I don´t have a 3-Foot Rule in place, as this distance is by far too big for me to view my N scale trains properly. My layout is set at nearly eye level, and to be able to enjoy the detail I need to stick my nose quite close to the track.
Actually, most of the detail I can see only on the pictures I take of my layout. Pictures show more than we can see while operating out layouts.
K. Holt I built my layout a bit taller I think than many do to put things closer to eye level so that it would be easier to see the finer details. This creates a much different perspective than with some layouts I see which are sometimes as low as standard counter height. Also, my layout is only 26 inches deep as it snakes around the room, with aisles that make it visible from both sides. Thus, there is no such thing as foreground and background. Everything is in the foreground and nothing is allowed to get away with hiding in the background. Now, this presents a bit of a problem for me personally. Since I am relatively new to the hobby without the many years of experience of quite a few others here, I struggle sometimes to create and detail some things as well as my layout seems to demand. However, I refuse to lower my standards in trying to create something that meets my own expectations for the finished result. Did I set the bar too high for myself? Maybe, but that is the way I am. A good challenge makes it for me more fun even if frustrating as well. Fortunately, I am lucky enough at least to be of some financial means, so it is easy to at times "help" myself along, by spending on high priced brass locomotives and other expensive things like high end custom trees from a very expensive supplier. I even pay experts to do a few things for me like weathering of some bridges and rolling stock in order to get just the right detailed look I am after in each case. Someday I hope to be able to do all of this myself to my own satisfaction. In the meantime I dont mind spending money in some areas to cover up my modest skills while I focus more on getting to a level of "perfection" on other aspects at which I am more successful at present, like building my own track, or automation and computer control. What I have found sadly on this forum is that if you spend money on super detailed things like brass and such, some people here will call you out as a snob and aggressively attack and ridicule you. This will also include calling you "stupid" for spending money "excessively". They will make fun of someone who chooses to buy some things rather than build them themselves. These people have no respect for people that can't or won't do everything themselves. They forget that some of us are too busy making money (for example to put their kids through medical school) to scratchbuild everything themselves and finish in a finite amount of time. These people also forget that what seems expensive to them on fixed income in retirement - like a brass locomotive that looks great at any distance - might be pocket change to someone else with a successful business career that is still working much longer hours than most with no interest in retiring because they love their jobs. Yet they are incredibly obnoxious in trying to ridicule you for making different choices than they in buy vs build as if it is any of their business. What is my point? Simply this: everyone who participates in this hobby does so in different ways with different expectations of what they want to accomplish, and they do so with different abilities to contribute time and money. Don't worry what others think. And if you want things to look good from one foot away and especially if you have more money than time to achieve that goal, then keep it to yourself or else prepare to be lambasted by immature, intolerant people here that can't seem to be able to leave you alone and let you particpate in this forum simply because you are different than they are. I dont personally want to have to use a three foot rule on my own layout, but I would never think less of anyone else that did. Especially when a lot of my own modeling effforts don't look good closer than that. That is where my ability is today. That doesnt mean I don't have more challenging expectations of myself. I'm just not there yet. The journey is the fun part. Keith
I built my layout a bit taller I think than many do to put things closer to eye level so that it would be easier to see the finer details. This creates a much different perspective than with some layouts I see which are sometimes as low as standard counter height. Also, my layout is only 26 inches deep as it snakes around the room, with aisles that make it visible from both sides. Thus, there is no such thing as foreground and background. Everything is in the foreground and nothing is allowed to get away with hiding in the background.
Now, this presents a bit of a problem for me personally. Since I am relatively new to the hobby without the many years of experience of quite a few others here, I struggle sometimes to create and detail some things as well as my layout seems to demand. However, I refuse to lower my standards in trying to create something that meets my own expectations for the finished result. Did I set the bar too high for myself? Maybe, but that is the way I am. A good challenge makes it for me more fun even if frustrating as well.
Fortunately, I am lucky enough at least to be of some financial means, so it is easy to at times "help" myself along, by spending on high priced brass locomotives and other expensive things like high end custom trees from a very expensive supplier. I even pay experts to do a few things for me like weathering of some bridges and rolling stock in order to get just the right detailed look I am after in each case. Someday I hope to be able to do all of this myself to my own satisfaction. In the meantime I dont mind spending money in some areas to cover up my modest skills while I focus more on getting to a level of "perfection" on other aspects at which I am more successful at present, like building my own track, or automation and computer control.
