Five Dollar Model Link?

On Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:01:19 -0400, Dan Merkel posted in article ...

Your bridge is at

No, but I think it's a great idea. MR has some lovely stuff, but they keep pushing the high end. For a *long* time, I've been meaning to write an article to submit, about three buildings I built with a $6 model (Lifelike?) general store: one as intended, one as a one-story house, and one as one with two dormers.

mark

Thanks! That's it.

dlm

Mark,

Why don't you share your ideas with us? I'm always looking for some cool kitbashes. I was hooked on Art Curren's projects and I think I've built most of them. I've also used his techniques to come up with a couple of my own.

Come to think of it, Art's son used to be a part of this group but that was a long time ago... : (

Do tell......................................

dlm

They love that stuff.

Only thing is, those models don't cost $6 any more... ;-(

Sure. I'd have to go through my catalog, or down into the storage room in the basement to see the exact model, but... Model Power, maybe? It's the cheap general store. For the second and third model, I built one with no dormer, and no back ramp, and the other with both dormers, so that it looked as though the roof had been raised, and again, no back ramp. So, two very different houses, residences, but obviously in a similar style for the area that located them.

mark

You're right. I think it's gone up to $8.

mark

I did three plate girder bridge sections for less than a buck. It took all day which posses the dilemma of being to cheap for all that time spent. The bridge sections were use as a false front to hide the plywood edge of some upper right-of-way. See it at,

Henh. I always wanted to write an article for _Model Railroader_ entitled "Cheap, Too!" (in re their slogan "Model Railroading is Fun!"), documenting a 1'x8' HO layout I had back in the 1980's, using brass sectional track a couple of random locos, and mostly Tyco cars that I'd weathered and outfitted with body-mounted Kadees. Some other time.

Meanwhile, in the spirit of this particular thread, here's a link to a site describing some of my N-scale structures, with photos. The first two are scratchbuilt, and two others I built from downloaded paper "kits", reinforced with basswood or cardboard. (It also includes a few inexpensive and simple plastic kits, too.)

Sounds like you got a lot of modeling value for the less-than-a-buck that you spent. Time spent modeling is time well spent, sez I!

Check out the latest prices of Lifelike, Model Power, and other "cheap" plastic kits.

Sigh.

Still'n'all, these are still excellent sources of building materials. ;-)