# Information on Colorado Model Structures



## Guest (Apr 20, 2009)

Hello,

I'm trying to learn more about Colorado Model Structures. They are priced pretty reasonable and much lower than POLA/PIKO kits and other models I've seen. My question is this? Do you actually get a building or just the plans? Are these buildings assembled or do you have to assemble them? Do they come as a kit of parts like the POLA/PIKO buildings and you just assemble them? I've been to the website, but I can't find a clear explanation of what you get for your money or how it all works. Can someone who has these please help me.

Thanks,

Ed


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## altterrain (Jan 2, 2008)

Ed, 

Take a look at their website - http://coloradomodel.com/default.htm and the customerr gallery. You'll see lots of pics of the building kits and neat bashes (with a few of my own there). They offer inexpensive building kits for those of us on a budget. The owner, Bruce, is a nice guy who attends many of the LS shows. The kits require painting (spray paints work well) and a bit more work than your average piko/pola kit and are less detailed but are great kitbash fodder. I am currently working on a block of the Virginia Ridge buildings (3 kits to make one big block of buildings) and Walker Terminal for a customer and I picked up one of the new Bonner Mining buildings for a couple of bash projects for myself. The four pack of small buildings is a great deal. Be sure to order the Lexan window material which is great for buildings, train car windows, etc. Email me with any questions. 

-Brian


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## Rod Fearnley (Jan 2, 2008)

These are great kits, great value too. They remind me a bit like the old Plasticville kits of the 50's. basic, but with lots of scope for bashing and super detailing. I shall definately be buying more at the BTS.
Rod


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## bottino (Feb 7, 2008)

I picked up the kits for four of these buildings at ECLSTS in York. They are a really good deal right now, four buildings for 69$. I am having problems posting the photos, but will keep trying. They are well made. The owner of the company makes machine tools, so they are very precise, and fit together very well. I did the fire house last year, and it turned out great. Paint with Fusion paint, and they hold up just fine. 
Still working on my pictures. I can't preview them, and I want to be sure they work. 
Paul


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

As everyone else mentioned--you get the complete kit, they are sturdy and very easy to assemble. They're a great buy. We have three of them. Two are out and one we are waiting to decide about placement. They are simple and easy to modify. Great buys.


My wife does most of the buildings on our layout. She likes to use exterior latex housepaint. More time consuming


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

I picked up a 4 pack recently. Ordered from the website and had the buildings in a few days with no troubles at all. I read someplace that some folks build a plexiglass box inside these and laminate the ooutside wall & roof sections provided in the kits to this box. It provides a LOT of mass to the structure when finished and acts as window glazing as well. 

I should also note that I've decided to not finish these yet as I currently do not have a spot to store assembled buildings and flat ones take up less storage space.

Chas


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

In general these are nice kits that are cheap and do not have a lot of frills. You get the basic building which you have to assemble. As they said you need to buy the window glazing. I usually just buy this at a hobby shop and is a bit cheaper or go to Lowes and buy a piece of Lexan for $1.50 and cut your own glass for the windows. Later RJD


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## lathroum (Jan 2, 2008)

I have a bunch of these I love them...
I run inddors... so they are perfect for me...
and you can't beat the price...

I have the Switch Tower, Store front, Fire Station, double store front, and the small station/depot...

here is a link to the grocery store I did...

http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/forumid/7/tpage/1/view/topic/postid/26612/Default.aspx#26612

Philip


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## bottino (Feb 7, 2008)

Hopefully, here are the four I just finished. They are fun to do, and look great. ( I hope)


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

What are these kits made of? Plastic? Resin?


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Plastic--pretty heavy too, reasonably heavy anyway. I had a lot of fun with the signal tower, added a floor and some interior detail and lights







































They come in grayw with kind of liver-colored window frames. The window frames in my tower are unpainted 



We have the little one in the third picture bottino posted. My wife is making it pink and white and putting curtains in the windows, to make a cafe


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## bottino (Feb 7, 2008)

You do an excellent job on the inside. I will probably put lights in my tower, but that will be it. I would like to see the cafe when it is done. Neat.
Paul


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## billsharron (Jan 3, 2008)

I love these kit and kitbash them a lot. I use Rustoleum texture paint for the roofs. It really looks gteat. There are about four or five colors most are suitable for roof colors. You will not regret getting these great kits I recommend the four pack as well as it is great value.


