Queen Ann Dollhouse: Fit for your Princess or any Queen
Written: Jul 02 '09
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Durable construction, easy directions, fun fun fun to decorate
Cons: Time consuming, not for beginners
The Bottom Line: A great dollhouse that will last you or your little girl for years to come.
|
|
|
| Mininut's Full Review: Real Good Toys Historical Queen Anne Dollhouse Kit |
I have been designing and building dollhouses now for about 16 years. In all of the years I have been a “miniaturist” this is the largest kit I have ever had the pleasure to build. The Queen Anne by Real Good Toys is the largest dollhouse kit on the market and has held that title for quite sometime. This is one of the most magnificent dollhouses offered in kit form. So sit down and grab a drink and we will go over this work of art, one inch at a time.
Tell me about the Queen Anne
The Queen Ann dollhouse obviously is a replica of homes that were from the Victorian era. This kit is from Real Good toys and is by far one of the best kits you will ever have the pleasure of building. All of RGT’s dollhouse kits are sturdy and durable because they are constructed from solid pine moldings, 3/8 " and 1/4" high quality, cabinet grade panels, and are assembled using nails and glue. They are designed in 1" to 1' scale, so most miniature furniture and accessories fit perfectly. This is not your typical tab and slot construction that you will find with other kit makers such as Duracraft. Since the materials used to make this kit are heavier duty than other kits RGT is the most sought after kit built for little girls. The Queen Ann has a whopping 13 rooms and measures 50"W x 24"D x 49"H. The exterior of this home is milled plywood and the room dividers are movable and can be used in many different ways. The Queen Ann also boasts an impressive 10-inch floor-to-ceiling height and for a dollhouse that is a lot of decorating space. This is a 1” scale dollhouse which means 1” = 1’ in actual scale. This kit is the priciest on the market running between $680 - $900 which is not bad when you think about how it was $1500 when first offered.
What comes in the Queen Ann kit?
Take two people the box for this kit is heavy and large. At one time the Queen was sold in 2 separate boxes but RGT has began shipping it all in one box and that box weighs about 70lbs so I do not recommend you ordering it online due to shipping prices. Once you get your kit home and open the box you will find,
3/8" thick plywood
Custom designed, pre-assembled windows and doors
Octagonal, 2 story, gazebo wraparound porch
Beaded moldings
Side opening access to the front rooms
Seven different styles of wooden shingles (yes seven!!! Beat that Duracraft !)
Shapely steep pitched roofs
Large, well shaped rooms
Wraparound stairway creates an authentic grand entry
Easy to follow instructions
Can it really be that easy?
I am a huge fan of RGT dollhouses not only because of the materials they use to build their kits but their instructions are amazing. These are the easiest to follow instructions you will ever find and the Queen Ann instructions are so detailed that they have pictures you can follow. Now don’t panic when you open this huge instruction booklet, keep in mind this is a huge house, lots of parts and you will not be able to build it over night (I know, I have tried).
To make things easier RGT includes pre-assembled windows and doors that are custom-designed for most models.
What will I need prior to construction?
There are a few tools you should have prior to constructing any dollhouse and if you are an avid builder you will already have these. You will need an X-acto knife with extra blades, Aleene’s tacky glue (the best there is) can be quick dry, Quick-tite super glue, hot glue gun with glue sticks, scissors, small hammer, masking tape, wood filler, sand paper, acrylic paint, black fine tip marker, small paint, Magnifying glass, spot light (small lamp), Modge Podge, newspaper, brushes, Phillip’s head screwdriver, ruler and a small pair of needle nose pliers. These are standard tools that will help make your building project faster and more efficient. A small saw is a good tool to have but if you have a miter cutter that is most preferred.
So how long will this take?
Typically you will spend about 40 hours on a project this big and you will have to span that out because you will need time for your glue to dry and set. 40 hours is just to build the kit and I will give you some tips here on how to do it. You will spend numerous more hours on flooring, walls, lighting (if you choose to add that) and decorating.
I am ready to build now what?
