B.T.S. structure kits -- biting off more than i can chew?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Okay. I need a two-stall engine house. B.T.S makes one that’d be just about perfect. I’ve got loads of experience with plastic models, been doing them since i could crawl, but craftsman wood are a new animal to me. How different are the two? Wood vs. plastic I mean?

Help?

Stu

2

You’ll never know untul you try. but I suggest you might want to start with a simpler wood kit, like those made by Campbell.

Tom

3

I have a few laser-cut kits under my belt. They are much easier to assemble than the customary “craftsman” kit. By following the instructions carefully and pre-painting some of the assemblies you can get excellent results and because of the superb accuracy of the laser cutting you are assured a solid and square structure.

Tom’s suggestion of starting out with a simple laser-cut structure is an excellent idea.

I am nearly finished with an American Model Builder’s NYC caboose that was very enjoyable to build, the instructions were clear and concise and the results were quite satisfactory. It has a greater level of “character” than a similar, mass produced RTR car, especially for a structure that saw a great deal of “wear-and-tear” in it’s lifetime such as an old wood caboose, or in your case, a weary two stall engine house.

This is only in primer, I hope to get farther along with this kit in the coming weeks.

I think you will find the BTS kits fun and rewarding. Did you peek at the instruction sheet sample?

http://www.btsrr.com/inst-sample.htm

Once you get the hang of neatly slicing out the parts, using magnifiers and tweezers, selecting the best adhesives that work for you (many of the parts already have pressure sensitive adhesive already applied, but sometimes I find it necessary to “beef-up” the pre-applied adhesive) you will be a pro in no time.

The old Suydam or Alexander kits are pretty “rudimentary” compared to some of the newer laser-cut varieties.

Good Luck, Ed

4

Hi Stu:

If you have done lots of plastic kits I doubt that you will get in over your head with a wood one. Tom’s advice to start with something simple is good, however I think it is more important to learn as much as you can before starting any wood kit. There are issues like warping and internal bracing that you need to know about.

One place you might start is with the how-to videos offered by Bar Mills Scale Models. They are excellent, and they are free. Also, if you can get your hands on a copy, Bar Mills includes an excellent generic assembly pamphlet with their kits.

http://www.barmillsmodels.com/

Here is another website that offers some basic information. There are lots of these sites as well as videos on the internet:

http://modeltrains.about.com/od/DRGW-Project-Layout/ss/Building-Wood-Model-Kits-A-Sherriffs-Office-For-The-Rio-Grande-Layout.htm#showall

Here are a few basic suggestions:

  • Brace the walls and the corners on the inside (where the bracing can’t be seen) before painting or staining. If braces are not supplied with the kit, buy some 1/4" or slightly larger square stock from your LHS or on line. Bracing should generally run across the grain of the wood at the bottom and tops of the walls, and vertically in the corners. Tongue and groove models or models that use plywood as opposed to a single sheet of wood may not require as much bracing. If you want to detail the interior, think about where to install the bracing so it doesn’t interfere too much with the interior details.

Here is one source for bracing material:

http://www.mtalbert.com/

  • If you are going to stain the walls, do it before assembling the kit. Any excess glue at the joints will prevent th
5

Everybody who ever built a complex kit had a period in his life when he hadn’t done it yet and wasn’t sure of his capabilities. Yet they managed it. “Don’t misunderestimate yourself.”

Tom

6

Good suggestions, and thanks to all for them.

I like Campbell’s stuff. That coaling tower of theirs is gorgeous and may just be the place to start. I’ll admit i haven’t spent much time looking at Bar Mills kits or videos; time to change that.

Toot toot!

Stu

7

Tom!

Good point! We all have to start somewhere.

Dave

8

Is this the one you were thinking about?

http://www.master-creations.com/1445.htm

I agree that you should start with a smaller one to get some experience with these kits. I would go with one from the same line of kits because their construction would be similar. From the description, these are laser cut kits, I would avoid Campbell for now . Nothing wrong with them, but they are “old school” kits, i.e. a box full of strip wood and wood sheet that you have to cut all the shapes.

