scale sizes. Car bodies, doors, and hatches offer excellent detail
and have accurate dimensions. While these aspects may seem
insignificant by themselves, you definitely can see the differ-
ence when viewing the cars on the layout and in photographs.
The neat thing about having nicely detailed cars in your roster
is that just a few of them can improve the overall appearance
of the layout. As their numbers increase, so does the realism of
the layout.
Comparison shopping:
To get some perspective on what types of kits are out there,
let’s split them into three categories: “shake-the-box,” “highly
detailed,” and “craftsman kits.” Following is a list of several kit
manufacturers grouped from “shake-the-box” to “ultra-crafts-
man.” Many of these kits may now be out of production, but
Batch-building freight cars - 3
3: This is a typical “shake-the-box” kit from group one
in the kits listings. Note that the grabirons and brake
assembly are molded on to the car. The stirrup step is
oversized, and the lack of weathering on the end of the
car has an unrealistic “shiny” look.
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can be had, often very cheaply, on the secondary market. You
will notice that as the detail increases, so does the number of
parts. It is also fair to say that the skills necessary to complete
the kits also increase as you move through the categories.
Group one – shake-the-box kits
Athearn blue-box
Accurail
Branchline/Yardmaster
Kato
Walthers
4: This kit is what is commonly known as a “shake the
box” kit. Notice that there are roughly fifteen parts to
assemble. The weight and trucks are included (the
weight not shown in photo) and operating couplers
need to be supplied by the modeler. This kit builds
up into a good-looking model very quickly without
breaking the bank.
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MRH-Mar 2014
