I would like to know about the different brands of structure kits. I have only built the Walthers Cornerstone series and would like to know what others would compair to these. I am not really good at them yet as I have only built one and am working on a couple of others. I do not want something to complicated or expensive but do not want something that looks like crap when it is done.
I am not wanting something that has already been assambled as I enjoy building them and doing my own thing as I build. What other kits would be worth looking into? Brands? Thanks, Mike
Try a Pikestuff kit, they make great modern warehouse type buildings. DPM also makes some great kits. Both are a little more advanced then the Cornerstone series kits but are actually cheaper to purchase in most cases. With both you can detail the heck out of them or just build them and paint them and end up with a great building either way.
[#ditto] To all the above , a real challenge are the Downtown Deco buildings , they are cast Hydrocal , but the external detail is fantanstic. pricey too , I don’t know how you feel about that.
I’ve built a number of DPM kits. They are very nice casting, but generally they are only a few parts, and you will need to do a lot of painting. In many of them, the windows are cast right into the walls, so the painting requires some attention to detail. Once they’re done, though, they come out very nice.
I’ve done 2 Model Power kits - Baldy’s Barbershop and Annie’s Antiques. These kits have lots of parts, so you can do all your painting before assembly, which is generally easier. The double-hung windows actually open and close, which is a nice feature, but once you realize that there are 5 parts to each and every window, the excitement kind of wears thin. These kits came with some street details and sidewalks. (I cut the sidewalks off. They didn’t match the rest on my layout.)
The Atlas roundhouse was fun. As roundhouses go, it its a pretty basic kit, but it’s a starting point for detailing and painting. I did an IHC engine house, too, which was pretty similar.
I’m like you, Mike. I like and prefer kits over RTR.
DPM (Design Preservation Models) and AMB (American Model Builders) are two that immediately come to mind and are both very nice kits. DPM kits concentrate primarily on brick buildings; AMB, wood buildings and structures.
I particularly like the AMB kits. They are laser-cut wood kits that go together easily and look terrific. If you go to my web site, you can see Dill’s Market and the Interlocking tower. They are both AMB kits.
Kitbashing is also another next step, as well as scratch-building. I’ve really enjoyed getting into this aspect of the hobby. Craftsman kits are another aspect. But it’s best to get a few more kits under your belt first before tackling any of those.
My first structure kit was a Campbell freight station. I thought I did a reasonable job on it. I’m still partial to Campbell and JV Models kits. I have a few Woodland Scenics I’ve yet to build, so I can’t report on them. Mostly, I buy structure kits that fit my era and region and room on my layout without too much regard to make.
In the plastic front with a similar skill level and quality you have:
Faller, Heljan, Vollmer, DPM, City Classics, and Kibri
There are tons of cast, metal, and wood kits which surpass them in quality. It all depends on what you want to try to build. (ie: Church, Coal Tower, House, Service Station, etc)
A Walthers Catalog (www.walthers.com) would really help you finding what’s out there.
I think there are 3 types of building kits…1 “snap” together plastic 2 DPM 3 Craftsman. The plastic kits are good for altering for your own era or situation & can be made quite presentable with paint, weathering & some detail parts, plus they are economical & sometime can be found at train shows partially or completely assembled for bargain prices.
Most all city scenes consist of at least a few DPM models, again not too costly & go together quickly. You’ll probably spend most of your time painting them. It looks harder than it really is. Just add some signs & inside window detail & you will have a great model.
The craftsman kits are expensive & time consuming, but they are the most realistic. assembly time has been cut down with the introduction of the laser cut method. Almost gone are the days when a craftsman kit consisted of a box of stripwood , some plastic windows & a 20 page instruction sheet.
Try some of each kind & see where your interests are. Most people have a collection of different types of kits on thier layouts. The most important thing… HAVE FUN
I only have a few kits that I have built (DPM) but I altered their look. The rest of my buildings are made from a variety of DPM wall units. Even though the roofs are flat I managed on a couple to either slant or peak the roof. Walthers makes roof detail kits to dress up the roofs.Bob
With a bit of playing around, you can even do something with an old Plasticville kit:
This was the old Plasticville supermarket. I put in some interior details (images from the web, printed on cardstock) and a couple of figures. My in-laws own the Jack Frost ski shop at Sunday River in Maine, so I took photos of their signs and scaled them to fit the building.
