CodyJWOW Guys! Thanks for your input! I never did consider the licensing issue! I have made resin tanks for quite some time and those dont require any specific licensing. Of course you can always get away with the "Looks like" description. So what I am taking away from the majority seems to be.... -NO more super cars, for one!!! Thats really good to know. -Modern commonly seen vehicles. -30's-50's Vehciles that are not all Ford/Chevy -70's Typical cars too. (Sounds like no need for 'Cudas, Camaros, Mustangs, Vettes and other top performance cars. Since places make those and you probably dont need a town full of only muscle cars haha.) -Some old school buses! I'm hearing around 40's yeah? Thank you guys so much for all your response and input! I cant thank you enough!!! I will continue to check back here, so any more input is more than welcome and valued a lot!
-NO more super cars, for one!!! Thats really good to know.
-Modern commonly seen vehicles.
-30's-50's Vehciles that are not all Ford/Chevy
-70's Typical cars too. (Sounds like no need for 'Cudas, Camaros, Mustangs, Vettes and other top performance cars. Since places make those and you probably dont need a town full of only muscle cars haha.)
-Some old school buses! I'm hearing around 40's yeah?
Thank you guys so much for all your response and input! I cant thank you enough!!! I will continue to check back here, so any more input is more than welcome and valued a lot!
Ah, the OP is back in this thread. Cool.
Don't know how ambitious your plans are, or how the licensing would work out, but sounds like you could: Take the 5 top selling vehicles in each decade, taking care to remove the models which are already available (F150, Chevy Caprice, Ford Taurus, etc) and fill in with the next most selling vehicle not modeled (Long time span - Sound like the guys on this forum want you to start in the 1930s and continue on to the present).One possible method - make a list of the top five vehicles sold within North America within 2 decade periods (1930-1940s, 1950s-1960s, etc), after removing already available models (Chevy Caprices, Ford Crown Vics, F150s, etc). Then within each period, look at the top selling vehicles which were unchanged the longest (e.g., the 1990-1996 NA Ford Escorts - built in Mexico, or the 2000-2005 Honda Civics or 2000-2006 Toyota Corolla - hey, you guys wanted everyday driver cars), and plan that as your first release (how to get licensing is an exercise left to the reader). Follow up with the second, third, fourth etc most common release for each period as needed.And as always, key an eye out for whatever available from other manufacturers, resin or printed...
NB: Almost forgot - hollow interior, hollow interior, HOLLOW INTERIOR - no solid casting with only impressions for the windows that you have to paint with gloss dark metallic blue like old Walthers resin truck kits - those NEVER look good. Even if you don't provide a detailed interior (well, seat and dashboard castings), hollow interiors give us modelers half a chance to get a great looking vehicle model.
Some old school buses! I'm hearing around 40's yeah?
WOW Guys! Thanks for your input! I never did consider the licensing issue! I have made resin tanks for quite some time and those dont require any specific licensing. Of course you can always get away with the "Looks like" description. So what I am taking away from the majority seems to be....
At a train show some years back, there was a layout where one of the club members had a dozen or more open auto racks, all populated with die-cast metal models. They looked beautiful, but the weight made it difficult for the engines to pull the train, even on the completely flat track. Some of the rolling stock trucks were bottoming out or binding up. An auto rack full of die-cast autos doesn't work very well. I saw that train again last year, and he'd replaced all of those nice die-cast models with cheap plastic ones. They didn't look as good, but at least the train would run.
Keep weight in mind. I'd imagine that sets of identical vehicles designed to fill an auto rack would be a viable product.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Santa Fe all the way!Do the Alloy Forms cars come with clear plastic for the windshield /windows?
Santa Fe all the way!rrebell, what about the Woodland Scenics bulldozer, grader and excavator? would they work for you?
No one makes early construction equipment except some kits that can be rather pricey and are complex.
Santa Fe all the way!Wp8thsub, no disrespect intended, I have a few of the Sylvan kits( chevy COE's) and I'm going to try the Alloy Forms models you pointed out. I just think a nice, we'll detailed RTR, '53 Chevy 2 door or '51 Ford would be nice.
No disrespect taken. It's all a matter of individual taste what we like, so no worries. I hope you like the Alloy Forms cars. One great thing about them is modeling chrome. Instead of having to paint it, you can use a knife or other object to scrape the paint off the smaller chrome trim, revealing the metal underneath. It's great for the body side, hood and/or trunk trim on a lot of their kits.
Rob Spangler
Santa Fe all the way!All due respect to Alloy Forms, but not quite the same as, say CMW.
Hey, I tried! As another post said, Alloy Forms kits can build up into nice models with some care in painting. I don't think thy look bad at all compared to CMW.
I wanted to link to Sylvan Scale Models in my last post, but their site was down. It seems to be back up now. They have a variety of late 40s - early 50s GM vehicles in their line, including several each from Chevy, Pontiac, and Olds http://www.sylvanscalemodels.com/Vehiclepage%20new.htm . I've only built a couple Sylvan kits, but I'm impressed with them.
