Are all HO building Kits alike???

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I stopped by to throw some money at my semi-local Train Shop owner, I went there on a mission, and I wanted to try my hand at putting together an HO structure kit.

Well the only real info I had to go on was the pictures on the boxes because I hadn’t come to this site to check out reviews of kits prior to having this urge to buy one while I was out.

I was looking for 3 things, A Fire station, A police station or a Gas station, I found a Fire House kit by Life like, paid $13.50 and got 3 old buildings that some one made, did a bad job weathering them and the shop owner was selling them for him at only $1.00 each, I couldn’t pass up 3 buildings for 3 bucks, I knew I could repair them and repaint them for my HO layout.

Now the new kit was a different story.

First off I was shocked when I opened the box to find the directions were all on ONE sheet of paper, an “Exploded view” of the Fire house that left a lot of room for guess work since some of the parts numbers were unreadable on the plastic frames.

During the construction I had to remove a lot of “extra” plastic over flow from the parts and nothing fit well, this kit was put out by “Life like”…uhumm, ah, OK!

I don’t know about the life like part but it wasn’t a horrid model to look at when completed, only too build!

I will have to really want a certain type of building before I try one of Life Likes again.

I had to get real creative with clothes pins and masking tape to brace and hold the parts together while the glue dried I HATE seams at the corners of any buildings and this one had plenty.

On the upside it did have some nice little detail pieces like a mop rack and hose drying rack.

Another thing that drove me up the wall was the base of the building; it was warped so this made it almost impossible to set my walls.

I did get through it and some 4 hours later had a half way decent Fire house but the other 3 buildings that I work

2

I have put together some DPM building kits that went together nice. I don’t rememeber the instructions (its been awhile) I have a walthers cornerstone that I have yet to build.

Been there done that with the life like after figuring out the instructions only to find it was missing a wall ( they sent me the missing piece) Once it was together it tuned out nice.

3

Most of the Life Like line was made to appeal to the toy train crowd. Cheap building kits, easy to assemble, they were barely a notch above the Plasticville buildings from Bachmann. The price tag should have been a give-away. This is truly a case of “getting what you pay for.” However, with some painting and detailing work, these type kits can be turned into decent looking models.

Is this the one you got?

http://item.express.ebay.com/Toys-Hobbies_Model-RR-Trains__HO-SCALE-TRAINS-FIRE-HOUSE-MODEL-RAILROAD-BUILDING-KIT_W0QQitemZ330255583361QQihZ014QQddnZToysQ20Q26Q20HobbiesQQadnZModelQ20RRQ2cQ20TrainsQQptdiZ2554QQddiZ1290QQcmdZExpressItem

4

Can’t go wrong with DPM, and Walthers Cornerstone series are very good kits. Instructions always leave something to be desired, especially when you are used to vehicle types of models.

5

Yes siree, Thats the kit for sure.

I don’t know who built the one for the box cover but it must have been a Master model builder because it looks real nice in the pic.

I’ll keep my eye out for the others mentioned here and thanks for the heads up about “Plasticville” even the name of that one sounds cheap.

After this experiance I will never fret over the price of a kit so long as they fit right.

Thanks Guys!

6

I’ll echo the responses on the Walther’s Cornerstone kits. I’ve built two of them so far and the only problem I’ve had is my own lack of patience in the assembly process.[:-^]

7

Jess,

I’ve built several of the Walthers Cornerstone kits, three DPM kits, four American Model Builders laser kits, a few Micro Engineering gurder bridge kits, and three craftsman (Alexander Scale Model and Suncoast) kits - plus a few Sylvan Scale Model resin car kits. (That doesn’t include all the Proto 2000, Branchline, Accurail, Athearn and Tichy car kits I’ve put together.) Some manufacturers directions are better than others. However, none of them are perfect.

Personally, I like the laser and craftsman kits the best. There’s a lot of variation and extra detailing possible - even within the same kit. Walthers Cornerstone kits come in a very nice variety of industries and structures and the directions are usually very descript. Most kits from Model Power and Life-Like will be decent but will lack some of the detail that other more expensive kits offer.

Jess, be careful not to lump Life-Like structure kits with the Proto 2000 car kits. There’s no comparison. Proto 2000 kits are beautifully detailed and can be quite challenging to put together. I made the mistake of tackling a Proto 2000 8K gallon tanker my 3rd or 4th kit in. It took me 8 hours to finish…but I completed it. [yeah] The 2nd and 3rd tanker only took my about 1/2 that time.

Tom

8

Tom, I beg to differ with you on one point - many of the Plasticville buildings are BETTER than the LL!! As for ease of assembly - Jess found out that the older they get the more they warp and harder to build.

I agree that the Walthers and DPM are good kits, as well as a few of thwe IHC kits that show up from time to time. You may also check out Pike Stuff, City Classics, and some of the Euro kits by Heljan and Faller - just make sure they are not too “european” for your taste. [:)]

9

Any kit takes time to build including cleaning away the “flash” left from production…

Some Walthers kits can be a bear to build if care is not taken.

