I was interested in the new HO scale Menards Shell Gas Station..the O scale version looked like it was well assembled, but the HO version looks like it was sloppily built on the photos on Menards web site...crooked seams, bent parts, decals crooked, even the rotating Shell sign on top was crooked. Does anyone have the HO version yet? And is it as bad looking as the photos?
I don't have the gas station but the salt factory and Vetter Sash and Door are well made.
Joe Staten Island West
I have in HO scale the Morton Salt, Power Plant and Fire Station. All are well made and the details are fine.
Tried to check on this today. Our Menards has a few leftover built-up buildings stashed upstairs, but will receive no more new buildings until the Xmas 2018 merchandise ships.
As for a pictured item like this being representative of all...I tend to think not. They probably pick a box off the back of the containers and send it to marketing, where some non-RR-oriented techs take it out and take pics of it. for various needs, then quickly on to the next item. Did the discerning eye of a model RRer ever see them beforehand? Probably not.
Yeah, a couple of items astray. I don't think the revolving sign is, the photog just tried to align it in each photo and it didn't always have a good angle when the pic was taken.
My strategy if I saw one on the shelf that had an issue would be to see if they would discount it, theh fix it myself. I ain't afraid of a little modeling.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Normally,I wouldn't purchase Menards buildings. The electricity generator building depending on its detail. Maybe. But at $70.00 a building. Nope.
Only for the diesel engine sitting inside. Wonder if it can be bought ?
Anybody have a large photo of this diesel engine ?
Fear an Ignorant Man more than a Lion- Turkish proverb
Modeling an ficticious HO scale intergrated Scrap Yard & Steel Mill Melt Shop.
Southland Industrial Railway or S.I.R for short. Enterchanging with Norfolk Southern.
I would not bother with the local Menards for getting the buildings. I thought I would save the shipping cost if I had my cousin pick up the item at her local Menards in Cicero IL. We'll to make a long story short the only time they really have the buildings in stock is Christmas and they ended up shipping to her from Wisconsin anyway. They waved the shipping charge. Moral of the story if you want the buildings just order them online.
Free shipping is still free, so that's what I've used when they had something online that I've needed. You can track your order's progress online and that's free, also. It's not the fastest, as it goes on the semi with other merchandise, so if you need it right away then it is faster to have them ship it to you, not the store. Speed of shipping will likely improve some as our local store just went through some significant renovations, in part to handle increased volume in online and special order deiveries. As they ramp that it, free shipping may get to be an even better value.
Reviews of the Menard's buildings (not this particular one) in the past have mentioned similar issues, lettering at an angle (apparently it's often a "peel and stick" rather than a wet decal) etc. However, having seen them in the store, some of the buildings are quite nice, especially for the amount of lighting and details involved (some have like a dozen LEDs, rotating signs, even rotating rooftop air vents.) I think if I bought one (really like the Red Owl, having grown up near one) I'd want to see it at the store before buying it.