Customer Reviews

Make This Model Medieval Castle (Usborne Cut-Out Models)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've never done any modeling, but I thought this would be an interesting project to do with my 7-year-old since we're studying the Middle Ages over the summer. I spent a week trying to put the thing together. It says to use quick drying glue, but gave no suggestions. Several of the glues I used just didn't stick to the slick surface. Finally, I gave up. I was visiting my Dad the next week and he does balsa model airplanes as a hobby. He told me that paper is one of the hardest modeling materials. We spent many hours over the next week putting it together. Not all the pieces fit correctly and had to be modified. (One of the towers was too big around, for instance.) We also mounted it on a piece of corrugated carboard, which helped with the stability of the whole thing. He taught me some of the tricks of the trade and we used 4 different types of glue, depending on the situation. When we were finished, it looked fabulous, but it was really difficult.

This model has been an absolute kick to make. I am an overstressed financial executive and mother of an almost-four-year-old and this book has become my evening therapy. Although my daughter can't help with the building (it's fairly complicated and requires careful cutting), she loves watching me put it together while she plays with the tiny cut-out characters. She has spent hours making up versions of fairy tales while she watches me put the castle together. A great value for someone who likes making things and is looking for a pick-up project that doesn't require a workshop or special equipment.

I was given this as a gift and I thoroughly enjoyed it. You have to take your time with this and its going to take quite a few hours to make. It looks really good when complete. If you have never worked with paper or origami or any kind of similar craft this will be a challenge. Overall it was excellent.

One tip: I used a little too much glue when affixing everything to the base so it came out a little wrinkled. I suggest you only use thin glue or a very light amount of glue when affixing things to the base. It will look much better if the base is very flat. This minimal use of glue is probably a good rule of thumb for the whole model but everything came out fine for me, just the base was a little wrinkled.

This little project took two adults a long Friday night and all day Saturday to put together, but the finished product was a big hit with the giftee. My fingers are still numb from using the scissors, and I would have given up 15 times, but my partner soldiered on (or should I say knighted) so I had to follow suit. I wouldn't have bought it if I'd known what I was getting into, but now I'm glad we did it.

My homeschooled children, grades 4, 3, and 1, are loving putting this together and they're already playing with it before it's even finished. We've used regular Elmer's white glue, which worked perfectly. I helped them get started and worked with them the first few hours (about a third of the castle), with them mostly cutting and me mostly gluing (our 1st grader has mostly worked on cutting out the people, but with help, she can do the castle walls as well). Now they are finishing it alone, and it has been a fun project over several work sessions that are spanning about a week.
It is the perfect centerpiece for our unit on the Middle Ages and I expect it will provide them with hours of fun play when they finish building it!
I especially like the historical details that are included; there are many figures of people and animals doing all kinds of different medieval tasks. Highly recommended!

I used this product as a home school assignment for my daughter. She had a great time making it. It was a fun way for her to get a grade in history.

You need only a tube of glue and a pair of scissors or a craft knife to transform this book into a superb model of a 14th century castle. The scene is crammed with accurate historical detail, giving an excitiing glimpse into the life of the Age of Chivalry. There are over 90 pieces to assemble, providing hours of modeling making fun and around 40 groups to assemble, providing hours of model making fun.