I just came across 4 Roundhouse/MDC Old Time (O/T) undecorated freight and reffer kits that I had forgotten I had. Purchased in 1998. The price on the box is about 1/3 of the price for similar items at a very large online hobby shop. Are the new Roundhouse/MDC kits significantly different or improved from 15 years ago or are they likely the same and current prices are just reflecting price inflation over that period?
Mike
there will probably less detail on the older ones, and you might have gotten them at a going out of bissiness sale or something… just my [2c]
New Roundhouse/MDC kits? For all practical purposes there is no such thing. With only a few exceptions, new products derived from MDC designs are only available ready-to-run. The new models are generally nicer with better paint and lettering and, in some cases, improved detailing.
As others may have pointed out, Athearn has taken over Model Die Castings line of rolling stock, at least in HO. AFAIK, they haven’t offered many of the former line in kits but rather have made some improvments and offered them in an RTR line. Prices have risen accordingly, especially anything announce from the former MDC line in the past year or so.
As for improvements, yes, most have improved by one degree or another. Some MDC items like the HO Thrall hi-side coal gon’s have improved a great deal and make nice unit trains. Same with the 5-bay Rapid Discharge Ortner coal hoppers have had new detail parts added like the hopper underbody details, separate grab irons etc. Box cars have been re-issued with more detailed styrups and improved paint jobs.
Check Athearns website under the “Browse Roundhouse” section to see the passenger cars.
I think the only changes with the 36’ boxcars and reefers is that the kits had thread to use for the trussrods, where the new RTR ones I think use wire; the wheelsets used to be plastic and I think now are metal; and the decoration on the new cars is quite a bit better.
Gidday, just out of curiosity, do the new RTR ones still have the cast metal under frame?
Thanks & Cheers, the Bear.
Here is the description for the 40’ Wood Reefer:
http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=RND85589
These are far to early for my 1965-1980’s modeling time frame so I don’t own any of the old style Round House cars kit or new RTR but Athearns website does show some information on the cars if you take the time to click on the car. Some have more information in the description than others so just click on the cars you are insterested in here:
http://www.athearn.com/Products/HO/Default.aspx
And select Round House at the bottom and which category you are interested in, Steam Engines, Passenger Cars or Freight Cars.
River City Railroad has been selling MDC kits for the past few years. I have bought some old time 36 ft boxcar kits.
No more metal frames the last time I ordered any. All plastic with metal plates for weight.
They also sell project lits. Undecorated stuff.
I will let you search out the site.
Rich
Yes, Athearn has made some incremental improvements in the MDC line as released in RTR. Except for the improved paint, you can probably make upgrades to the old kits as you build them. If you can paint and decal, then you’ve got little to gain with the RTR versions and would probably be money ahead with the kits even after adding better details, metal wheels, etc.
Plus you’ll have the fun of building it.
Agree with Mike, although availability of the model may determine whether you look for the RTR version or find an old MDC kit of the same car. As for fun of building kits, that may depend on whether the OP is like many of us who have more kits than we have time to build or whether he is just starting off and doesn’t have that to worry about! =P
Jim,
Fortunately, the MDC kits are…
Let me put it this way. I belong to a LandCrusier forum b/c I own one. When people get to talking about the mechanical skills needed for various mods and fixes, there’s a rating from one to four bananas, based on difficulty level. One banana is easy-peasy, while four bananas is something only someone with advanced knowledge and tools should take on. With my ace mechanicking skillz, hillbilly tool selection, and bad back, I tend to stick to two banana and below projects.
Unfortunately, the MR Forum smilie selection includes no bananas.[:(]
But if it did, MDC kits are about half-a-banana on average. Easy and quick to build. Of course, once you starting detailing, bashing, etc, the sky’s the limit, but when you’re having that sort of fun, time just slips away…
And becomes one long Zen model railroad moment.[{(-_-)}]
Thanks for the discussion. I was a bit unsure how to compare what I have with the cars on the Athearn website. The kits were purchased for use with some special run decals featuring early 20th century Texas railroads. Since then, I’ve narrowed the scope of my layout, and while these woould work, they probably would need to be pretty seriously ‘beat-up’ to fit my mid-century time frame. Not likely worth the effort, so I’ll probably get rid of them if I can find someone who can use them.
Good information.
Mike
All I want to know is can I have some of what you are smoking because to me kits have nearly always been a means to an end - to get a train car in a runnable form. I’ve never gotten that “high” or “in the zone” feeling from building them. Must be a brain chemistry thing - hydrocodone has done that for me when it was prescribed for post dental or post operation!
Mike, You really have to take the stuff Athearn has offered from MDC in RTR form on a car by car basis. To be honest, Athearn has improved everything they have gotten their hands on, but some things are only improved in that the paint job is superior but in other cases they have cleaned up or improved the molds and/or added more details.
For example, the 5-bay Ortner Rapid Discharge coal car had a whole new major detail part added to the underbody to complete the hopper discharge mechanism, as well as applied separated ladder grab irons to the sides. They are really nice compared to the k
hi guys
Hope this is not OT
Well I have some of the old MDC Devils Gulch & Hellangon cars four I think
I never seem to get to them to put them together and I enjoy kit making
Always some other kit seems more interesting or important at the time
A couple of questions I do have are.
Which Kadee or similar coupling is suited to these?
not a fan of horn hooks.
And can any one suggest suitable metal wheels, will the new Athearn ones fit the old kits?
regards John
Jim,Just about every Athearn exMDC modern boxcar has improved coupler boxes,wire grabs,metal walkover,smooth rolling metal wheels and other improvements.
There’s no real comparison between the old MDC kit and the superior RTR car-unless one likes molded on grabs,no crossover,plastic wheels,black stirrups etc.
Gidday John, Presuming that your kits have the cast metal frames, though it shouldn’t make a difference, I’ve used both Bachmann E-Z Mate Mark lls or Kaydee No:5s. I haven’t used any as yet but presume that the Kaydee No: 148 should also be suitable. No shimming was required between the truck and bolster to obtain the correct coupler height.
I am too miserable to change to metal wheelsets so unable to help there.
Cheers, the Bear.
MDC, shake the box kits. They bought out the old stock some years ago but I sometimes wonder if they are having this stuff made in China.
http://www.rivercityrailroad.com/
I like the undecorated rolling stock, project sets.
Rich
Old MDC was one of those rare companies that offered an HOn3 outside frame engine kit! (consolidation C-21 like) They included a slew of cool parts so that you could put the engine in any era. (diamond stack, shotgun stack, tool kit, spark arrestors, etc. NWSL made a gearing kit that made the engine viable. My old kit, which I plan to breathe a bit of life into, shows the complete engine was $32.95 when I bought it. They also offered a standard gauge shay for not much more. They looked and worked well in their time, especially if you got the NWSL gearing.
Die cast metal engine frames with brass bearing inserts and die cast tender base as well. All well executed in kit form.
Richard