Reviews : Blair-Line Drive-In Theatre - Kit

The product itself is quite good - a charming, detailed, and authentic-looking theater in that turquoise, streamlined style of the early '50s. If you purchase paints (at least two colors) separately it looks quite striking on an HO layout of any size or era. Construction time is several hours, as you must wait for glue and paint to dry. Have a very sharp knife handy to cut the balsa wood parts out. Yes, BALSA WOOD. There are exactly two plastic pieces - the movie screen and a tiny post. The rest is wood, and consequently has a more papery and scratchbuilt appearance than the Plasticville and Life-Like structures that surround it on my layout. For a truly seamless effect you need to be skilled with a paint air brush. Something to be aware of before you buy - and, the large trading post next to it in the illustration is NOT included. A bizarre and misleading sales pitch, IMO. The actual kit is very, very thin.

Per the previous review, this is mostly a balsa wood kit. That said, the laser cut pieces are top quality. Be prepared to take some time waiting for the wood glue to dry. Signage is good, but I still made my own. (Can't expect to have every movie from the 1960's listed!). The kit does not include a refreshment stand. I also made my own speaker posts and speakers. Since I wanted a working screen, I used a portable DVD player as the screen, gluing the turquoise back drop to the player, hiding the control portion of the player below the grade.

I am excited about building this kit as additional details for HO layout are always welcome. Note that the Laser cut wood are exactly cut for details and should go together as designed. Other than that, construction will be fairly straightforward. I recommend the kit to skilled modelers.