Wondering if anyone has purchased and use Downtown Deco Kits. On the site I'm looking at they state "Cast Hydrocal(R) Kit Cast Hydrocal plaster walls, plastic door & windows and full color paper signs and awnings" Just curious on everyone's opinion about these kits before I make a purchase ... good points and bad points. Specifically I'm looking at "Downtown Deco First Time Bar kit". Thanks in advanced for the input!
Downtown Deco kits are excellent. The cast structures give a visual appearance of being solid that other types of kits do not always provide. The old adage of "read and follow directions" is good advice for first time builders. Their stuctures and casting take coloring and weathering very readily. If the building is the right concept for the location that you have in mind, go for it!
Don H.
I agree. Donwtown Deco puts out high quality kits with excellent castings, signage, various details. I highly recommend them. They're not really a beginners kit, but the thorough instructions means you can still build it with good results even if you never done a craftsman kit before.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
I have one of the Adams Avenue buildings. An excelent kit.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
I have just about every Downtown Deco kit including some that were 'special' runs that are not labeled Downtown Deco. I have built about 10 of the kits. I (obviously) think the kits are great because they have tremendous character. I use 5 minute epoxy to glue the walls together and then I spray the assembled walls with two light coats of either white or light gray primer before painting/staining/washing.
Modeling an HO gauge freelance version of the Union Pacific Oregon Short Line and the Utah Railway around 1957 in a world where Pirates from the Great Salt Lake founded Ogden, UT.
- Photo album of layout construction -
I don't prime the walls. I like the way diluted paint sinks into the Hydro-Cal.
DTD kits are great for old grimy industrial scenes or the "wrong side of the tracks", seedy, run-down part of town. They also make for some fun kit bashing and customizing.
The castings are fragile and do need some clean-up and squaring. There will be seams that need hiding. Go easy and check frequently when sanding the castings as the material comes off fast.
I prefer priming the castings and using craft paint washes.
I would think that the "First Timer Bar" would be good starter kit.
DTD website has a good tutorial and there's lots more out on the web, here's one on this forum, http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/188429.aspx
DTD has super customer support, proprietor Randy Pepprock goes above and beyond answering questions and offering advice.
regards, Peter
Lots of Downtown Deco stuff to be found here:
bigbluetrains
The first is about midway down the page, with more on successive pages, pretty well to the end of the thread. It covers prep work, colouring, assembly, etc.
Wayne
EDIT: The link no longer works, as all of the 21 pages of photos have succumbed to the curse of photobucket.
I was able to find one of the limited edition N scale Diamante Shipping warehouse kits. I kitbashed it using the back half of the building to make a 37 inch long warehouse. For the back I used .040 plain styrene sheet since this is a building flat. Painted it with acrylic wash and a concrete wash which I wiped off of the brick leaving the space between the bricks as mortar. Sealed the paint with clear coat and then assembled the building. VERY NICE KITS. As on my old layout I will have a single track to service it generating a lot of box car and reefer traffic.
Since I already replied 4 years ago, I will add that I still love building Downtown Deco kits. Here's my version of Diamonte Shipping (2 building kit) that I built earlier this year.
Never heard of these buildings and in a necro thread, I assumed they would be NLA. The company has a website and ebay ebay store.
http://www.downtowndeco.com/site/
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Used to know the guy though another forum. Super nice as are his kits. Only reason I didn't like them is I went Proto as much as can be done without spending a fortune and plaster has certain limitations.