Who of you, love building kits?


Back in 1956 I received my first 1/25 scale model car kit that I built. That Christmas I received a 1/8 scale Chrysler slant six engine kit. It took me several weeks to complete, but this thing was super cool. You could remove the manifolds and watch all the innards rotate, move up and down, and even the little red bulbs glowed as the distributor touched the proper contact in the cap. I was hooked at that point. I started building model cars with a vengence then. Then I got a real car and models took a back seat. Then in 1978 my wife got me a Tyco Chattanooga Choo Choo for Christmas and that prompted my move to railroad models.

I'm now building a layout in the basement and have built many, many kits. I enjoy the whole process with kit building at the top of the list. Given that, I do have some pet peaves about models in current production. Walther's used to be my go to company for structures, but since they shifted production from Europe to China, quality of the parts and especially the directions have gone right in the toilet. But there are even issues with US made kits from smaller manufacturers, such as horrible directions, and drawings, and laser cut parts that you have to trim and shim just because they were too lazy to correct their cutting program.

But given all that I do still enjoy building models, just not as much as I used to. Some of the enjoyment has been tempered with age as my eyesite isn't as good, my hands aren't as steady, and my memory is a little more fuzzy than it used to be. But then I'll be 70 this month, so maybe my expectations are a little too high. :eek::D
 
Having thought more about the kit building, I find I like plastic over wood. With only one exception all my N&W CF cabooses are the old gloorcraft kits from the mid 1980's. I have 8. I also have one unbuilt O scale model that I was going to put an interior in. My favorite plastic kits are the Jordan miniatures. I can build one a day including paint, for most of them. The fire engine and Erie Steam shovel took 4 days. I also like the Westerfield kits and have built several. As far as structures, I would get the Woodland Scenics, Smalltown USA, and another similar type I can't remember the brand. I'd paint the brick what ever color and use spackling for the cement. Smear it into the gaps in the brick and squeegee with a pink eraser. Finally a quick wipe with a damp paper towel and done. I used a square end exacto blade to get the spackle out of corners etc. THEN paint the rest. I made paper awnings for some. Most had friends referenced on the signs, like Pular Accounting, Lindsey Auto Repair, Bretts electric supply etc. Also put interiors in the close-up buildings. I still have a Bachman Craftsman kit Sears house with interior, including using a light source under the house and used fiber optic strands going to front porch lights etc. Never finished it. I also like doing the tiny details like pidgeon's on the civil war statues. Garbage cans, dogs and dog houses, and those dam chickens. I must have painted 30 of those teeny things! I had a bunch of figures. I used a hole punch and clear plastic sheet to make little stands for them. I tried to use more sitting figures than standing ones as less motion would be expected. I have a diner I replaced the plastic windows with slide glass so you could see inside more clearly. Plates were made from small hole punched paper, and acrylic paint for the food on the plates. Glasses were teeny bits of plastic rod. I lighted it with special LED's that matched the slight yellow tint of 1930's light bulbs.
 
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As a modern present day modeler, I do like the detail, and road names available in RTR. With that said I would love to be a kit builder if manufactures would come out with more present day kits. I have purchased a few Accurail kits that I have not assembled yet. Coming from RC airplanes and helicopters, I always built my aircraft from kits (no ARF or RTF) so I would be all for more kits to build! Plus I wouldn't have to pay upwards of $40.00 a car for the detailed RTR.
 
migalyto said:
Plus I wouldn't have to pay upwards of $40.00 a car for the detailed RTR.
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And therein lies another of the "rubs" for me and that is the cost of the RTR passenger and freight cars! RTR passenger cars can cost $80.00 an issue; or, more and RTR freight cars, seem to average right around $30.00 a piece! I have 9 passenger cars and somewhere around 175 freight cars. I paid around $20.00 apiece for my passenger car kits and around an average of probably $10.00 apiece for my freight cars kits.

In my case, I felt I could afford to give up the time it takes to build my rolling stock easier than I could afford to pay for Ready to Roll! All told I invested just under $2,000.00 for all of my rolling stock excluding locomotives. Had I purchased Ready to Roll, I would have invested around $6,850.00 for my rolling stock! I also look at it like I didn't have to build all my rolling stock, I got to build it, which I enjoyed immensely!

My figures above are guesstimates at best. I also understand that many people involved in the hobby today, do not feel they have the skills necessary to build a rolling stock fleet. I have absolutely no problem with their buying their cars complete! It is; "to each, his own", in my opinion.
 
It would be great to have cheaper (than the equivalent RTR versions) rolling stock in kit-form similar in nature to the excellent Highliners' F series kits. They are very similar in nature to the aircraft kits i usually build (1/48). Imagine having rolling stock like that... in the sense that they would be unpainted kits with decals supplied like the aircraft kits. I think some Tichy kits are like this right?
 
