Kit rating inquiry

[tstage]

I posed the following question a little earlier in a response I made to someone else's topic. I decided I would just go ahead and make it a separate discussion question all together.
? Question ?:
Of the kits that you purchase regularly or have purchased in the past, which manufacturer's kits are the most straight forward to put together. (Difficulty of assembly set aside.) In other words, which manufacturer's directions are the easist/which are the most difficult to follow? And why?

I look forward to hearing your responses.

Tom

[jwmurrayjr]

Accurail. Probably because they are simple.

[orsonroy]

Athearn and Roundhouse kits are the dead simplest kits to build. A typical boxcar kit comes with about 20 parts, including trucks, wheelsets and screws, and takes maybe 5-10 whole minutes to build. You don't even need to glue anything!

Next easiest are kits by Accurail and Bowser, as well as Branchline Yardmaster. There's a few more parts, and gluing is required. Prices are about the same, but you get a much more detailed and prototypically correct car for abut 15 minutes worth of work.

After that come the detailed kits by Branchline (Blueprint series), Intermountain and Red Caboose. Lots and lots of small parts, but these cars still only usually take about an hour to build.

After THAT comes resin. Top of the line car kits that require at least 10 hours worth of assembly time, plus painting, decalling and weathering. But they're great kits, and really give you some pride in accomplishment!

I'm only talking about run of the mill freight cars here, like boxcars and gons. Passenger cars, well cars and cabooses are a whole 'nuther ballgame!

[ClinchValleySD40]

Assuming you're talking about rolling stock kits and not buildings, Athearn/MDC/Accurail are all super simple. Walthers pretty easy also, just a few more parts. Since they are so easy, the instructions are pretty basic.

[tstage]

QUOTE: Originally posted by clinchvalley

Assuming you're talking about rolling stock kits and not buildings, Athearn/MDC/Accurail are all super simple. Walthers pretty easy also, just a few more parts. Since they are so easy, the instructions are pretty basic.

Yes! I'm talking rolling stock. Sorry for not making that more explicit. [:(]

[Anonymous]

Athearn Blue Boxes. I can them them in 5 minutes. Less time building them, more time for running them![:D]

[cacole]

I have found Accurail kits to be about the easiest because usually their castings are so accurate that no glue is required, and their instructions are simple and adequate. Athearn blue box kits would be a close second, but sometimes there is quite a bit of fla***hat has to be cleaned off of the floor to the kit. I have never encountered any flash on Accurail castings.

[Anonymous]

The best instructions I have found in todays kits are those produced by Tichy, formerly Gould. I still have several unbuilt Tichy kits, so I am not aware if they are still available. I also thought the instructions that come with the Intermountain AAR boxcar are well thought out and very straight forward. Those people that list MDC and Athearn kits must realize that instructions are really unecessary. If I read the question posted correctly, the sought after response was in regard to how good the instructions for building the given kit are, not how easy the kit is to build. I could be mistaken, my wife tells me I live in a vapor of my own creation. When you consider steam is a vapor, then she just might be correct.

Tom

[Anonymous]

Accurail and Athearn are really simple. My son started building them by himself at age 9.
MDC/Roundhouse can be a little tougher, as they use some metal frames and parts that have a bit of fla***o be cleaned up. 15-20 minutes cleanup and paint on a cement hopper from MDC is not uncommon.
Branchline,and Intermountain cars are about as tough of a plastic kit you are going to find.
Branchline boxcars are his latest foray into the field. Yeah, all the tiny metal grabs aggrevate him, but now at 13, his eyes are better than mine!
Next comes Redball/Quality Craft and other "craftsman" type kits . Usually made from resin or wood and/or brass, they are not the easiest thing to build. Maybe even taking a few evenings to build, let alone paint and decal
BUT
I have found that the greater the degree of difficulty a kit offers, the greater the satisfaction level is on getting it done![^]
Start off slow, get proficient with each level of kit, and move on to the next. Next thing you know, you will have taken a box-o-sticks type kit and really made something out of it![^]

[tstage]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tpaulsen

If I read the question posted correctly, the sought after response was in regard to how good the instructions for building the given kit are, not how easy the kit is to build.
Tom

Tom,

You are absolutely CORRECT! And you're the FIRST person whose given me the answer I was looking for. (Perhaps its because we share the same first name [:D]) Sorry I can't offer you a door prize. [:(]

Accurail directions are good but it wouild be better to see where the breaking system is glued into place from the TOP view, rather than from the BOTTOM view. (The very first one took a little time for me to figure it out.)

Proto2000 is labor intensive but the directions and quality are great!

Roundhouse directions are the worst that I have run into yet. I put together an early NYC cupola caboose. There was only one picture to refernece everything to and a few of the, what I considered, important details were left off. (Or, assumed that you were already a history buff and should know these things.)

That's the extent of my rolling stock manufacturer experiences. I've looked at Bowser, Intermountain, and Stewart but have yet to purchase any. Anyone have any opinions/experinces on their directions?

Tom

P.S. Yes, Tichy is STILL available. (At least in the two hobby stores that I frequent.)

[Anonymous]

The Athearn and Roundhouse kits are so simple that they rarely have much written in the instructions. If you want a challenge try a LL proto kit. The instructions are pretty clear and assembly is straight forward but there is just a lot of it. I've put together 2 of the 10,000 gallon tank cars and I think i have enough parts left over to build a third. Some of the details are almost microscopic. I think for the amount of parts and time involved these kits instructions rank with the best .

[ckape]

As far as quality of instructions goes, I'd have to say Intermountain, but I have to add the disclaimer that I've only assembled Athearn, MDC, Accurail, LBF, and Walthers. The last kit of Intermountain's I assembled had detailed instructions for where everything goes (you have to follow them, though) and most of the parts came together nicely They even included some prototype information..

The last time I assembled an accurail kit they had the same instructions for a boxcar with roofwalks, one without roofwalks, and a double-door boxcar. Not very clear at all.

[Anonymous]

Intermountain and Branchline are the hardest to build, but have clear, straightforward instructions. Although sometimes Branchline's directions can be a bit unclear.

Proto 2000 is much like Intermountain: A little more of a challenge to build, but great detail as well as crystal-clear directions.

Bowser and Accurail: Less difficult and less detailed than the above mentioned, however both use blown-up image directions, which can make fitting a part in the right position a test-then-glue job. (Which isn't a bad idea to do anyways)

Athearn BB and similar kits: Very easy. ANyone with some knowledge of kitbuilding could easily build one without directions!

[IRONROOSTER]

Pacific Rail Shops are pretty straight forward.
Enjoy
Paul

[CP5415]

Athearn, MDC & Accurail are easy, straight forward kits.
After putting one together, the rest you do are a snap.
I have 2 Intermountain Kits I received from my dad & they didn't come with the instructions. These to me seem to be a take-it-slow type kit to ensure a proper fit for everything.

Just my 2 cents

Gordon

[darth9x9]

Athearn, MDC, Accurail, and Walthers all have easy to follow instructiions. The Funero resin kits on the other hand require a bit of a doctoral degree as well as a crystal ball to figure what they are trying to say. That's based on my experience.

[Anonymous]

i think r2r r the easiest but not counting that it would be athern 5 min easy