What I have found sadly on this forum is that if you spend money on super detailed things like brass and such, some people here will call you out as a snob and aggressively attack and ridicule you. This will also include calling you "stupid" for spending money "excessively". They will make fun of someone who chooses to buy some things rather than build them themselves. These people have no respect for people that can't or won't do everything themselves. They forget that some of us are too busy making money (for example to put their kids through medical school) to scratchbuild everything themselves and finish in a finite amount of time. These people also forget that what seems expensive to them on fixed income in retirement - like a brass locomotive that looks great at any distance - might be pocket change to someone else with a successful business career that is still working much longer hours than most with no interest in retiring because they love their jobs. Yet they are incredibly obnoxious in trying to ridicule you for making different choices than they in buy vs build as if it is any of their business.
What is my point? Simply this: everyone who participates in this hobby does so in different ways with different expectations of what they want to accomplish, and they do so with different abilities to contribute time and money. Don't worry what others think. And if you want things to look good from one foot away and especially if you have more money than time to achieve that goal, then keep it to yourself or else prepare to be lambasted by immature, intolerant people here that can't seem to be able to leave you alone and let you particpate in this forum simply because you are different than they are.
I dont personally want to have to use a three foot rule on my own layout, but I would never think less of anyone else that did. Especially when a lot of my own modeling effforts don't look good closer than that. That is where my ability is today. That doesnt mean I don't have more challenging expectations of myself. I'm just not there yet. The journey is the fun part.
Keith
I couldn't agree more with your observations, like all aspects in life, there is a certain percentage of people who apparently have a need to remind everyone about how wonderful they are and everything they think, say and believe is the gospel. I see one poster here who always makes claims about the hobby without no facts/statistics to back it what he claims. In his mind his little world is how it really is.
I too work long hours and enjoy my work in business, in my world, if you don't have hard data to back up your claims, then it is opinion, and zero value is put on opinions and "gut feelings". As far as this hobby is concerned, i place a value on opinions and knowledge of my fellow modelrs, but not all of them, and i am very selective about who's opinion matters based on that modelers work, not how long he has been in the hobby, how many posts he has made, or any awards recieved blah, blah, blah.
I enjoy building kits, and love details, like you, time is precious, and I build when I can, with the goal of replacing some less detailed items, such as some simple Walthers buildings, with better ( in my opinion) craftsman structures. I'm in no hurry, building my layout isn't a race. I have mostly MDC cars, and the details, or lack of, is acceptable to me. With that said, I recently built some Tichy ore cars, I enjoyed the kits a great deal, and spent lot of time installing grab irons alone, only break some of them when installing Kadee couplers and the trucks. Now that a couple of cars are missing grabs, it drives me nuts and intend on picking up some metal grabs to correct them.
In conclusion, modelers should put less value on doing what the latest trends in the hobby are, and do what they want to do, Self appointed " experts" be damned. If the MDC car looks good to the hobbyist as it rolls by, then it's good enough for them.
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
Doughless. Or, if I try to leave more material on near the sprue to prevent breaking, I end up leaving little nubbies on the part that are hard to shave off. I can't stand taking the effort to build a kit only to have the look spoiled by a nubbie.
Doughless
What i do with those nubbies is rub some MEK (or the like) back and forth on the nub with a Q tip, it will soften and slowly disslove/ spread the nub until smooth. I suggest you practice on a sprue first, but it works great.
secondhandmodeler Though the three foot rule is in force on my layout, I notice my thoughts of good enough continue to change as I gain more experience. Things that use to be good enough aren't anymore. That being said, all of my rolling stock is Athearn Blue Box purchased on Ebay. I'm sure some day that won't be good enough for me either!
Though the three foot rule is in force on my layout, I notice my thoughts of good enough continue to change as I gain more experience. Things that use to be good enough aren't anymore. That being said, all of my rolling stock is Athearn Blue Box purchased on Ebay. I'm sure some day that won't be good enough for me either!
Judging by your W.P.F. submission this week I consider your "good enough" to be "really good enough" and up to a standard I am hoping to achieve on my current layout. As the owner of a vast Athearn BB fleet myself I really enjoyed building these cars. Adding the right couplers, painting weights, and under body etc was quite honestly fun. Likewise with Accurail. Building the Branchline and P-2000 kits was daunting and frustrating at first but time and experience have made them an enjoyable endeavor as well.
