If the 5 pack of hopeprs I just finished is any indication… This is was definitely a new set - it had EZ Mate knuckle couplers with coil knuckle springs (still got tossed for Kadee). First, they have a smaller, lighter weight. Thinner than the old ones. Second, they just throw in generic brake pieces, the air tank in particular does not have a mounting pin to go in the hole in the underframe, it’s an ordinary air tank with brackets cast on one end and a single on teh other, to be mounted under a box car or caboose. Third, the coule box lids are bright shiny metal instead of the dull looking ones in older BB kits. I only noticed this after the fact, so I ended up blackening them with a Sharpie. Seems ok. Definitely a quality drop since the older ones. Combined with an increased demand for RTR, no wonder no one wants these.
I’ll let it slide than in the 5 car set there were reweigh stencils covering 1955 to 1969, making 3 outof the 5 cars in the pack completely useless for my era. All 5 were new numbers not used previously, too. I’m keeping 2 of them, althugh I am letting a 1957 repack slip by to do so (luckily it’s very tiny lettering not visible at normal distances - the other 3 have LARGE reweigh dates easily seen to be past 1956).
Personally, I think blue box kits are great. If you want to pay $29.95 each for hoppers, be my guest. For that price you should get great brake detail, and metal Kaydees too. For many of us though, and particularly people new to the hobby, blue box kits are an inexpensive way to get into the hobby, with decent and varied rolling stock that can be upgraded with a bit of effort to run flawlessly.
When I go to train shows, I always look at blue boxes. I love the value and variety, particularly for roads less modeled. To each their own, however.
Well, when you stand in the isle of the LHS next to a guy with an arm full of “El Cheapo” RTR cars and he looks at the Athearn blue box kits and says, “gee, I’d like to build some of those but I just don’t have the time or the skills needed” you have to ask yourself if this is one of the new breed that needs the warning label on the .22 rifle that says “Warning: Pointing this end at yourself can cause death and serious injury”.
So ask yourself again, why are the blue box kits going away?
Just built a BB Maxi III 5 car unit. The “ball” couplers were so brittle, I broke 2 putting the trucks on.
The wheels didn’t want to stay in contact with the rails. The unit made 3 laps and all 5 cars plunged to their death against the evil concrete floor. All the ball couplers broke beyond repair.
I always wanted a set of these but was less than impressed…
The demise of the Blue Box kits is unfortunate, as these were always a good stepping stone between the cheap r-t-r stuff and more sophisticated kits. And for those who thought that they’d outgrown the Blue Box kits, they made a good starting point for kitbashing or modifying into something more accurate, giving the modeller a chance to learn new skills and gain a unique piece of rolling stock.
Re-working older kits like these, or even newer ones, such as those offered by Accurail, can be an economical way to enjoy a part of this hobby that many miss if they choose only r-t-r rolling stock.
I have several blue box kits.Some of them are NOS from about 10 years back or so.They are excellent quality.
I have picked up some newer kits which are really RTR in kit form.Except for knuckle couplers and metal wheel sets they are basically a P.O.S.I can clearly see why they stopped producing them.
Accurail kits on the other hand are always high quality car kits.
I agree, but I always liked the BB kits. Don’t get me wrong, I can see a nice car when I see it, but the BBs were a good car. Then again, I don’t kknwo anthying between the types of brakes, and I really don’t care. And besides that, I don’t have a picture of every protoype car to compare them to as they go by. This does not mean I don’t recognize the masterpiece cars like Genesis or the Brass cars.
Besides, they are a great place to do minor touch up to produce a better car if needed (Dr. Wayne), they build a freight fleet quickly and nicely, and besides all that, the coaches were great for a few cars that were obviously shorter than the walthers models. ITM lost some good models when the BlueBoxes died. (There’s been enough debate whether the 1937 Budds that were FIRST off the line ((Santa Fe, later NJT))are closer to the Walthers 85s or the Athearn 72. Being however less than 80ft in length, several of us have decided that they were better than the Walthers because they were shorter than their later counterparts also offered by Walthers.)
I’m with those who say they don’t care whether Athearn B B kits have all accurate stencilling since most of it can’t be read without a magnifying glass. And if it bothered me I can paint and decal correct data.
As most modelers of my age I grew up with the Blue Box as a staple of the hobby. Roundhouse, Athearn, and Bowser was all we could afford. There were tons of inaccuracies and fantasy cars and paint schemes. Even though the detail was course we bought and built them by the hundreds. Reworking them has become a hobby in itself. Taking a BB house car and transforming it into a show stopper is just as rewarding as scratch building but most of us will keep or detail them to layout standards.
When someone says they lack the skills or don’t have time to build a kit car then post card collecting should be their hobby. Especially if there are no disabilities involved. Many times I have run my long strings of kit cars around the modular layout while others are re-railing or picking up their RTR cars that cost 3 times as much. I have 40 year old BB cars with no added weight that run better then new heavy RTR stuff. At $30 plus it would take a Congressional bailout to populate a modest sized railroad. I have over 300 kit built cars. Some with price tags as low as $2.95 but most are around $10. Keep your RTR junk and give me a kit any day.
I see nothing wrong with the BB kits. Taking into consideration the low cost, add in a little elbow grease and some time, they make excellent additions to any model railroad. I’ve put together lots of BB kits and found them to be excellent in thier own way.
