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 Posted - December 18 2014 : 4:01:18 PM
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Hello all.
I've been busy lately. After a bit of a hiatus, I've been getting back into model railroading. I've got a 3-rail O gauge layout coming along, but I think I've been having the most fun with my cheapo G gauge trains.
I'm sure you've all seen these. New Bright, Scientific Toys/E-Z Tec, Echo Toys, and numerous other "Classic Express" variations. They're battery operated. They're loud. They mix European and American styles into one set or even one car. They are cheap, made in China "junk" (well, at least to most people). Oh, and the English on the packaging is usually horibbly butchered. Anyhoo...
I enjoy taking these cheapo trains and rebuilding them into something way more realistic and way cooler than anyone probably ever thought they could be. A couple cans of spray paint, a soldering iron, some salvaged clear plastic packaging, and a bit of imagination can go a long ways towards turning crap into kitbash.
Here's a few photos of some of my recent work. Here's what I started out with:
The locomotive now:
The combine now. Well, actually I've since added end platforms that I fabricated from chipboard:
The flatcar as it appears now:
My Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/weekendrailroader?blend=1&ob=video-mustangbase
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Posted - December 18 2014 : 5:33:52 PM
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It's amazing what a less garish coat of paint will improve.
Carpe Manana!
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 Posted - December 18 2014 : 6:45:07 PM
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| want moar?
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Posted - December 18 2014 : 9:17:35 PM
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That's a righteous transformation. Nice job!
~ Dave
They're ALL toys
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Posted - December 18 2014 : 9:23:18 PM
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Oooo, I LOVE that Euro diesel! Where do you find that one at? Nice job, btw.
Jerry in VA
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - December 18 2014 : 10:50:48 PM
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The European diesel was part of a no-name Christmas set that I found for 22 bucks at the thrift store. I saw the other variation of the set (same locomotive, different cars) at an antique store the other day for the same price. The locomotive originally had extra drive rods and steam cylinders installed,  but those were removed in short order.
My Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/weekendrailroader?blend=1&ob=video-mustangbase
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Posted - December 18 2014 : 10:52:06 PM
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Great work! Is that a M.A.S.K. action figure in the loco?
I've got a New Bright put away somewhere. It was a garage sale special, think I gave a buck for the set. BN stickers on a wooden reefer, if i remember right. There's a picture on here somewhere. I kinda like the thing, like a guilty pleasure. It even actually has metal track with power through the rails.
Someday I'd like to set up a simple outdoor railroad. I'll never afford the actual garden stuff, so something like this might be what I do. I've been kicking around ideas for making cheap track for a battery powered train.
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Posted - December 18 2014 : 10:56:25 PM
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Huh, after a quick Google search, it looks like my enginear is indeed a M.A.S.K. action figure. I know zippy zap about action figures. I just found him in the Goodwill Outlet toy bin, and he happened to be the perfect scale.
My Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/weekendrailroader?blend=1&ob=video-mustangbase
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Posted - December 18 2014 : 11:10:25 PM
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In a past life, I was a total action figure nerd.
Actually, having lived through the very late 70's and early 80's, action figures became kind of an obsession at an early age. I have a shamefully massive collection sitting around in boxes, and I used to buy/sell them online all the time. Then I had two beautiful baby GIRLS.
Anyway, I don't recall his name off the top of my head, but he came with a purple motorcycle/sidecar. The sidecar detached, popped out fins, and became either a plane or sub, I don't remember. Like I said, I've been out of that scene for quite a while. I don't think he's worth a lot himself, but for the most part M.A.S.K. vehicles hold a pretty good value.
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Posted - December 18 2014 : 11:26:34 PM
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Ok, sorry for the double post, but I found the old thread. It wasn't BN...that was another set I bought. This New Bright has Rio Grande, Frisco, and Milwaukee Road stickers on the same car.
I also love the way the box breaks the train up through the tunnel, so it looks longer than it is!
http://www.tycoforums.com/tyco/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7197&whichpage=2&SearchTerms=garage+sale
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Posted - December 19 2014 : 09:38:11 AM
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 Excellent job on that set, weekend. Now it actually looks believable except for the European diesel, really. Still, good job!
-Steve
"A lot of modellers out there who go to these train shows see broken HO stuff and go, 'This is useless' when, in reality, they can still be used for modeling whether it's as a prop on your layout or a cool project to make something old new again."
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Posted - December 19 2014 : 3:59:33 PM
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| Those look great; I especially like the engine.
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Posted - December 19 2014 : 4:18:48 PM
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| Great results, the diesel looks very plausible now. New bright gets a bad rap but some of their stuff is pretty good and makes great fodder for kit-bashing. Scientific Toys actually has an excellent gear train in their steam engines with two geared axles as opposed to single in New Bright and Bachman Big Haulers.
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Posted - December 19 2014 : 10:46:45 PM
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| That's cool Andrew.
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