Dimestore Dreams? I think I'm in love!

[David Conwill]

Probably if there's any interest in toys here, it's more in pre-war tinplate stuff, but as you may have figured out from my posts, I'm really a 1946 to 1955 kind of guy. So I thought I'd share this discovery.

I've been snooping around for O-scale (roughly 1:43 to 1:55) toys to buy my daughter for Christmas. O-scale being about the closest there is to a "universal" scale for toy miniatures (1:48-scale airplanes, 1:43-scale cars, Lionel-type trains, etc.). I was looking for a toy boat when I came across a now-discontinued series of toys from the 1990s called "Dimestore Dreams." Molded in bright colors, they're labeled as 1:43 scale and styled like toys sold in 5 and 10-cent stores in the 1940s and 1950s (at least one source says they're produced from the original molds).

I don't recall ever seeing these in stores back then, if I had, I'd probably own the whole set. Still, the prices on eBay don't seem to be totally unreasonable. I'm "toying" with the idea of picking up a few as a Christmas present.

-Dave

 

[CherryRed]

Those are great! My Uncle saved all his toy cars from when he was a kid in 50's. He has lots that look like that. I remember looking at them when I was little. He even had the little toy bill board signs. I loved those!

 

[shortbow]

Thanks for the head's up! My daughter is now too old for those, but I'm not.

 

[Jay]

These are so cool. I bought one at a Cracker Barrel like 10 years ago- I think it was a TV repair truck. I love their exaggerated designs, just like the originals.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

You can get them here: http://www.go-velo-city.com/shopping/ad.html

I picked up a few several years ago to go with my Lionel Tinplate. Time to set up the trains

 

[J. M. Stovall]

They sold those several years ago at Restoration Hardware. I have the whole set, couldn't resist.

 

[David Conwill]

Well, I bid on and won the blue and yellow convertible with matching speedboat and trailer. I've also got a die-cast Ertl 1/43-scale '32 Ford roadster coming. I'm hoping to hit some of the local hobby shops (local meaning 45 minutes away, since the last actually local store closed in July) to see if they've got any good deals on O-scale Plasticville stuff.

Absinthe 1900, I'd love to see/hear about your Lionel tinplate.

Also, does anybody know anything about "Industrial Rail" O-scale trainsets? You can get an entire train set for the price of a single Lionel or MTH locomotive, so I'm suspicious of the quality, but it might be fun starter set.

-Dave

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Dave,

Industrial rail is said to be fairly decent, I've never bought any since it's a bit out of my sphere of interest. (I like old pre-war tin, and the repro-tinplate stuff.)

Some of my train junk: I have a mix of old original Lionel tin, and some MTH repros, my favorite is my old Flying Yankee.

I have to open the boxes and set up some track.

A small set up from last year, I had just restored the station in the center, the Diner is an orig. pre-war Lionel landscaped plot.:

 

[MPicciotto]

My in-laws found the pathetic mouse eaten remains of an old "train garden" at an estate sale. All that was left was mouse eaten paper houses and these cars:

Matt