ROKR 3D Wooden Puzzles Gramophone for Adults - DIY Mechanical Model Kit 1:1 Replica Record Player Support 7"/10" Vinyl Building Gift Hobbies for Adults Home Decor

This is my 4th "wooden puzzle" (I don't know why they're called puzzles as you simply assemble a finished product from gazillion small pieces, wood, plastic, metal, some electronics components, and whatever else). It's a record player (for those of you who don't know what gramophone is). It includes a vinyl record which sounds like it was recorded in the 19th century (another point for authenticity!). There are many different variations of this product as they tweaked the design quite a few times. I think there're different companies making this one too (unless they created multiple brands for marketing purposes). The one that I have you can make work by either cranking it or plugging into USB power source and then it plays by itself. There's a small switch which allows you to switch between the 2 modes. Cranking arm is very short and the thing itself is very small so it's difficult to crank without having the gramophone vibrating and jumping which leads to the needle flying all over the record, sometimes damaging it. When you plug it into power source it sounds better but I guess it's technically not gramophone anymore :) It can only play small records (there were 3 or 4 different diameters for vinyl records, it can only play the smallest one due to its small size). The one included with the set includes 3 musical pieces. There is a way to make it play the records at different speeds by changing one or two parts, the gramophone has a small compartment where you keep the replacement parts. I haven't tried it though as I only tried the one record it came with. I typically gift myself one at New Year and then spend most of the year putting this together. This one is the most challenging of all the ones I've done, and it took me until December (it was a busy year too though so it's not like I put in 2000 hours). I got stuck a few times but there are plenty of videos on YT on assembling it which helped. In the end it somewhat works and you can hear the music even when cranking, and when you plug it into power source it works fine. I never had a gramophone or even heard it but I would imagine it sounds very authentic, ie very staticky and noisy :) I highly recommend this set for adults or very advanced teenagers with plenty of free time and close to unlimited amount of patience :) Assembly requires a lot of attention and can be frustrating at times but putting the thing together and watching it work is very rewarding. I always try to work on these while my kids are around so that they can see how things work on the inside. Looking forward to getting a few more of these, they are very well made and work and look very good.

I just finished my gramophone and have a real sense of accomplishment. I am an intermediate modeler and found this built to be quite challenging but a lot of fun. I could not figure out how to assemble a few things so I found the channel "Danniel Builds" on Youtube and he walked me through the though parts! This is a project for a patient, meticulous person to enjoy the build. I took time to stain or paint, shellac and hand rub all the pieces and I could not be happier. The parts are of very high quality and the metal parts and screws are well packed. The instructions were mediocre.

My second Rokr kit and just as pleased as the first (VW Camper). Good instructions, helpful videos where needed. Outstanding quality of parts and good fit. Spare parts where possibly needed. That said, probably not for the novice. A great deal of patience and mechanical aptitude needed. Double check and test things as you go along. If you do, you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful, “working” phonograph. I say that in quotes because even at it’s best the inconsistency of a crank mechanism makes poor music. I’ve ordered the kit from Rokr to power it. For $5, it’s worth a shot. All in all, a fun kit that makes a beautiful piece of art.

I've done about 6 of these models and this is a great challenge. It looks gorgeous and does play. Part J1, however, is next to impossible to install. It's purely decorative, so it is unnecessary functionally. It is designed to wrap around the middle of the horn, but the very slender pieces that allow it to wrap around the eight corners just snapped no matter how carefully I worked and I was REALLY careful.

Very good

I am still working on this, which is good, because that means it is challenging. I saw reviews where people stated the pieces are fragile and broke; however, the instructions state when something is fragile and so I haven't had a broken piece yet. The gears work great! Can't wait to hear music once I install the horn. Very good looking also.

I love building these models. This one was disappointing. Beautiful after it was built but will not play sounds. After trouble shooting the problem, speaker and wires were defective, had to replace all wires and speaker to make it work.

Assembly requires patience, wax, careful directions, wax. Did I mention wax to ease the pieces together? You need more wax? If you run out, use white candles from a birthday cake. They do work. Careful when freeing anything that might break. I used a razor knife. Don’t break the wires from the cartridge or it won’t play. I put the screws and other small stuff in their own lidded plastic cups and stuck the # labels from the bags onto the lid. There are extra pieces of some wooden parts on the sheets, so when you break one, check that out. You’ll have leftovers in the end. It is a problem solving exercise for sure. Sometimes you wonder what a picture is supposed to mean, and you must figure it out before going on. Sometimes you make a mistake and have to carefully back up. Also, I have 3 kinds of glue, and when pieces won’t stay together, and I’m REALLY sure they should stick now, I use the appropriate glue with a drop from a toothpick. I use the “extreme” glue from L—-tite, which is somewhat flexible, El—r’s Carpenter Glue, which doesn’t flex when set, and rarely Gor—la, which requires clamping overnight. The extreme Loc—- glue is best. A full 5 min. adjust time, maybe two hours to set and then keep going. I know I’ve gotten very slow, but it took me many days, not hours. I did really enjoy doing it. However the results are fantastic and speak for themselves. You’ll amaze your friends and relations. Heck, you’ll amaze yourself.

loved building it, but it didn't work very well once built. I expected more for the price!

My father has told me that he is planning on disowning me and my wife for getting him this Christmas present. He is hating the small pieces and the fine motor functions of his hands to place the piece in proper spots. I have received 2 pictures of his progress since Christmas. From what I've been told it has been "so much fun" in a sarcastic way. That tells me he absolutely loves it. So if you have family or friends that hate fine details in a small functional object and you really want to give them a fun time for a week or two. Then absolutely get this for them. Oh and a side note once the pieces are taken off the wood block they will not fit back into the block so your frenemies will have no choice but to either abandon the project and throw it away or finish it.

Ok this Wooden Puzzle Retro Gramophone is a great way to destress and relax. Like that it comes with extra parts in case you happen to break a delicate piece. Take your time building and the finished product will play your supplied record. The instructions are detailed and there are links to videos on complex parts. I enjoyed the build it's now a retro piece that looks great to my décor. The main thing is take your time , enjoy the build, the finished product is a great reward.

I've done many of these models and so far this one has been the most complicated. Definitely not for a beginner! But I took my time and it all came out fantastic in the end. Be careful once you have the gears and plastic rings assembled that you don't tip the main part over or they may come apart and it's not easy getting them back together without disassembling everything. Happened twice for me. I constantly turned the crank after every major step to ensure everything was moving. And one piece I put on backwards and wasted an hour redoing that part. But in the end it worked and I'm very happy to add it to my collection.

I found this wooden 3D gramophone a little more intermediate than some of the other wooden puzzle projects I have done, but I really loved putting it together. I took my time and spent many relaxing hours getting it just right. I love that it comes with a playable record, I got a real kick out of it and it feels like a real test at the end, of your building capability, to see if it will play. It looks absolutely gorgeous in my living room, I love showing it off.