NightFire Wailing Siren Hobby Kit (#1751)

I really wanted to give this kit 5 stars, but am reluctantly downgrading it to 4. The reason: it doesn't come with assembly instructions.I ordered and promptly received this and another kit. They arrived in small plastic zip top bags with all the components, the circuit board and a schematic. Also included is a business card with the resistor color code printed on it. No assembly instructions or parts list. I went to the manufacturer's website and after some digging around was able to locate the parts list for this kit. One of the items listed on the online parts list was "Instructions - Basic Soldering and Components ID", so I used the "Contact Us" link to inquire about obtaining said instructions as I thought that they had been inadvertently left out of the kit.I received a prompt and polite response from the owner saying that no assembly instructions are provided for his kits. He noted (correctly) that all component IDs (R5, C1 etc) are printed on the board and that the components can be identified by the schematic. He also noted (correctly) that a generic, basic assembly and component identification guide is available elsewhere on his web page.I have an electronics background, so I can easily figure this out. But I purchased this kit as a project for my 10 year old grandson. With a little minimal supervision, basic soldering practice and instructions in basic hand tools, kits like this should not be above the capabilities of this age range. But I'm not sure that interpreting schematic diagrams is something appropriate for this age range. I recently purchased a similar electronics kit from another manufacturer and detailed, full color step by step assembly instructions were available on their website. Grandson had a ball putting that one together all by himself and was so proud when it worked first time. This one, I'm going to have to sit down with him and help him with the schematic - not a problem in itself, but kind of detracts from a true do it yourself kit.So, this is a fun, easy to assemble project but a caveat: you have to go to their website for a parts list (so you can check to make sure everything is there) and will have to interpret the assembly instructions from a schematic.

For the price this little gadget is wicked cool. I'm new to electronics but was able to assemble all the little diods and resistors and whatever else they call the other small pieces. I installed them all by Color coding and the drawing. All the pieces were there and they all were layed out on the drawing. I had to find a clearer picture online to make sure the pieces were assembled in their correct spots. When the battery is attached the speaker makes a pretty loud crescendo it sounds like a police vehicle in slow motion. I'm very happy it works.

It took about 10 days to receive it but it was high-quality and worked great