American Model Builders/Laserkits?

[Anonymous]

Has anyone here ever bought and assembled any of their models? I have a lot of SP stuff and grew up in a town here in CA where the SP used to run. The old depot is now a sushi bar and its old sign now hangs above my layout in the basement. (my dad for "rescued" it many years ago)
I was thinking about purchasing one of their SP HO depot kits because they seem to be the only company that makes them but at $90-110 I thought about getting some feedback on their stuff before I lay out the dough.
Also do you have to paint them? I assume they are just wood colored pieces.

lou

[simon1966]

I have not made this kit, but have purchased other AMB kits in the past. They are well made and have excellent instructions. They do need to be painted as they are laser cut wood for the most part. I have always been very happy with them, though have not purchased anything as high in price as the SP depots you are looking at. Shop around, because you may find some internet dealers selling AMB as less than the list price on the laserkit web site.

[wp8thsub]

If all you want is an SP standard depot, Alpine division has one in its mat board structure line for $36.50. http://www.alpinemodels.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=ADSM&Category_Code=110 Note that this is an old style kit formerly sold by Suydam and isn't going to be easier to build than the newer laser kits.

AMB and other laser wood kits are usually very straightforward to assemble. To get an idea what they're like, try one of the smaller kits (like a garage) first. They almost snap together but the key is finishing. It's very simple to get clean color separations for multi-color paint schemes because you can pre-paint all the parts and don't have to mask.

[Anonymous]

I have assembeled many of their kits,they are easy to build look very good when finished,I spray all parts with a coat of dull coat and seal the wood before painting,this prevents warping,also if not planning on painting the dull coat darkens the wood and looks a little more realistic weathered look.Hope this helps Terry

[Anonymous]

I agree with all on the quality of AMB Laserkits! I would not hesitate to purchase any of their products and know I would be in for an enjoyable experience building them. They are extremely well designed, innovative, have thorough instructions and the end product will be a show piece, even if you aren't an expert at craftsman kits. This is not a "shake the box" kit, so be prepared for spending numerous evenings building a project like this. If you can read, are patient and persistent, you will succeed! Go for it!

[orsonroy]

AMB kits are great. They're fun and surprisingly easy to build, offer us modelers kits that we wouldn't otherwise get, and are realistically priced. I've got 20 of their cabooses and something like 5-8 of their structures, and love 'em all. I generally seal the wood with 2-3 coats of glosscoat before I paint and assemble them.

[Anonymous]

thanks for the info everyone, i just bought the one i wanted on ebay and i can't wait to see the finished depot on our layout....