What's one of your proudest kitbashing project?

[ksax73]

One of my proudest kitbashing projects went without incedent. I'm curious to see what projects others have worked on here.

Here are some photos of my kitbashed Amfleets in phase V and IVb:





More photos are available on my website!

Looking forward to seeing/hearing about yours!

[Anonymous]

You've got a great train line up, and have done some wonderful paintjobs on your Amtrak cars.
It's a shame that those Phase V scheme'd cars haven't caught on yet (if they ever will)

[dknelson]

My proudest kitbashing project was/is, in any objective sense, an idiotic waste of time. I am a sucker for cheap boxes of HO junk that I buy at swap meets and derelict hobby shops. Years ago I paid $10 for a huge box of busted up model trains that some kid, or deranged adult, had obviously abused. Some things were easily repaired, some were scavenged for parts, but much of it just had to be tossed as beyond hope.
One rather decent Athearn boxcar, in a discontinued and thus rare paint scheme, was in good shape except one end was entirely smashed -- how I cannot guess. Maybe a screwdriver attack? Another Athearn boxcar was totally smashed except -- you guessed it -- for the very end that was busted on the other car. So I carefully sawed and filed and test fitted and at the end of the day I transplanted an end so perfectly that with a touch of body putty and paint and weathering, you cannot tell. It took hours of careful work but I was proud of myself. Naturally when I showed it to a friend he politely observed that what I had was a plain ordinary Athearn box car. Rather deflating. The thing that makes this pathetic is that at the time I did this, I think the list price for Athearn kit boxcars was $1.79. And on balance, I might have paid well over that (not to mention time and materials) given the "value" of the rest of the box.
And no, I will not post a photo of this kitbashing "triumph!"
As the MR slogan had it at the time, "model railroading is fun."
Dave Nelson

[orsonroy]

Dunno if you'd really call them kitbashes, but several of my steam engines are from Bowser and Roundhouse kits, that I've significantly reworked and superdetailed. The most extensive two that I have are a Roundhouse PRR 2-8-0 that I've reworked to closely represent an H-9 consol, and a Mantua 2-8-2 chassis with Pre Scale Baker valve gear, topped with a Cary USRA light boiler, superdetailed into a NKP H-6f (that one's still getting worked on!), and a semi-scratchbuilt extended range tender.

Besides steam, I kitbash a lot of cabooses and MOW cars, mostly from inexpensive Roundhouse woodside cars. So far, I'm most proud of my P&E cabooses and NKP/LE&W #100.

[ndbprr]

Mine is an "it could have been". In the Trains issue in the 70's that covered the 50th aniversary (I think) of EMD was an Allan Brewster color rendering of three engines in EMD's history that were significant. One was an FT and one was a GP7 and they were right above each other. It struck me that the wheelbases were the same and that Dilworth could have retained the FT nose with the GP7 car body instead of the short hood as we know it. So I kitbashed one using an F7 front section and the long hood of the GP7. The only parts I had to make were the doors in the back of the nose to enclose the cab. It is an ugly engine and drops right back on the GP7 drive. Needless to say it is lettered for a private road. It usually gets a comment like, "What the H#@# is that thing?".

[Anonymous]

I took a Rivarossi Heavy Mike and converted it to a Northern Pacific W-3 mike. Changes included shortening of the tender about 7 feet and adding a tool box and dog house on the tender's tank top. The boiler was substantially changed with the addition of much piping and brass detail parts, N.P. type headlight. Cut off the USRA type sand dome and replaced with a N.P. type sand dome from scratch, changed all cat walks, pilot, etc. The loco really captures the look of an N.P. W-3 excepting the cab should have been made a couple feet longer. I've also taken an MDC 10 wheeler and converted it to an N.P. S-4 10 wheeler. This was a fairly easy conversion as the MDC 10 wheeler looks very similar to an S-4.

[LuthierTom]

Kitbashed N&W K1 and K2, both using an IHC (Mehano) 4-8-2 as a starting point.



I am currently working on an N&W Z1b, S1, and T6. Lots of winter projects![:D]

[ksax73]

QUOTE: Originally posted by LuthierTom

Kitbashed N&W K1 and K2, both using an IHC (Mehano) 4-8-2 as a starting point.



I am currently working on an N&W Z1b, S1, and T6. Lots of winter projects![:D]

Thanks chewie8han,

Nice job on those locos LuthierTom!

[ckape]

Well, my first kitbashi was electrifying an Athearn rotary snowplow by removing all of the steam components, pairing it with a plain F7B dummy, and detailing the whole thing. Unfortumately I've been having trouble with the driveshaft for motorizing it, but I've got the headlights and the rotary beacon so they light up under DCC.

[SP4449]

Back in the 1970s, I was taken by the UP U50, twin engine locomotive that utilized the underframe and trucks from the retired four truck turbines. I bashed one using shells from U36s and formed the stub front nose from styrene. I had to build the drive system from the ground up utilizing the Athearn motor (wide frame) and drive gears. The frame was fashioned from sheet brass as was the fuel tank. The truck bolsters were fashioned from cut and reassembled frames from the same U-boats I cut the shell sections from. The result is a unit that has all 8 axles driving, each truck pivots on a bolster that itself pivots under the frame. It closely resembles the prototype except for the rounded radiator sections which were flat on the prototype. With all wheels driving, it can pull a fair train. I have directional lighting in it to the extent that if it runs reverse, the headlight goes out. Due to space there are no flywheels. When I run it at train show, I generally have to have a photo of the prototype to show there was a "real one". It was my first, but not last, bash and I learned a lot about how to handle plastic and brass and that I could make just about anything I wanted to. [:)]

[PennsyHoosier]

My attempt usually end up on the last part of the word--BASHING! [sigh]

[cmurray]

I recently finished kit-bashing a pair of CN lightweight GP9s by adding flexicoil trucks from Athearn SW1500s to P2K GP9s. The operation also included cutting the fuel tanks shorter, removing the air reservoirs from the underside and adding external piping on the roof. The P2K driveshaft and gearing were a perfect fit in the flexicoil trucks. The result was a pair of unique Canadian geeps.

[sparkingbolt]

I've mentioned it before on the forum, A 4-4-0 built from combining major parts from MDC's 2-6-0 old timer and shortening a tyco 4-6-0 (like the Dixie Belle) boiler. Used the MDC's tender and cab. I'll post a pic if I ever get a Digital camera...

[Anonymous]

If I can only list one it would be the MDC two truck Shay.
http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?t=7559
I've got a whole list of others.

[randybc2003]

Sparkingbolt: don't need a video camera! Just take a "normal" photograph, have your photo lab make a larger print, and take it to a "copy shop" that can scan the photo into their computer. jpg file, or whatever. Then post it!
Mine - I've done several things to several items - mostly I scratchbuild or kitbuild - straight. However I have re-aranged a Heljan CN watertank to look more like one of my youth, and I took a MDC old-time reefer and heavily modified it w/ caboose doors, baggage doors, warehouse doors, Grant line windows, smokestacks, ladders, etc. Use it as the "supply" car on my work train - hooked next to the kitchen car!
Also, heavy modifications to an old Ambroid B&M coach kit - for something special; but that's not done yet. [:)]

[danmerkel]

I've enjoyed the Art Curren kitbashing articles that have been in MR over the years. I got a signed copy of Art's book as well. Some of them were pretty neat structures.

One of my most recent efforts was when a friend showed me his Pennsy "Mail Handling" car. I told him that it looked like two Athearn 40' boxcars that had been joined in the middle... Well, a couple of days later, I ran into two of the cars that I had bought painted & unlettered in bulk. I cut off about ten scale feet from one end of each car, reglued them together and made the necessary modifications to the roof & floor. Truly, it does look a lot like his brass version but probably cost about $8 in the two cars and a couple of evenings work.

As someone else said, model railroading is fun.

dlm

[DanRaitz]

That would have to be my BN GP28m that I kitbashed from an RPP GP35.

[Anonymous]

dlm

Art Curren rules! I think Art was the most underrated modeler out there. He took a bunch of kits and made them into structures that were simply unbelievable. You really had to look to see what the original kits were. The best though was the way he would write up the various projects. It only took one reading to think "hey - I can do that!" I often wonder how many of us got the guts to do our first kitbash after reading one of his articles. I sure do miss seeing his bylines in the mag.

