Design Preservation Models quality changes


railBuilderDhd

railBuilderDhd

Active Member
I wanted to know if anyone has noticed a change in the quality of the DPM kits over the last couple of years? I was reading some reviews and it seems like people complained about the quality of the kits over the last few years. I just wanted to hear what others have to say.

Thanks,
Dave
 
I have been using DPM kits for over 25 years and haven't noted any major difference in quality. Which kits are you referring to? They have several types. The "Gold" kits like "Poppa Wheelies", "Emery Lane" or "Harlee & Sons", that have loads of metal castings in them; or the smaller building kits containing four walls and a roof such as "Walker Building", "M.T. Arms" or "J. C. Nickels". Or are you referring to the modular walls? I also have some that were offered after they were acquired by Woodland Scenics like "First Bank" and "Stone Bakery" that have (almost) press-fit walls and many extra parts that the standard kits didn't have. Other than the overload of flash on their metal castings in the "Gold" kits, I have no complaints. Nothing as warped as many Walther's kits and never any missing parts like the older IHC kits.
As far as the reviews, is it possible that the ones writing them might be accustomed to the instant gratification (RTR, Amazon, Alexa, etc.) that pervades our society these days?
Wow! I just went to their website and realized that I have over 30 of their kits not counting dozens of their modular wall packs.
Disclaimer: I have not purchased anything new from them except Stone Bakery, First Bank and some modular wall packs since 2015, so things may have changed.

Willie
 
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Hi Willie,

Sounds as if you have an extensive hands on with the DPM kits. The review I was reading was based on the kit "The Other Corner Café". The reviewer said a wall was warped and the roof was a piece of card stock. The thing I was wondering was if the walls are warped could they be building with cheaper materials. I have a few of the kits and I like them because you can bash them into so many different buildings.
As far as what the reviewer is used to working with or had expected I do not know. I think they are great but the warped wall and cardstock roof was what had me thinking the materials used or maybe the company was sold to someone else and they are making cheaper kits.

Thanks,
Dave
 
I have dozens of DPM kits, both old and new, including "The Other Corner Cafe", and none have cardboard roofs. I haven't assembled any of the newer kits yet, but I have inspected them, and none have warped walls. So maybe the kit the reviewer had was tampered with (roof) or improperly stored (in direct sunlight, leading to warpage).
 
I also had a few HO DPM kits and found them to be good quality; although, if memory serves me correctly I think the rooves on them were styrene/plastic and not card stock. Never had one of their kits that had flaws with any of the parts either.

Maybe whoever did the review you referred to just got a bad kit OR, as you suggested, they are now also cutting corners with their quality.
 
i think i have gotten a couple of their kits that had card stock for roofs. sheet styrene is cheap, and easy to cut. if you dont get it just right you can fill it in as needed. havent experienced warped walls from them, but there are many before and after manufacturer issues that can cause that. that can be fixed also.
 
I built "The Other Corner Cafe" about a year ago, and had no issues. All of my 40+ DPM structures (revised upward since post # 2) have styrene roofs. The Woodland Scenics acquisition happened probably ten years ago, and I have bought products from them as recently as 2015, so I don't think that the ownership change has any bearing. I am guessing that the only way that we might know for sure is to go and buy one. I briefly checked my stash of recent but unbuilt kits and I don't see any cardstock in them either. I like their stuff, because unlike similar structures made by Smalltown, each DPM structure is unique. Smalltown tends to use the same side and back wall moldings across many structures.

Willie
 
I have quite a few DPM buildings scattered about my layout. Some are newer ones and some have to be almost 20 years old and I really haven't noticed and change in them. Maybe someone can chime in on whether or not Woodland Scenics bought out DPM as I have noticed that some of the kits seem to be quite similar or even identical. Some of the WS built up seem to be using DPM components.

I still have a couple sitting around that I bought year ago, misplaced them and then found them again. They won't be needed any more as I have little ot no room left for structures on my layout.
 
OK, I E-Mailed Woodland Scenics regarding their DPM kits and here is their response.

Greetings!

Thank you for your interest in our products. All of our DPM roofs contain styrene. Some of our other building kits do contain card stock for the roofing.

Kind regards,

Megan Sederwall | Marketing Copywriter| (573) 346-5555 x308
Woodland™
Woodland Scenics ● PineCar ● Scene-A-Rama
PO Box 98 Linn Creek, MO 65052 | WoodlandScenics.com
Click to expand...

That should clear the air regarding the DPM kits only.

Willie
 
Well guys,

I think I got my answer and much more. From what I've learned here the guy that did the review (on Model Train Stuff) must have received a kit that was tampered with or the review was a different kit then he originally thought he was reviewing. I can't say what was going on but I'm glad to hear they are still the quality I recall.

Dave
 
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