Why buy a kit and not assemble it? For structure kits, the reason is buying a kit to go on a planned but yet unbuilt portion of a layout. I nearly always modify structure kits to fit the location. Often I HAVE to. So I have lots of unbuilt kits for that reason.
I guess the oldest is probably the Atlas #2881 L-shaped enginehouse, bought in early 1970s. I thought about getting a second kit and building the enginehouse WITHOUT the L addition just to be unique. But I learned more about what I wanted to model and it just didn't fit.
What do you call a "kit"? I am in N scale and for a long time, they didn't have any rolling stock kits. "Ready-to-run" for me always meant ready to strip, redetail and rebuild when I have all the needed information and tools and the time. I bought an A-B-B-A set of Fleschmann F-3s, undecorated, in 1975 for the purpose of rebuilding them as FTs and painting in Santa Fe freight blue. Have only test run them a time or two.
I just recently got around to finishing the detailing on this "first generation N scale" kit, the old Three Houses Under Construction. Some twenty years ago, (after having bought the kit in mid 1970s) I built two of the three houses as FINISHED houses as they might appear with a messy occupant and a fastidious one. Just completed the scene and why?
Because I am planning to abandon the layout soon, and I wanted to complete the projects I had planned and started.
My "oldest" kit is a 1950s vintage Athearn 50 Foot Auto Box Car for ATSF. This kit has stamped metal roof, and ends, and sheet metal sides, built around a wooden core. This car was assembled at one time, but by the time I got it had fallen back into "Kit form" The cast pewter (Or what ever it is) roofwalk is in many pieces so I am contemplating replacing that with a modern offering from Plano. Everything else is in pretty good shape. Will have to add Kadee couplers though as the couplers that are included in the kit these "hook and loop" couplers that look like miniature versions of what you find on LGB equipment today. Were these a popular coupler back in the 50s? And does anyone know who made them.
As for the kit that I have had the longest? It would have to be a stack of Life-Like building kits, that I got to expand the train set I was also ordering from the JC Penny Christmas Catalog back when I was 12 or so. I havn't ever had the chance to build them, so there they sit.
They comprise "Fair Haven Brewery", "Fire Station" "Kentucky Fried Chicken" and "Flashing Light Water Tower" Included in the Train set were "Trakside Shanties", "Train Station", "General Store" and "Town Church"
All these buildings I plan for the town of "Bedford" (So I don't have to change the name on the water tower) but my layout is no where near reaching Bedford yet, so they will probably have to sit several more years.
leighant wrote:
That looks familiar! Love the story it tells. I was even thinking Ford when I made that other post but went Chevy because on another forum I was once known as "Red Chevy" and saying Ford would have felt weird.
Why are you abandoning your N scale universe?
I have a Walther's propane service kit, not sure what the original name of the kit was, but it is a propane servicing company. That kit was bought back around 1990, and I still need to put that one together.
I also have an old Suydam card stock kit that is half unfinished, it is model of a meat packer plant, I started building it when I was a teenager and it must be over 30 years old by now, so most likely the mid 1970's when it was purchased.
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan