Price: Dakota Cabinet Works, $69.99; Hobby Shop, $59.99
Manufacturer
Menard Inc.
5101 Menard Dr.
Eau Claire, WI 54703
www.menards.com
Era: 1940s to present
Comments: Menards, a Midwestern home-improvement store chain that’s seen success with its line of O scale model railroad cars and structures, is taking on the HO market with smaller versions of its factory-assembled and decorated buildings. Like their larger predecessors, the HO scale Hobby Shop and Dakota Cabinet Works come equipped with light-emitting diode (LED) illumination, lighted signs, hand-painted figures, and other details.
The structures are built primarily of laser-cut wood laminated to tempered hardboard cores that give them a very hefty feel. Even the brick texture of the hobby shop is etched wood. Both are affixed to sturdy bases – tempered hardboard in the case of the hobby shop, laser-cut acrylic for the factory.
Architectural details are made of cardstock, cast resin, styrene, and acrylic. The windows and doors are assembled in layers from laser-cut acrylic. The hobby shop has clear window glazing to show off the furnished and lighted interior; the factory’s windows are frosted.
Both structures are wired with LEDs and flashing signs. The hobby store has interior lighting, a light over the door, and two blinking signs; the factory has one sign and two exterior lights. There are two barrel jacks, one on the back of each building and one inside, to plug in a 4.5V direct-current power supply, sold separately. A switch to control the lights is next to the rear jack. These could be covered with signs, bushes, or other details if you decide to power the lights from the interior jacks.
It’s always good to see a new manufacturer getting into the HO market, and it will be interesting to see what moves Menards makes next.
