Better Than Scratch, B.T.S.

[WV_Forester]

Anyone ever build any of their HO structures and if so what is your opinion of them. Thinking of buying one.
http://www.btsrr.com/

 

[Charles Smiley]

This was their Anderson Pulpyard kit. Now it's a hay dealer. Easy kit for a craftsman kit with this level of quality. But not easy compared to snap together plastic kits.

Prepaint the sheets, preferably with an airbrush to prevent warpage you'd get with a brush.

Chas.

 

[wheeler1963]

Charles, where did you get the large hay bails??

 

[Charles Smiley]

hay bales

I can't remember exactly. It was something like Sierra models. I got them at the Whistle Stop in Pasadena, CA. (626) 796-7566 I'm sure they can ship them to you by mail.


Also these guys in the link below have nice stuff but they didn't have a phone number or ability to take a credit card (just Paypal) - so I said phooey to it.

http://www.miniature-planet.com/30-...-ho-scale-model-trains-railroads-scenery.html

 

[wheeler1963]

Thank you Charles.

 

[Espeefan]

Anyone ever build any of their HO structures and if so what is your opinion of them. Thinking of buying one.
http://www.btsrr.com/

Is there one in particular that has caught your eye? Their combination of laser cut parts plus some board by board work is nice. The kits are put together well. I have done a few of this type. Other good manufacurers of these kinds of kits are FOS Scale Limited, here:

http://www.foslimited.com/HOME.html

and BEST here:

http://www.besttrains.com/products.html

All excellent stuff and really neat buildings available. Reasonably priced too, for what you get.

Depending on your experience level if you want to try a smaller kit try Motrak Models. They have some smaller kits that will let you get your feet wet if you haven't worked with wood much. I like working with wood, more so than styrene. I'll post a few pics later.

 

[Espeefan]

Here are a couple of examples:
Motrak Models' Danielson Building. Good for first timers or experienced modelers. Hydrocal cast base. Can be used as darn near anything you want.

BEST Trains Santa Fe Cafe. Neat southwestern restaurant. This company also does New England area structures, but they can fit in anywhere. Signage and detail castings are in the kit. I replaced the vertical soda machine with a JL Innovative chest type soda machine to fit my era. This one was moderately difficult, but if you go slow and have patience, it will go together just fine. They even give you a list of the necessary paint colors.

 

[Cjcrescent]

Nice work Alan.