I’ve been building structure kits lately. Most recently I built a couple Suydam cardboard and wood kits and now I’m working on a plastic engine house. The wood paper kit look great for wood, but for brick you almost have to have plastic I’m thinking. The level of detail on the plastic is greater.
Now I’ve been collecting Muir, Suydam and Campbell kits, when I can get them for less than 50% Walther’s, and because for the 1800’s only the craftsman kits seem to make the types of buildings I’m looking for. I also have a couple Magnuson (sp) and DPM buildings for my future cities.
What do you think of the wood craftsman kits. Am I right that the plastic technology outshines the old wood kits?
It may depend on the type of building… I’ve got two Campbell Kits waiting for me to get a permanent workbench - City Transfer and Tilt Up #1, two building types that you simply can’t get in simple plastic.
I enjoy both wooden kits, in particular those made by American Model Builders and JL Innovative. I also have recently tackled plastic kits from Walthers and DPM. But then again, I am modelling the mid 1900’s. I don’t think either AMB or JL make anything that would fit your era.
i’ll take the wood craftsman kits anyday , for me the time i spend building a kit is part of the fun of the hobby . also i think a wood kit of a wood building looks better than a plastic kit of a wood building . for brick i think plastic works better , or maybe a plaster or resin casting
I like wood kits, assembling them is always a pleasure, especially the better ones. I just picked up my first modern laser cut structure kit this weekend, and it seems to be really interesting.
It’s by Bar Mills and has a really lot of parts in such a small plastic box! All kinds of other goodies too - white metal detail castings, dry transfer signs, printed signs, etc. Even a sheet on general model building tips.
A whole world of difference from the really ancient (but still nice!) Campbell kits. I got their Moodys Plumbing Emporium kit - see it on their website: http://www.barmillsmodels.com/
I agree with ereimer(above) that nothing looks more like wood than wood. Plastic (or plaster/resin castings) provides the relief necessary for brick, stone, etc.
That being said, I’m sure a lot of us have seen wood structures modelled in plastic that you would swear were actual wood and some brick structures modelled with brick paper that look for all the world like they have texture.
I guess that it boils down to using the medium you feel comfortable with and what works for you.
I’ve found that bricks in plastic models often have exaggerated “topography” at least in HO scale and smaller. Favorite brick buildings I’ve built are Classic Miniatures’s Wells Fargo & Co. office (paper) and Yorke’s (no longer available) HO feed store (plaster). I’ve found AMB lazer wood kits superior to Blair’s, particularly in regard to precision and ease (lack of frustration) in construction.
I have no problem with plastic. Wood kits have always been so expensive and you have to use wood glue that takes a while to dry. As for brick. I learned a trick by accident a while back that you can spray it with dull coat and the dull coat will turn white between the bricks which looks like morter…
I agree with the comments about the wood kits looking more like wood and plastic ones being better for brick. DPM handsdown are the nicest brick buildings.
Sam, American Model Builders makes putting together their laser kits fairly straight-forward and, to me, they look fantastic as far as detailing is concerned. The only thing you usually have to use wood glue on is the inside frame. All other parts (walls, windows, roofing, etc.) have a tacky back that is pealed away and pressed into place. Price wise, they are probably as or sometimes less expensive than a similar styrene kit - and nicer detailing. For the look of wood, the wood kits are tops.
Nothing looks quite so much like wood as wood–for any wooden structure that is supposed to be unpainted, I prefer to use actual wood. I don’t mind using plastic kits for wooden buildings that will appear painted (houses, stations, anything in good repair.)
I keep my eyes open for screaming deals on craftsman kits when they’re on sale–or I scratchbuild. Suydam buildings are kind of neat but they really don’t look that good unless you’re deliberately going for an “old school” look on your pike, although with enough work they can look nice.
I’d love to build more Campbell kits–especially some of the gingerbread-heavy Victorians–but I can’t bring myself to pay that much for a kit! I actually prefer to scratchbuild, since buying wood and clearance-box components is often cheaper than buying a craftsman kit. But if I find a really smokin’ deal on a Campbell kit, I’ll use that…
I’ve never done a wood kit before but plastic is the norm on my layout…I really like the plastic kits …they are easy to build, go up reletively quick and they are doing some amazing things with plastics these days…the details are superb from the plastic kits of say…ten to twenty years ago…chuck
I enjoy building structures out of all sorts of materials, but my hands-down favorite is plastic. It’s easy to cut, fast to assemble, and if using liquid plastic cement, has the strongest bonds.
And despite what many modelers will tell you, real wood does NOT look like wood when making itty bitty models. The grain is too coarse. Real wood might “seem” right, but grainless plastic, when scaled down to 1/87.1 or so, looks more accurate. As for color, with practice and a good eye, you can make anything appear to be wood.
There are almost as many interlocking towers on the market as depots! Which road are you most interested in, or which part of the east? (NE, E, SE).
Do a Walthers search for “tower” to see a huge selection of towers on the market. Keep in mind that the vast majority of towers in the USA were wood, fairly plain, and not all that fancy. And whatever you do, DON’T use the overused and toylike Atlas tower!
I bought several sheets of preformed bass wood (plank and board siding) last week and will be buying Grandt Line windows and doors next week. I plan to build several houses from scratch over the next month or so. I love the wood kits but they are pricey so I’m going to try building from pictures.
I like all kinds of kits.I mostly though look for ones that will fit into an area that is going to look suitable. Before I begin puting the whole thing together,I will start to build the interoir for the building.The last one I rebuilt,was a wooden warehouse kit,that needed a complete remodeling.The wood was very thin,like balsa.I had to reinforce the insides with a much thicker piece of wood.I then went to the interior and made rolls of paper out of scrap pieces of Christmas ribbon,some were colored,but the most was white ribbon.I added a few lights to the interoir,people,a forklift,and a small room for the office.I carefully put the glue on the inside area,installed the interior floor,and bam,all set for the layout.I have 2 stalls for semi trucks,and 2 for the rail cars.Not bad for a $3.00 kit boughten at a garage sale.