The fire station in question isn’t to bad once built…

A tip…Any warpage can be straighten by gently bending the part…In extreme cases I stack 2-3 thick books on the warp wall or roof and let sit for 3-4 hours…

As far as that old and worn cry of “you get what you pay for” can apply to ANY building kit regardless of brand due to warpage-including the so called “craftsman kits”…I seen warp scale lumber.

10

I had that Lifelike fire-house…back in the mid-70s. I remember it not being all that much of a bear to assemble (and as a kid I wasn’t too skilled in the art of model assembly), so I wonder if after (at least 30years) the molds are getting worn out/misaligned etc. - unless this kit really was a batch from the past, although I figure it must be a recent re-issue since these building kits (Firehouse, Police Station, Bank - share most of the same pieces) got more prominent ad placement after Walthers brought Lifelike.

I remember the finish on some walls/details of the building as having kind of a odd chalky finish - does it still have this? (the bank building, which I also had, did not have such a finish). I also remember filling the planter in front with leftover ballast, and sticking a piece of plastic fern in it - not my best work…

11

No all H.O. kits are different. You just got a LL kit that you just have to take more time to build to make it a better piece. There is nothing wrong with LL just more to the toy train side of the scale. Kevin

12

Some structures require a little more effort to look presentable, but even LifeLike can turn out decent. This one, used as the offices of the John Bertram Company started out as either a bottling plant or a brewery. I kitbashed it a bit to fit my purposes, and the available “lot”, then combined it with a modified Walthers Vulcan Foundry and some MDC modular walls, along with some leftover roofing from a Vollmer Roundhouse.

And an overview of the entire complex:

Wayne

13

More than anything, putting together structure kits has taught me patience. I seldom like the original color, so everthing must be painted. As you’ve seen, I put interior details in most of my buildings, so there’s a whole thought process for lighting and decorating each structure that begins before the first drop of glue goes on. When I was a kid, I would put together a fighter plane kit in a half-hour or less. Now, a 4-walls-and-a-roof DPM structure is a couple of weeks from start to finish. But, I really enjoy the whole activity of building these things, so taking my time doesn’t bother me at all.

I started out with DPM kits. They are reasonably priced, and the castings are generally pretty clean and well-detailed. They are pretty bare-bones though, and I look at them as a base building which is the starting point for my own customization. This one is my interpretation of DPM’s “Goodfellows Hall,” which I decided should be a Woolworths. I used tissue paper on the second floor for the window shades, and the signs in those upstairs offices for the law firm of Dewey, Cheatham and Howe and the R. Crumb Trucking Company are home-made decals:

At the other end of the scale, I recently finished a laser kit, Branchline Trains’s “Weimer’s Mill.” This one took a couple of months. I was intimidated when I opened the box, thinking that I wasn’t yet “worthy” of trying to build a kit like this. Once I got started, though, I just took my time and found that it wasn’t hard to build at all.

This little Plasticville shop was originally a supermarket. I’ve had this cheap plastic model for close to 50 years, but to bring it up to the level I wanted, I needed some paint and an interior. My brother-in-law owns the

14

There is a wide range in quality among structure kits. On the low end are the DPM type kits which consist mainly of four walls, some window glazing and a sheet of styrene for a roof. These can be made to look quite presentable although painting the molded on detail is a royal pain. Also some very inexpensive styrene kits, (Life-like, Bachmann, etc) without a lot of detail. These too can be a foundation for a nice structure or kitbash with some add on details and a good paint and weathering job. Then there are some very nice mid range large plastic kits which offer a lot of detail. Walters Cornerstone series has lots of kits in this category. At the high end are the craftsman kits which have a lot of detail but can be very labor intensive. Its like every thing else in this hobby. There are lots of choices.

15

Geez! It took a while to find it, but here’s the picture of that LifeLike building that I was looking for.

Wayne

16

The Atlas kits are good, and have the best instructions for a kit that I have ever seen. Walthers Cornerstone “Gold Ribbon” kits are good also, and most parts snap together without glue.

17

Damn, some of the kits show in pics here are outstanding and the information given here will be a big help too me.

There is one thing I hadn’t concidered before I posted my rant.

maybe after all these years away from modeling I became rusty with my model building skills, it could be that the problem is on my skills end?

And too answer a question posed here, YES the walls were chaulky looking.

Well I will spend the extra money AND take more time making the next kit, I’ve learned here that the kit doesn’t need to be completed in a day so I should slow down and take the time nessassary but I just build everything fast and some have even told me to slow down, heck my whole layout didn’t take long at all but I’m still finding new ways too add better detail.

My next project is to add a secound tier street for my back drop and convert one side of the layout next too the back drop as a peek a boo sub way looking place under the raised street, I’ve already built all the street supports yesterday and have the rest planed out, I’ll post pics when it is under construction.

Thanks every one for weighing in.

From a very grateful HO student, Jess Red Horse.

18

Jess,There are some buildings that can be built in a day such as the Pikes Stuff kits…Hardest thing to do with those kits is to cut the doors and windows out.The Atlas trackside shanty and elevated gate tower takes around 30 minutes while the Telephone Shanty & Pole takes about 15 minutes.