Old Magnuson, DPM, Creative Design Models kits

[Dave Farquhar]

Hi,

I've come into possession of some HO building kits, unbuilt and still in the package. Since I'm a 3-rail O gauger, I don't know much about them. I have several styrene kits from Magnuson, which from what I can tell was founded by the same people who founded Design Preservation Models. There's an Illinois address on the packages. I also have several DPM kits with a Crestone, CO address on the package, so I know they're fairly old because DPM has been in Missouri for as long as I've been paying attention. Finally, I also have a couple of Creative Design Models kits, with a Georgia address on them.

Since it appears that Magnuson sold out to Walthers in the 1980s, I'm guessing all of these kits might date from that timeframe, or perhaps earlier. Does anyone know where I might be able to find more information about these?

Thanks!

 

[doctorwayne]

I think that the original Magnuson Models were cast resin, and you are correct about the connection between Magnuson and Design Preservation. Have you tried a google search?
The building shown below beside the water tower is, I believe, a Magnuson kit. I bought it as a bag of broken parts, for a few bucks, from the LHS's 'used' table. There were only enough parts to do two visible walls, so the unseen side and back are .060" sheet styrene. The roof and loading dock were built from styrene. Sorry, but I don't have any close-ups that aren't obstructed by trains. ops:

Wayne

 

[Dave Farquhar]

Those are some beautiful pics!

Google turned up some information, and thanks to that and some help from the people on the Model Railroader forum, I was able to figure out that two of the Magnuson kits were late production, made of styrene and one is a resin kit of earlier design. One of the styrene kits is still being made by Walthers, the resin kit is still being made by Jaks, and the other styrene kit is retired.

So far Google is telling me a whole lot of nothing about Creative Design Models, though. Smalltown USA is making a kit by the same name as one of the CDM kits I have (Mike's Market), but it's clearly modeled after a different building. I also have a kit named Snuff's Seed & Feed. I haven't found anything by that name. They look like nice kits, although the design is perhaps not quite as ambitious as the Magnuson or DPM kits.

Thanks for the help!