Many moons ago, I saw an eBay auction for a half scale Queen Anne Rowhouse kit by American Craft. This kit was from the 80s and I hadn’t seen it before. It opened on three sides and I loved the building design, which looks like the Victorians common in San Francisco. The house is similar to my (giant) Hillside Victorian but with more rooms and the obvious space-saving benefit of being half the size.
The kit had been opened and the seller wasn’t sure if all the pieces were there. When I asked if he/she would check to see what exactly was in the box, the seller said no. So I opted not to bid on it. And I always regretted it…
Since then I’ve learned that the kit was also available for 1:12 scale, and I’ve seen offers of the larger version (finished) on Craigslist from time to time, but never the half scale. I have a saved search for this on eBay and there hasn’t been another listing since. Well, today I went to the CHAMPS show in El Cerrito, which is a smallish, hobbyish show that’s held once a year to benefit a children’s hospital in Oakland. I’d already made out like a bandit on a bunch of ridiculously low-priced half scale stuff when I got to the back of the room and saw this.