Fill a corner with a modern depot

Peter Marriott salvages a discarded Kibri plastic kit to create an archetypal modern distribution depot.

Ihave built a few plastic kits in my time from German manufacturer Kibri and have always found them to fit well together. This part-assembled kit was about to be disposed of by a retailer because it had been returned to them as faulty. Alas, the issues were not due to any fault with the kit as, after an initial inspection, I realised that the acetate pieces representing the windows had been fitted incorrectly.

Before I started a salvage job on the kit, I needed to disassemble the window sections which, fortunately, I was able to do without breaking the frames and walls. There was rather a lot of dried plastic cement on the windows, meaning that they couldn’t be reused. Therefore, replacement glazing was created from spare clear acetate offcuts, left over from other building projects.

The assembled kit, without extensions, measures 280mm by 140mm by 100mm and the window and door panels can be arranged at the builder’s discretion, including the large roller-shutter doorways, which are perfect for road lorries, forklift trucks or even rail vehicles. It’s worth stressing that the kit is rendered in ‘HO’ scale so, strictly speaking, it’s a little smaller than ‘Oo’/4mm scale. However, I don’t think that it looks out of place on a ‘OO’ layout, with freight wagons and locomotives passing easily through the large doorways.

The structure suits the post-1990s era and, usefully, Kibri has just announced extension sets (kit ref. 39251) which will allow the structure to expand to suit your own needs, either in terms of length, width, or both. The extension kits provide a pair of extra wall panels, each being 70mm wide, plus extra roof sections.

Finally, the moral of the story is to always read the instructions carefully before you start building any kit, especially prior to applying any glue! Fortunately, I was able to rescue this kit and save it from the bin.

I’m glad I did as I’m very pleased with the finished building, with its clean, modern look. It’s a versatile structure, which lends itself to anything from a small locomotive or wagon repair depot, to a logistics hub, industrial unit or warehouse.

Left: Peter saved this Kibri warehouse kit from the bin and employed it as the centrepiece of a new diorama.

Above: Despite being produced to ‘HO’ scale, the Kibri kit looks at home in this ‘OO’ scene. The building is suitable for a range of applications, from a modern wagon repair depot to an industrial unit.