Micro Layouts In Model Railroading
I had the idea of talking about micro layouts in this post. I find it interesting that these small model train layouts can be so polarizing; you either love them or think they’re what’s wrong with model railroading. I have to admit, maybe naively, but I’ve never understood this divide in the model rail community. […]
Bachmann Trains On30 Interview
I’d like to thank Bachmann Trains for making the Bach Man available for this interview. I’ve been seeing more and more interest in On30 railroading and thought you might enjoy hearing from the company that’s been instrumental in bringing On30 to the fore. Among other duties, the Bach Man moderates the Bachmann User Forum. Can […]
Model Parts Holder For Airbrushing
Holding small, and not so small, parts in place when you’re airbrushing a model can be a delicate operation. You want to get a good even coat of paint and as important, you don’t want to ruin that coat of paint by leaving any smudges or worse, a partial fingerprint. There are several commercial part-holding […]
Are On30 And Z Scale Similar?
The title of this article seems slightly absurd, I realize. An On30 loco at 1:48 could run over 1:220 Z scale loco and not even realize it had hit something, so where’s the similarity? In the early-ish days of Z scale, most people were just so taken by the size of the trains they were […]
Soldering Torch For White Metal Kits
As I begin to work on more white metal kits like the PECO Nn3 tram kit, I’ve been thinking of changing my white metal construction tools from epoxies and CAs to low temperature solders on the larger parts of my kits. The trick to soldering white metal is in the metal itself, generally a tin […]
DIY Files For Flash Removal
As I began work on my PECO white metal tram kit I realized I’ve need to do some flash removal on the body halves. Since this is a white metal kit, I was hesitant to use a regular hobby flat file, or jeweler’s file, as these can take off too much metal with one errant […]
Growing Model Railroading
Having been involved solely in Z scale for many years I didn’t do a lot of looking at other model train scales. I became very familiar with the major Z scale manufacturers, the cottage manufacturers, the rumors that Z scale (and apparently every scale) seems to have and everything in between. When I decided to […]
Plastic Pipettes For Model Railroading
I’ve recently been trying out new brands of paints for airbrush use but unfortunately my local hobby stores don’t stock a wide variety so it’s been online ordering for me. An average price for a small bottle isn’t too bad at all, ranging from $3 – $4 each. Add a few bucks for shipping and […]
Showcase Miniatures Intermodal Container Trailers
Showcase Miniatures has recently introduced a pair of new models that should find their way on to any Z scale layout that has even a passing reference to intermodal transit, the 40’ and 53’ ISO (International Shipping Organization) Container Trailers. Made of white metal, these models continue the Showcase Miniatures trend of models that are […]
Badger Paint Mixer
I recently ordered paint from Tamiya and some replacement accessories for my Paasche H airbrush in preparation for a couple of upcoming projects. Having never used Tamiya before I read up on it and saw on some forums, modelers stating that stirring is preferred over shaking paint when using an airbrush. Ok, I’ll bite. Normally […]
