final images are created, I send them straight to the computer through Dropbox. Then I can finalize the files, send them to the client, and do all of the other business involved in illustration.
The studio for creating traditional artwork is currently being used as a guest bedroom; the drafting table is folded down and the supplies are all put away. I hope to get back in there in the new year and make some paintings again, but in the meantime, my little digital corner of the basement is enough to keep me making all the artwork I need.
It’s a merry chase! Use your motor skills to navigate a yellow pom-pom hen around the barnyard. But beware the red pom-pom fox, who’s also on a roll!
As you can see in the above photo, we used a copy paper box lid as the base of our barnyard. Then we glued a number of elements in place. The bee hive was a paper cup with an arched door. The haystack was a construction paper tunnel. The ramp was a paper towel tube, cut in half length-wise and elevated with a snippet of the remaining tube. The hen house was a small box with the lid positioned as a ramp, also elevated with a snippet of paper towel tube. We added a pond, fabric flowers, and tissue paper shrubs as well.