Yeah and very realistic. The new sets are nice...
I liked PMB when I was little too and had a really big collection. I was partial to the wild west but had everything from arctic/eskimo sets to town to pirate, and I too have a Victorian House that I used in my wild west playing as a building in the town. Really actually looked great.
The detail from PMB was unmatched... From a piano that played electronically when you pressed the keys to a "gas" street lamp that when you twisted the base lit up and looked amazing. There was one of those round things from Europe (I'm forgetting what they're called but I know I know this word) where posters/news would be tacked ont it and it'd look great in a WW2 diorama itself.
The dollhouse, the small one (which is the one I have) was over $100... So the big dollhouse like is pictured there is bound to be more. You can still buy these houses some places at retail I guess and you can buy whole floors to expand them and make them taller.
I got out of PMB and then not too long after I just wasn't playing with toys (I "pose" them now dammit!) anymore I saw a PMB set of Confederates. It killed me... I always made my own out of various figures I had and the original Cavalry hats that I spraypainted grey and painted the brims black... I was bumming. I would have LOVED those Rebels as a kid... Hell I oogled them as an adult wishing I was a kid again.
The knights got a major jump in quality too. They kinda sucked when I was a kid but man now you can buy whole wall sections and make huge castsles and the detail is phenomenal. The Trebuchet team with beer mugs (with "froth" accessories yous nap in the mugs) is just genius. Amazing stuff, and some of the castle stuff would make great Wottle (sp?) looking buildings ala the French Farmhouse... Fantastic European looking items. A French CHatteau could easily be concocted from the castle kits out there right now.
Hell the furniture even kind of fits in. I use some of the medical items with Star Wars too for medical wards, OR's, etc... Lots of value in PMB toys. Great for your kids too if you guys have kids with a great imagination. They're right up with Lego's as some of the greatest toys in history if you ask me.