Nostalgic

[zoegraf]

I was on a thread about RTR cars. As much as I like what is out there nowadays, I kind of miss putting together a good kit. Anyone out there miss putting a nice kit together.

I recall putting together Tichi/Gould kits.

What are and were your favourite kits?

 

[Photogdad]

Its been 10+ years but I remember putting together the older Intermountain (I think thats the one) kits. took me a while to put together a string of 10 covered hoppers. But thats about it for me. I have seen where you have every single piece you have to put together, but never built one myself. I miss putting together a kit myself, though I don't think my eyes would let me now..lol

 

[Pete V]

Since I put my railroad together buying things for over 25 years, I still have about 50 kits to assemble. Some are Bev bel athearn, some intermountain and I have some real relics from Ambroid that were runs of 5000 from way back 50 years ago. They all need modern manufacture trucks and couplers.

I cannot however even see those little springs that go in the trucks. I get my son to put them in.

I really don't buy pre assembled cars.

 

[NYSW F45]

I love putting kits together. I try to get some on ebay, p2k, walthers, intermountain and occaisionally athearn.

 

[Riverrat]

I haven't built a kit in a long time. I have actually been selling off MOST unbuilt kits that I have been finding, since there is so much here already built and RTR cars.

There are a handful of Athearn, roundhouse, and proto kits that I have hung onto, to eventually assemble. But, I sold probably all 25 or 30 Intermount cylindrical hopper kits that I found! BEAUTIFUL cars when done, but I just do not have the patience for those things.

 

[kbkchooch]

What are and were your favourite kits?

Depends on what you call a kit. Blue box & other "shake the box" stuff, no. It needs to be harder than that. My personal favorite are the old Quality Craft or Amboid type of kits. Wood and/or brass construction, involved several different skill sets to complete. Plus, you can detail them to whatever extent you wish. One day I'll try a resin kit, and learn even more.

Here's some of the wood and/or brass kits I've done so far..

 

[psychobeagle12]

You see I would love to assemble some kits, they just seem so expensive to me! Even the cheaper kits seem like you pay out the butt for them. But they look so nice!!! Someday I will get into buying and building kits when I have a good paying job (or hit the lottery wink wink . I don't really play the lottery )

 

[kbkchooch]

You see I would love to assemble some kits, they just seem so expensive to me! Even the cheaper kits seem like you pay out the butt for them. But they look so nice!!! Someday I will get into buying and building kits when I have a good paying job (or hit the lottery wink wink . I don't really play the lottery )

Where have you been shopping???

I dont think I've paid more than 10-12 bucks for any of the caboose kits, or for that matter, any of rolling stock kits! Gracias Ebay!

 

[Cjcrescent]

I have to say my favorites are the old Ambroid, Quality Craft, P2k, Red Cab, Branchline, kits of that ilk, that are anything other than an Athearn, MDC or Accurail shake the boxes. But my absolute all time favorites are the resin kits from Westerfield, Funaro & Camerlengo, and Sunshine.

The resin kits are really very easy to build, esp if you've ever built any kind of plastic kit. The only difference, IMHO, is in the glue used to assemble the kit with.

I currently have 12 Westerfields, 10 F&C and one Sunshine, built and layout ready. I still have similar numbers of these kits left to build, as well as several each of P2k, Ye Olde Huff & Puff's and many Red Caboose's left to go. When all of these are built, I will use them to replace some of my Athearn's and MDC, cuurently on the roster.

 

[zoegraf]

Its been 10+ years but I remember putting together the older Intermountain (I think thats the one) kits. took me a while to put together a string of 10 covered hoppers. But thats about it for me. I have seen where you have every single piece you have to put together, but never built one myself. I miss putting together a kit myself, though I don't think my eyes would let me now..lol

Do you have any pics of your completed covered hoppers?

