I always like asking for opinions 'cause we, as model railroaders, always have plenty of them. Fact is, if you get four model railroaders together in a group and ask for their opinion on something, you’ll probably get six or seven… few people have just one!
Having said that, along a more serious note, I’m looking for opinions on laser kits in general. I recently visited Altoona and saw ALTO Tower in person. Later, I found that there is a laser kit in both HO & N scale for the tower (I’d be interested in the HO one) although it has been backdated a bit. I’m getting more and more interested but still reluctant to pull the trigger on a kit that runs upwards of $75-$80 plus shipping.
If you have experience with that kit specifically or laser kits (primarily in HO scale) in general, I’d like to hear about it / them.
Right now, I’m kind of interested in lineside towers but am not totally wed to a prototype so I “could” use something that I like. Real estate for houses is at a premium and most of the store kits are a little too old for my primarily brick building downtown area.
So please share your experiences.
Thanks to all in advance.
dlm
PS. If I previously posted this, I apologize. I kind of remember writing some tf this but a search didn’t turn anything up…
I’m in the middle of building my first laser kit - Branchline Trains “Weimer’s Mill” kit. It was the only old gristmill kit I could find. Although it’s certainly way older than my era, I really wanted it as an “abandoned” building anyway.
I’m having a lot of fun building this kit. At first, I was reluctant to start, because I felt kind of intimidated by it, but I’ve found that I can build this without much difficulty at all. Construction itself is time-consuming, but no more difficult than a plastic kit. The laser-cut parts all separate very easily, and everything fits together very precisely and easily.
Here is a shot before adding the roof. The kit did not come with an interior, so I scratch-built one:
This is a detail picture of the loading dock and roof. The roof itself is applied with paper shingle strips. That’s a long process, but once again not difficult, and I think the results are great.
So, I’d say, go for it. Everyone should build at least one of these kits. Don’t think of it as spending a lot for a kit. Think of it as cheap entertainment. On a per-hour basis, this kit will give you a lot more entertainment for your dollar than renting a DVD.
The September issue of RMC has a nice section on laser kits and building them. I don’t know if it’s a subscriber-only thing (it’s bound into the mag) or if it’s also available in the newstand/hobby shop edition as well. Would be well worth picking up.
American Model Builders (AMB) makes some very nice laser-cut structure kits that are nice, fairly easy to put together, and not as expensive as some of the other laser kits. Here’s a pic of their Dill’s Market:
Click to enlarge picture
They make a very nice Interlocking tower, too. I have one but don’t have a pic of it available to post.
Did the fence come as part of either this kit or another? Just curious, as I scratchbuilt one similar to go around a gas station on my layout. For those afraid of scratchbuilding, let me say this would be one of the easiest things to build. I used HO scaled lumber (Northeatern), laid out some layout lines on a large sheet of paper, and built away, using Elmer’s glue. And one need not be worried if things are a little crooked, it’ll just look that more authentic. Oh yeah, an NWSL chopper was instrumental in getting the many cuts done at the same lengths. Time consuming but worth it, and you can make it the size needed.
The Dill’s Market kit doesn’t come with extra details like the fence. Except for the first couple of their kits, AMB’s lazerkits are wonderful to build because the instructions are good and the parts fit perfectly. For extra details, however, you need to look to other sources. I’ve built Dill’s and several other AMB kits, including the complex feed mill.
You’re right. The fence does NOT come with the kit. I scratch-built it myself. And, I totally agree with you that it’s probably the easiest thing for anyone to scratch-build.
The other thing worth noting about laser kits that hasn’t been mentioned is that you can alter the “position” of each window as you please. The front right window on Dill’s Market is cut so that it looks like it’s partially opened. I think that really makes the structure less static in appearance. On my Interlocking tower, I cut a small corner off a piece of the window material (mylar) so that it looked like one of the window panes was partially broken out.
Like Simon, I really enjoy building laser kits. Next to craftsman kits and scratch-building, they are my favorite. [:)]
I too really enjoy the laser kits! I have built several over the last few years and have enjoyed them all. I have done several Branchline kits, Bar Mills, and American Model Builders. Great kits and you end up with some great bulidings for the layout!
I’d say go for it. I started building laser kits because they looked better than most of the similar plastic kits. They are fun to build and not as challenging as craftsman kits (IMHO anyway).
I started with AMB Laser Kits, and have a Bar Mills kit on order at the LHS to try something different. The instructions have been well laid out and easy to follow which is above and beyond what I have seen in some plastic kits where the directions are just an exploded view of the building.
Think of it as an investment in adding to your skill set as a modeler.
Several of you suggested that I pick up the current Railroad Model Craftsman magazine because of the insert covering laser kits. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but felt that the piece was a fluff piece and little more than an opportunity for them to sell more advertising. : (
I had hoped that there would have been some examples of kits, parts, etc… maybe even a step-by-step construction piece of a simple, “beginners” model. But all is not lost as I did find some other articles in the issue that I liked.
I’ve pretty much given up on the ALTO Tower kit… just can’t bring myself to pull the trigger on a kit at that price… at least not for the first one. Instead, I may try to build one from scratch using plastic siding & Tichy windows. I’m not going to go for the present day look as that would require about six different sizes of windows. From the pictures I took while we were there, I think I can certainly create something with the “look & feel” of that building.
Looking back at my laser kit experience, I realize that it’s similar to my “sound-equipped engine” experience. At first, I thought sound was a gimmick. But, after I bought my first sound engine, I was totally hooked, and I now consider sound to be a primary decision-maker. I’ve crossed the Rubicon. I’ve burnt my bridges behind me. I want sound. In everything. Believe it or not, I just ordered a kit to add duck and rooster sounds to my layout. That’s what it’s like.
Get a small laser kit. After you’re done, compare it with your best plastic kit. For the extra investment in cash and time, you will have a far superior model.
It’s the next step. If you’re thinking about a laser kit, you’re ready. It calls to you, like the gold coins in “Curse of the Black Pearl.” Your modelling will never be the same.
Click to enlarge picture