John R
John R.
cudaken Max, Maybe I missed it, but i did not see anyone bring up prices at the start. I paid $5.00 for mine at a Train Show so I cannot complain about the prices. Building a car with 300 parts is just not my thing. 25 to 50 parts is little more my speed. I built some Accure Rails hoppers from he fallen flag series, I enjoyed doing them. Different people like doing different things when it comes to this hobby. My self, I rather make trees than 300 piece hoppers. Cuda Ken
Max, Maybe I missed it, but i did not see anyone bring up prices at the start. I paid $5.00 for mine at a Train Show so I cannot complain about the prices. Building a car with 300 parts is just not my thing. 25 to 50 parts is little more my speed. I built some Accure Rails hoppers from he fallen flag series, I enjoyed doing them.
Different people like doing different things when it comes to this hobby. My self, I rather make trees than 300 piece hoppers.
Cuda Ken
Ken:
No, no one brought up prices at the start of this particular thread. It just seems to be a popular subject. But that was not my intention. What I was trying to get across was that if one were trying to rate things on a cost per hour basis, kit building is a good way to get the price down. And if you only paid 5 bucks for that car, now we're down to the $0.50/hour range.
The down side of taking 10 hours to build something is that, at my age, I begin to forget what I had intended to set out to do.
Concerning the building of trees or other things regarding scenery, ugh, more power to you. I can't stand rolling my hands around in scenery stuff. My kids say I have a "texture problem". But that's why this hobby is so great....something for everyone.
And finally, I do like some added detail to cars, and this includes separate grabs and ladders, and covered hopper ends where the wire rungs are not a foot and a half in depth. I will admit, however, that some of the latest RTR equipment comes with these items nicely cast.
But I do have my own version of the 3-foot rule called the 3-inch rule. This requires that I don't care if detail is missing which can't be seen at 3 inches. An example of this would be diesel tread plate kits to be added to diesels without such detail, especially if the walkway is a dark color.
My rolling stock gets handled frequently. That's why I tend to shy away from super detailing because it would just get broken off. You can be careful with that super-detailed car but it only takes one "oops" to do some real damage. I'd rather put that energy into super detailing my scenes and structures.
As has been said before, we all approach this hobby differently and all enjoy different aspects of it. Rock and roll, jazz, classical and country may all be very different form one another but they are all still music are they not?
Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in N Scale.
www.prr-nscale.blogspot.com
rrinker Yup, meant to say that - for P2K kits and the Brnacline Blueprints (I still have a a good stack on my shelf in the "to be built" category), and others along those lines, I just automatically drill out the hols for grabs and ladders and any other such parts that need to fit in a hole. Where possible, if the hole already doesn;t go through to the inside of eg a house car like a bx car, I drill them through so I can apply cement from the inside. This isn;t always possible, but where it is, this si the best way to prevent marks on the finish.
Yup, meant to say that - for P2K kits and the Brnacline Blueprints (I still have a a good stack on my shelf in the "to be built" category), and others along those lines, I just automatically drill out the hols for grabs and ladders and any other such parts that need to fit in a hole. Where possible, if the hole already doesn;t go through to the inside of eg a house car like a bx car, I drill them through so I can apply cement from the inside. This isn;t always possible, but where it is, this si the best way to prevent marks on the finish.
I'm not too familiar with the Branchline kits, as they don't seem to be carried by the hobbyshops around here. Except for the AAR boxcars and the wood reefers, they're all too modern for my '30s-era layout. I did pick-up one of their shake-the-box Yardmaster kits while in the States and it seems to be a nice car. I replaced the steps and grabs with metal parts, though:
The Proto kits were frustrating to build mainly because plastic is the wrong material to use for a free-standing grab iron - they're oversize and too-easily broken. Conversely, a kit with metal grabs to be installed by the modeller would require holes too small to be formed in the casting process. For all kits (or ready-to-run for that matter) with plastic grabirons, I replace them with metal, either pre-formed or bent to suit. On some cars, this requires the cast holes in the carbody to first be filled, either with the mounting peg of the plastic part or, more often, with Evergreen plastic rod. In many cases, the available hole needs to be drilled larger to accept the plug, then re-drilled for the metal part.With proper handling (mine get handled a lot - from the box to staging, then from another staging area back to the box) the only damage is paint scuffed-off the grabirons - easily touched-up with a brush.My first Proto kit was an undecorated Mather stockcar. It was in a clear plastic bag on the "used" table at the LHS, with no instructions and no indication of by whom it was made - this was about a year before the kits appeared on the shelves of the LHS, and I believe that it may have been a pre-production sample sent out by LifeLike to large hobby shops. For five bucks, I took a chance and didn't even consider using the plastic grab irons, roofwalk corner grabs, or sill steps.
