While the detail of Plasticville kits can’t really compare to today’s structure kits, the more I look at them, the more impressed I am. Whoever designed them really had a good feel for architecture of that period. I’ve heard it referred to as streamlined, moderne or art deco, yet whatever you call, it the designer in many ways captured the look of buildings from the 1940s and 50s. They may not always be to scale and some parts were used on multiple kits, but someone was clearly looking at the world around them and made a good effort to duplicate it in miniature. So I now have an appreciation for them that I didn’t have 40 years ago when I thought of them as toylike.
Ive been looking for a few of the Siesta Motel kits for a planned route 66 like roadside motel I want to build. The motel kit with the kidney shaped swimming pool. They do have potential if you paint them or use in kitbashing.
Here’s the link I mentioned before - seems to list all the classic (O-gauge) Plasticville kits; the navigation thru the site is a bit quirky, but you can easilly get the hang of it. Since I had a number of HO Plasticville Kits over the years (Cape Cod, Ranch House - did come w/ Patio, table, & 2 lounge chairs (furniture was white, awning was green), Gas Station, New Car Showroom, Suburban Station, Split Level, Signal Bridge, Factory, and the rather silly two room red Schoolhouse), I will vouch that the O-Gauge stuff on the link does match the HO stuff, except for (obviously) size, sometimes colors, and occasionally the small detail parts (e.g. the Classic Factory has a clear double door entry, my HO kit had a opaque grey double door)…
The guy (company? Tandam Associates) running the site buys and sells classic Plasticville kits, but I think only the O-gauge ones - he also sell some reproduction parts, usually common ones that get broken or lost from kits thru-out the years. The site is kind of fun once you get the hang of it, and neat if you like Plasticville… (and, really, who doesn’t?)
I saw a layout made almost entirely of Plasticville models, the owner took great pains to repaint and remodel the kits, they were every bit as good a kits costing 45 times as much, He got a wad of them at a toy store closing years back for $20.00.
I have a simple, two word definition for Plasticville products:
Kitbash fodder.
But, then, I consider ALL kits and ready-to run (or plop) models to be kitbash fodder. There isn’t much that can be put directly into my prototype-specific scenes.
I recently bought an N scale plasticville house, they have certainly improved in quality, with a bit of painting and weathering it will look good amongst my town.
Plasticville reflects a mid-century modern architectural niche, and was contemporary to it’s original era, much as plain steel buildings that are used for modern engine houses and warehouse structures on modern-era layouts. What it also reflects, particularly for the fast food outlets and urban deco-esque stores, is the evolution of standardized architectural design applied to early chain stores and national brand names. Surely a part of our heritage, much as the 1950s passenger consists we still run! Cedarwoodron
