Besides Walthers where are some places I can look fo HO scale cars, trucks, road equipment., etc. Looking for variety and good prices.
Try this site.
Local Walmarts (Vancouver Island) have for months been selling the Fresh Cherries set of 1:87 vehicles, with the 70’s most available.
You can also check the Horizon Hobby web site. Athearn makes vehicles too, but should be listed on the HH site.
Good luck,
Richard
Walmart has a great selection of Malibu and Fresh Cherry cars, you may even find some Reel Rides if your lucky. They also sell Norscot Cat equipment.
Vehicles, more than trains or structures, set the era for your layout. So, it’s important to know what era your roads are in so that we can suggest which manufacturers might be best to fill them. For example, Jordan Miniatures has a great selection kits for cars and trucks from the 20s and 30s. Classic Metal Works has nice models from the 50s and 60s. Sylvan fills the gap of the 40s with some of its kits.
Go to a train show. There are a lot of vendors there with HO scale vehicles, and you can shop around and compare models and prices all under one roof.
The 1/87 site mentioned above is great. I also have had great luck going to LHSs that have used products for sale. Those can be had for great prices and are a lot of times gems that are no longer mfgd.
Richard
Truckstopmodels.com is all 1/87 scale and has evertything that is on the market and then some.
The best place to find HO scale cars/trucks & accessories???..What about a HO Scale Automobile Dealership. They should have it [:)]
Only in Canada; Malibu and Fresh Cherry cars disappeared from USA Walmarts a couple of years ago.
Walthers has most of the Fresh Cherry (Motormax) cars in stock
http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?category=Vehicles&scale=&manu=&item=&keywords=fresh+cherries&words=restrict&instock=Q&split=30&Submit=Search
You did not mention what timeframe you are interested in, many manufacturers make vehicles for only a limited time peroid. For instance MiniMetals go from late 30s to early 60s with a concentration on 50s.
I’ve got to jump in here. I located a picture of my mother father and me (2yrs) at the Washington monument in 1947. From what I can make out, there are vehicles in a range of time from about '35 to '46, if I can tell anything about vehicles. My thought is that, being that the transition era is such a popular era to model, why aren’t there more model vehicles out there from that era in model form? 1925 to about 1956 was such an interesting era with so much happening historically. I know that Sheepscot, Don Miller, and a few others do heavy equipment vehicles like snowplows, cranes, tractor trailors, et al from that era; but there are few or no cars! I wonder why!
Rich
EF-3 Yellowjacket
One thing to consider about the 1947 timeframe is that people who had cars during WWII could not easily get repair parts or replacement vehicles depending on their ration status. Sale of tires and many items were restricted due to production needs for the war effort. Cars for general use went out of production sometime around 1942; cars produced for military use were based on 1941/42 designs, and many of these designs were used for 1946 production when sales to the general public resumed. After rationing was recinded around 1946, many people bought new cars to replace the ones that were worn out. Photos from around 1950 show very few 1930s cars. Times were good and a lot of people could afford to buy new every couple of years.
Sylvan Scale has a some cars from the post war timeframe, notibly 1946 Chevy Aerosedan and Fleetline with fender skirts and winshield visor, 1946 Chevy Stylemaster, 1949-51 Studebaker pickup and other trucks,1941-47 Chevy/GMC pickups, and 1951 Studebaker coupes, sedan and convertible, 1941 Nash, 1941 Willis coupe and pickup, 1946-49 Plymouth. They have a number of 1930s-50 cars. They are resin kits with driver figure
http://www.isp.ca/Sylvan/
Stoney Mountain Classic Castings is back in business with cars and trucks from mid 30s to early 50s. They have 1947 Buick Roadmaster, convertible and woody wagon, 1950 Buick sedan and wagon, 1947 Chevy Aerosedan, 1950/51 Nash Ambasador, 1950 Chrey Suburban/Panel Delivrery, 1950 Packard sedan and wagon, 1949 Mercury woody wagon, 1947 Frazer, 1948 Packard, 1941 Ford Woody wagon, and more
http://www.shop.stoneymountaincc.com/600-Series-1-87-SCALE-CLASSIC-VEHICLES_c2.htm
Alloy Forms has a number of cast metal car kits from early 40s to late 50s. Ford, Mercury, Chevy, Cadillac, Hudson, Buick, DeSoto.
There are many vehicles from the 40s and 50s available.Go to the 1/87 vehicle website mention and look under the manufactures listing.I was surprised just how much is out there
I’ve had pretty good luck at :
Since I am trying to do a early 1930’s set-up, When a LOT of people still ran '20’s vehicles; they are about the only place I can find era appropriate vehicles at a reasonable price.
Here are some half way down a whole list of manufacturers:
http://www.discounttrainsonline.com/ho-scale-model-trains.html
or here:
http://www.ehobbies.com/diecast-cars---trucks-1-87-ho-cars---trucks.html
the 1/87 vehicle club directory {you will ahve to go to each website it lists:
http://www.1-87vehicles.org/directory/directory.php
Try those and see where you get.
Good luck!
[8-|]
trainworldonline.com has some great deals by almost every manufacturer. Also try your LHS[:-^] Happy Hunting!
Acela
I am surprised no mentioned swap meets. Great fun to look over things, see it in person., find things you otherwise wouldent have thought of. and talk to fellow model railroaders.
Dennis San Fernando Valley CA.