John-NYBW While looking at FSM kits on ebay, I see quite a few FOS kits. All the ones I've come across are very small structures similar in style to the old FSM kits. Did FOS buy out FSM's castings when George Selios retired? I'm trying to figure out why their products would come up in a search for FSM kits.
While looking at FSM kits on ebay, I see quite a few FOS kits. All the ones I've come across are very small structures similar in style to the old FSM kits. Did FOS buy out FSM's castings when George Selios retired? I'm trying to figure out why their products would come up in a search for FSM kits.
It is only because they are similar craftsman type kits - South River Modelworks also comes up in the FSM search as does Siera West, Master Creations, etc. FOS did not buy the FSM castings, somebody else did.
I no longer buy craftsman kits. I really got turned off by kits that required me to cut the scale lumber to size. It just seemed to me all I was getting was scratchbuilding materials and a plan and for that I was paying a premium price. It just seems to me if I have to do more work, I should pay less, not more. My recent purchases have all been easy to build kits or prebuilt structures. I do have three craftsman kits left to build that I bought before I soured on them. They are all going to require many hours of work to complete. It's just not worth my time to do that anymore. I'll try to complete the ones I have but I won't be buying any new ones.
PennsyLou John-NYBW While looking at FSM kits on ebay, I see quite a few FOS kits. All the ones I've come across are very small structures similar in style to the old FSM kits. Did FOS buy out FSM's castings when George Selios retired? I'm trying to figure out why their products would come up in a search for FSM kits. It is only because they are similar craftsman type kits - South River Modelworks also comes up in the FSM search as does Siera West, Master Creations, etc. FOS did not buy the FSM castings, somebody else did.
Does that mean this FOS kit is being misrepresented as an FSM kit?
FOS SCALE: RED HOOK WHARF (Kit #180) - Mint/New - Really Fine FSM Miniature Kit! | eBay
It's an impressive kit but I wouldn't pay anywhere close to $875 for it. It looks like I'd be buying a lot of headaches.
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-Kevin
Living the dream.
I wouldn’t say it was a ”complete” misrepresentation. After all there is a pretty clear picture of the item being sold.
The abbreviation FSM certainly fooled me initially into believing this was a reissue of a George Selios kit. It was enough to get me to ask if FOS had taken over the FSM product line. It seems deceptive to me.
I hope this misrepresentation is being done by a rogue ebay seller and not by the FOS company. It looks like they have a pretty good product line although as I said earlier, I no longer buy craftsman kits.
John-NYBW PennsyLou John-NYBW While looking at FSM kits on ebay, I see quite a few FOS kits. All the ones I've come across are very small structures similar in style to the old FSM kits. Did FOS buy out FSM's castings when George Selios retired? I'm trying to figure out why their products would come up in a search for FSM kits. It is only because they are similar craftsman type kits - South River Modelworks also comes up in the FSM search as does Siera West, Master Creations, etc. FOS did not buy the FSM castings, somebody else did. Does that mean this FOS kit is being misrepresented as an FSM kit? FOS SCALE: RED HOOK WHARF (Kit #180) - Mint/New - Really Fine FSM Miniature Kit! | eBay It's an impressive kit but I wouldn't pay anywhere close to $875 for it. It looks like I'd be buying a lot of headaches.
As far as Fos, I beleive they have done a tribute to FSM but made extra sure that no one thought it was a FSM kit. New owner knows the owner of FOS and George and most of the kit manufactures via the forum he used to have.
SeeYou190I added it to my watch list, and the seller sent me a private offer to buy it for only $800.00, what a bargain!
I didn't add it to my watch list and got the very same offer. It is a typical eBay ploy based on their algorithms. In a day or two you'll likely get another email or two asking "Did you forget about this item of interest?"
Also, about having the "FSM" in the title it is all about being "visible" for searches. Many sellers throw out as many search catchwords as possible to generate hits.
Regards, Ed
SeeYou190 John-NYBW It's an impressive kit but I wouldn't pay anywhere close to $875 for it I added it to my watch list, and the seller sent me a private offer to buy it for only $800.00, what a bargain! - - - - - - - - - - I tried to make a list from my memory of all the craftsman type wood structures I have stashed for the layout. This is what I believe I have, there might be more. Campbell Scale Models: 2 Bar Mills Models: 1 Fine Scale Miniatures: 2 American Model Builders/LaserKit: 6 I thought I had a lot more than that. I know I have at least 5 Magnuson kits and 4 Lunde kits. I have more City Classics, Small Town USA, and Design Preservation Models kits than I will ever have room for. -Kevin
John-NYBW It's an impressive kit but I wouldn't pay anywhere close to $875 for it
I added it to my watch list, and the seller sent me a private offer to buy it for only $800.00, what a bargain!
I tried to make a list from my memory of all the craftsman type wood structures I have stashed for the layout.
This is what I believe I have, there might be more.
Campbell Scale Models: 2
Bar Mills Models: 1
Fine Scale Miniatures: 2
American Model Builders/LaserKit: 6
I thought I had a lot more than that. I know I have at least 5 Magnuson kits and 4 Lunde kits.
