I was wondering what brand of structures everyone prefers? I know there many out there. I have a some Woodland Scenics Built and Ready. I have Walthers pre-builts and I have built some. How are the Woodalnd Scenics Pre-Fab and DPM? I know many of you kit bash. My experience is not there yet. Walthers seems to have most selection of brands and are easy to get.
I like the lazer cut craftsman kits. They are not that hard but they are complex and build nice models. We are not supposed to critisize products here, but all of the brands I have tried have been good , a couple quite excellent in my experience. I am looking forward to my first Imagine That kit this winter.
It’s a big topic, because there are so many to choose from. Sometimes you have to consider your own skill as a model maker, and sometimes you have to look at the era you’re modeling and how buildings fit into, and sometimes you need to think about whether you’re modeling a rural area or a city.
I personally really enjoy building models. I have a dual-era layout, 1930s and 1960s, and I model a small urban area. So, I’m looking for 2, 3 and 4-story city building kits. I prefer them to have large windows, so I can add interior detail that can be seen. As a result, I’ve developed a preference for City Classics and DPM. Their structures are pretty simple - 4 walls and a roof, mostly, but this lets me apply my own skills to the structure. Besides interiors, I can add roof details, fire escapes and the like. I’m just finishing a scene where I added a basement shoe repair shop underneath a City Classics building.
There are a lot of options out there. Try a few different types of kits, and even stretch yourself a bit and go for a “craftsman” kit. A lot the enjoyment is in learning new skills.
First, I figure out what type of structure I need for a given spot on the layout. Do I need a water tank? How big a station do I want? Is it passenger only, or combined freight and passenger? Do I have room for a non-railroad associated building? What logical businesses would my railroad be serving, and where would they be located in the town? Do they have their own spurs? What are some of the support buildings for the town - houses, non-rail served shops, and so forth?
Then I pore through the various web sites and Walters catalog to pick the kit of a given structure type that best fits the idea I have in my head from the prior paragraph analysis. In other words, I’m looking at appealing to look at; architecture; prototype materials, siding, and roofing; and size that would be plausible for my era and region. If the best fit is at a price I can afford, I buy the kit. If not, I select an alternative or do without for the time being.
Since I model 1900 in coastal Oregon, wood buildings and structures dominate. Which normally leads me to select wood kits of various manufacture. I have to admit a partiality to many of the Campbell kits. Most (but not all) Walters kits are too modern. But their new laser cut wood kit line is of real interest. I don’t buy enough or build quickly enough that I have to worry ordering and shipping times - I may buy 2-3 structure kits per year. I also
I’m partial to Walthers plastic kits 'cause I don’t have a lot of time to build “craftsman” type kits, and I like the molded on detail. Plus, you can kit-bash most of 'em fairly easily. I also like the 'built-ups" series ( when I can afford 'em ) because the work is already done and all I have to do is detail 'em! No, I’m not lazy, just really busy!
Jimmy
I have built several brands of structures, all plastic, but would like to try one of the laser cut wood kits. One brand that is only available on line, usually on Ebay, is RDA (Railroad Design Associates).Their kits are very different in the style of buildings they model, mostly stone, brick and some wood, and most are from the early 1900’s and I think favoring New England structures. The only problem with them is they don’t fit as well as other brands, but with the extra work they make great models. All kits come with a sprue of details like barrels, vents, crates, etc. I have built 3 of their kits and have about 4 more that are quite complex and large structures. I can’t wait to get to them but I need to finish my trackwork and wiring first.
DPM also has some nice kits and they are easy to build. It just depends on what your needs and abilities are. Look around for articles or photos of other layouts. There is plenty to see. Good luck and happy modeling.
Bob
Just in this shot there are;
11 Walthers, 4 Life-Like, 2 IHC, 3 DPM, 1 Rix, and 1 printed cardstock 3D structure.
also in this scene but not pictured;
9 DPM, 3 IHC, 2 Summet, 1 City Classics, 1 Walthers, 1 Atlas.
39 structures total in this town scene, and over half (20) of them are Walthers.
I have built structure kits from the following manufacturers:
- Alexander Scale Models (craftsman) - wood
- American Model Builders (laser) - wood
- City Classics - styrene
- Design Preservation Models (DPM) - styrene
- Suncoast Models (craftsman) - styrene/wood
- Walthers “Cornerstone” - styrene
They all make very nice kits. I especially like and enjoy putting together the laser kits, as they give you some nice options as far as the windows are concerned. The ability to have a window partially or fully open, as well as closed, really adds to the realism.
