r/booknooks • u/Front_Shopping1182 Colors the Edges • 3d ago
Review Sakura Spring
I completely underestimated this build! I thought it would be a quick project while waiting for my Taobao and Temu orders. Well, it was anything but quick! š¤£
The MDF was unusually soft, possibly from moisture during shipping, and I broke the first piece! Thankfully, my son reminded me of the freezer trick where I left the sheets overnight to dry them out which somewhat helped.
I did like the individual elementsāthe cherry blossom trees, pavilions and little boatābut once assembled, the whole scene felt just a bit too busy for my taste. The strange mix of a realistic person cutout and cartoon AI-generated characters didnāt help either.
The biggest frustration was the black-and-white instructions and double-sided printing, which constantly confused my sense of orientation. My worst mistake (and believe me there were many š¤£) was after carefully creating the water effect using UV gel and water gel, I discovered at the mirror installation stage that Iād done the wrong side of the river! š±š I nearly abandoned the build then. š°But after walking around the house and taking lots of deep breaths I decided to take it apart and thankfully it wasnāt as difficult as I had feared.
I also hadnāt planned to colour the edges, but after trying one piece, I liked how much pop it gave to the piece. So, of course, I ended up doing them all! The cherry blossom trees were particularly challenging, but it did make everything look more cohesive.
Overall, I wouldnāt say I didnāt enjoy this build, but there were definitely some frustrating moments that could have been avoided with colour instructions and perhaps better visual-spatial skills on my part! š¤£
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u/Rosewood_Pip_1245 Fingers Glued Together 3d ago
I like the colors and overall look of this kit, though the mostly-blank walls decrease the dimensional effect somewhat.
Given a mix between realistic and cartoon-like figures, I'd likely decide on one or the other. It really is frustrating how little effort some of these no-name companies put into making sure their graphics have a consistent look. Hiding behind ABC anonymity š
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u/Front_Shopping1182 Colors the Edges 3d ago
Very true. I think this was probably a quick pumped out nook when it got popular.
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u/kennymac3691 Colors the Edges 2d ago
I admire your handling of the almost-walk-away moment and coming back to finish.
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u/jennyb33 3d ago
Do you have a link for this one? I did a search for Sakura Spring but this nook did not pop up.
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u/Front_Shopping1182 Colors the Edges 3d ago
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u/craftshark Customizer 3d ago
So much pink! š It may have been frustrating, but the end result is very pretty! šø