I have always been a fan of the Fallout series. From the moment I first stepped foot in that toxic wasteland I was damn nearly immediately swoon by the Pip-Boy. A beautiful blend of retro-futuristic design and technology that I just knew I needed in my life. After missing the opportunity to buy the special edition version of Fallout 4 that came with a Pip-Boy (because apparently I like to torture myself) I have searched tirelessly over etsy, convention halls, eBay, and other various corners of the web for something that balanced a good quality build with cost efficiency and in-game accuracy. I think that I’ve finally found it with The Wand Company’s Pip-Boy Model 2000 Mk VI Kit. 

I know this isn’t a new product and arguably comes from the worst iteration of Fallout (to which I disagree), but in regards to bang for your buck this thing is worth every damn penny. I happened to pick mine up from GameStop after they took over ThinkGeek (RIP jk FU) for a measly $59.99. It’s now back up to $109.99 as of this post and I still feel like given the opportunity I would buy it again. Everything about this kit is awesome from the decorative packaging down to the little Vault-Tec tools you get with the kit. (See a unboxing time-lapse below)

That all said, if you are like me and are undecided on picking one of these up, I think there are a few things to consider:

1) As cute as the Vault-Tec tools are, they are very clearly just for looks. Do not use them, build with your own tools or using the more rigid tools that are buried in the box (more on this later).

2) You are also going to need to use some of your own tools to build this that are not included in the box. Mainly a pair of pliers is going to be useful.

3) OPEN EVERY MF THING. I spent an embarrassingly long time trying to use the wrong screws to build the holotape because the screws that hold it in the packaging are not the screws that you use to build the device (this is also true for any other element held in the box by screws). After a frustrating 30 minutes I realized there was a small bag of hardware buried in one of the arm cuffs that contained the actual screws I needed.

4) The directions are literal garbage. They feel like they were put together by and Ikea employee on a mission to prove abstract art is the best method of conveying a set of instructions. Because of this, use them as a loose guide but I highly recommend looking on Youtube for a walkthrough (this is the one I used, shoutout to to Joshua Driggs : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kTrwqzmlOQ. He has a pretty decent walkthrough and also builds his own models so talks about some of the things he would have done differently)

5) Speaking of building, its important to note this is not a super easy build and does require some space as well as patience to put together. There are a lot of small parts so make sure you allocate for this. I spent way too much time crawling on my floor with a flashlight looking for small piece I had dropped. Dont be dumb like me, plan accordingly or don’t be a klutz. 

All in all once it was said and done (and I had sweat through my shirt due to stressing about dropping parts), I stood victoriously and marveled at my new Pip-Boy. If you’re a fan of the Fallout series and don’t mind spending an hour to two tinkering to end up with a pretty sick interactive model, I highly recommend checking this shit out.

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