I see that since my original post last week that Walthers has gotten many of the kits back in stock and I managed to order a few. This sounds like good news.
I do not know the current status of City Classics. Supposedly, the family was going to try to continue the business, but I will be a bit surprised if they do.
Jim was a great guy. He was a one man show as far as I can determine. A few years back, I decided to use Smallman Street Warehouse parts to kitbash an 11-story cold storage warehouse. I chose the Smallman Street Warehouse because the windows and walls were so similar to a prototype building that I wanted to model on my layout.
In the process, I emailed Jim more than once with questions, and he graciously responded. It turned out that he was a great help to me in the kitbashing process. He even went so far as to send me a free box of additional parts in case I wanted to build a second, similar structure. I hadn't asked for such a generous favor, but that was Jim.
When I click on his website today, other than the home page, the rest of the pages turn up blank. That is not a good sign.
Rich
Alton Junction
John-NYBWKevin, are you referring to the Smalltown USA City Sidewalks? I don't see a Walthers listing for City Classics sidewalks. I'm currently working on a similar downtown section and have accumulated a lot of the Smalltown USA sidewalks.
You are right, it is the SmallTown USA sidewalks.
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
They do see like the best option out there. I think they will fit my needs well.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190 City classic sidewalks are the best I have found. I must have 10 or 12 packs of them. I hope that is enough. -Kevin
City classic sidewalks are the best I have found. I must have 10 or 12 packs of them. I hope that is enough.
Kevin, are you referring to the Smalltown USA City Sidewalks? I don't see a Walthers listing for City Classics sidewalks. I'm currently working on a similar downtown section and have accumulated a lot of the Smalltown USA sidewalks. I've looked at other options but those sidewalks seem to be the most economical choice.
City Classics was planning on staying around last I knew. I will have to see what I can find out.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
I have a five foot long section on the next layout dedicated to a brick downtown area. This is inspired by the scenes of Troy on the NEB&W layout. I hope to capture the feel of this city in a much smaller space.
I have collected structure kits from Magnuson, Lunde, City Classics, and Design Preservation Models to build this area.
It makes me sad that there are so many manufacturers that are gone.
I generally don't follow the business end of this hobby but if City Classics is no longer in business, it will be missed. They made an excellent line of low cost, high quality products. So many manufacturers in this hobby are small businesses and it's not unusual to see them go out of business when the principle owner either retires or passes. Sometimes another manufacturer will buy the molds and the stock but that doesn't always happen.
I have lots of City Classics structures on my layout and don't really have room for any more but it will be unfortunate for those who are still in the early stages of their layouts if City Classics is no longer an option.
Not sure, but a few weeks after his passing, one of the family members fulfilled my order. These models were so nicely detailed. A must have for a larger downtown setup
Also, anyone know what's going on with Lunde Studios? Their site has been down for months
Does anyone know the status of City Classics? Their Facebook page hasn't been updated since January and their website not since the passing of Mr. Sacco with no links to their product pages. I also noted that vendors are running out of stock.
Does anyone know if they are still making products?