cascadenorthernrrI hate to tell you this but I'm not too keen on chopping up, stripping down, etcetera the brand new kit I just got. Also the UP being my FIRST KIT EVER!!! it has a lot of sentimental value. (Not that I wouldn't do basic upgrades like metal wheel sets, exact prototype weighting, and such)
For what it's worth, I still have my first kit, an Athearn CB&Q gondola. It's been patched and re-weathered 3 times, but I still have her. There's nothing wrong with keeping your first kit as-is for sentimental value.
Modeling whatever I can make out of that stash of kits that takes up half my apartment's spare bedroom.
I figured out the six foot door thing it's the one on the ATSF boxcar. (I just had to look at the two.) I think I'm going to get a data only car from Accurail.
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
Here's kit number 3! It was a little more involved than the others.
Now that you've tackled three Accurail kits, you might want to take a look at something that's a little more challenging/involved to help develop your modeling skills even further. Below would be my list of progressively more and more difficult styrene kits:
All of these companies have pretty much ditched kits and gone the RTR route. So, you'll need to find them either at a train show or through eBay. $10-$15/kit would be a good price. <$10 would be even better.
After two Accurail kits I tackled a Proto 2000 tank car; NOT a leap I would recommend for you. As a novice it took me 8 hrs to assemble it and the parts were pretty delicate so you had to be VERY careful how you removed them from the sprue - especially the grabirons. I would recommend two or three of the less difficult kits before taking a crack at a Proto 2000 kit.
My worth...
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Ok thanks. By the by, I have been addmitted to the Greater Baton Rouge Model Railroaders club as a probationary member and in three months I will be a full member!
Well, that's pretty exciting. Now you can spend your probationary time building more kits and learning so that you'll be ready to contribute if and when they vote you into membership.
Yes I will.
Tichy Train Group also makes kits. They are on the more advanced side. I have a tank car that I started about 2 years ago that has progressed to a stop when I broke one of the banding straps (styrene). I have the replacement evergrene styrene somewhere.
The fourth kit I assembled was a Branchline Passenger car, at a train show. I dont recommend this as a fourth kit. Ive done 4 of them now, and have a fifth and sixth on the workbench, waiting for me to have the time/energy/place to run them, and couplers on them. Ive been removing my Kadee's, Ive found something better.
As a side note: Do not ever glue a coupler box shut. Figure out how to use a screw of some sort. I glued about 30 shut before I started using screws, because I though I would never change from Kadees. I now have a 5lb bag of unused Kadees that I have been selling a small handful at a time.
If you don't mind my asking what would be better than kadees?
cascadenorthernrr If you don't mind my asking what would be better than kadees?
Sergent couplers. Also every great once in a while a Kadee will get broken in some why (it does happen). It is easier to unscrew and replace than to deal with having to break the coupler box.