Spilay DIY Dolls House Miniature Kit Review

This is the first house from Spilay I’ve made, but they offer a wide selection, from 1:100 miniature houses to magically themed scenes with their own dust covers.

Before I start, some of the Amazon product pages say these are 1:24. They’re nowhere near that big, at only 1:100 scale, so if you’re looking for a more manageable kit, I recommend going for a Rolife/Robotime dolls house kit that are usually around 1:20-1:24.

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What does the Spilay Happy House include?

For such a small box, Happy House includes a ton of pieces, bagged and with a chart that helps you recognise each part.

• Instructions and templates
• Wooden house walls and furniture pieces
• Paper templates
• Beads, metal pieces, etc
• Electrics, lights

Other things you’ll need

I’ve seen some reviews saying that while the kit was cheap, they ended up spending a lot on accessories, such as glue and silicon cutting mats, but if you’re not sure if you’ll do another kit, or you’re on a budget, you can find alternatives for some of these items around your home.

• Glue, go for an all-purpose glue like Aleene.
• Magnifying glass (optional)
• Tweezers
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Bulldog/binder clips
• Screwdriver
• Toothpicks
• Craft knife
• Cutting mat
• 3 x LR44 Batteries

Kit tips

Test before committing to glue. I had some problems with the roof, which was a bit tricky to attach, and there’s a slight gap where it doesn’t close completely.

How long does it take to make?

Spilay says it should take between 1 and 2 days, but I only think this is accurate if you sit and work on this kit for 48 hours straight. The tiny details mean you spend more time and have greater accuracy when cutting, glueing, and fixing.

What is the difficulty level?

Spilay gives this 1 out of 5 stars for difficulty. I’m not sure whether they consider 1 the most difficult or the easiest, but I wouldn’t call this an ‘easy’ kit, especially because its small scale makes some work fiddly and requires more time to get it right. Happy House would be a challenge for a kit newbie or someone who isn’t particularly dextrous.

Is it suitable for children?

A child would probably struggle, but for a teenager into crafting, it would be fine.

How clear are the instructions?

As with most kits, every part is in a numbered bag with a corresponding picture and code in the instruction booklet. Honestly, the instructions aren’t always clear. As I’ve mentioned before, collecting and checking your pieces before glueing can help with this a bit. I want to say ‘especially when you’re working with blah blah and blah’, but pretty much any small piece can be mistaken, tiny shiny beads and silver wires end up looking alike on this scale.

Putting it all together

All that considered, I had a ball putting this kit together. One of my favourite things about these kits is that they include a mix of materials, so it never gets boring. 

Surprisingly, this was one of the easiest electrical kits to set up. I don’t think it’s just me who has problems with this part of kit building, so I was relieved and pleased to see how lovely the lit-up house looks.

Would I try another Spilay kit?

Since I made the first 1:100 kit, Spilay has released 4 new products: a hotel, a magic shop, a bakery, another house and a boutique, and I CANNOT wait to make these.

My plan is to make a 1:100 town complete with vehicles and people. So watch this space!