Disclaimer: First off, Prusa was kind enough to provide me with a Prusa Core One Plus as an assembly kit. I gratefully accepted, of course, but you should know: I’m over 50, my eyes aren’t what they used to be, my fingers can best be described as "sausage-like," and high blood pressure is a factor. What could possibly go wrong, right? RIGHT? \^\^ (this is a translation, the original text was posted in german in [r/3ddruck](https://www.reddit.com/r/3ddruck/))

# The Beginnings

There it stood: the box that the poor mailman, face beet-red and panting, had just deposited at my front door. The Prusa Core One Plus Assembly Kit box. It doesn’t look particularly impressive - a remarkably beige-brown affair - but thanks to the compact packaging, it’s noticeably more unwieldy than the boxes for my Centauri Carbon, Qidi Max3, or Qidi Q2c. And it feels heavier because it’s a kit and everything is... denser. It's barely taller than a 1.5-liter bottle of mineral water.

After a bit of huffing and puffing, the cardboard printer box - weighing in at nearly 28 kg - is sitting on the dining table, which has been predestined for the assembly... I suspected it, but didn't want to admit it at first: you need far more space for the build because there are countless boxes, bags, tools... but more on that later.

Let’s take a peek inside the box...

Ah, the gummy bears. Good, the build report ends here, because all I really wanted was the candy...

Not a good idea? Okay, fine, I’ll keep building.

Where were we? Ah, the contents. Aside from some paperwork, a little booklet called the “3D Printing Handbook,” the aforementioned bag of gummy bears, and some "alibi" filament, you notice the other boxes. Many boxes. SO MANY BOXES! Eleven, to be exact.

Three boxes for metal parts, one for plexiglass, then printed parts... one for electronics, then one for electronics and chamber parts, one for electronics & fasteners... yep, someone at Prusa decided to pack components into different boxes. Oh, and inside those boxes, there are more boxes! Boxception, basically.

In one of the boxes, you find the screws. Many screws... neatly sorted by type. That wouldn't be a problem, except:

* 9 bags of "normal" bolts/screws like M3x4 or M3x35
* 11 bags of "special" bolts/screws like M3x5rT or M3x12bT
* 4 bags of "special" screws like 2.9mx6.5rT
* 1 for the nylon clips
* 2 for washers
* 3 for locknuts

In total: 30 bags. THIRTY little bags. With screws, nuts, and washers... socket head, button head, or countersunk screws... hahahhaHHAHAHAHAHHAAAAAAAAAARGH.

So, what else is in the boxes? Ah, other bags containing more bags. Springs, bolts, magnets, bearings in various sizes, tools (really good pliers, screwdrivers, etc.), components, etc. I see...

# The Build Begins

If you’re wondering: didn't he forget to mention the assembly instructions that are surely in one of the boxes or bags? Nope. There is no printed manual in the box. But there is an online guide. And, even better: really good video tutorials like the ones from "[Ifti's Tech Corner!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSZY_qdn_E8&list=PLkAeX8W01U1jCdkr3xocWgEyLOiPLqrDS)" I confess, I followed Ifti’s video series and rarely consulted the online manual.

What became apparent during the build, however, was the "chaos" that descends upon you. If you’re thinking, "Oh, come on. Surely the boxes and bags are sorted by chapter and you work through them like Lego," let me tell you: absolutely not. ***No***.

At times (but not always), you get the feeling that a sadist with a d6 was given the authority to decide the contents of the bags and boxes.

Want an example? Z-axis motors. There are three of them... and of course, there’s a box labeled "Motor Set Paket." So, where are the motors? Exactly! Two of the three Z-axis motors are in the Motor Set box. The third motor is in "Electronics and Chamber Parts." But you also need a few other parts, which you then have to retrieve from the "Printed Parts" box.

Or the RGB LED. The LED strip itself is in the "Electronics & Fasteners" box, the metal cover is in the "Electronics & Chamber" box, and the diffuser is in the... "CoreXY-Parts + Hinges-Set" box. Makes sense, right? \^\^

It’s a similar story for other steps: Part 1 from Box A, Part 2 and Part 3 from Box B (in one bag initially, but Part 3 is in a tiny bag inside the bag that also contains Part 2), and then you rummage around for the pre-printed part in yet another tiny bag in Box C.

A true feast for all the senses 😉

But regardless of that, the assembly is relatively - well, "kept simple" isn't the right phrase, but it’s not overly complex either. If you know which end of a screwdriver to hold, follow the instructions, and keep the screws sorted, you shouldn't run into many problems.

In my case, I ended up double- and triple-checking that I had everything I needed at hand (correct screw, correct cable, etc.) and putting everything I didn't need back in a predefined, fixed spot.

Nevertheless, panic attacks ensued when the part I just needed wasn't where it was supposed to be. Usually, the reason was that I was searching in the "Electronics & Chamber" box instead of "Electronics & Fasteners," or the part I was looking for was inside a bag-within-a-bag and barely visible.

The box-and-bag economy was a torture, and it was a blast. Time just flew by. The mailman dropped the printer off at 9:45 AM; I started opening boxes and pre-sorting screws at 10:30 AM... and after that, I lost all track of time.

I was chatting with someone on Reddit every now and then, and I noticed that hours had passed between some of my replies. At some point, I got hungry and it was 6 PM. Where had the time gone? Called it a day.

Started again at 8 AM the next morning. A handyman was also supposed to come by. Sat down, started building, the doorbell rings. The handyman is here... wasn't he supposed to come at 2 PM? Oh, it’s 2:50 PM and he’s apologizing for being late. I see... Back to the printer, fixed a few things and... why is it dark outside? Grab a quick bite. After that: I’ll just do 5 more minutes, just finish one quick thing. 4 hours later, those 5 minutes were up and the printer stood before me, ready to print. Yeah.

But: whoever came up with the idea to put the filament sensor in the position where it ultimately sits... you didn't make any friends here \^\^ An unwieldy metal part, two plastic parts that are hard to handle simultaneously, screws that have to be started at an angle... AAAAARGH! If I had three or more arms, no problem. I spent longer on this ONE step than on several entire chapters COMBINED! And now it’s finished and... my god, what is up with these gap dimensions? Well, I’ll have to think of something to seal them. Of course, I also immediately installed a few small mods in the interior to spice it up visually.

But: the first Benchy looks fantastic. And ultimately, that’s what matters ;)

Assembly Report: Prusa Core One Assembly Kit - A Torturous Delight