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[quote user="CNJ831"][quote user="Bob Hayes"] For all you youngsters, that's the Jack Work Coal Mine, featured in MR back in the mid 50's I think.  Probably an article on how to scratch build it, too.[/quote]Bob gets a cigar for recalling that one. The coal mine under discussion here is indeed based on a coal mine scratchbuilding article by Jack Work, appearing in the Oct., Nov., and Dec. issues of MR from 1959, later to be offered as a plastic kit by AHM and several other companies since. Work's article was from back in the days when MR regularly ran detailed constuction articles for the hobbyist...unlikely the abreviated outlines of recent years. The coal mine article stretched over 22 pages, with explanations of the prototype, assembly diagrams, materials lists and building tips! Jack's coal mine also included several auxiliary buildings that, to their detriment, the plastic kits omitted. CNJ831  [/quote]Major league ditto's on that, brother. It's why my file of 30 year old + MR's is such a valuable modeeling tool!Jack's articles were always great because he literally built almost everything..even parts like nuts and bolts that most of us buy.  Even if you weren't going to build all the little fiddly bits yourself, you learned the way to do, so when you had to fabricate an odd ball part, you had some idea how to proceed.  Jack's article on the coal mine is well worth hunting down because the out buildings really add to the impression of a working mine.  By the way Jack also built the main building in reasoanbly good shape, not the rickety structure of the old AHM kit which has always looked to me like an abandoned building.  Why do European designers think American industrial structures have busted windows and safety railings, and big holes in the roof? (Perhaps the mine is a non-union operation?...definitely pre OSHA!)  Most of the AHM kits were designed to sell at low cost.  As a result, the die work was less than steller.  They always required a bit of fussing and fitting to get things to line up properly.  I doubt if time has improved the dies no matter who is selling it these days.  The instructions were intended to reach people in many countries, so they were pictures with little or no writing, and somewhat vauge at that.  Perhaps the present manufactuers have improved the instruction sheet.  I wouldn't discourage you from assembling it, especially if you have some model building experience, but be prepared for a little extra work.  Generally speaking the old line of Atlas structures and the ex-Revell structures (which have since been manufactured by several foreign companies) featured top flight die work and were of better quaility and easier to assemble than the AHM kits.JBB
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