Lunde Studio new buildings -- but not at hobby shops?

[thomasjmdavis]

Hmm . . . I wonder if it was "master" not the "mold"?  A rubber mold can only last for relatively few pours.  Then new molds are created (multiple times, as needed)  from a master pattern.  But if the master pattern is damaged then no new molds can be made.  If Bob was only making kits from a single mold then he would only be making probably less than 50 kits of one type.  Unless he discovered some amazing RTV rubber material which will produce hundreds of castings without degradation.

That would make sense.  The Juno Watt building Chadwick tower have been out there as long as I have known about the company, and several others have come and gone in the meantime.

On the other hand, if anyone on the planet had developed a more sophisticated mold, it would be Lunde.  Whatever his/their process- the final product is superior to most injection molding- and often even thinner.  It is unfortunate that they don't sell seconds- I would buy a dozen cracked window sheets and any number of building back walls, as well as pounds of facades.

[peteski]

On the other hand, if anyone on the planet had developed a more sophisticated mold, it would be Lunde.  Whatever his/their process- the final product is superior to most injection molding- and often even thinner. 

Actually the process seems simple (as I see when analyzing the kits' parts).  It is just done well.  The masters appear to be machined on (probably CNC) mill.  So they are precise and look like the are of injection molded styrene quality.  The castings look to be molded in simple (probably even open) 1-piece molds. Like the Magnuson Models kits were.  But then there is a bit of extra machining involved after molding.  My conversation with Bob confirmed that (but he didn't give any specific details)

Looking at the surface finish, the backs of the mold ed pieces are then sanded flat (probably on a belt sander). The edges are also sometimes beveled (again, by sanding) to 45 degrees. Seeing how precisely it is done, he likely uses fixtures for all this machining.  And the end result is a quality kit.

[nthusiast]

I have ordered the last half a dozen of Lunde Studio's buildings directly from their website.  Their website is just as easy to use as any online store - no reason no to order direct.   Oh, I got the bus depot another way - directly from Bob at a train show he was participating in.  That was even better than online ordering - I got to chat with Bob (at no extra charge). 

Curious about these ... what are they like to build?

[towl1996]

Since their website doesn't list all the kits. I'll offer what I know.

1 ?
2 Stump tower
3 1st left bank
4 Schwitters dept store
5 Chadwick tower
6 Midas trust
7 temple tower
8 Juno watt
9 Ashbury hotel
10 Ivory tower
11 Century Plaza
12 Snailways bus station
13 Blair trust
14 Park place

I also have two prebuilt buildings from Lunde;

1 Thorndike
2 MCA ? don't remember what mca stands for. it was written on the window inserts.

Normally, I received email alerts when a new kit was offered and it was usually with a discount. However, the last two (13 & 14) I got nothing, maybe swallowed up in spam? Or they stopped the email alerts?

[chesapeake490]

I didn't confuse DPM with Lunde Studios. Bought the last two buildings from Trainlife.com They were 44 and 47 dollars each  Blair Trust and Park Place

[OldEastRR]

OK -- but the TL site doesn't list the "Lunde" as a manufacturer on their list of products. Can't sell something if you can't tell people you have it. You would have been kind to tell us that we have to do a search to find the product.
BACK TO THE TOPIC -- These buildings were just previewed at a RR show this summer. I can't believe they've been retired in less than half a year! It's not buy store site only, because some retailers have the kits. But it's not a general distribution thing because major online places don't list them or say OOS. I'll probably just order on the site but I wish businesses would run more logically.
Hopefully MTL will give us a heads-up before the single-window coaches pop up suddenly on the marketplace.

[chesapeake490]

All I did was a google search and they came up.

[peteski]

Curious about these ... what are they like to build?

They are good quality resin castings, and they go together well.  Here are some older threads about the various Lunde kits (some have photos of finished models).  In no particular order:
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=32573.0
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=44106.0
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=22684.0
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=36403.0

[Roger Holmes]

I have built numbers 5-10 on towl1996's list and they are great kits.  I would have been all over the Snailways bus depot but I scratchbuilt a Greyhound depot a few years before it came out.

Bob Lunde and his wife are true N scale treasures.  He continues to bring out new building kits WELL after retirement age for most people.  He started Magnuson Models (named after his wife's family) in the 1970's and designed all of the early DPM kits.  I have had the pleasure of meeting and chatting at length with them at several Midwestern shows over the years.  It is amazing that he is still creating his intricate masters nearly 50 years after starting Magnuson.


Here is a photo of a few Lunde buildings (and others) on my layout.



If anyone is interested I have a compete and lightly weathered Midus Trust that I have tried selling at a local show where people want $10 buildings and don't appreciate Lunde's quality.  PM me if interested.

[nthusiast]

They are good quality resin castings, and they go together well.  Here are some older threads about the various Lunde kits (some have photos of finished models).  In no particular order:
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=32573.0
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=44106.0
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=22684.0
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=36403.0

Thanks!!!

[peteski]

As shown in his post, Roger is probably Railwire's most prolific builder of these kits.

[haasmarc]

I talked to Bob at the Kansas City convention and he doesn't use CNC.  He said he can machine a master faster by hand.  He does not machine the N scale brick detail though.  I don't remember how he adds the brick detail, dang memory.

Anyway, I was at the Oklahoma City train show on Saturday and a dealer had the 2 new buildings plus a third picture-less box with Kelly's Cafe NK-15 handwritten on it which he said was a new, yet unannounced, kit from Lunde.  I had him open it and could tell it was definitely a Lunde kit so I bought all 3.

[peteski]

That cafe kit looks cool!

[haasmarc]

Found picture on instructions under the parts.