So I'm pretty happy with it, and then I noticed something funny on eBay:
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| Brewery from Model Power |
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| Factory from Atlas |
So that got me thinking what other structures do I have that are sold or have been sold under many names from many manufacturers... So far I've found this:
So this is my Faller 'rock crushing plant':
and it looks a lot like Model Power's Blue Coal Depot:
I don't like this much. I like Faller, I want to believe in them, as a brand, but if they are just repackaging someone else's old goods, well, what does that say of them? I guess the counter arguement is that they are keeping product on the market that otherwise would be unavailable. In the case of the 'lumber plant' above, Faller does incude a crane (pictured) and some wood loads, and a few other bits and bobs that the other versions do not contain, so I guess there's some added value. Still, before I pay full retail for a kit again I will browse eBay first for an older package.
This is a brilliant observation! Its something I've noticed myself (with other kits, not these)! The first clue to me was the obvious European look of the pre-built Model Power kits that are somewhat ubiquitous in the states, but your right, all of these kits seem to be knock offs of European models! The Walthers blast furnace? A Trix blast furnace. I wonder how many of the kits from Model Power, Atlas, Walthers etc.. were even designed in America? What I find amazing is not only how old a lot of these kits are, but how long they've actually been in production! Some of these molds must go back to the 1960's, yet you still pay a price as if a designer had to meticulously design them just yesterday!
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