The MOW shed would be a good starter. It retails for $25 in HO scale, so not such a big loss if you decide you can not handle it, but will give you a feel of how the larger $100 engine shed kit would go together. A building like this certainly can find a home somewhere in your layout servicing area.

http://www.btsrr.com/bts7501.htm

9

Excellent advice, George. I recently built a Bar-Mills filling station. An excellent kit by any measure but just slightly different than the AMB LaserKit caboose I show above. Many common techniques but, just like their plastic counterparts, some variation creeps in, frequently in the construction steps or thoroughness and accuracy of the instructions.

I was thinking the same thing but it seems like the old plaid box has learned some new tricks…

http://www.campbellscalemodels.com/category_s/68.htm

Regards, Ed

10

I suggest you start with the handcar shed by B.T.S. It has 2 doors and a window so it will give you experience working with those features.

I found that laser kits are somewhat different than the old box of sticks kits or scratchbuilding. Not that you couldn’t start with those.

I also find a difference from plastic kits is that wood kits take longer and usually require some sanding and fitting to get everything right.

Good luck

Paul

11

I agree with George and Ed on the Campbells coaling tower. However, if you can build the Campbells kit, you should have no problems with laser kits. Thing with laser kits is they generally are quite accurate, the parts are designed to fit, and the materials used are intended to expedite your work. A Campbell kit requires you to cut most parts to size and that requires far more skill than the laser kit usually does. Then everything has to be assembled by you to fit, so lots of room for errors if you’re unfamiliar with the process.

Mine came out OK, but it was one of the more challenging kits I’ve done.

12

Hi!

Your plight has been experienced by many - including me. Decades ago I began buying car and structure kits that were much more sophisticated than what I was used to building. Some went well, but the remainder of the kits was left on the closet shelf until I felt up to building them.

Thankfully in the last eight or so years I managed to build all of them, for my skill levels and patience and available time improved since my first efforts.

My point is this… get the kits you are attracted to, and give them a shot. If you find you can’t do them justice, then just put them back on the shelf for a later time down the road when “the right time arrives”.

13

I don’t necessarily agree with the suggestions that you start with a smaller, simpler kit from B.T.S. or that you start with a kit from a different manufacturer.

I have built the three shanty structures from B.T.S., and they are relatively easier to build and, more importantly, fun to build. The instructions for B.T.S. kits are outstanding and far superior to the typical instruction set included with, say, Walthers plastic kits.

In looking at the instruction set for the 2-stall engine house, I don’t see any problem with you beginning with this particular structure. The key with these kits is to use patience and focus to get it right.

My vote is to give the 2-stall engine house a try.

Rich

14

I agree with Rich. My vote is also to give the 2-stall engine house a try.

Take your time and if things don’t go right back off a few days and hit it again. I have several Campbell Craftsman Kits on my layout as well as several BST laser kits, both look great when finished.

I went over 40 years not scratch building because I didn’t think I could do it. After building a few laser kits I decided to give scratch building a shot and learned I could do that too.

As Rich stated “The key with these kits is to use patience and focus to get it right.”

15

After thinking it over, I think I may have been wrong when I suggested Campbell as a starter. There’s nothing at all wrong with Campbell kits, but others have mentioned the greater precision of the laser kits. I’m not familiar with the BTS kit you’re interested in, but was assuming it may be more complex because it’s bigger. Actually, all these kits are basically the same. Some have more parts and are bigger. That just means building them is about the same as bulding two or three smaller ones. There are more steps, and it will take longer, and the finished product will be bigger. But the complexity and difficulty are probably about the same. Don’t be scared.

Tom

16

Tom, you are exactly correct about the B.T.S. kits. Building a larger one is the same as building 2 or 3 smaller ones.

Rich

17

Yeah, i’m thinking about just jumping in. At worst, i overpaid for some kindling, right?

Stu

18

Stu:

Wrong! At worst you overpaid for some sweet scratch building material!!

Jump in! The water’s just fine![swg][(-D][(-D]

Dave

19

Stu, that outcome is unlikely. If you take your time and read the instructions, the outcome will prove quite satisfactory. I say that with confidence based upon your previous experience with plastic kits.

Rich

20

Alright. Gonna do it. I think i need to get my structure plan nailed down before i get much further anyway. it’ll be a few weeks until i can order it but i’ll check in once i’ve got a box of sticks in hand.

Thanks to all for their advice, encouragement, smartassery, etc!

Stu