By the time Cathy Strycker tried to gather everyone for a photograph, the room at Egg Town Coffee had a problem: nobody wanted to put down their project. Miniature pieces, open kit boxes, and half-finished builds covered the tables. The scheduled ending had slipped past almost unnoticed. Even when the group finally paused, they were eager to sit down and keep building. On May 2, 2026, the first Robotime crafting meetup in Mentone, Indiana, had become an afternoon people wanted to stretch.

At a Glance

• Where: Egg Town Coffee, Mentone, Indiana, USA
• When: May 2, 2026
• Host: Robotime pre-ambassador Cathy Strycker
• Group: 13 registered guests; only two had previously heard of Robotime, Rolife, or ROKR

A First Table in Mentone

For Cathy, this was a chance to introduce a craft she loved to people nearby. She chose a private meeting room in a cozy local coffee café. A tall Robotime banner stood outside the door so arrivals could find the gathering, while two smaller posters marked the space inside. The selection of kits immediately gave guests something to discuss. They considered which miniature world or model they might like to try, even before anyone opened a packet of parts.

The introductions made the novelty clear. Cathy counted 13 registered guests, and just two already knew the Robotime family of brands. She shared a short account of the company and its kits, then helped people join the Robotime Community. That step was easy for some and surprisingly awkward for others: verification emails did not always appear in an inbox, spam folder, or trash folder. Cathy later wrote candidly that she wanted a smoother way to guide newcomers through registration. In the room, patience and good humor carried the group through the delay.

Choosing a Kit and Finding a Rhythm

A small drawing decided the order in which guests selected their kits. Everyone ended up with the one they wanted, so there was no trading to negotiate. Cathy explained the available tools, the instructions, and features of the Rolife kits. A couple of guests added their own advice about glue and the tools they liked for miniature building. The workshop began to feel less like a one-way lesson and more like a table of makers comparing notes.

Once hands were busy, the conversation loosened. Cathy described laughter and smiles alongside the occasional moment when a piece would not stay in place. Those snags were resolved, and the small frustrations gave way to the satisfaction of seeing a section come together. Community trivia punctuated the building time, with blind boxes as prizes. A first-time builder could ask for help, listen to a more experienced hobbyist's tip, then return to their own project with a little more confidence.

The refreshments were part of the welcome. Egg Town Coffee baked chocolate chip cookies and placed a bagged cookie at every workspace. Guests could choose coffee, tea, lemonade, or a soft drink. Cathy also saw the café arrangement as a way to thank its owner, Ethan, for letting the group use the room without a venue fee. The cookies and drinks meant someone could take a breath between fiddly steps without leaving the circle of conversation.

The Hour Nobody Wanted to Miss

Cathy had hoped to capture a few words from participants on video. She was comfortable catching candid photographs, she wrote, but the activity around the tables made video harder to organize. Then the group looked up and realized how quickly the session had passed. One guest had to leave early because of an emergency, before the group photo. The others were reluctant to stop building even for that brief pause.

Ethan offered the room for an extra hour. The offer was received with enthusiasm, and the makers went back to their projects. It was a simple gesture with a visible effect: instead of packing away an unfinished piece at the scheduled end, guests could keep trying the next step, ask another question, or enjoy the company of the person across the table. When they eventually gathered their kits, the talk had shifted toward finishing the builds at home, showing them to family, and choosing what they might make next.

One Builder's View from the Table

The host's account has a small companion piece. Community member jstrycker posted about the same gathering, saying the turnout felt just right and sharing a photograph of the project they worked on. The comments identified it as a garage build. It is a brief response, but it gives the day a participant's scale: one person, one kit, and the pleasure of making something with others nearby. Fellow members noticed the project and congratulated its maker; one said it reminded them of their own garage.

Other replies to Cathy's full community recap came from people who had not been at the café. They noticed how involved the guests looked and how welcoming the room seemed. Those observations are different from first-hand participant testimony, but they echo what Cathy's account makes clear: a new local group had found enough common ground to fill a long afternoon with making.

What Cathy Took Home

Afterward, Cathy reflected on the imperfections as well as the energy. The sign-up hiccup gave her something to improve; the difficulty of filming reminded her how much attention a lively room can demand. But she was grateful to have shared her love of miniatures and to see guests leave feeling good about the experience. Their talk of finishing projects and trying another kit made her excited to host again.

That is the lasting image of Mentone's first gathering: not just a group photograph, but a table that kept drawing people back to their seats. A cookie at each place, a kit each person wanted, a problem solved together, and an extra hour offered when no one was ready to stop. Explore more stories from makers around the world in the Rolife DIY Crafting Club.