Nowadays I have a much smaller model railroad and I am more interested in detail and accuracy than I was in my younger days. I build the Accurail kits now because they do have sharper details and I don’t care about cost because I only buy specific units that fit my theme.
To each his own. Times are changing and the demand for building something is fading away. Gone are the days when a hobby store had one or two kits but tons of parts and scratchbuilding materials. Now most hobbyists consider the mall store to be the “hobby shop” and if it’s not RTR they don’t understand it. Just the way of the world. I grew up in a different time and I’m not changing my ways. I plan on doing what I enjoy until I go extinct along with the rest of the dinosaurs.
Here’s the thing many modelers(including me) overlooks the hobby grew up and the day of the generic BB cars and locomotives with every road name is dead…Today’s modeler is demanding more road specific details and correct cars then ever before in the history of the hobby.
Sadly BB cars didn’t fit that need and I seen this with BB kits that been on one hobby shop shelf since the 90s while the newer and improved RTR cars was flying off the shelf.
As far as $30.00 cars I have several I paid less then $25.00 by buying discount-some was less then $20.00.
Even if Athearn returned the BB kits I would pass 'em by for RTR for many reasons including the hassles of building 'em
Like anything else, they reduce the amount/quantity of raw materials used in the same-sized package.THey hope you won’t notice.
Like anything else, they cut corners where they can to reduce costs and increase profits. They think you won’t notice.
Like anything else, they replace parts with cheaper versions. “they are just as good” they hope you will agree.
Like anything else, they reduce the amoutn of paint used to shave off a few pennies, see above, they know you will add color {your sharpie} to your liking.
Like anything else, if they put more quality into it, you would scream at the the price. THey don’t want you screaming at them and not buying because the RR car now costs $99.99 for the same “old” quality you are “used to”.
Very true. Look at the comments made on the forums daily about how such and such isn’t built to prototypical perfection. And the kits that some shops have that date back to who knows when are still there with dust embedded in the box. Oddly, they are the same price as the newer ones.
Personally, I have no preference over RTR or kits. I do like to build a model, but of course I will buy an RTR. I have yet to buy a completed or RTS(Ready To Set) structure, but I didn’t used to like power locks, windows and AC in my truck at one time. Thought it was a waste of money for a truck And now having to slip a clutch to get going on a steep hill at a stop sign isn’t high up there on things I enjoy anymore either.
Most of the cheaper kits I can’t say is a hassle to build, I mean most have what, 4 or 5 parts? Last kit other than the Branchline Blueprints I put together it almost took longer to get a RTR unpackaged out of it’s new box. But if people feel that way, then they feel that way and far be it from me to say you shouldn’t or can’t. If they prefer RTR, then by golly have at it, I’ll be standing right next to 'em looking at what’s available myself.
I grab what I can get and what’s in the budget. The railroad name and herald I’m using, (not modeling. Just using.) is not very common in the RTR’s, kits or even decal market, and I’m NOT going to go out and buy a white print printer just to make a few decals. So what is out there is what I look at. Kit or RTR.
My last rolling stock purchase (quite possibly my last in this lifetime) was a string of (cheap, on sale) RTR quad hoppers. I purchased them as kitbash fodder, so their less-than-stellar performance when test run really didn’t disturb me that much. If I had purchased them to run as-is, it would take me more time to make them operationally reliable than it would have taken me to assemble and ‘tweak’ equivalent BB cars. I don’t demand perfection in detailing that I can’t see at 100 scale meters.
As for somebody who says he doesn’t have the skill… Has he ever opened a BB box and looked at the contents and the instruction sheet? Or is he so technologically challenged that figuring out which end of a screwdriver goes in the slot is beyond his ability? Does he lack the thumb strength to snap a coupler cover into place??? IMHO, ignorance is understandable, but willingness to remain ignorant when information is readily available,
(As for the time element, note my comment about making RTR cars reliable.)
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - including kitbashed BB kit cars)
Chuck,Some skill is needed to build a BB kit…90% of the time there was the hassles of getting the coupler at the correct height which may include straightening a warp frame or floor…Then there is that coupler clip that many experience modelers stumble on…You see if the clip doesn’t “snap” into place then one needs to break out the drill and drill holes for 2-56 screws…
I believe many have forgotten the hassles building a BB kit.
I don’t have any of those hassles with my RTR cars since all that is required is changing out the coupler to KDs…
I still think to each their own. Contrary to the impressions given, there are still plenty of scratchbuilding supplies, detail items and upgrade parts available. As are there kits, maybe not as cheap (nothing is anymore), but still many available and many undecorateds that I’ll call semi-RTR’s. My LHS is full of them and so are the mail order and internet stores.
If an RTR is easier for physical abilities, or visual problems, or just don’t care to do it’s, then the RTR’s fill that void. Also, if the RTR’s bring more people into the hobby, then I think it’s a good thing. Many start out with RTR’s and then progress to kits as their skills and or desires change and vice versa.
For me, I believe it’s the layout that is the model and the trains and structures are a piece no different than a ready made detail item, such as a horn, or radio antenna, fuel tank, plow, a piece of track, a turnout or even a window for a building. It all depends on how small a piece you as an individual feels the desire to build. Personally, I probably won’t ever build a 9 pane HO scale window. I’ll buy it. Some will build from scratch. Who’s wrong? Neither.