Scratch-building is also a fun and viable option, if you want to make something unique for your layout.
Tom
I started off with Atlas and one Walther cornerstone engine house and a few cheap bachmann kits. I liked how Atlas looked and especially the price, but their selection is kind of limited. I now find myself looking at DPM and othe similar product lines. As stated above they are basic and simple to build, but have a lot of period character that I’m looking for. I haven’t done it yet, but I can see where they can be easily kitbashed with each other. I haven’t quite worked up the nerve to try this, but I do think its my next step.
[:)]
I use allot of brands . I built some here is a photos part of my downtown on my 1/87 scale / 1/64 scale . Some building are a little bit big but are to be replaced some day . I like how it looks so that what maters to me . 
My prefernce are Walthers and Atlas kits. The Walthers kits are fairly easy to hold while gluing.
The Lone Geep
Atlas kits go together fairly easy for the most and it has been hit or miss with Walther kits for me. I am working on the Black Gold Asphalt kit now and it is going together with no problems but then I have had other kits that you need 4 sets of hands to get the pieces together. I suspect some of it is kits that they bought the rights/ tooling too that causes the varation of building ease/ piece fit. Some of the kits I have done that I have had the most trouble with I end up seeing in photos around the interweb that folks have kitbashed on their layouts so I know it is not just me having trouble but there folks out there who are more resource with a less than stellar kit.
I like the Walthers structure kits…
I do have a soft spot for those old Revell kits of the late 50s and 60s.
There are many very well done plastic kits out there, from a variety of manufacturers, that are excellent .
I don’t buy many structure kits anymore as I have become more interested in 'creating a structure from scratch.
The one bad thing about kits to me, is that they are ‘recognizable’, and it buggs me when I look at a MRR publication, and can pick out every structure on the layout, by name and manufacturer.
That’s just a nit-pick of mine and For most modelers, this is not an issue.
There are so many excellent structures available, that you can find just about anything you want.
You can also kit-bash multiple structures to creat a different look too.
Still, I’ve gotten used to building scratch structures that have a unique look and appeal, and some of the older craftsmen kits are a lot of fun to build.
HF1
Here is a link I found that shows many of the structures availble. Scroll down a ways and there they all are. I have spent hours looking at these and it has been fun and I am gaining a plan for my city scene
I’ve built a couple of laser kits from Blair Lines, some Walthers Cornerstone and a bunch from Woodland Scenics (this was a set that included 15 individual structures).
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The Blair Line laser kits are fairly simple to assemble, just take your time. If you’re going to paint them with acrylic paints, prime them first!! This will prevent warpage.
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Some of the Walthers Cornerstone kits come with small details that really take time and patience. The Northern Light and Power substation kit comes with chain link fence that is a real booger to assemble.
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The Woodland Scenics kits that I’ve assembled ALL required sanding the edges of the walls. They have angles on the edges that will prevent your walls from being square.
There are some special tools that I would recommend for any structure kits.
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Hobby knife with NEW blades, especially with laser kits.
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The set of “Right Clamps” from Coffman Engineering. They hold your walls at 90° angles while you glue them. They even have a splice clamp for clamping and gluing walls on the same plane (two wall sections glued end to end as opposed to at 90° angles.
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Flush nippers from Xuron. They also make nipper tweezers. They’re great for removing very small parts from sprues.
Do you paint or weather your structures or use the factory colors? I know some manufactures you have to paint there structures.
I paint ALL of my structures, without exception. Some of my basic colors are red primer, cream and white. I like to paint most of my houses white, unless they’re brick, then I’ll use the red primer. Use whatever colors you like. When I paint brick surfaces, I use a wash of rubbing alcohol and antique white or gray to simulate the mortar lines. I weather them using various techniques; airbrush, chalk and/or weathering powders. The Bragdon line of powders are excellent.
There’s womething about Walthers structures that turn me off and its their thick details. I know things are evolving in the hobby, but last time I built one, I was a little bit unsatisfied. There so popular one could think Walthers sponsorized most north american area!
Anyway, I like DPM a lot for kitbashing however, I find they always looks out of scale when compared to other manufacturers buildings… My actual trend is to take anything that comes in my hand and kitbash it to fit my need so brands doesn’t mean a lot to me anymore.
Matt