Gakken Hooke Microscope Kit Review
This is a review from the ever interesting Madam Grand Duchess from the forums, of the Japanese Gakken science kit Hooke Microscope. She has recently recieved the kit through the post and wrote a perfectly wonderful review from the a Steampunk enthusiast’s view:
“The box containing the parts for the microscope had a magazine attached to it and the entire thing was in Japanese. Yet even without looking at the extensive illustrated instructions, I was able to put the two part set-up together in approximately 10 minutes (probably a bit less than that.
The pieces are made of sturdy brown plastic, and it looks well made. It comes with everything you need except water to fill the globe that helps with the illumination, but you can get that from the tap. The only thing that will need translation is the directions for raising plankton (everything is included except for a glass to hold them in); luckily I have friends who are Japanese, so I’ll have this translated tomorrow or next week.
Since I have to go to work tomorrow, I only spent 45 minutes looking at samples of my hair while using a flashlight for illumination. Tomorrow night I’ll light the candle apparatus, calibrate it to the microscope, and look at important things, like samples of my blood, leaves, and tiny pieces of cork and bread. Most importantly, I see that with a little bit of effort, I could probably build my own microscope out of wood, and lenses bought from a scientific supply shop.
Satisfaction level: A+. Perfect for parents and children, or adults who want to feel like children again. The booklet also includes easy-to-figure out plans for other fun projects. I only wish I could read Japanese.
Ease of build: 10 out of 10. I puzzled over a couple of things for a moment or two only because I didn’t look at the directions right away.
Steampunkishness: 9 out of 10. Even though Robert Hooke invented his microscope in 1665, the same type of apparatus is still, with only slight modifications, used today. The gold stick-on foil makes the microscope look truly nice, and if one wanted to paint the plastic and make it look like metal, one could easily do that. The whole thing looks like a cute version of something Victor von Frankenstein would have had in his laboratory, and the setup will look quite spiffy on a bookshelf, especially if it is sitting next to test tubes and other items. Besides, Robert Hooke was so protosteampunk it’s not even funny.”
Thank you so much, Madam Duchess – it’s wonderful to read a review from the Steampunk point of view before purchase!