[mloik]

Turning Walther's "Centennial Mills" into a flat at the back of my switching layout...

http://www.trainweb.org/conpac/Daytimers/pages/tanks.htm

[Anonymous]

Some years ago I wanted some 60 ft heavyweight passenger cars (I had severe radius restrictions on my then layout). I purchased several MDC Pullman Palace cars, one combine, one coach and one observation, and carefully shortened them to the desired 60 ft length. I still had trouble negotiating the curves on my layout (try 15 inch radius), so I got after the same cars and shortened them to 42 ft. They certainly did not look as grand as the 80 ft originals, but they did work on the layout. This was my first attempt at kitbashing. It was fun, but the results were super ugly. Following the guidelines in Art Currens book on kitbashing, my more recent projects have turned out much better.

Tom

[Anonymous]

This is the first of what I hope will become many. I don't do much in the way of rolling stock - but buildings are a natural for kitbashing. This is a DPM kit assembled end-on-end as a background building (i.e. hollow behind). I added some pirated parts from other kits, along with some styrene. Most can tell it's the Scissors Factory though.

http://www.mellowmike.com/Buildings/ATLAS_1.html

[Anonymous]

Mellow Mike

I don't care that most can tell it's the Scissors Factory. You did an awesome job on that bash!!! What struck me most was the painting and the weathering job you did. That painted on sign is awesome! I also give two thumbs up to the dock workers. Great job!!

Dave

[Anonymous]

Thank you, Dave

The dock workers were old GHQ metal figures that I primed and painted. The weathering on the walls didn't come out the way I envisoned... but as you noticed... the sign takes your mind off it.

[leighant]

Don't know if it's proudest, but this is one I have a picture of handy...

[CP5415]

Dropping a 20 year old Model Power CN boxcar on the floor then stepping on it.

[:D]

Gordon

[Anonymous]

Kitbashing my B&M SD26 from an Atlas SD24 and a Proto2000 GP-20 cab.

Now Atlas makes an SD26! Arrrgh!


more here
http://home.swbell.net/alykka/public_html/B&MAlternateFuture.html

[Anonymous]

Minuteman:

Don't you know that is one of the main rules of model railroading? Right after "The one place you can't reach will be the location of the majority of your derailments" is "Shortly after finishing a complex kit-bash or scratchbuild project, some manufacturer will offer the exact same model (except with more accurate decals) at a price lower than what you spent on it" !!! lol

After collecting several old Atlas and ConCor SD35's, Canon cabs, noses and cab subassemblies, and a bunch of detail parts to build some CNJ SD35's, Atlas introduced the new SD35! In CNJ even!!!! Oh well.

Perhaps I need to start a scratchbuild MP54 project so that Proto will introduce a model!

In any event. I'm going to fini***hat SD35 project. After all, it's a little more fun building something than opening a box. If my bashed 35's don't come out well, I still have the new Atlas ones

Dave

[Anonymous]

the ones i am proudest of are those SP and SSW SD40T-2's that i did a while back. they took a long time to build, but they turned out pretty well.

[ksax73]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dkelly

Minuteman:

Don't you know that is one of the main rules of model railroading? Right after "The one place you can't reach will be the location of the majority of your derailments" is "Shortly after finishing a complex kit-bash or scratchbuild project, some manufacturer will offer the exact same model (except with more accurate decals) at a price lower than what you spent on it" !!! lol

I feel you, lol. After starting on my phase V Amfleet I Acela Regional Capstone Coach, Bachmann announced its own version. Haven't see pictures of it yet. I'm still proud of mine though. I mainly have a fleet of Walthers Amfleets and I'd hate to have a mixed consist of Amfleets from different manufacturers and different details so I'll still benefit from this I think.

[n2mopac]

No pics available, but I think my most creative kitbash came one day when I was digging through my scrap box. I found several sections of brik cast from DPM's add on kits, gables with lap siding from a Walthers Walton Lumber kit, windo castings from a grain elevator kit, scrap window glazing and scrap styrene for doors, scrap scale lumber for door casings, and some rolled roof sections also from the Walton Lumber kit. I put these together and made a nice four-store strip mall to sit along main street, Saginaw, TX. It very closely resembles a prototype storefront that I had pics of.

Ron