Hello fellow model train wizards,
My scrap yard machinery builds are starting to take shape. Now searching for wrecked & crushed cars for my auto shredder.
Thought of the El cheapo bachmann plastic cars first. Didn’t really appeal to my modeling. What can I use ?
Anybody know a HO wrecked cars & trucks lead ?
Shredder is pretty darn hungry at this point.
Something I did, I used cheap plastic HO scale cars that came with a Bachmann auto rack, I took tin foil, dull side out, and tightly wrapped the cars with the foil, giving me a foil shaped car body.
With a new blade, I carfully cut out the windows, and then trimmed the foil along the bottom of the car, and carefully removed the plastic car, leaving me with a foil molded body shell, with window openings.
I made up a bunch of these, then spray painted them with different colors. The inside I did in black, some I did in the same color as the body.
After the paint dried, I flattened the foil car shells.
They looked pretty impressive. I have a 40’ gon full, that is stashed away. I forgot I had them until I read your post.
I’ll go dig them out and take a picture.
Mike.
I dug out the car, actually have two of them. You can tell how old this gon, still has the horn hooks! [(-D]
Pictures aren’t the best, but you get the idea.
Mike.
I think these cars came out of cereal boxes back in the 1950s. When I was a young teen, I painted them and used a marker to blacken the windows, which were solid. Now a bit older, I realized I didn’t want these cheap toys on my streets, but they belong in my scrap yard after some surgery, painting and rusting.
Those look good Mike. A very fine modeler named Bruce Petty did something similar to model open (and/or dented) doors, hoods and trunks on his HO vehicles that could also be used to model the entire vehicle – but he used the thicker metallic foil that is at the top of wine bottles. It is thicker than kitchen foil and works almost like leaded foil (at one time leaded foil was used on wine bottles). I smooth it out for modeling use using the cork that came with the wine!
That foil may not be easier to work than kitchen aluminum foil but the end product is somewhat easier to handle and not quite as fragile. In fact I apply a bit of white glue to the bowl-like results to give it even more structural strength.
It “crushes” quite realistically too. And it comes in several different colors depending on the wine. The only problem with using it is that it forces you to drink wine. But – anything for our favorite hobby, right? [<:o)]
Dave Nelson
Thanks Dave, you got it! What ever it takes! [(-D] I’ll have to try that.
Mike.
Busch made crushed cars. They might have been designed as freight car loads or they might have been made to go with their monster truck series.
Well, if we are mentioning premade crushed autos, then we need to include the Walthers Scene Master sets, introduced for their scrapyard series. A bit pricey, and judging from the vehicle designs probably suitable only from the very late 1950s to the very early 1970s.
On my old layout at my parents house, I’d purchased some of the Bachmann auto carriers simply to get the cars to populate my layout. A couple of the older vehicles that I’d had for years had a broken roof pillar or two, so I decided to “wreck” them with damage to that end of the vehicle, heating up the end of the vehicle with a lighter, whicking the flame across the plastic to just soften it before bashing the vehicle into a block of wood. The results turned out well enough that I took some of the extra cars and did the same thing along with some cheap Life Like pickups that I got. Since some of the cars are the same model/color, I varied the damage for each vehicle (front end, back end, side, etc.). On one, I heated up the roof, hood and trunk lid, making it look like the car had rolled over. Using the open flame of the lighter also tends to blacken the plastic surface, making it look like the vehicle has caught fire. While the Bachmann cars might not be the best models, they’re good enough for me until I can afford anything better. Plus, I feel more comfortable wrecking them than more expensive vehicles.
Kevin
Thank you all ! The bachmann foil method , melting them with lighter and resin casting bachmann autos for personal use. I’ll use all three methods to see which one works best.
How hunting down bachmann autos on e-bay.
Thanks again guys. Really appreciate it.
Any cheap plastic car will work. I used the Bachmann because a few of them come with an open auto rack I got as a gift, long time ago.
The Bachmann cars are around the late 60’s, early to mid 70’s maybe?
Mike.
If the Bachman carsxarc the ones I’m familiar with, they are 1968. Included in the set were a Cadillac Eldorado and my favorite a Plymouth GTX… iirc there was also a VW bus.
Hi folks,
After an internet search. I found some attractive crushed cars in HO. A bit pricey but with resin casting for personal use. Doable.
A German company called Juweela . They make multiple scale bricks,pavers and general details for dioramas. They also make a quite a few products in 1:87. Check out Juweelas website for complete listings.
Juweela product code JU28168 is the two pack of 1:87 crushed cars. It’s my understanding the also make crushed trucks,baled scrap,aluminum scrap chunks etc.
Like I said a we bit pricey but one can resin cast these into much more.
Going to look wicked in the material handler grapple on it’s way to the shredder feeder belt.
Patrick
I just checked them out. They have a lot of great looking stuff in 1:87. From scap loads, building rubble, and even beets and potatoes!
I never did check out if you order right from them, or through a U.S. distributor.
Can’t wait to see your scene. Is it more of a diorama thing? or part of an actual layout, like an ISL?
Mike.
Mike,
It’s a small L shaped 2’X9’ layout with little trackwork. Scratch building a modern scrap yard with appropriate machinery. Then I stumble across something different to model and my build list gets ever so longer.
Working this week on resin casting scratch built overhead crane runway. Figured I’d start this build because without it, I can’t build my BOF.
Slowly but surely it’s getting built.
Patrick
The aluminum foild cars are great!