Rarest Building Kit You Have?

scale rail posted:

Cam, I love it. Looks like an old StromBecker DC-6 I had. Wood, sand paper and mixed glue. Those were the days. Don

As a youngster during the 1950s I built dozens of wood model airplane kits including solid models like this and large balsa wood flying models. They led me to an education and lengthy career as an aeronautical engineer. I think that model kits like this, and the larger flying model kits once made by Sterling Models of Philadelphia, are even more rare than the vintage O scale structure kits that are the subject of this thread. The pictured model looks to have been professionally made. Are you sure it's a built-up StromBecker model? Models such as this have been marketed to aviation enthusiasts in completed form for many years. My first airliner ride was on a DC-6 from Chicago to Omaha.

MELGAR

I am sure l gained what passes for skills in model making from childhood time building various kits such as paper and wood model planes set afire and flown off garage roof.  That and WWII static fighters, and Highway Pioneer and Hudson Miniatures "Old Timers" antique car models. And then to HO kits and......still at it.

ZWPOWER13 posted:

I am sure most wont care about mine, but for us postwar guys, mine are all original Plasticville.

The following are my rarest, and also confirmed variations.

2 Story House-

White walls, red roof and red windows. (80;s version)

Tan Walls, Tan Windows, Red Roof (80's version)

Tan walls, White Windows, gray roof with a white porch floor (still sealed, Factory Error) 60's

Red Walls, Charcoal Roof, White Windows

New England Rancher

Tan Sides, Red Roof, Brown Windows

Tan Sides, Black Roof, Pea Green Windows (80's version)

Other include, the Davy Crockett Cabin, Red Roof Post Office, Dark Blue Ranch House, Charcoal Gray Roof Colonial Mansion, Marbled Hobo shacks, Dark Blue Bus and Ambulance etc etc etc..I will try to get some other photos if anyone is interested.

 

Anyone else into vintage Plasticville?

I'm interested, would love to see more of your photos of your other vintage Plasticville. Arnold

Melgar, I think your right about the DC-6. Looks like a store display. Mine never came out that good. My first ever airplane ride was from SFO to Portland on a DC-6 to stay with my Grandparents for the summer.  I was maybe seven or eight. They let my Dad put me on the plane and find my seat. A "stewardess" assured my Pop she would look after me. We took off from San Francisco and almost right away started to land. I asked the "stewardess" if we were in Portland already. She assured me we were just landing in Oakland to pick up more passengers. Landing in Portland I had to catch the next flight on a DC-3 that would take me to Yakima.  The nice United stewardess took me to an airport cafe and bought me some pie tell my next flight. Then made sure I was on my next plane. It was the start of my love for planes. Those really were the good old days. Don

scale rail posted:

Melgar, I think your right about the DC-6. Looks like a store display. Mine never came out that good. My first ever airplane ride was from SFO to Portland on a DC-6 to stay with my Grandparents for the summer.  I was maybe seven or eight. They let my Dad put me on the plane and find my seat. A "stewardess" assured my Pop she would look after me. We took off from San Francisco and almost right away started to land. I asked the "stewardess" if we were in Portland already. She assured me we were just landing in Oakland to pick up more passengers. Landing in Portland I had to catch the next flight on a DC-3 that would take me to Yakima.  The nice United stewardess took me to an airport cafe and bought me some pie tell my next flight. Then made sure I was on my next plane. It was the start of my love for planes. Those really were the good old days. Don

And your love for stewardesses, Don? LOL, Arnold

Pam Am all the way Arnold. Had almost half a million miles with them when they went out of business. Don

Finally manged to up load a picture, any idea for a colour scheme for it?

Red brick and maybe an off white trim? Don

Above l showed that Smokestack Hobbies kit for the Rock Mill Bridge near Lancaster, Ohio.  (I called it the Black Mill Bridge, as l have heard it called as it looked creosoted for years, before the prototypr restored photo below). The bridge is high to the right, at the head of the box canyon.

Over the last 40 plus years that I have even in the hobby as an adult, I have collected quite few few kits that I had hoped to build for the layout.  Most are still in the box!

One kit for a small town water company produced by E Suydam & Co.  From what research I have done, Suydam made mostly HO kits but this is an O Kit made mostly of corrugated metal and was meant to be assembled using solder.  The wood parts are for a water tank.  The instructions indicate the prototype was in Duarte, CA .

I can tell the kit is old because the address on the box and paperwork does not have a ZIP code so that puts it somewhere in the early fifties.

Maybe one day it will be built?

Happy railroading,

Don

Another Suydam O scale kit l have soldered together is a mine tipple, and l think there are others.  This tipple is pretty crude, and needs detailing.  I had built the HO version when in that scale years ago.

colorado hirailer posted:

Another Suydam O scale kit l have soldered together is a mine tipple, and l think there are others.  This tipple is pretty crude, and needs detailing.  I had built the HO version when in that scale years ago.

Any chance of seeing a photo of your completed tipple?  I would love to see what one of their metal buildings look like completed!

Thanks,

Don

colorado hirailer posted:

Another Suydam O scale kit l have soldered together is a mine tipple, and l think there are others.  This tipple is pretty crude, and needs detailing.  I had built the HO version when in that scale years ago.

I have an old Suydam "0" kit that I need to rework. I believe it was called  a "furniture factory". It is almost all metal and I need to resolder the corners.

I had a few mining Suydam kits. They made more HO than O as I recall. They were very basic mostly metal kits. Most didn't even have floors so a lot detail must be added. They were good kits for the time and metal added to the effect. I even had part of one rust away. Don

This is what the O scale mine kit looked like though this is the HO kit. I still have parts of it. Don

These Suydam buildings are from my HO layout circa 1965.  The metal buildings were not weathered but nature has taken its course.  The cardstock buildings have the suffered from time as well.  All were assembled with Walthers Goo as shown in the inside view.

Cam

DJJones:. Here are photos of my O scale Suydam coal tipple, which can stand a lot of detailing, and of my just finished Plasticville coaling tower bash.  I had a lot better luck soldering the Suydam kit than l am having today repairing a brass caboose, with just irons.

Found this kit on E-bay a few years ago. It's finished now. It's well made with window made of metal. A MTH scale Little Joe just fits. Don

@scale rail posted:

My rare and hard to find building was made by a small company that only made two different kits before they went out of business. I was lucky to get this Deco Dinner. I used Miller Engineering' small neon on the back wall and lit and detailed the interior. I will be a great addition to my town. What kit have you snagged that is rare. Please show pictures. Don

What is the name of this kit?  Who made it?