The advent of r-t-r Proto resulted in a glut of kits languishing on the shelves of the LHS, and eventually, bargains for cheapskate nuts like me. In addition to several more stockcars, I pick up a few tankers. Most were re-painted and re-lettered to better suit my era and locale, and all had their plastic steps and grab irons replaced with metal parts. I did two cars like the one below, using C-D-S dry transfers to make what I thought would be unique cars, but Proto eventually released this roadname in r-t-r.
A friend gave me three r-t-r Proto hoppers like the one shown below and I bought a fourth one (talk about sticker shock). By removing the Santa Fe roadname and numbers, I was able to re-letter them for my own free-lance road. These are very nicely-done cars, although I may eventually replace the over-size sill steps.
Other than the re-lettering and weathering, the only change done was to scribe and brush-paint board detail on the interior of the cars' sides:
Red Caboose and Intermountain rolling stock (all kits) get the same plastic details replaced:
...and once you start down that slippery slope, all sorts of stuff "needs" to be re-worked, including:
Accurail -
Athearn -
Model Die Casting -
...and even Varney:
However, for my fifty-or-so hoppers and a couple dozen covered hoppers, the 3' rule remains in effect.
Wayne
EmpireStateJR secondhandmodeler: Though the three foot rule is in force on my layout, I notice my thoughts of good enough continue to change as I gain more experience. Things that use to be good enough aren't anymore. That being said, all of my rolling stock is Athearn Blue Box purchased on Ebay. I'm sure some day that won't be good enough for me either! Judging by your W.P.F. submission this week I consider your "good enough" to be "really good enough" and up to a standard I am hoping to achieve on my current layout. As the owner of a vast Athearn BB fleet myself I really enjoyed building these cars. Adding the right couplers, painting weights, and under body etc was quite honestly fun. Likewise with Accurail. Building the Branchline and P-2000 kits was daunting and frustrating at first but time and experience have made them an enjoyable endeavor as well. John R
secondhandmodeler: Though the three foot rule is in force on my layout, I notice my thoughts of good enough continue to change as I gain more experience. Things that use to be good enough aren't anymore. That being said, all of my rolling stock is Athearn Blue Box purchased on Ebay. I'm sure some day that won't be good enough for me either!
Thanks for the compliment. Seeing that they came out okay has given me confidence to try painting and rebuilding my childhood Mantua Pacific. Like the passenger cars, if the loco doesn't work out, I'm not out a lot of money. I do get quite a few days of modeling fun for cheap though!
doctorwayne rrinker: Yup, meant to say that - for P2K kits and the Brnacline Blueprints (I still have a a good stack on my shelf in the "to be built" category), and others along those lines, I just automatically drill out the hols for grabs and ladders and any other such parts that need to fit in a hole. Where possible, if the hole already doesn;t go through to the inside of eg a house car like a bx car, I drill them through so I can apply cement from the inside. This isn;t always possible, but where it is, this si the best way to prevent marks on the finish. I'm not too familiar with the Branchline kits, as they don't seem to be carried by the hobbyshops around here. Except for the AAR boxcars and the wood reefers, they're all too modern for my '30s-era layout. I did pick-up one of their shake-the-box Yardmaster kits while in the States and it seems to be a nice car. I replaced the steps and grabs with metal parts, though: The Proto kits were frustrating to build mainly because plastic is the wrong material to use for a free-standing grab iron - they're oversize and too-easily broken. Conversely, a kit with metal grabs to be installed by the modeller would require holes too small to be formed in the casting process. For all kits (or ready-to-run for that matter) with plastic grabirons, I replace them with metal, either pre-formed or bent to suit. On some cars, this requires the cast holes in the carbody to first be filled, either with the mounting peg of the plastic part or, more often, with Evergreen plastic rod. In many cases, the available hole needs to be drilled larger to accept the plug, then re-drilled for the metal part.With proper handling (mine get handled a lot - from the box to staging, then from another staging area back to the box) the only damage is paint scuffed-off the grabirons - easily touched-up with a brush.My first Proto kit was an undecorated Mather stockcar. It was in a clear plastic bag on the "used" table at the LHS, with no instructions and no indication of by whom it was made - this was about a year before the kits appeared on the shelves of the LHS, and