Outdoor Vehicles

[Anonymous]

OK, here's a question for those that have been doing this longer than I have. What are the best type of vehicles to use outside?? I'm guessing something along the line of the diecast/plastic cars/trucks available at Walmart or Zellers, and places like that. Now, i'm running a mix of Bachman and Aristo right now, so what is the scale of vehicle i should be looking at? I'll probably have more of the Aristo/USA style than the bachmann. do you do anything to protect them while they are outside? Anywho, just some thoughts i've had.

Ken

[Anonymous]

This is a more complex question than yourealise and it is more to do with the type of layout that you have eg more the theme of your layout.

My areas 1 and 2 are based on our travels in the orient and favour a relgious theme and i do not have any vehicles in it at all. However my area 3 is based on an first half of the 20 th century combined with medievil as you get in Europe and again i think vehicles are a "last option" but i have some tractors. I ma not a great one for worrying about scale but if the scale is not right or near right, vehicles can look pretty silly.

rgds Ian

[Anonymous]

Ok, thinking more along the lines of modern(ish) but that probably adds more complexity to the original question. There are some reallllly nice vehicles that i would like from the 60's up, so it'll be quite a mix. I was wondering how people protected them from the weather. Is there something to put on them to protect them? or do you just not worry about it??

[bman36]

Hi there,
On my layout I use 1/24 scale diecast for the most part. I find that they look about the best with Aristo. There is also a huge variety available at Wal Mart. It is best not to leave them out however. Any of the plastic parts will not have any UV protection. A few hot sunny days will start to deteriorate the plastic. Rust will be an issue as well if they are left out in the rain. I place mine out during a running session and put them away after. There is also a huge selection in this scale. If you are looking for a particular vehicle, chances are someone makes it. Hope this is of some help. Later eh...Brian.

[Anonymous]

I try not to spend more than $5 on diecast motor vehicles, and I can usually find them in my time period for that price. Let's face it, they are going to be exposed to a lot of nasty weather!

What you can do is put some Turtle Wax carwash (or something similar) into your garden sprayer with some water and once in a while rinse your vehicles. That way you can clean and protect them. Even dunking them into a bucket of this solution works.

Regards,

Bill C.
South Jersey

[Anonymous]

For those who haven't found them yet, a good source for a variety of vehicles are the stores in the Amish areas of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indians and Iowa. 1/24 scale

Bill

[pimanjc]

I use a variety of dye cast vehicles in 1/24th and 1/25th. I place the 1/24 closer and the 1/25th farther back to give distance perspective. Although I have 14 vehicles I use, I only leave five of them out all season. These tend to be older cars, work trucks, or farm pickups that I want well weathered. I occasionally wipe down the cars when I take them in with a soft cloth that has been dampened with Turtle Wax spray.
I model 40's - early 50s. Most of the vehicles represent a vehicle in make, style and color, that has been owned by a family member, friend, or event [ie. 1950 Police Car[;)]]. The one AMT plastic 1941Plymouth model car I use was painted with Krylon for UV protection. I only put it in service late last season, so I can't report on how well it is holding up as of yet. My layout is heavily shaded.
JimC.