SpeedCraft kits?

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

I was looking for some HO structure kits to build on eBay and saw a couple that are made by a company called SpeedCraft. I have never heard of them before. Does anyone know about the history of these? They look like they are vintage from the 1950s and use cardstock instead of wood for walls, etc.

I’m just curious about when these were produced and what happened to the company?
Thanks

2

Speedcraft was a division of Muir Model Co.

Speedcraft by Bear, on Flickr

My research is not at all extensive but it would appear that the Muir Model Co were frequent advertisers in the Model Railroader from November 1975 to August 1981.
Here’s an ad from the July 1981 MR…

Speedcraft2 by Bear, on Flickr

Click on images for larger view.

And here’s a prior thre

3

Prices (actual sold-for prices) on high quality HO scale structure kits on eBay are plummeting. Kits by Micro-Scale Models, Fine Scale Miniatures, and Scale Structure Limited are way down.

I have found myself looking at structure kits a lot more lately, and also noticing more brands I had not heard of before.

-Kevin

4

Quite apart from the fact that as the hobby ages the number of potential customers with the skills and experience to take on a challenging craftsman kit might be going down, there is the very practical issue that as these kits using wood and matboard are getting older and older, the potential purchaser has to keep in mind that they could have been stored in damp surroundings. I once purchased a rather elderly but new-in-box Alexander kit only to find that much the of scribed siding in the kit was warped rather badly. That would certainly be in the back of my mind when bidding on or considering the purchase of a craftsman kit that left the factory decades ago.

Dave Nelson

5

Very true. Fine Scale Miniatures kits that started at less than $100.00 used to always get a bidding war.

I bought this one a few days ago.

Unbelievable!

Very true.

I recently purchased a copy of Alexander’s coaling tower. Fortunately the contents were all in tip-top shape.

-Photographs by Kevin Parson

I was going to upgrade Life-Like’s coaling tower for this location, but then I found this kit.

-Kevin