Ok you have all your tools and your kit and you are ready to go so first you will need a workspace large enough for this monster of a house. Second, decide what room this house will go in and measure the doorways first, you don’t want to build this house and not be able to get it through the door. Believe me, if you think building these are hard, try taking one apart enough to move it and then put it back together
Building your Queen Ann
There are a lot of different things you can do to a dollhouse kit. You can build it as the directions state or you can combine different dollhouse kits together to form one house (called kit bashing). The Queen Ann is not really a house you want to kit bash on, it is already a majestic piece, why tamper with perfection right? On a smaller kit you can build the kit and then decorate it but on the larger kits I suggest you pick out your flooring and wallpaper before constructions because you can place these in as you are building the house to make it easier. If you plan to do any lighting in this house you will also want to do that as you go as well.
Give me some tips Minni!
These tips can be found in my other dollhouse reviews as well.
If you are a first time builder I would suggest first that you get a much smaller kit to start out on. However this is the perfect kit for a group project because there is so much to do.
Ok let’s talk about our glue and I know you were wondering why you would need Aleene’s tacky glue and super glue. If you take your tacky glue and place it on the area’s you are gluing together and then add just a few drops of your super glue on top of that tacky glue and hold them together for about 30 seconds it creates one heck of a bond. Use masking tape to hold the area’s together and let it set and dry. The super glue creates a quick and strong bond that will last longer than if you were to use straight tacky glue. As always I have to recommend that you use Aleene’s tacky glue instead of general white glue. Aleene’s is thick glue and bonds better to the wood and other surfaces and holds longer. Always paint or paper your walls prior to putting them up , this will make your paint job look more professional and very clean because you do not have to paint around trim. However if your house is already together you can use newspaper as a form on each wall to measure the size of paper you will need to cut. Simply place folded newspaper in the room and fold it to fit each wall, tape down the excess and pull that piece out and use it as a form for your paper and you should have a perfect fit. I don’t recommend putting the roof on until you have the wallpaper and flooring in, not only will you have more space to work this way but you will have more light. You can save money by using craft paper instead of dollhouse wallpaper or you can sand the walls perfectly smooth and apply a fresh coat of paint. I do not recommend painting the walls if you are going to do any lighting in the house because your wire strips will be exposed. When you install the wallpaper do not use regular glue, go buy you some Modge Podge at the local craft store and apply it to the back of your paper using a paint brush, once you have the paper on the wall, you will want to gently rub it with a credit card to smooth out any bubbles. This technique is also great if you ever have to remove the paper because Modge Podge is water soluble and can be removed easily. You can also use Modge Podge over a stained wood floor to give it a glossy shine but use about 2 coats for an even look. If you are using carpet please only use dollhouse carpet, real carpet is not to scale with a dollhouse and will make everything look just plain weird. However on the Queen Ann I suggest you stain the floors to look like hardwood. Always put your doors, stairs and windows in last this will make your wallpapering and flooring go in much easier. Now for the shingles you will want to use a hot glue gun, this will make applying the shingles much quicker. Shingles are made from balsa wood and can be cut to shape easily with a pair of scissors.
Ok the Queen is built, now what?
If you have your kit completely built and you know she fits through the door you are ready to start decorating, hopefully at this point you have most of your wallpaper, flooring and lighting in and you should start decorating. Use throw rugs when possible instead of carpet flooring because they are so cheap and can be changed easily. Don’t be afraid to put a lot of stuff in a dollhouse, after all you aren’t living in these rooms so crowd them up. Crowded rooms in a dollhouse are more appealing to the eye because every time you look in there you will see something new. When you are decorating don’t forget to put some touches on your porches and balconies outside of the house. You don’t want your doll family living in a boring house after all.
So how can I find out more about RGT
Real Good Toys has been offering dollhouse kits since 1973 and they stand behind their dollhouses. The quality of their houses is unbeatable and so is their customer service. For a complete list of the kits offered you can visit http://www.realgoodtoys.com/
Happy Dollhouse Building.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 700
Type of Toy: Arts and Crafts
Age Range of Child: 6 to 8 Years
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
Mininut
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Heather
Location: Leander, Texas
Reviews written: 88
Trusted by: 273 members
About Me:
Mother of 4 gorgeous children and survivor of Cervical Cancer.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.