Kit of cars ... which is better?

[rustam]

Hello!! Perhaps then discussed this topic... or not?!
Kit of cars ... which is better? Which manufacturer is trying to make more close to the original cars?
I know of such models - "Bowser", "Athearn", "Accurail", "C&BT Shops". In all of these teams need to add models (optional of course!) modern tow hooks and metal wheels.
So we make the model easy to use and of course try to make the model a real view.

Which model car do you prefer?

By the way, my topic of metal wheels: http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29008

I add some pictures, I have a car.

 

[Mattchu60]

Here are my $0.02.

Accurail - very good simple kits. These are my favorite, good detail, nice paint and lettering, lower price and easy to assemble.

CB&T - I did one, did not like it - nothing seemed to fit together. Higher level of detail - I would not recommend.

Bowser - These are ok - I rate them below an Accurail on how "nice" it looks when completed. Easy to assemble with more detail parts than Accurail, but not many more parts.

Athearn - I sold all my Athearn Blue Box kits, these are easy to assemble, but dont have the level of paint or detail of a Accurail kit - generally these are the cheapest kits.

Branchline Blueprint - Awesome kits - lots of detail, very prototypical, lots of parts. These are beautiful cars and my favorite kits to build. They take some time to assemble (bank on 3-4 hours for the first one), but everything fits perfect and they are gorgeous when done.

Branchline Yardmaster - I rate these similar to Accurail Kits, very nicely detailed and beautiful when completed, less parts than the blueprint series.

In order of detail (3-5 are very closely matched, the order could easily change):

1-Branchline Blueprint
2-CB&T
3-Bowser
4-Branchline Yardmaster
5-Accurail
6-Atheran (big difference from 5)

 

[timlange3]

I buy the ones that have the cars I want. I'm doing Canadian Pacific, 1954, so I am a bit picky. Finding something that fits is usually the key, not brand.

 

[NH Mike]

I like the Branchline and Accurail kits. They have enough detail for my use and the price is quite good. Another thing I like about Accurail is they offer car kits painted with dimensional data only and I can add my own road's name.

 

[Railrunner130]

I'm with Tim. I'm doing pre-war Rutland, although I do own a few post-war pieces.

I've bought a few pieces new, but most of mine are used. I'm more price motivated than detail oriented. I can't spend $35-50 on a car without a really good reason and I haven't found a really good reason yet.

 

[Iron Horseman]

First there is no "best". I believe these are all what I would consider "shake the box" kits, except for the Branchline. Branchline made two series a Yardmaster and a Blueprint series. The Blueprint closer to craftsmen kits and I believe they are on par with the old Red Caboose kits.

The problem I have with many of these newer kits is the paint jobs or lack there of. What they do is mold the plastic in the basic color of the car and then just print the logos and lettering onto the raw plastic. Even if it is dull it just looks like plastic to me. Further when a car passes in front of a light the plastic transmits it through especially with the lighter colors. I don't like "glowing" rolling stock. Even some of the better brands do this ARGH!

I haven't done a CB&T in years, but last time I did the wheels were pathetic, I had to replace the trucks and wheels before it even hit the layout.

 

[Mattchu60]

I do not think that the Accurail kits are molded in color, the ones I have built are all painted. I have seen that "glowing" look you mention on bachmann and model power cars.

 

[rlundy90]

Accurail have decent detail on most items and are simple to build. Accuarail come with good quality trucks. My personnel favorite is Intermountain. Good level of detail, but can be a bit challenging to build, because some parts are very delicate. The older cylindrical hoppers are really nice, but add the price of a set of trucks, because the trucks in the kit are really bad. The new kits are better. I am a big fan of Railyard Models as well, but unfortunately they have gone out of business and the price of the cars has gone up quite a bit, putting them out of my reach, but the detail is very accurate. All ladders and walkways ect are brass. The bodies are cast resin. They come with really nice trucks and metal semi scale wheels. Most of the resin kits have good detail, but the prices can get pretty high at $25-$75 each and up. Most are around $35-$50. You can also do what most of us do and just add your own details to any car to make it look better.

 

[cv_acr]

CB&T - I did one, did not like it - nothing seemed to fit together. Higher level of detail - I would not recommend.

"Higher level of detail" - for 1980 maybe.

These are some of the first boxcar kits to have separately applied ladders and grab irons and similar details, but these details are extremely crude by modern standards.


The old Athearn "Blue-box" kits were easy to assemble (all you needed was a small screwdriver to attach the trucks) but most of them are not based on any particular real life car. Plus their boxcars had extremely crude door tracks and claws for their opening sliding doors. some of these old kits have been "upgraded" into their RTR line, but they still don't accurately represent anything.


Accurail cars don't have separately applied details, but the toolwork is very nice and the cars actually properly represent real cars.

Bowser/Stewart kits are on about the same level as Accurail.

The Branchline Blueprint kits were really nice, with separate ladders and grab irons. Some of their modern type cars had wire grabs. This line has been taken over by Atlas. Their Yardmaster kits had cast-on details like most of the rest of the items in this list. (Again these are now owned by Atlas.)

 

[CNR Glen]

I'm in the process of swaping out most of my Athearn and roundhouse cars on my layout, not that they look especially bad, just that their detail doesn't stand up to the other cars that I have. I have a few Acurail cars and I like the detail on those, even though the details or molded in.
Some kits that haven't been mentioned are P2K, Mckean, and Tichy. these all have very good detail with seperate grabs, ladders brake detail. They take some time to build but they're worth it in my opinion.
I do have a few Athearn flatcars on the layout but those have been customized and weathered so they fit in.
I've started to go for the resin craftsman kits now since they give a challenge to build and I can get specific prototypes. I've got a few Westerfield and F&C kits that I have built and more on the shelf.

 

[Cjcrescent]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned any of the resin kits. Westerfield, Funaro and Camerlengo, Sunshine, Yankee Clipper, have all produced kits that have in most cases, better detail than any of the plastic kits that have been mentioned.

Of course, they have the higher prices to go with the higher detail. IIRC I've done 20 Westerfields, with 10 to go, 10 F&C, with 15 to go, 1 Sunshine, and 1 Yankee Clipper.

While all the manufacturers bring out some really excellent kits that are highly detailed, as they pass in a train, after 2-2.5ft away, they look like one of the better "screwdriver" kits.

Of course, lets also not forget Tichy! Super detailed cars, with parts that ALWAYS fit together properly! But they too suffer from the 3 ft rule as all superdetailed kits do.

 

[waltr]

I like the LaBelle wood kits and these look great when using good detail parts.

Another small maker of resin kits of older cars (pre 1930) is Silver Crash Car works.
I haven't built one of these yet but they look good in the pictures.