I am looking at purchasing one of the Pikestuff kits for my layout. The HO kits come defined on the rix products web site in two ways, one as a regular Pikestuff kit and the other as a kitbasher kit. In the kitbasher kits the following instructions are denoted.
“This kit is built up from individual components from several of our existing Pikestuff kits. We have done the kitbashing for you by providing you with the parts and instructions to build a unique building from the Pikestuff inventory. Cutting is required without cut lines but cutting the soft plastic is easy and the instructions will guide you through each step along the way.”
I know that the original Pikestuff kits have pre-cut lines provided for the modeler. Have any of you constructed any of these Pikestuff kitbasher kits where the lines are not pre-cut for you? How difficult is the determination of exactly where to cut with these kitbasher kits?
The Kitbasher series instructions generally give you the measurements for how and where to make the cuts. If you can use a ruler and square, you should have no problem. One thing, the plastic is thick, so I use a utility knife instead of a hobby knife to cut it.
This started off as a two stall engine house, I sliced apart and stacked up…
I agree with Nick. However the plastic seems soft when using a larger utility knife instead of a hobby knife. I have never been a fan of the Pikestuff instructions. I used these kits as low relief structures against a backwall, so I always ended up using only a portion of the width of the structure. Also, I was attaching several end to end to make the structure longer. In that case internal bracing is a must. If I remember correctly, most are still have relieved areas for cutting in doors.All in all, there a snap to do if you are sure of your cuts and can understand the directions.
