O Scale Structure Kits

[BobbyDing]

Hey Folks,

Again I am here to pick the brains for you good folks.

Who makes decent O scale models of buildings (Kits)? Like a Western Town or your typical 1900's main streets? I'm looking for models that my kids (7&8) can put together and paint for a new layout (keep'm involved).
Of course, at a decent price?

Or even paper models in O Scale (already checked out Thors site).

Much Thanks in advance,

Bobby

[Dr. John]

Hmmmm. Western models are tough to come by, unfortunately. You can occasionally find some of the old Marx tin or plastic stuff on Ebay.

As to main street stuff, there are a lot of choices. However, most of them will be ready built (MTH, Lionel, some of Walthers and Atlas) or kit form that may be a bit too challenging for 7 and 8 year olds (Design Preservation Models, Walthers and Atlas kits).

For kids, I recommend some of the Plasticville kits. They are easy to assemble (snap-fit, so glue is not necessary) and inexpensive. Maybe not as realistic as the above kits, but they look great on toy train layouts and are a lot of fun. They come molded in color, but painting them is a breeze.

[Anonymous]

[#ditto],Plasticville kits are cheap and easy for the kids to put together and paint.[2c]

[mickey4479]

I have looked for reasonably priced kits myself. Plasticville and some Lionel are good starters. I have started building my own from ideas I see on line in some of the more expensive kits. Here is a site that I have looked at. Once there, click on "O" and it takes you to many links.

http://valleymodeltrains.com/website/oscale.html

[BobbyDing]

Thanks Guys. Good info...Bobby

[marxalot]

Internation Hobby Corp. has a set of of 5 old time houses they say could be either 19th or 20th century. You could use them just for building fronts with some simple modification. I picked up the set of five for what I think was a good deal at a GTE. They are plastic, molded in several different colors. Use as is or paint and weather away!

Jim

[Dave Farquhar]

For paper models, check out the Whitewash city line. There are several series. Here's one to get you started:

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=3950&

The scale is 1:60, roughly, so it's a little small for full O gauge (1:48) but would do well with traditional or O-27 trains. But they can be enlarged. Enlarging by 25% would put them in the neighborhood.