I believe that it may have been a pre-production sample sent out by LifeLike to large hobby shops. For five bucks, I took a chance and didn't even consider using the plastic grab irons, roofwalk corner grabs, or sill steps. The advent of r-t-r Proto resulted in a glut of kits languishing on the shelves of the LHS, and eventually, bargains for cheapskate nuts like me. In addition to several more stockcars, I pick up a few tankers. Most were re-painted and re-lettered to better suit my era and locale, and all had their plastic steps and grab irons replaced with metal parts. I did two cars like the one below, using C-D-S dry transfers to make what I thought would be unique cars, but Proto eventually released this roadname in r-t-r. A friend gave me three r-t-r Proto hoppers like the one shown below and I bought a fourth one (talk about sticker shock). By removing the Santa Fe roadname and numbers, I was able to re-letter them for my own free-lance road. These are very nicely-done cars, although I may eventually replace the over-size sill steps. Other than the re-lettering and weathering, the only change done was to scribe and brush-paint board detail on the interior of the cars' sides: Red Caboose and Intermountain rolling stock (all kits) get the same plastic details replaced: ...and once you start down that slippery slope, all sorts of stuff "needs" to be re-worked, including: Accurail - Athearn - Model Die Casting - ...and even Varney: However, for my fifty-or-so hoppers and a couple dozen covered hoppers, the 3' rule remains in effect. Wayne
rrinker: Yup, meant to say that - for P2K kits and the Brnacline Blueprints (I still have a a good stack on my shelf in the "to be built" category), and others along those lines, I just automatically drill out the hols for grabs and ladders and any other such parts that need to fit in a hole. Where possible, if the hole already doesn;t go through to the inside of eg a house car like a bx car, I drill them through so I can apply cement from the inside. This isn;t always possible, but where it is, this si the best way to prevent marks on the finish.
Wayne, as always your models are outstanding and I always enjoy seeing more of your work.
I also enjoy your excellent model photography skills, an aspect of the hobby I have not mastered yet.
Thanks for sharing.
Sheldon
Thanks for your very kind words, Sheldon.
doctorwayne Thanks for your very kind words, Sheldon. Wayne
Wayne...you're killing me over here...I love that work!!!!
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
Keith!
Please disregard the nay-sayers. They will always be there to try to spoil our fun.
I am an avid kit builder, basher and detailer. I also have a lot of RTR rolling stock which I love. I think it is totally selfish for others who don't run RTR to suggest that because you run RTR you aren't a true modeler. Beeswax! Do your own thing and ignore the critics! They have no right whatsoever to dismiss your modeling!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Geared Steam Doughless: . Or, if I try to leave more material on near the sprue to prevent breaking, I end up leaving little nubbies on the part that are hard to shave off. I can't stand taking the effort to build a kit only to have the look spoiled by a nubbie. Doughless What i do with those nubbies is rub some MEK (or the like) back and forth on the nub with a Q tip, it will soften and slowly disslove/ spread the nub until smooth. I suggest you practice on a sprue first, but it works great.
Doughless: . Or, if I try to leave more material on near the sprue to prevent breaking, I end up leaving little nubbies on the part that are hard to shave off. I can't stand taking the effort to build a kit only to have the look spoiled by a nubbie.
Thanks for the tip.
- Douglas
ATLANTIC CENTRALWayne, as always your models are outstanding and I always enjoy seeing more of your work. I also enjoy your excellent model photography skills, an aspect of the hobby I have not mastered yet. Thanks for sharing. Sheldon
Hear hear! I always enjoy seeing your handiwork and covet your input. Those are some excellent models made from pretty basic kits.
If I only had half your modeling skills, you'd still be twice as skilled as me!
"I am lapidary but not eristic when I use big words." - William F. Buckley
I haven't been sleeping. I'm afraid I'll dream I'm in a coma and then wake up unconscious. -Stephen Wright
blownout cylinder Wayne...you're killing me over here...I love that work!!!!
mononguy63 Hear hear! I always enjoy seeing your handiwork and covet your input. Those are some excellent models made from pretty basic kits.
Thanks to both of you for your generous comments.
Jim, you sound like just about everyone jumping from what used to be called shake the box kits to the more detailed items that make up the Blueprint series. There are some tips to putting these cars with their individual details together that make it much easier.
