Baking Kitchen

Back when I was a young teenager the mother of my brother’s wife came to live with us. She and my mother were good friends and being two old ladies with limited funds between them they thought it wise to share expenses.

At the time my mother and I were on government aid and each month we would receive government surplus food.

Mrs. Nolan, my brother’s wife’s mom, was an excellent cook and baker.

Many a day I would come home from school or work and Mrs. Nolan would have performed her magic in the kitchen using the surplus food.

Her dinner rolls were to die for and her pies, cakes and other baked goodies made every meal a treat. I am a sucker for good baked goods.

Rolife’s Baking Kitchen kit reminds me of the kitchen Mrs. Nolan used to cook her meals at. 

The kit consists of 359 pieces and is best suited for those 14 years old an older to build. It should take about three hours to build. There are a lot of small pieces so take your time and be sure to follow the Instructions to the letter.

First things first. Take a moment to look over the slip-sheet on the flip lid kit box. You’ll discover some interesting specs like materials used in the kit: plywood, paper and plastic.

Like all of Rolife’s kits be sure to have tweezers (included in this kit), a pointed tool, a strong light, a magnifying device, liquid glue and a brush, both a Phillips Head screwdriver (included also) and a Flathead screwdriver for poking out pieces (especially the wooden furniture slats) and a lot of patience when assembling the Baking Kitchen.

I like to familiarize myself with any kit by first looking at the photos on the kit’s box. It gives me a good feel as to what to expect and what the final kit should look like.

Once I opened the kit I checked to make sure all the parts were there, familiarized myself with lighting (it can be a little tricky) and made sure I had all the tools I needed.

A good trick to remember is when building a kit if you get interrupted and are away from you kit build be sure to put all the pieces you currently have on your well-lit working surface into the part bags. It’s easy to loose parts if you are not careful.

You can imagine how many times I get called away.  Writing a blog is time-consuming, especially when trying to review as many products as I do. So you can see being organized and careful can really pay off.

I like to work on a white or light surface table or tray pushed up against a wall in order to make losing parts minimal. Those that do fall usually fall in my lap.

Speaking of parts-did you know you can take Rolife’s kits apart fairly easily-except for the stickers of course. Should you want to give a kit to someone to build they can start from scratch or you can rebuild the kit yourself. It’s great for dexterity, concentration, tool manipulation and eye-to-hand coordination.

I started the kit out by first tackling the smaller furniture-specifically the table and chair. Some parts were small so I used tweezers. They snapped together easily.

Larger furniture took a little more effort because there was a lot of pop-out wooden parts from slats. Following the numbering on the Instructions made it easy.

I then went on to build a few appliances like the refrigerator and mixer and sorted through the various 3D printed small objects like plates, food items, etc.

It’s important to build the kit in the exact order the Instructions illustrate. By following the bag and part numbers the kit goes together fairly easily. I have a slight vision problem so I used a magnifying glass when necessary and since my hand nimbleness is not what it used to be I used tweezers and an X-Acto knife (especially for stickers). It made peeling them and the adhesive strips off their sheets much easier.

I didn’t need any glue but it doesn’t hurt to have some on hand. Accidents do happen.

The kit contained several bags filled with parts, a sealed package of slats and larger furniture parts, sticker sheets, folded paper product sheets, Instructions, a Material List, Product Safety Instructions and an Icon Illustration Sheet.

Check out the interior of Rolife’s Baking Kitchen. Can’t you just smell and almost taste the baked goodies?

I love the way the kitchen is laid out-especially the slanted multi-pane window on its right wall.

The deep brown wooden lower cabinet that wraps around in a ‘L’ shape accompanied by the three cabinets above it really gives the kitchen a cozy, down-home feel.

The cabinet have several items behind its glass windows, dishes sit vertical in the wooden slots while teacups sit on the shelf above and the two door upper cabinets contains all sorts of kitchen goodies.. I especially like the checkered sign on its doors and look at all the brass fittings!

The counter top is packed with foodstuffs, a bread box, a tray, a mixer and on its back-splash tiled wall hangs breadboards, towels and even a heart-shaped little sign.

Lower cabinets are filled with more cooking and baking items and the multi-drawer cream colored island table with its thick wooden top holds cheeses, fruit, mixing bowls and a scale. Take a peek in the drawers and shelves-more goodies!

The checkerboard floor complements the cabinetry and a well placed cocoa flavor shopping bag sets off the whole assemble.

Take a good look at the overhead fancy light-shade and curtained window, homespun framed signs and yellow wooden chair next to the old-timey refrigerator.

There is so much to take in-so much detail! Every part of the kit is perfectly in scale, looks exactly like its larger counterpart and shows off the amount of detail work, craftsmanship and talent it took to design and package such a kit.

Check out the photos and a video of the Baking Kitchen. Rolife has a wide range of kits and look over Robotime’s other kits.  Click on the highlighted text and look at each.

The build was fun, a challenge to my dexterity and patience and a pleasant journey down Memory Lane.

Mark 11:24Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.