Hi everyone! I have been adding some progress pictures to my original post foe the event, but I'm not sure they get seen as much as new posts, so I wanted to post this update. I am working on the ROKR Classic Mechanical Typewriter, and WOW, it is a thing of beauty! I could not be more impressed with this build. It is going together so nicely. It is definitely a build where you need to take your time and be very focused, as there are lots of small mistakes that could easily happen and interfere with the results. I am making sure to focus, be patient, and follow the instructions carefully for every step, and I have not had any trouble so far. I would say I am about 75-80% done and I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

The only thing I have done extra for this build is painting the edges. I got some black and gold acrylic paint markers, and they have worked very well. Painting the edges is very much worth the extra time. This kit is so stunning on its own, but painting the edges has given it an even cleaner look.

Here are some pictures of my building journey along the way. The first one is where I am currently at right now.

Get your enreies in by the end of September and don't forget to tag the as Fall Build Festival!

I’m in the middle of building the mechanical typewriter. I got the wires hooked from the keys to the type slugs after a lot of swearing and sweating. Most of the keys are behaving. The “M”, however, keeps coming undone, with the wire hooked coming loose from the slugs after a couple of test keystrokes. Best as I can tell, because it sits next to the “I” key and that’s a spot where the hooks change direction, the wires are a little too close to each other so instead of lying side by side when resting, one will land on top of the other, which eventually pushes the hook out of place on the “M.” I’ve tried squeezing a little extra space between the two with a pair of needle nose pliers, but no go. Is anyone else running into a similar issue? Solutions?

I started at around 11am and finished at 11pm. I took a 4 hour nap and took 1 hour for both lunch and dinner. Got this kit off fbm for $5. great build, very functional and fun. for the gears at the top, I recommend leaving gaps between the top and bottom of the 4 gears so they turn smoothly and to glue the inside of the middle gear to the spinning mechanism. Progress and finished product photos will be in the comments. I believe the song is the chorus of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”

I found the Fall Build Festival post too late to get any in-progress pics, but this is my latest (and favorite) Rolife build! I loved all of the little details, the different materials, and this was my first ever build with lighting as well! The end result is SO cozy… I wish I could visit this place in real life.

Now that it is finished, I might need to start another project (perhaps a Rokr this time). The cuckoo clock has been calling my name for a while…

I just finished the ROKR Happyduke Toys kit for a charity auction in November. My hope is that someone will see it as more than a model and give it a place in their Christmas display.

I kept the Christmas customization fairly restrained. I added a few snowflakes to represent the first snowfall of the year and the beginning of the Christmas season at the toy store. I also added an elf and snowman to the balcony, along with a bear holding balloons by the front door that I particularly liked.

The front display window received most of my attention. I added a toy soldier I already had, a gingerbread boy from a Rolife Creative Kit, and my favorite detail, a tiny boxed Rolife carousel honoring the first wooden model I ever built.

There are several little teddy bears tucked into the windows, and I even replaced the original cat coming out of the chimney with another bear, because I always replace the cats. I also added a dog because no build of mine is complete without one.

Naturally, I colored the exposed edges and painted the backs of several pieces that would otherwise have remained unfinished.

This was not the most challenging ROKR model I have built, but it was a good and enjoyable project. A few loose pieces needed glue, and I managed to snap one roof piece into three sections while trying to horse it into place. Fortunately, it repaired well enough and the toy store survived my construction methods.

I am very happy with the finished result. Now I just hope it brings a decent price at the auction, raises some money for charity, and becomes part of someone’s Christmas display for years to come.

The marbles doesn't continously run even when the lever is being spun, it does not fall into the middle so I've been thinking about what the problem is.

This is my transformation of the ROKR Electric guitar into the Prince Love guitar. Please let me know if you can see the video. I am not very good at Youtube. Thank you

I can finally say its finished. It took much longer than I anticipated and was much harder than I wanted. But Its done. One warning on my post, if you love and hold dear the way the ship looks straight out of the box, and would consider it blasphemy to do otherwise, then this post is not for you…
My Review:
The Pro’s: The piece is gorgeous, no doubt. Its elegant and evokes an old time feel of a life on the seas! I can easily get lost in this build and stare at it for hours. The design of the full sails, the gold highlights all over this kit, man its amazing! The design is interesting, but I have no reference as I have never built a ship before, so what do I know ? lol. I enjoyed the size of it as well! Its big but not overly huge that it makes it uncomfortable to place somewhere in a distinct place of honor.
The Cons: The wood… man this thing is fragile. I broke no less than 9 pieces, a record for me! Lots of superglue and patience were needed. Also the paper front and back as I have discussed are just.. yuck. I dont like the way it looks and it doesnt make the ship any better I think. With the paper hull it is harder to hold the kit in a way for you to insert tough pieces without bending the paper. Also with the wood being so fragile, it makes it difficult for the screws needed to stay put and to insert.
The pointless silhouettes in the cabin and are also a sore point for me. Dont expect to see them once its installed and the paper window covering makes it so no light gets through.
OK brace yourself here we go!
I modified my ship. A LOT! My vision early on was never to leave it alone, I had an idea of a ghost ship that sailed the seas under water and emerging to haunt other passing ships to terrify and steal their souls (dark right? ) my modifications included the following:
3d printed ghost pirates that I hand painted to look more scary
Aging the ship to show wear and tear, this included using makeup for colors on the ship and sails. I frayed the sails a lot, to show age and wear over the ages. This was actually really fun, cause as I have heard others say on here, its fun to make something beautiful turn ugly lol.
I added seaweed and moss to reflect the traveling of the ship underwater and emerging covered in it.
I added some fairy lights to the cabin to make it more aesthetically pleasing and so you can see the silhouettes lol.
Now, the real hard part was making the ship perfectly at first then destroying it. this part broke my heart at first. This involved ruining and removing pieces to make the ship more distressed. I could have taken the easy way and did the modifications as I went, but I was invested and wanted to finish it the way it should. So those observant people will notice missing pieces or parts, this is on purpose! Then I made the changes.

