How it works

Ready-built. Choose a set from the catalogue. Pieces marked On the shelf are already built and checked; pieces marked Built to order are built for you from a new sealed box. Either way you receive the finished model, display-ready.

Your set, our bench. Send us a set you already own and we build it, frame it, case it or repair it, then courier it back. Send a request or book one of the studio services directly. We confirm the price by email before any work starts.

1. 01Bought sealedEvery ready-built piece starts as a new, sealed set. We never build a ready-built set from loose or second-hand parts.
2. 02Built and checkedBuilt in instruction order, bag by bag. Stickers go on against a straight edge, moving parts are tested and the model is checked against the instructions before it leaves the bench.
3. 03Bench card and sparesSpare parts are bagged. The bench card records the set, who built it, when, how it is held together and how many spares are in the bag.
4. 04Cut foam and courierPhotographed before the box is sealed, double boxed in cut foam, insured and delivered against a signature.

Every ready-built set shows its price in two parts: the set at typical South African retail, and our build and finish fee. For the Orchid (10311) that is the set at about R1 149 plus our R300 build and finish fee. You can price the box elsewhere; the fee is what you pay us for the work.

The fee covers the hours at the bench, sticker work, posing, the checks, bagged spares, the bench card and cut-foam packing. It follows the piece count:

Every set leaves the bench unglued unless you choose Spot-glued for display. Spot-gluing fixes a few key joins with clear glue so a piece survives being moved or knocked. It cannot be undone, and spot-glued items cannot be returned for a change of mind. Read the full glue notes.

• Stickers are applied with a straight edge. If one is not quite straight, we tell you rather than hide it.
• Every leftover part that came in the set is bagged and sent with it.
• The original instructions and the flattened box come in the parcel, so the set can be rebuilt or resold complete.
• The bench card is tied to the piece: set number, builder, date, unglued or spot-glued, and the number of spares.

We photograph every built piece before its box is sealed. The photos are our record of how it left the bench, and we can add them to your order status page so you see what we saw.

• On the shelf: dispatched in 2 to 3 working days.
• Built to order: dispatched in about 5 to 14 working days, depending on the set.
• Studio services: about 7 to 10 working days from the day your set arrives.

Working days are Monday to Friday, not counting South African public holidays. Checkout shows the earliest dispatch date for your whole order before you pay. Couriers slow down in December, so from 1 December checkout also shows a note about holiday transit times.

1. Book a service in the shop or send a request. Tell us the set number and whether it is sealed, part-built or built.
2. We reply within one working day to confirm the price, the fit for any frame or case, and how to get the set to us. Nothing starts until you agree.
3. Send the set, or choose courier collection when you book Build it for me. We photograph it when it arrives and list anything missing or damaged.
4. We build, frame, case or repair it, then courier it back. Return courier anywhere in South Africa is included in the service price.