A good pinvise or more than one if you don't want to keep changing bits, some high quality tweezers to hold those little tiny parts. A magnification light on an arm some various grit abrasive sticks and one of those third hand things for holding the model while it is being built are vary handy. Your favorite brand of liquid cement and walthers goo. I also recommend the number 11 blades new and some small chisel blades as well, and the nice sprue cutters and nippers from xuron.
The Branchline kits have several tight clearance points between the sprue and the fine detail parts that make them a real challenge to get loose. Take your time and use a new sharp knife blade to separate them with very little pressure and they will come off intact. If you have built two kits with the blade it is likely too dull to be of good use I recommend replacing it.
I will start with the underbody and work through the kit and let you know what I have found to work for me and my old myopic eyes as well, hopefully this will save you the bother of discovering it for yourself the way I did after my first one which was not done as well as I liked.
Carefully clean up the frame and trim the flash from it with the knives and abrasive sticks paying special attention to the small ends as excessive force will break them. Trim the required parts from their sprues and clean them up and set them aside. Find a drill bit that looks about the same size as the locating pins on your parts and put it in the vise. Use it to clean out all the holes in the frame that will be used to mount your parts, it only takes a short time to do this as very little material is removed. The next step is to dry fit all the parts to the frame and adjust any that don't fit easily, you want them to drop into place with almost no pressure but not be sloppy. After everything fits where it should you remove them and but small amounts of liquid cement on the pins of the respective parts and place them into the holes. You will find the solvent acts like a lubricant and they install quite easily. Set aside the underframe for a bit and let it dry.
Next you have the coupler pockets to fool with. I picked up one of those little tools cody reviewed a few months back for drilling holes in coupler pockets and it is great. I drill out the pins on the inside of the coupler box and drill a clearance hole through the lid to accept a small screw. I also drill a pilot hole through the body for the screw as well. I replace both the wheels and the couplers, my preferences are Kaydee and Semiscale metal wheels your favorites may vary.
Begin trimming the parts from the sprues for the sides of the body again use the same procedures as before and you should end up with undamaged parts. Set them aside in locations that you can find them keeping them separated so you don't mix end and side ladders etc. Using your pinvise with what should be the small bit from earlier clean out the holes for the ladders and grabs along the sides of the body and in the ends being very careful around the holes in the bottom of the separately applied ends. At this time I do all of the drilling for the details in the body if there is a hole clean it out, remember all you want to do is remove flash, and paint not enlarge them a bunch. On the ends of the shell there are 4 locator holes and 5 locator holes respectively for the separately applied ends clean these out by placing a number 11 blade in there and spinning it so the ends fit easily. Test fit the ends when they fit put on some solvent not too much and press them on.
Turn the body over and add the underframe couplers and trucks at this time. Get your third hand ready and cut some small strips of card board from an old kit box to act as pads between the jaws of the alligator clips and outside of the body. With the body upside down in the third hand position it so you can begin applying the details to the respective sides and ends of the body keeping in mind that you want gravity to hold the details in position while the glue dries. Start from any location and work your way around, you may prefer to do the sides and A end first saving the more involved B end for last.
Now you may set your car on its trucks on a piece of track and check your couplers against your height gauge everything should be ok unless you happen to have a low trip pin, if so adjust it. The nuts included have in my experience done very well in regards to properly weighting the car, install them per instructions with the goo using a very small amount.
Now lets work on the roof details trimming them and cleaning up the flash from the roof walk and the roof spending a bit of extra time here is important as parts are delicate and very visible. You will also need your friend the pinvise and that small bit to clean out the holes in the roof walk for the grabs if your car has a roof walk, and a slightly larger bit to drill the required holes in the roof for mounting the roof walk to the roof. Assemble the details to the roof. Start at one end of the car and test fit the roof working carefully so as to not break the details that you already installed. You will likely need to pull outward on the car sides by reaching in the door openings to expand the body a bit. If it seem to tight look for flash that you have missed do a bit of clean up and try again. Once you have a good snug fit remove it and apply cement to the ends and sides of the roof but stay away from the door openings so you can open and close the doors if you wish or later add details to the inside of the car.