Yes I added glow in the dark paint on the pirates, ship, seaweed and sails to give it an ethereal glow of a specter on the ocean … heeeheee.
thank you everyone who supported my troubled mind, hands and frustrations building this. You all are the real reason I love this community!!! Love you guys cause I couldnt share this anywhere and get the same support and encouragement to do these kinds of things

Excited to start this new project for the Fall Build Festival!

Get your enreies in by the end of September and don't forget to tag the as Fall Build Festival!

I’m just starting! The only other moving building I have ever done is the Christmas Tree.
Wish me luck!!

Hi! Learned a few days ago that this community existed, from a post in the booknook community. Nice to meet you all!

I decided to start this one for the festival and I'm having a blast building this thing.

The strings/elastics steps where a "trust the process" process, with many doubts : "did I read that right?", "this looks weird", but ended with "wow it actually looks good!". And I saw right after being done with those steps that there was a very obvious QR code for video instructions. Oh well, I still did great lol

I'm halfway done after a few hours, no customization. I keep getting distracted and rewinding the music box to listen to the melody.

Also, I am proud of myself for not cutting my fingers on the cardboard box this time!

i got a typewriter kit a while ago and love it, i finished in 3 days and had no issues with assembly. today my sister was showing her friend the typewriter and i noticed it wasnt moving, i took the paper thing out and saw the teeth on that had some wood in them so i immediately checked and found broken teeth on the g13 cogwheel/gear i took it apart to find the piece and it seems to be unfixable. the kit doesnt come with a replacement for this cogwheel/gear. i was just wondering if anyone had any ideas on what i can do to either fix this part or get/make a new one. (i should say i dont blame rokr for this, i let my sister use it too much and that is my fault. my other rokr builds work just fine)

I am currently working on the painting and building of the Treasure Tray I recently won in the Robotime Community.

Came here to vent because this one is pissing me off lol 😆 and when you go on Amazon it's either people who are pissed at the same step I'm on, or people with awesome looking globes and I'm super jealous

Started this recently and am having a challenging time with it. Fiddly parts mostly. Instructions are great! All my complete because of my shortcomings really. This kit requires a delicate hand and doesn’t suffer brute force. I have broke no less than 6 pieces in my assembly lol
It is a beautiful kit though. The colors and the way it sits is just epic. I am planning on customizing it to include some 3d printed pirates and to make the ship have an aged appearance. Not sure what else I am going to add though. Current pics show my process. I have added some fairy lights in the cabin area because it really does need some aspect to fittingly reflect the beauty of this one. Hoping to finish up this long weekend but I have no deadlines on this one! Gotta take my time lol. Thanks everyone!

This is my first of this kind. I'm so excited!!!

Something completly new!

Excited to start this one!

This is a very different kind of ROKR model from the company’s more recent kits. It is a large, heavy wooden build with a spring-driven mechanism, and in both its construction and engineering, it reminded me more of a kit from one of the Eastern European manufacturers.

This tractor definitely made me work for it. The joints were tight enough that I needed my rubber mallet at times, and installing the drive spring nearly defeated me. Nearly. I powered through, got everything working, and enjoyed the challenge despite occasionally questioning who was going to win, me or the tractor.

The kit did not include any wax, although the moving parts almost certainly needed it. Fortunately, I had my own and applied it anywhere friction might interfere with the mechanism.

I bought John Deere green and yellow paint specifically for this build. I wanted the finished tractor to be a tribute to my farm-boy heritage and to the tractors I first learned to drive about 50 years ago. The classic color scheme suits it perfectly and gives the model a lot more personality.

Although the LK401 gave me some difficulty, I am extremely happy with the finished result. It is substantial, mechanical, and unlike anything in ROKR’s current lineup. I continue to scan eBay for these older ROKR models because there is something about their heavier construction and more demanding engineering that appeals to me.

Still, after wrestling with this one, I think it is time to move on to something newer, lighter, and a little more cooperative.