Another car that was in the recent eBay lot that had the Hoffman reefer was a Scale-Craft NWX reefer. When I saw it in person I was like, hmmm, those look like the original pre-war decals?

The Scale-Craft reefer was introduced in 1938. It was offered as a kit with decals for a variety of schemes. When I had examples, I put photos of them in my book, but I did not have every variation. For reference, below is this car as illustrated in the 1939 catalog.

There is a dedicated page on this site related to pre-war Scale-Craft decals. As I say there, to my mind, these are pretty desirable models, especially in good condition. They have a distinct look for sure, and relate also to the overall vision Donnelley had for the new line.

Then we get to the model I just purchased. It’s really sharp. The person who built the kit was a good craftsman (back in those days before TV and the Internet), not to mention that he sealed the decals well and they are in perfect condition today.

The decals are placed a little differently than the catalog photo, but not by much. Honestly, I didn’t even notice this model in the listing, I was so distracted by that Hoffman reefer. Turns out, this was another great find!

Which is also to say, give a little respect to Scale-Craft models with the pre-war decals. To my mind anyway these are very collectible and, in good condition, should command some additional value.