What manufacturers in HO, still produce kits?

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Everyone has a bad purchase now and then. My experiences with them are exactly the opposites of yours and I have never seen anything in their catalog that I thought was that over priced; nor, have I had anything I've bought from them that did not do as was advertized. Not saying it can't happen, just hasn't happened to me so far.

Maybe we could get back to the subject of this thread, which is: What manufacturers in HO, still produce kits?
 
For me, customer service is everything. If a company makes my life substantially easier, I am willing to pay more for their efforts. In my own business, relatively inexperienced people are buying our products, which are available elsewhere, because I freely give out advice based on 40 years in my trade.

I agree that Micromark is expensive and I do occasionally buy tools from them if I don't have the time to track down other sources but I vastly prefer to support Brick and mortar train stores. The good ones are passionate about what they do. They give advice based on their own experience. The personal exchange is really fun. They usually have the tools I need or show me things I didn't know existed. The internet will never do that. Even worse, the internet suppliers undercut their own distributors which long term is a suicidal policy.

I buy things on the net that I don't need to hold and feel. A Kadee 500 truck is just that. it can't be anything else. As Cjcrescent said, the tool he thought he was getting wasn't what he wanted. That wouldn't happen in a brick and mortar where you can hold the tool in your hands. I always loved getting home and emptying my bags of loot to paw it all on the kitchen table by the woodstove.
 


If you go back over the 7 pages of infromation here in this thread there are refences and Links to many different kit manufacturers. However, I haven't seen any references to locomotive kits and yes,I understand Ebay will have many Athearn Diesel kits and even a few MDC steamer loco kits. However, are there others locomotive kit manufacturers out there? I've noticed that Bowser isn't selling their line of Steamers anymore, either. I've enjoyed building locomtives over the years and even kit bashing RTR locos into representations of locos that were found on the Northern Pacific.

I'd like to end this discussion on whether Micro-Mark is a worthy supplier of small tools! You like them, you don't, that's fine, you don't want their free catalog that is certainly your choice!

My nearest hobby shop is 90 miles away and a really good one is 190 miles away! So, I likely do more online shoping then you people who live a few miles from one. Like to support the Brick and morter when I can; but, it's simply not all that practical for me!
 
Unfortunately I can't think of a single supplier of full engine kits for NA prototypes left. (I don't consider Athearn BB engines as kits, as the majority of the "assembly" was the handrails.) There may still be one or two very small suppliers out there, but I haven't seen them. While you can still generally find some kits on E-bay, even this is getting rarer, and rarer.:(

These are some of the companies that I have built engines from. Not all of these manufacturers sold kits in HO. They ranged from not so difficult, to extremely difficult.

Mantua, MDC, Varney, Penn Line, English, Hobbytown, Arbour, Bowser, Virginia City Models: (Shay/Climax/Heisler locos), Tiger Valley, All-Nation, Walthers, Joe Works, and Tenshodo.

Their instructions were sometimes a laugh, like the Joe Works HON2.5 2-6-2 kit. Their instructions were entirely in Japanese, but it did come with an English translation: "First glue on some parts. Then glue on more parts..."

While I know that Penn Line and English eventually became Bowser, I have built their kits, still in original boxes. (You'd be surprised what you can find at estate sales for $5)
 
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As to whether or not MM is a worthy supplier of small tools...Maybe for some people, but not for me. Once bitten, twice shy!
 
Cjcrescent said:
As to whether or not MM is a worthy supplier of small tools...Maybe for some people, but not for me. Once bitten, twice shy!
Click to expand...

GOOD GRIEF! Let it GO, I don't know how anyone could come away from this thread not knowing YOU don't like Micro Mark! We all have companies that we will not do business with again, SO WHAT!!

Also, I've built many of the same locomotive kits you have! I didn't ask what kits have you built! I asked if there were any locomotive kit manufacturers still producing kits!
 
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It would appear that we have exhausted the subject of kit manufacturers and have been supplied with some great resources, sadly none in Frostbite Falls.

And I actually like Micro mark. I just don't have unlimited resources. I like almost everybody and everything about this venture. This forum is a really nice way to make me think I'm not alone doing this stuff.
 
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