Old Town Center Kit Blacksmith, General Store & Saloon

Most Alpine kits are a bit complex and this set is no exception. I expected a few problems and got them. The walls are pressed fiber cardstock and ALL of mine were warped. It took some time to flatten them all. As with most Alpine kits, the instructions can be vague or confusing at times. I usually disregard most of them and use common sense. Be aware that most of the wood needs to be cut to size. The roofing is simply a sheet of printed cardstock. I used it on the blacksmith shop (which I converted to a livery stable) but used after-market roofing materials for the other two buildings. It looks much better than the supplied stock. The fit is questionable on most parts and I had to discard the paper storefront insert completely and build my own out of wood, which was much more sturdy. I also added some Tichy windows and full interiors to all the buildings. I could keep going but it would take a LOT more space to list all the problems and fixes I had! Check out the photos I uploaded and you can see how things worked out. To sum up, if you have modeling experience, have worked in wood before and LOTS of patience, you can make some nice looking structures but if you are a novice, steer clear of this kit and all Alpine kits in general.