Here's Sylvan's 1952 Chevy 4-door.
60's 70's, & 80's regular passenger cars, pickups, semi cabs, straight trucks, & tractors, Please.
I would like to see decent mid 1960's International Loadstar and Fleetstar truck cabs along with typical mid 1960's sedans.
Depending on licensing required I think the biggest market would be mid 1960's to late 1970's American 2 door/4 door and station wagon models of Ford , GM and Chrysler. Shipped on open bi and tri level flats the cars are very visble. Before the bi's and tri's most cars were shipped in boxcars and not visible and after the late 70's most bi's and tri levels had either side covers or totally enclosed like today. Weight of models needs to be taken into consideration along with cost since multiples will be needed to fill out the cars. If offered as loads also make a wheel/tire assembly that does not have hub caps as they were shipped in the trunks to avoid theft. Good luck ------- Ken
Santa Fe all the way!There's really no one who makes an early 50's Ford or Chevy.
Alloy Forms has a 1950 Chevrolet 4-door, and a 1953 2-door http://scale-structures.com/automobile-craftsman-kits-details/ .
riogrande5761I need to beef up the WP freight cars in my fleet too - and try to identify more appropriate 70's era items to that end. Just curious, have you ever built a list of HO products which are fairly good matches to WP prototypes?
Off-topic but nope - just in my head. I use on-line roster shots and some print materials like my Jim Eager book.
LION wants some R-1/R-9 subway cars.
Fishbowl beese are available, but have a biger price than the LION wants to pay.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
riogrande5761Back on topic: There does seem to be a market for model specialty cars, but on a layout, mostly what we are trying to represent are the common place scenes so we need vehicles that suit
I think so Rob - similar era's and likes - the D&RGW and WP pulled many of the same rolling stock. And I have a soft spot for the WP too; I had a house mate in college in Sacramento who worked for the WP for a short time around 1979. His father and grandfather both worked for the WP as well. I need to beef up the WP freight cars in my fleet too - and try to identify more appropriate 70's era items to that end. Just curious, have you ever built a list of HO products which are fairly good matches to WP prototypes? When I first got Jim Eagers Rio Grande Color Guide, I went through many of the items on the roster against the available HO rolling stock - which of course led to a culling of a number of foobies. But I am digressing a bit ...
Back on topic: There does seem to be a market for model specialty cars, but on a layout, mostly what we are trying to represent are the common place scenes so we need vehicles that suite. Naturally with the open autoracks there is a ready market of late 60's to late 70's auto's and trucks we desperately need and hopefully semi affordable. Those certainly can be used in scenes requiring them too.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
chutton01Sylvan Scale models (I will link to a hobby shop's price list, as the offical Sylvan website has exceeded it's bandwidth at this time ). Many different models from the mid 1930s (1934 Ford 4d Sedan, 1939 Willys Sedan, 1938 Plymouth Coupe, 1937 Hudson Terraplane and others (coupes and 2 doors as welll), so there you go Water Level Route.
Great! Thanks!
Mike
Hi,
Late '50s Pontiacs, and a '57 Ford ragtop will get my order in a flash!
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
HO & N scale modelers of the 1930s to early 1950s era have it made.Why? Sylvan Scale models (I will link to a hobby shop's price list, as the offical Sylvan website has exceeded it's bandwidth at this time ). Many different models from the mid 1930s (1934 Ford 4d Sedan, 1939 Willys Sedan, 1938 Plymouth Coupe, 1937 Hudson Terraplane and others (coupes and 2 doors as welll), so there you go Water Level Route. Sadly for RR_Mel, they have a 1947 Kaiser Sedan, but not a 1955 one (looks like the latest passenger car model they have is 1952).Yep, they are Resin kits - what was the first line of CodyJ's OP in this thread "Hello, I am a resin caster"Yep, they ain't cheap - sadly, the all too brief era of cheap die-cast HO vehicles sort of went away in 2006 or so, so hunt for those Fresh Cherries and Motorarts and Model Powers when you can.BTW, will the OP ever return to this thread?
I represent modern era and that era is almost non-existent on the HO market except for European brands. Domestic automakers Buick Cadillac Oldsmobile, Pontiac and all Japanese models are pretty much extinct. Would be nice to see vehicles from the mid 90s to current..
Pretty much why I'm using Hotwheels cars on my layout....Pretty closer to S scale but will work in a pinch if they're not being parked near garages, gas stations or anywhere where a HO car needs to fit in.
Regg
I will side with Mel. Grew up in the 50's and always liked 50's vintage Chevies, especially the 56 Bel Air two door hardtop. I have a 55 Bel Air from SS Ltd Alloy Products waiting on painting and assemble along with a 53 Bel Air similiar to one I drove for several years.
Jim
riogrande5761I echo Rob Spanglers comments.
What can I say? We must be kindred spirits, Jim!