If you are gifting a wooden model kit and don't build models yourself, it is best to choose by three things: what the person is interested in, how much time they want to spend and what the model does once it is finished. The number of parts, build time and difficulty are on every product page. If it does not suit after all, you have 100 days to return it.
Subject first, then size
A model becomes a gift when it connects to something the person already likes. Vehicles for someone who tinkers with engines. A clock for someone who wants to know how a movement works. Harry Potter™ or Star Wars™ for someone who knows the films. Size comes afterwards — a small model on the right subject lands better than a big one on the wrong subject.
The build time is the size of the gift
With a kit, you are not just giving the model but the hours in which it takes shape. That is why the build time on the product page is the most useful figure when choosing. It is a guideline from the manufacturer; the first model usually takes longer.
| What you want to give | Build time | For example |
|---|---|---|
| a quiet afternoon | up to about 2 hours | compact race car (90 parts), wooden dragon (141 parts) |
| an evening and a bit more | about 3–6 hours | engine clock (265 parts), Hogwarts™ Castle (340 parts) |
| a project over several evenings | about 7–12 hours | Aero clock (320 parts), V-Express steam locomotive (538 parts) |
| a project over several weeks | from about 15 hours | X-wing Starfighter™ (455 parts), Millennium Falcon™ (1,235 parts) |
The difficulty level — easy, medium, challenging — complements the time. How the two are related is explained in Which difficulty suits whom?
What the model does afterwards
Most models have a mechanism, and some have a job to do afterwards. That is a good reason to give them: they get used, not just put on display.
- Clocks tell the time once wound up.
- Caskets and boxes have compartments, drawers and secret mechanisms.
- Marble runs run by crank and can be connected into one layout.
- The hurdy-gurdy makes sound: the crank sets the strings vibrating.
Giving money, with a way to get to it
A safe with a combination lock turns a gift of money into something else. You build it, put the note inside, set a code — and hand over the code as a riddle. The gift is then not the note, but the way to it.
If nobody is supposed to build
Some models are available pre-assembled, including the safe, the antique treasure chest, the casket and the combination lock. They arrive ready and are not put together. On the product page they are marked as pre-assembled and show no build time.
If you are not sure
Then let the person choose for themselves: with the gift card, they pick their model from the whole shop.
Delivery and returns
- Shipped from Germany, from our warehouse in Essen. Within Germany in 1–3 working days.
- Free shipping from €35 within Germany.
- 100-day returns. Returns within Germany are free.
If a part breaks while building
It happens, especially with thin parts — and it is no reason for the gift to stay incomplete. Spare parts are free. The recipient tells us the model and part number; the part comes from the manufacturer within the EU, with no customs fees.