Custom Model Railroad's Judy's Jams & Jellies...

[MichaelWinicki]

A one sharp looking industry that is newly released... http://www.custommodelrailroads.com/judysjamsandjellies_N.aspx

They're also offering one version of an N-scale row house (found on the same link).

Nice to see some new N-scale building releases.

[Ian MacMillan]

Nice I have been waiting for this and the bmore row houses.... I also want the power station in N

[Dave Schneider]

I hate to be the one to say this, but these last two buildings look a bit "clunky" compared to their previous ones. Certain elements seem to be overly thick, and the stairs to the plant doors just look odd. Not trying to be a troll, but these just look different to me.

Best wishes, Dave

[sirenwerks]

  I thought that was my job?

Seriously, what's up with the windows? (BTW, I consider this critical, not mean-spirited)

[milw156]

Love the curtain wall type of buildings, as at home now as they were in transition era. The windows on these & the Walther's kits are just begging for some after market company to do justice to the rest of it. Or better yet, for $75 to come with the kit. Liked it otherwise.
Rick

[wazzou]

I'd have to concur with Dave and Bryan here.  The windows and other details do look a little clunky when compared to their other releases.

[Catt]

$75.00??? Are they nuts?$25.00 would be pushing it for that thing.

[MichaelWinicki]

When it comes to building details like stairs and windows, I think it gets a little murky when it comes to N-scale.   

I'd love to see the same building after it had been weathered.  I think many of the details would look less clunky.

As for the retail price, unless someone is cranking out thousands of one sku, I can see where the retail would need to be higher.  There's a lot of "stuff" to this building.

[Ian MacMillan]

$75.00??? Are they nuts?$25.00 would be pushing it for that thing.

Based on how their kits are made and built (I have built several) $75 is a reasonable price, seeing how their kits are generally in the $100-$200 range for N scale. They are craftsman kits, not a series of Walthers walls you glue together. I was shocked to see the Row Houses were so cheap.


Yes the windows could be much better on this kit. Since its laser cut acrylic I'm surprised they are not much thinner. They have done much thinner window frames in their other N kits.

[GaryHinshaw]

If the pictures on the web site are correct, the HO model has the same window issue.  Maybe it's intentional?

[MichaelWinicki]

If the pictures on the web site are correct, the HO model has the same window issue.  Maybe it's intentional?

Interesting point.

But again, I know I would earn a big fail for being able to correctly identify all the different architectural styles that are out there in the real world. 

[sirenwerks]

I'm no architectural historian, but I do have some knowledge and pay attention to the built environment around me at home and when I travel. AISI, the windows as they are might be prototypical for a renovated structure, say one turned into contemporary condos. Those would be the hermetically-sealed commercial windows casings, whereas the original would have featured many more panes/muntins, including working panes for ventilation, and presented a more delicate appearance. As far as the model portrayed in the images on the website, they could be played down using a color other than black; even then, upon close scrutiny of the model on a layout, the chunky design of the moldings would be noticeable enough to trigger a psychological "something's wrong here" alarm.

Then there's the entryway, which features two sets of double doors under a deco aluminum-trimmed awning. A nice touch, but a structure that size wouldn't require such extensive egress. One could reason there's more to the industry not modeled I suppose. But there's also the fact that stairwell looks awkward because it lacks required tread depth, a visual situation highlighted by the length of the stairwell's expanse. Another alarm goes off. And then there are the tanks on the roof. They're gaudy and massive for a structure that size and would present more realistically if some of them were ground installations. Steel industries, paper mills, and auto plants can get away the scale of those tanks and tubing, but from what I know of manufacturers of that size, the rooftop plant is less muscular than that, more intricate. Third alarm.

Then there's the industry's sign. The name's just so hokey and quaint and the it's set in a fairly contemporary looking font that just doesn't work in a free-standing sign of that size. Fourth alarm.

At a minimum, the built-up kit featured on the web site could have benefited from paint and weathering, at the least, to draw away from the poor design choices.

As far as their Baltimore prototypes, the rowhomes are "off" too. First thing I notice is they're too wide, the windows are too small for the face of the building to pull off the dominating Italianite style. The there's the clean edge of the front of the building, that lacks masonry detail - massive fail. A more minor detail would be that the side of the prototype building usually steps down in height to follow the slope of the actual roof (no sense spending money on bricks that aren't needed). Maybe rowhomes in other places like Reading or Philly look that way?

Call me hyper-critical but those are my thoughts.

[Ian MacMillan]

...Call me hyper-critical...

Thats what the RW is all about...thought you would have figured that out by now!

[wazzou]

Bryan -
I agree with almost everything you said here.

[DKS]

Bryan -
I agree with almost everything you said here.

+1