I have more City Classics, Small Town USA, and Design Preservation Models kits than I will ever have room for.
I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with a stash of unbuilt structure kits. I've accumulated quite a few in the past 45 years that I've been involved in the hobby. Some I have plans for on my current layout. Some I planned to use but then found something I liked better. Some were bought for my previous layout in the home I moved out of 21 years ago. The prize is a craftsman 300 ton Fairbanks-Morse wood coaling tower which I believe I bought about 40 years ago. The proprietor of the LHS that sold it to me was anxious for me to build it and bring it in to show it to him. I told him I would but a short time later he sold his interest in the LHS to his partners. I never did get around to building it for the old layout and for the current layout I ended up buying the large Walthers concrete coaling tower (they offered two). I'm sure this would be a magnificent structure if I ever get around to building it but there really isn't a logical place for it on my layout. It's way too big for my small branchline with a pair of Ten Wheelers. If I were to build it, it would replace the concrete coaling tower in my main engine terminal. There are so many other things on my plate that I don't know if I will ever get around to assembling it.
PS. The only Campbell kit I ever bought was a single track timber truss bridge. They have been around forever and I always like the looks of their structures but never bought one. How would you rate them on degree of difficulty to assemble?
John-NYBW PS. The only Campbell kit I ever bought was a single track timber truss bridge. They have been around forever and I always like the looks of their structures but never bought one. How would you rate them on degree of difficulty to assemble?
You got me curious about Barnstead Lumber so I went out to ebay and found three for sale. There was a completed kit asking $650. There were two in the box for just under $200 plus shipping. It looks like a nice kit. It seems to me it is configured very similarly to the plastic Walthers sawill kit but with obviously more character. I have the Walthers kit and just started the preliminary steps of assembling it. I'm going to see if I can add a little character of my own. I might use that built up one as inspiraction.
When I opened up my two stall engine house kit which is probably about the same age, I noticed the wood walls were very brittle from having dried out so much. One of the walls actual cracked lengthwise along the wood grain. Not a hard fix but you'll want to handle those wafer thin walls with care and might want to consider doing the inside bracing first just to strengthen them up.
I misunderstood what that kit was about. I thought it was a sawmill but after reading the captions, I realize it is a building supply business.
Plus $9.50 shipping. That's funny. I have two of those in my lumberyard. I didn't realize what a treasure I have. I like the part where he describes it as RARE. That kit has been around forever and I don't think Atlas retires a kit like Walthers sometimes does. There are dozens of them being offered on ebay alone with the average asking price being around $19. With shipping you could get it between $25-30. I wouldn't even pay that much for one. The shipping cost is almost as much as the item itself.
I would bet this seller is liquidating somebody's collection as part of an estate sale and didn't know the value. He probably went out to ebay to find out what a lumberyard kit was worth and came across an FSM kit for sale.
I'm a fan of the Pawn Stars TV show and you see this all the time. Somebody will bring in an item they thinks rare and ask for thousands of dollars and they have to break the news to them that what they have isn't all that rare and at most will offer them a couple hundred dollars. Sometimes they are aren't interested in it at all.
As a kid I always loved looking at the FSM ads in the MR magazines. I loved looking at all the little details. I admire the kits and George for being able to make a living doing what he loved.
MJ4562 As a kid I always loved looking at the FSM ads in the MR magazines. I loved looking at all the little details. I admire the kits and George for being able to make a living doing what he loved.
SeeYou190 MJ4562 As a kid I always loved looking at the FSM ads in the MR magazines. I loved looking at all the little details. Me too. When I read Model Railroader in the 1970 and 1980s I remember looking at those ads and wanting these kits so badly. I thought "who could spend $40.00-$50.00 on a model kit?" Now I have tons of FSM detail castings and a few complete kits of my own. I felt the same about brass models when I was a kid, and now I have a fleet of steamers for my railroad. -Kevin
MJ4562 As a kid I always loved looking at the FSM ads in the MR magazines. I loved looking at all the little details.
Me too. When I read Model Railroader in the 1970 and 1980s I remember looking at those ads and wanting these kits so badly. I thought "who could spend $40.00-$50.00 on a model kit?"
Now I have tons of FSM detail castings and a few complete kits of my own.
I felt the same about brass models when I was a kid, and now I have a fleet of steamers for my railroad.
rrebell MJ4562 As a kid I always loved looking at the FSM ads in the MR magazines. I loved looking at all the little details. I admire the kits and George for being able to make a living doing what he loved. He is retired now from the kit buisness but I know they are working or have finished on a plan to perserve his layout.
He is retired now from the kit buisness but I know they are working or have finished on a plan to perserve his layout.
I had always assumed that when George retired, he would be spending more of his time running his layout. Is that not the case?
I remember in the first Allen Keller video he had mentioned that the Smithsonian had contacted him about taking possession of the layout at some time but that it had become too big to make that feasible. Perhaps they will take a section of it someday.