ACADEMY da Vinci Clock

A great model kit, parts go together very nicely indeed, a pleasure to build. Instructions not in English, but the drawings are more than clear enough to get the job done.It does not function as a clock (i.e. does not run to time). It does however provide an excellent demo of Richard of Wallingford's strob escapement.

Excellent service. The kit is well-made with high-quality plastic. The parts fit together well without modification. The instructions are fairly easy to follow and I was able to make the clock in about an hour. To run well, the clock needed some adjustments of the kind that are reasonable to expect in a working model that isn't intended as a reliable timepiece, including a heavier weight.

Really good fun and a handsome result. Shouldn't take you more than a couple of hours to assemble. The sprue parts need a bare minimum of nobble shaving. Some clipping together and spindle pushing requires the kind of gentle but firm force that might be beyond a child's patience.Parts are clearly marked and instructions are visually clear - but bear in mind that there are a couple of points where you have choices and that takes a moment's thought to figure out. (Unless you speak Korean.)I suppose you could spend a merry time calibrating it via the weights and swing bar, but I'd say it's valuable more as an interesting demonstration of principle than an accurate timepiece. Incidentally, the weight bucket is perfect for 2ps.

Bought self assembly clock kit but beware. One small wheel was missing so could not complete instructions advised. To check each part before breaking seal otherwise no refund. there are so many parts you would need large magnifying glass if supplier reads this I don't want. free kit just make sure all potential buyers get what they pay for. old moto when in doubt fling it out very disappointed

Great kit and fun to make, but only if you can google the translation from Japanese/Chinese for the instructions. There are pictures so its easy enough to follow but at two place in the build you are offered choices, which I couldn't understand.

So I spent a rainy afternoon assembling this with my 7yr old boy.... (adult needed to push home the components). It is plastic, and it is true to say I had concerns about that. But it is a Japanese kit so it was actually formed really well, with all the components slotting together quite tightly.I would say it doesn't really tell the time. It does provide a very practical demonstration of how a clock works.I did a quick video

Although I enjoyed assemblng this clock, I found at the end that it did not come with any weights which are required for it to function something the manufacturer failed to add to the components when putting this together.So I found some coins to use, wound up the clock and was thoroughly dissapointed at the results, Basically, it does not work.It is easy assemble but not so easy to take appart and or to swap out the optional components.The look and quality of this product is very cheap, certainly not worth the 18 pound, more like 2 pound from the pound shop quality

not a timepiece

The primary instructions are in Korean with a second "Ikea" style set with minimalist English notations. The required tools to do a a good job are NOT in the instructions. If you are an experienced model builder who has done some reading about clockworks, it's easy. If not, this is a terrible first project. Build something like the Revell 3' Cutty Sark full rigging (not full sail) model first. If you can do that, then you can do this. The "8+" rating on the box is misleading for most current generation Americans, although I suspect that it is spot on for a kid that has been building models and doing a good job for a couple of years. You do have to tie four tiny knots with tweezers (three of the two half hitch variety and one figure 8).OK, not intimidated? - you will need three tools: a scalpel, a pair of tweezers, and a small silversmithing type of hammer. You will also want to have handy a small block of wood about 1"x2"x 4" to use as an anvil, and a hardwood dowel (oak is fine) about 5/8" in diameter and about 4" long. The dowel is for poking through the gears to tighten the press fits - this will be obvious when you get to those steps.The model is deceptively simple, but the instructions are also deceptively accurate. Unlike what another reviewer said, every last detail is spot on. But go slow!!!! The little inset drawings are easy to miss - especially the one where you install the ratchet pawl.What you end up with in an amazing early clock escapement demonstrator. It is NOT a working clock in the sense that it will run for hours. It runs for a few minutes, and that's it. It is also not exactly the da Vinci escapement. The gearing seems to be close to that, which is a modification of the verge or foliot escapement, but uses an ingenious double wheel system that "walks" under the control of a truly unique three peg wheel instead of a single crown wheel controlled by two pallets. Da Vinci's design replaced the foliot weights with swinging weights on strings, but other than that it seems to be close. I see hints of an early Roman gearworks in this design, but it could be something that came out of the Islamic world. Records of how early mechanical things worked in detail are almost nonexistent.It's a real delight to have as a first clockworks exploration project. For now, I'm keeping mine right on my workbench and winding up quite often. It's quite durable, and runs quite smoothly after a few dozen break-in cycles. No lubrication seems to be required.

Love the product but instructions are not in English so challenging to put together.

Ich habe die Uhr verschenkt und es kam super an. War nicht einfach aufzubauen aber das Resultat ist dafür super geworden. Leider fehlt eine Deutsche Beschreibung drin aber es ging auch mit dem schulenglich ganz gut.

Pensé que al no ser de madera me iba a gustar poco pero de todas maneras consideré comprarlo por ser emblemático, sin embargo el tipo de materiales que usaron me parece de excelente calidad y en verdad cumple ampliamente con mis espectativas

Non funziona davvero ma fa capire ilfunzionamento dello scappamento