Hello. I've been lurking for a while, admiring both the cools toys that so many MLS people have, but also the impressive scratch building/kitbashing. I've joined the forum as my wife is 2.5 months pregnant, and it is my fatherly duty to provide the future kid with a large scale set for the Christmas tree.
When I was a little kid, my dad bought an LGB set for my brother and I...probably 1984. He also built a Don Winter gondola kit, built a semi-freelanced Colorado Central boxcar, and a nice bay windowed station. Therefore, I'll be taking my skills from On3 modeling to built...probably...a string of 23' colorado central flat cars...a station...and a few other items.
I've clearly seen that Fn3 modeling is a different beast than what I'm accustomed to in On3...both good and bad. So far I've priced out that 1 CC flat car's wood will cost me $20...using Kappler's scale lumber...and 3 would cost me a little less than $40...the decking being the largest percentage of the unit cost. I've developed the assumption that HLW is the cheapest source of decent wheels...and I'll be building my own trucks (something I already do in On3). The rest of the hardware will probably be mostly scratch built...as I build most of my own hardware in On3 already.
If the budget can afford it, I'll probably get an Indy and bash it into a CC Porter-Bell using the Masterclass info as a guide (those are some of the pretties engines I've ever seen...and so close to my primary interests). I'll also, probably, build a CC waycar...which is slightly different from the waycar Peter Bunce built. Lastly, depending on how things go...I'll build a model of a short CC coaches (3 or 4).
Long term (I'm 25...so long term is 30yrs down the road) I'd like to have a CC based garden railway...with the switchback...and a basement On3 layout from Gunnison to Hancock on the DSP&P.
Michael
When I was a little kid, my dad bought an LGB set for my brother and I...probably 1984. He also built a Don Winter gondola kit, built a semi-freelanced Colorado Central boxcar, and a nice bay windowed station. Therefore, I'll be taking my skills from On3 modeling to built...probably...a string of 23' colorado central flat cars...a station...and a few other items.
I've clearly seen that Fn3 modeling is a different beast than what I'm accustomed to in On3...both good and bad. So far I've priced out that 1 CC flat car's wood will cost me $20...using Kappler's scale lumber...and 3 would cost me a little less than $40...the decking being the largest percentage of the unit cost. I've developed the assumption that HLW is the cheapest source of decent wheels...and I'll be building my own trucks (something I already do in On3). The rest of the hardware will probably be mostly scratch built...as I build most of my own hardware in On3 already.
If the budget can afford it, I'll probably get an Indy and bash it into a CC Porter-Bell using the Masterclass info as a guide (those are some of the pretties engines I've ever seen...and so close to my primary interests). I'll also, probably, build a CC waycar...which is slightly different from the waycar Peter Bunce built. Lastly, depending on how things go...I'll build a model of a short CC coaches (3 or 4).
Long term (I'm 25...so long term is 30yrs down the road) I'd like to have a CC based garden railway...with the switchback...and a basement On3 layout from Gunnison to Hancock on the DSP&P.
Michael
