karakuri dolls and edison Phonograph kit

[Penny Dreadful]

Gakken Otona no Kagaku kits!
A long time ago I saw kits on japanese sites for mechanical karakuri and phonographs that record on plastic cups, but very cool things is now selling them with english instructions.
They are not impossibly priced, but I do wonder as to their quality.  Has anyone tried any of these kits?
http://www.verycoolthings.com/vct/Neo_getpage.cgi?page=listtype&contentgroup=97

I also found some videos of these dolls in action on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBURWGr3AlU

is a good place to start, and of course there are related links (including one of the above mentioned kit dolls, I think...)

http://fogonazos.blogspot.com/2007/01/writing-automaton.html
I was sad to find that the famous europen automaton wasn't as cool as I had imagined, but the workings look neat.

oohboy I also stumbled upon this site
http://www.karakuricorner.com/servlet/the-Otona-No-Kagaku-Kits/Categories
that has mooks that make me wish I read japanese!  updated phono kits, steam car model toys...

[Tinker]

Very clever.  I also found that the manual for the edison phonograph kit, which is downloadable from the site, is basically a set of plans.  From them, one could make one's own, or even adapt it back to the original wax cylinders.

A.