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When I was in Japan in 2023, I came across several miniature house kits, and the Billy brand impressed me with its precision and details. Each kit costs between 3900 yen and 7000 yen (23€ and 42€). I bought two to try them out. Because of my world tour, I couldn’t work on them until now.
The first thing that shocked me when opening the kit was the instructions. Unlike the kits I’m used to buying, this one doesn’t contain photos but lots of written instructions and diagrams. I scanned the instructions and gave them to Google Translate, but the translation was very poor. I had to struggle with ChatGPT and Claude AI.
I was on the verge of giving up until I had the good idea to check if some kind soul had posted a tutorial on YouTube.
In this video, he skips quite a few steps (for example, the instructions for the lantern aren’t shown completely, but you can watch another miniature using roughly the same techniques: https://youtu.be/AoBzQNNZ_18?si=nb5iwRHYwvqAnMzh).
It’s easier to follow at once. The realistic aspect of the kit is related to the materials used: a lot of wood! Then, the paint & textures provided create a very realistic wall. I spent the whole day assembling the kit. I learned many techniques thanks to this kit. I don’t feel capable of creating without a kit yet, but these learned techniques will allow me to do so one day, I hope.
You can notice that:
- I used the wrong paint for the pavement at the beginning. I used the paint for the roof, but I was able to fix it at the end. Fortunately, I had enough paint left for the roof.
- I had trouble working with melted plastic; I got it everywhere. I think next time I’ll buy modeling clay instead.
- The trees seemed too difficult to make, so I skipped the instructions and made a different tree instead. I’ll complete it with some mini plants.
- The model doesn’t include lighting, so I added an LED. It’s not perfect, but next time I’ll try to incorporate it before gluing everything together, for example by sliding the electrical wire under the roof.
Translation: If you’re interested in miniature houses by the Billy brand, search on Etsy: Billy Handmade Dollhouse. The prices will be 3 to 4 times more expensive than in Japan due to taxes & shipping.
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