 

[zoegraf]

Since I put my railroad together buying things for over 25 years, I still have about 50 kits to assemble. Some are Bev bel athearn, some intermountain and I have some real relics from Ambroid that were runs of 5000 from way back 50 years ago. They all need modern manufacture trucks and couplers.

I cannot however even see those little springs that go in the trucks. I get my son to put them in.

I really don't buy pre assembled cars.

I have about 3 or 4 kits in storage.
I never heard of Ambroid. Do you have any pics of their kits?

 

[zoegraf]

I love putting kits together. I try to get some on ebay, p2k, walthers, intermountain and occaisionally athearn.

What is the last kit you put together.

I started on two partially assembled p2ks box cars, but didn't finish them. They are in storage until I build my next layout.
The last kit I built was a Gould kit of a steam crane. I like so much that I bought another one made by Tichi.

 

[Photogdad]

I wish I did. Over the years I sold them off, so now I have the pleasure of starting over

 

[zoegraf]

I haven't built a kit in a long time. I have actually been selling off MOST unbuilt kits that I have been finding, since there is so much here already built and RTR cars.

There are a handful of Athearn, roundhouse, and proto kits that I have hung onto, to eventually assemble. But, I sold probably all 25 or 30 Intermount cylindrical hopper kits that I found! BEAUTIFUL cars when done, but I just do not have the patience for those things.

I hear ya.

 

[zoegraf]

Depends on what you call a kit. Blue box & other "shake the box" stuff, no. It needs to be harder than that. My personal favorite are the old Quality Craft or Amboid type of kits. Wood and/or brass construction, involved several different skill sets to complete. Plus, you can detail them to whatever extent you wish. One day I'll try a resin kit, and learn even more.

Here's some of the wood and/or brass kits I've done so far..

They look nice. Do you have any closer shots of them to share?

 

[zoegraf]

I have to say my favorites are the old Ambroid, Quality Craft, P2k, Red Cab, Branchline, kits of that ilk, that are anything other than an Athearn, MDC or Accurail shake the boxes. But my absolute all time favorites are the resin kits from Westerfield, Funaro & Camerlengo, and Sunshine.

The resin kits are really very easy to build, esp if you've ever built any kind of plastic kit. The only difference, IMHO, is in the glue used to assemble the kit with.

I currently have 12 Westerfields, 10 F&C and one Sunshine, built and layout ready. I still have similar numbers of these kits left to build, as well as several each of P2k, Ye Olde Huff & Puff's and many Red Caboose's left to go. When all of these are built, I will use them to replace some of my Athearn's and MDC, cuurently on the roster.

I never got the courage to put together a Westerfield, but I got a friend to put a few together in exchange for me scratch building structures for him.

Here a shots of the Westerfields.

 

[zoegraf]

I wish I did. Over the years I sold them off, so now I have the pleasure of starting over

I regret not taking more photos in the past, but that was when there was no digital cameras.

All I have are several photos from that time.

 

[NYSW F45]

What is the last kit you put together.

I started on two partially assembled p2ks box cars, but didn't finish them. They are in storage until I build my next layout.
The last kit I built was a Gould kit of a steam crane. I like so much that I bought another one made by Tichi.

I've been putting P2K and Walthers 4427 PS-2 Highside covered hoppers in the grain names. Also 16,000 gallon funnel flow tank cars. And I keep forgetting the walthers autoracks that were kits. I just prefer kit form cause its fun to do and it kills alot of time when its slow. Plus if everything was already assembled and something broke, people might not figure out how to fix it. Whereas if you built it and it broke, you now know how to put it back together.

Oh and I also like to get undecorated engines when I can so I can superdetail them myself and then paint them.

 

[bigB]

I have enjoyed the Accurail 3-bay covered hopper kits. Pretty decent model esp if you replace the couplers with Kadees and the wheels with metal IM ones. I have also enjoyed the Walthers kits.

 

[kbkchooch]

They look nice. Do you have any closer shots of them to share?

Here's one!