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A plea to building kit manufacturers

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  • Member since
    February 2018
  • From: Flyover Country
  • 5,557 posts
Posted by York1 on Thursday, June 9, 2022 1:53 PM

Whenever talking about HO figures, it would be hard to do better than Mel's homemade and hand painted figures. 

York1 John       

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Thursday, June 9, 2022 2:33 PM

dknelson
Someone mentioned caboose interiors.

The windows on STRATTON AND GILLETTE cabooses are so small that interiors will not be needed.

-Photograph by Kevin Parson

No lighting either. I don't ever remember seeing a caboose lit up on the inside.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    February 2015
  • From: Ludington, MI
  • 1,862 posts
Posted by Water Level Route on Thursday, June 9, 2022 2:40 PM

richhotrain
Since those figures are shown on the box cover, surely they are actual HO figures. I cannot imagine Walthers simply drawing them in the otherwise actual photo of the shop.

The mystery has been solved.  A very nice representative from Walthers just emailed me back.  It seems the figures that were used inside the building for the box photo were from a now long discontinued carhop figure set.  He offered up some alternatives that could work with some modification, but none like what are in the photo, and all but one coming with lots of additional pieces.  Parts bin fodder I suppose.  I'll have to decide what to do next.  I lack the great Mel's skills, but I guess you never get there without starting.

Mike

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  • From: Dearborn Station
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Posted by richhotrain on Thursday, June 9, 2022 3:23 PM

It was Walthers Part# 949-6009. Check it out. Four little cuties on roller skates. Nothing on eBay right now, but you never know.

Rich

Alton Junction

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  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
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Posted by gmpullman on Thursday, June 9, 2022 3:43 PM

richhotrain
Check it out.

Looks like they all go to the same hairdresser!

Ed

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
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Posted by richhotrain on Thursday, June 9, 2022 4:12 PM

gmpullman
 
richhotrain
Check it out. 

Looks like they all go to the same hairdresser!

Ed 

And, according to the dallasmodelworks website, they are all named Laverne. No joke.

Rich

Alton Junction

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Thursday, June 9, 2022 4:17 PM

gmpullman
Looks like they all go to the same hairdresser!

Ponytails all around.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    July 2021
  • 194 posts
Posted by NorthsideChi on Thursday, June 9, 2022 7:30 PM

2.5 years ago I was annoyed how you could see a ghostly void inside all my models.  I bought a few kits to populate the interiors but they were expensive and hard to find. I used styrene sheets to make walls.  I eventually was like "I can't do it this way anymore"   Bought a 3D printer and it's been wonderful creating heavily detailed interiors.  I think the printer paid itself off after maybe 15 interior builds because using kits would otherwise be expensive 

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  • From: Dearborn Station
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Posted by richhotrain on Monday, June 13, 2022 9:16 PM

richhotrain

It was Walthers Part# 949-6009. Check it out. Four little cuties on roller skates. Nothing on eBay right now, but you never know.

Rich 

I have been periodically checking eBay, and I just noticed that two sets sold, one yesterday and one today, for $24.99 each. I wish that I had seen that sooner. They went fast.

Rich

Alton Junction

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  • From: Bradford, Ontario
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Posted by hon30critter on Monday, June 13, 2022 9:26 PM

richhotrain
I have been periodically checking eBay, and I just noticed that two sets sold, one yesterday and one today, for $24.99 each. I wish that I had seen that sooner. They went fast.

Hi Rich,

Did you know that you can set up your eBay account to watch for specific items? Whenever something that you are interested in is listed, eBay will send you an email.

To set this up, first do a search for the item you want, then select 'Save this Search'. It will be in blue print beside the number of search results shown.

I suggest doing a fairly detailed search. If you make the search too broad you could be inundated with emails. You might consider setting up a few searches with any possible variations in how the listing might be worded. For example, you could set up one search for"Canadian Pacific GP7" and a second search for "CP GP7" You can also go to the 'Advanced' option to refine the search parameters. 

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

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  • From: Dearborn Station
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Posted by richhotrain on Monday, June 13, 2022 9:33 PM

hon30critter
 
richhotrain
I have been periodically checking eBay, and I just noticed that two sets sold, one yesterday and one today, for $24.99 each. I wish that I had seen that sooner. They went fast. 

Hi Rich,

Did you know that you can set up your eBay account to watch for specific items? Whenever something that you are interested in is listed, eBay will send you an email.

Dave 

Good point, Dave. Whenever I am interested in something for myself, I check eBay a few times a day. It just takes seconds. In this case, I was just watching for Mike (Water Level Route), so I was much less diligent.

Rich

Alton Junction

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Bradford, Ontario
  • 15,797 posts
Posted by hon30critter on Monday, June 13, 2022 11:59 PM

SeeYou190
No lighting either. I don't ever remember seeing a caboose lit up on the inside.

Hi Kevin,

When I did my Algoma Eastern caboose fleet a few years ago I did add an interior light, but it only shows through one window where the conductor's 'office' would be. I walled the office area off so the rest of the caboose is in darkness.

There are no other interior details except for the seats in the cupolas for exactly the reason that you suggested. The windows are too small to see anything.

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,483 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Wednesday, June 15, 2022 1:24 PM

I have put smple interiors in many of my buildings.  I did but a few signature pieces of furniture, but mostly I simply realized that the small windows of HO scale structures don't really demand even that much.

First I'll show Baldy's Barber Shop, a Model Power kit where the interior was provided for the first floor shop.

The kit had everything you see except for the counter and, oddly, Baldy himself who I actually sanded bald and painted.

The City Classics supermarket is simple, but has large windows.  I downloaded a floor, walls and shelving, and printed them out, folding the shelving into 3-dimensional parts.  I picked up shoppers and shopping carts somewhere.

From the outside with the roof in place, all you see is the details through the windows.

Finally, the City Classics Diner.  Again, a simple walls-and-roof kit, to which I added printed floors and tablecloths.  I made the counter from styrene and the counter stools from carpet tacks.  The figures are just from assorted standing and seated figure collections.

From the outside, the interior looks like a diner.

My interiors don't take long to create, and cost almost nothing, but they add a nice illusion to models, which I specifically choose for their windows and interior visibility.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    February 2021
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Posted by crossthedog on Wednesday, June 15, 2022 3:18 PM

Mr. B, your photos give me a thought (they're very nice, by the by). I would love to see Hopper's "Nighthawks" diner on someone's layout, complete with the server leaning over and the dame in red. On the corner. Lit up. Has anyone ever seen that?

-Matt

Returning to model railroading after 40 years and taking unconscionable liberties with the SP&S, Northern Pacific and Great Northern roads in the '40s and '50s.

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Thursday, June 16, 2022 12:43 PM

hon30critter
When I did my Algoma Eastern caboose fleet a few years ago I did add an interior light, but it only shows through one window where the conductor's 'office' would be. I walled the office area off so the rest of the caboose is in darkness.

That is a good idea. I might make one caboose like that to use in night time photographs.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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