Tichy supplies some decals with some of their kits and others they do not. The Tichy kits I have built require painting. Tichy is a favorite of mine!
 
Being still relatively new to the model railroad hobby (2+ years now), I have not got into kit building engines or freight cars yet. I've done one, and it looked mediocre when I got finished. Since I tend to get many of my pieces of rolling stock at train shows, where most of the stuff is RTR, cheap, and pre-weathered, it saves me time. I do like building structure kits, however, mostly 'cause I can customize them and try out different paint schemes.
 
A craftsman resin kit can be just as expensive as any RTR car out there, AND you still have to build and paint it yourself. But worth it to get a fine model of a specific prototype that you otherwise could never have.
 
cv_acr said:
A craftsman resin kit can be just as expensive as any RTR car out there, AND you still have to build and paint it yourself. But worth it to get a fine model of a specific prototype that you otherwise could never have.
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Yes, they can be as expensive. A person needs to use their own judgment, if you want what resin kits have to offer and like paying for and building them, have at'r. I have never built one and don't feel a need to spend that much money for them. I have built quite a few wood caboose kits and like them and feel the extra money I spent, was well worth it. I have built: Gloor Craft, American Model Builders Laser Kit and a NPRHA Northern Pacific Bay Window Caboose and Silver Streak.
 
Nice kit larder rlundy90! Wish I had that many, Oh, wait, I do, mine are just all built!
 
I love the craftsman kits. Foscale, Bar Mills, FSM and Sierra West. I don't build many rolling stock kits these days unless its a prototype you can only get in kit form that I need or want, which is usually a resin kit. If I can find something RTR that fits the bill, I'll get it. Gives me more time to build the stuff I can't get or need to build. If I retired today I'd have to build kits until I die!
 
Mark. I wish mine were all built. Won't have to worry about that, though. I'm changing scales and selling most of these. Just going to keep what I need for my HO Greater Winnipeg Water District. I started into On30 now.
Greg Good to hear from you. I drop in once in a while, but not frequently during the summer. Too busy with yard work and this year recovering from surgery, couldn't sit for long at the computer.
Alan, I'm in the same trouble as you. So many kits and so little time. Not only do I have railroad kits, but 4 giant scale RC planes and 2 large wooden ship models to build.
 
Espeefan said:
I love the craftsman kits. Foscale, Bar Mills, FSM and Sierra West. I don't build many rolling stock kits these days unless its a prototype you can only get in kit form that I need or want, which is usually a resin kit. If I can find something RTR that fits the bill, I'll get it. Gives me more time to build the stuff I can't get or need to build. If I retired today I'd have to build kits until I die!
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I would love to build some of the Mfgers kits you list; however, I find their costs prohibitive. I have built quite few of their smaller kits that I can afford and love them. Costs of from $60-$70.00 and up are pushing the envelope for me and even when I was working, found it difficult to find the free cash to invest in. I realize that as a retired person, on fixed income, my free cash is much more dear to me, than it is to others. That's O.K., we all have our limitations.
 
NP2626 said:
I would love to build some of the Mfgers kits you list; however, I find their costs prohibitive. I have built quite few of their smaller kits that I can afford and love them. Costs of from $60-$70.00 and up are pushing the envelope for me and even when I was working, found it difficult to find the free cash to invest in. I realize that as a retired person, on fixed income, my free cash is much more dear to me, than it is to others. That's O.K., we all have our limitations.
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Yes we do. I have the good fortune to be able to spend more on my hobbies than most, but I too have limits. The conundrum is that the time it takes to generate the necessary income to do that eats into what could be hobby time :( When I retire, I will indeed have to "build kits until I die!" :)
 
If you like building kit freight cars, you will love Accurail's new 36 foot Fowler Outside Braced wood Box Car. Accurail is providing more enhanced brake details for this kit, along with more scale sized stirrups that are attached to the car chassis. I am very impressed with what Accurail is doing with their fright car line. These new, more accurately detailed freight cars with additional details sell for the same price as there old box car kits, less than $20.00. I'm going to have to build a few of these cars as the lasted fairly close to the 60s. I have completed the building of the car and am very impressed! Parts fit is excellent and the engineering is superb! The car still has molded on ladders and grabs, however, the molding of these details is very crisp.
 
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I've been remodeling/detailing RTR as a start up teenager. The deeper my knowledge and skills got, the more ambitious the projects. I'm also one of those unusual (aren't we all😉) types with specific locomotive interests, where either brass model is way too expensive, or there is no model of one at all. So yes, scratch building, scratchbashing (is there such a word?), even if it comes down to do research and drawing my own plans. For me that is very satisfying part of worlds most beautifull hobby.
 
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