Lomography Konstruktor Part I: Putting it together

Decided to pickup one of these from the local Lomography Gallery store after reading a fair bit about it online. For those who don’t know yet what it is, it’s a DIY 35mm film camera.
When you get home and open it all up, it looks exactly like a model set (Tamiya, Yokomo etc) that I grew up building, so I was right at home.

Initially, I couldn’t see a parts list detailing which screws where which and I just used the ones that seemed like it’d be the right screw. It wasn’t until I finished assembling the whole thing did I figure out the back page actually unfolds to reveal a complete parts list with diagrams to sort out which screws were labeled S1,S2 etc. The kit didn’t come with any sorta cutting tool, so I used a pair of sidecutters and a small file to cut the plastic pieces from the injection molding “sprue”.

Instructions are a little fuzzy on details, especially when it comes to telling you to which part comes in first. I wish they had 2 diagrams with the more complicated steps, showing you the exploded diagram and the after, which makes it easier to sort out which gear needs to be assembled 1st etc. I also didn’t get why it tells you to assemble the dial at position 21, since it can be moved later when the film is loaded. You’d want to be real careful with those tiny screws, as too much torque can strip out the plastic underneath, a bit of CA (crazy/super) glue will fix that though. The most difficult step was probably the shutter return spring and it’s associated parts, you had to sorta hold everything in place while trying to nudge a tiny spring into position. In the end I had to resort to using a pair of tweezers to get it to catch (tweezers were not included in the kit, a little screwdriver was). My kit did come with 2 springs, I guess in the likely event you send one flying across the floor and can’t locate it.

Lomography decided to ship the shutter unit preassembled, probably to simplify the process. Essentially you’re building the camera into 5 major subassemblies and then piecing it together at the end, viewfinder, lens, front, back and the shutter (which comes preassembled).

We managed to get everything assembled in about an hour and then another 30-40 mins applying the supplied leather stickers and stuff to customize the Konstruktor.

Next up, more details on how to use it, maybe some photos to share as well. As of now, I can’t vouch for the quality of photos taken by this camera because I have no idea yet! Our 1st roll is just getting developed as I’m posting this.

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@GY