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By Rod Fearnley on 04/20/2009 1:39 AM
These are great kits, great value too. They remind me a bit like the old Plasticville kits of the 50's. basic, but with lots of scope for bashing and super detailing. I shall definately be buying more at the BTS.
Rod 






Sorry for getting off topic, but I just had to respond to Rod about Plasticville. 

I'm a huge fan of Plasticville buildings. We have quite a few of the 1950s originals on our O scale layout. Here's a link with photos:

O Scale Layout

And I agree that they are good for kitbashing as well. I combined two HO Plasticville motels into one for a Route 66 style motel on our HO layout.

HO Motel


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## Gary Woolard (Jan 2, 2008)

I've seen this vendor's stuff at te shows, and it looks pretty good. But I think I heard/read somewhere that the door & window sizes put the scale a lot closer to 1/29 than to 1/22 (much less 1/20th







). I couldn't really tell on the show floor -- no way to pick a piece up & walk down the aisle to compare to stuff on another table!

Has anybody compared? Of course, you could recut the door openings & windows, I suppose..


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

I just measured the door on one building at it came to 3.5 inches, which I think puts it around 1:22/1:24, which is what the website claims, and what they seem like to me.


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## ThinkerT (Jan 2, 2008)

Hmmm...a 3.5 inch tall door works out to a 7 foot tall door in 1/24th...which is prototypical...


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## Guest (Apr 22, 2009)

a 3.5 inch tall door works out to a 7 foot tall door in 1/24th...which is prototypical

depends on your timesetting. 
a hundred or more years ago simple houses and cabins had doors of less than six foot height.


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## Joe McGarry (Jan 4, 2008)

_Wow these kits sound neat. Nobody mentioned what what kind of plastic they are made of orthey use for adhesive to glue them together. Sure would like to know, also what do you use to glue Lexan which is polycarbonate? _


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## altterrain (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Joe McGarry on 04/28/2009 6:36 PM
_Wow these kits sound neat. Nobody mentioned what what kind of plastic they are made of orthey use for adhesive to glue them together. Sure would like to know, also what do you use to glue Lexan which is polycarbonate? _ 









They are made of styrene. I use a solvent type product (Plastruct Bondene or PlasticWeld, Ambroid ProWeld, Tenax, etc.) and then reinforce the main joints with silicone. I like to use PlasticWeld or ProWeld on Lexan.


-Brian


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

If anyone is interested, I have an unopened still in bag Colorado Models "Dispatch Office" for sale in the classifieds, make me an offer.


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Victor, what are you getting out of large scale? your selling a lot of stuff lately.....


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

No, but I had to face the fact that my rather rambling collection had gotten just plain unmanagable, so I had to scale it back a bit, well, alot.


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## bottino (Feb 7, 2008)

Here is another Colorado Model I just finished. It is a railroad building, but I changed the painting and made it into a Harley Shop. I think I am done for now. 
Paul


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## blackburn49 (Jan 2, 2008)

Here is an easy job done on one of the Colorado model structures that became the local K & L Distributors office at Cicely. K & L is the Alaskan distributor for Budweiser and Alaskan Brewing products among many beer, wine and liquor products and also my principle supplier here at the CRD. That is why the Budweiser tap handle is mounted as a kind of art deco sign above the K & L office. It looks like it is just sitting on the roof, but in fact it is quite heavy and is bolted through the top to appear as if it could be a rotating sign. Over the years many a customer has expressed an interest in this handle. More than one has attempted to make off with it. Now it is finally retired to the model. 
Click any image for a larger one:


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## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

Most everyone has said what I would have said about Colorado Models. I like them, and have about five. I suggested scale doors to the owner several years ago. Bought some of the doors with my last purchase not only for his kits, but to use on some other building, as I try to model in 1:32. 

Have had some problem with them staying glued together, but now I reinforce the corners and the roof peak with plastic or wood. It helps to glue unpainted surfaces, but it is a pain to mask glue edges before painting. I just spray, then scrape the paint off.


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## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

What type of glue has everyone been using? I have built about 10 of these so far and I have used General Purpose Cement found in the plumbing supply section of my favorite Home Depot. Some have been out in the weather now going on their 3rd year. Most have held up pretty good, although I did bring a few in this past winter to reinforce the corners a bit.


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## bottino (Feb 7, 2008)

The plumbing glue sounds very interesting. I have used this "Sinbad" glue that is sold at ECLSTS by a couple, They were at the national convention in Arizona last year too. That stuff is really strong. They have a enhancer you put on first, it resembles the solvent you use with CPVC plumbing. But once you put the corners together, they are stuck. My fire house has now been out a full year, summer and winter, and looks just fine. 
Paul


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