Trim the doors from the sprue being careful of the details. It will take several repetitive cuts with light pressure to free them using your hobby knife. Test fit them and carefully trim so a snug fit is obtained. Remember one can remove material much easier than putting it back take your time. After a proper fit is obtained test fit the door guides to the doors. Clean them out so they fit snugly but will sit tight against the back of the door. Once the proper fit is achieved cement them to the door pressing them all the way home with the handle of a tool so they seat tightly against the door. Turn the door over and put your tack boards on in the required positions and let them dry. Install the doors and be careful of your details on the rest of your car. Now the only things left are the cut levers and air hoses at the ends of the car and you are finished.
You will have just built a car that will get you envious glances from folks that are not willing to put forth the time to build them and upon inspection next to the high priced ready to run stuff often looks better and costs less. If you join a club and take some of these with you you will likely be greeted with some oohs and ahhs when you arrive.
Also as you complete more of these your time to accomplish a build goes down considerably, in my case it is less than two evenings of enjoyable work.
I have grown to really enjoy these kits and am glad that Atlas decided to continue production of them. Once you get to the point where these kits are no longer frustrating to you you may find yourself shopping the consignment shelves at your hobby shop as I buy a lot of discounted kits that are not made anymore or that folks just don't want for what ever reason and can accumulate a lot of nice models for a fraction of retail pricing, which is very helpful as I am not rich but a working stiff like so many others. Accurail also makes some kits that are nicer looking than a lot of models and they are very easy to build, Bowser also makes some nice kits as well and I will try some of the tichy kits when my local hobby shop gets some of them in.
Sorry for such a long post I hope you find it helpful and encouraging as it was meant to be.
Keith, I am happy for your good fortune. In reality if all the rest of us were as well to do as you are we would likely be spending money on similar items. I for one can not justify spending the kind of money it takes to acquire the brass cars and locos but that does not mean I do not appreciate them. I have seen some of those at my favorite hobby shop and they are impressive indeed just outside of my budget. Also I do not think poorly of someone who is using money to acquire things they want in a manner that is faster than my method. As I see it that leaves you more time to spend on other aspects of the hobby that appeal to you sounds like that makes you a winner.
As to contrary or condescending views or out right hostility over the pages of a forum why even worry about it. It only marks the individual as being foolish. As a former police officer I have had my share of run ins with legitimate threats and the threat of a cyber bully is laughable to me. I hope you keep enjoying the hobby as do all of the others that think their way is the only way.
Wayne you have built some great looking models and from what I can see of your layout it is extremely nice as well. Looking at models like yours and many of the others that take time to post pictures inspires me to do better in my own efforts. To everyone that posted I have enjoyed the discussion and see many of you on other threads as well just wanted to comment that I enjoy the other opinions and often they bring up something that I had not considered in the past. Thanks for sharing.
I used to only build old Blue Box kits with minor modifications but have really enjoyed building the Proto, Intermountain, Branchline, Red Caboose and Resin Kits. Also the simple kits can be revised with other parts to make a more realistic model.
Here are some pictures of an Accurail Kit I am modifiying and adding extra detail to.
Kit as it comes out of the box!
After I removed the cast on roofwalk.
After installing the risers for the Plano Roofwalk.
Here I installed the walkover platform and I installed the piping from the Air Reservoir to the Triple Valve.
Roofwalk installed and I also added eye-bolts to hang the air line under the side of the car.
You can see the diffence even at three feet from the etched metal roofwalk versus the cast on roofwalk.
Rick J
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
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dti406 I used to only build old Blue Box kits with minor modifications but have really enjoyed building the Proto, Intermountain, Branchline, Red Caboose and Resin Kits. Also the simple kits can be revised with other parts to make a more realistic model. Here are some pictures of an Accurail Kit I am modifiying and adding extra detail to. Kit as it comes out of the box! After I removed the cast on roofwalk. After installing the risers for the Plano Roofwalk. Here I installed the walkover platform and I installed the piping from the Air Reservoir to the Triple Valve. Roofwalk installed and I also added eye-bolts to hang the air line under the side of the car. You can see the diffence even at three feet from the etched metal roofwalk versus the cast on roofwalk. Rick J
Your modifications look very good and improve the looks a great deal. The original model did not look bad and in fact looked good as well. The one feature I like with the accurail kits is the durability of their models and how well they stand up to handling. Many of their models have better detailing molded into the models than some of the models requiring more involved and time consuming construction of a few years ago. Might be one reason some of those items are no longer being made.
I like the finer detail on the models because some times you can get much closer than three feet and it really looks good.