[HO] Plastic caboose models

Now that Athearn is out of the kit business, who still makes [relatively] easy-to-assemble plastic HO scale caboose models?

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Dunno.
But you can still find plenty of unbuilt blue-box Athearn kits on Ebay, and they're still mostly going cheap.
~Pete

Mark Mathu wrote:
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Why do you want kits when you can get fully-assembled items for the same price?

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Speaking for myself:
1.) It's fun to build kits.
2.) It's a *lot* easier to kitbash when you're working from parts rather than having to deconstruct an already completed model.
3.) The same is true when painting/decalling rolling stock for a private (or unusual) road.
4.) When looking at something you built, you can tell yourself "I *made* that" rather than saying "I *bought* that"; which does not deliver the same sort of satisfaction.
I *do* draw the line at drop-forging my own wrenches, though.

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For my nephew, who is just getting into model building in the hobby.

Sounds like it is time for him to start building more complex kits. The B&M caboose of A,mbroid (if it is still around) is a good kit for more sophiscated building as those kits do go together well if you take your time. Also a trip to the Walther's website will show what is around for kits. Then again, I'd not worry too much about whether a model is a kit or RTR as I usually tore them apart and repainted them to my road and put good trucks and couplers on them to match the rest of my rolling stock. This usually included adding rear lighting to the cars with a switch underneath on the battery so that the caboose will have good steady lighting.
-- Bob May
rmay at nethere.com http: slash /nav.to slash bobmay http: slash /bobmay dot astronomy.net

wrote:
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Huh -- why would you say that? "more sophisticated building"?
He's just getting into model building and this would be his first car kit.

An assumption was made that he was already building stuff so the continuation of that is to get into more complex and sophicsated stuff. I'll note that there are a lot of car kits still being made that are not that difficult to assemble and it may be better that he tries them rather than building a specific car type. A trip to a good hobby shop will show a bunch of different cars that can be build and there is probaly going to be some of the old blue box Athearn cars still there. Besides, don't limit the kid, he may be capable of a lot more than you think;!
-- Bob May
rmay at nethere.com http: slash /nav.to slash bobmay http: slash /bobmay dot astronomy.net

On 4/30/2010 9:09 PM, Bob May wrote:
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Accurail and Branchline continue to supply decent, low cost kits as an alternative to discontinued models from other sources.

On 01/05/2010 02:04, Rick Jones wrote:
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But no cabooses.
wolf k.

On 5/1/2010 7:41 AM, Wolf K wrote:
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Bowser still has caboose kits available, though sadly they are limited to northeastern railroad prototypes.

On Sat, 01 May 2010 10:12:53 -0500, Rick Jones
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Yeah, Bowser seems to be the only manufacturer I've found. __________ Mark Mathu Whitefish Bay, Wis. The Green Bay Route: http://www.greenbayroute.com /

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Athearn?

On Sat, 01 May 2010 01:04:11 -0500, Rick Jones
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Do they have caboose models? I didn't see any on their web sites.
http://www.accurail.com / http://www.branchline-trains.com /

On 5/2/2010 11:31 PM, Mark Mathu wrote:
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I guess not.

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Go to google. Type in 'ho caboose kit'. Here's just one example:
https://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/amo/amo850.htm
Clearly not a shake the box kit, but something that could be assembled with a little care by most anyone.

On 5/3/2010 1:53 AM, Lobby Dosser wrote:
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True, there are the AMB Laserkits, but the OP was looking for plastic kits as the thread is named.

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And it's pretty well established there are None - with the exception of Bowser NE roads.

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http://www.athearn.com/Search/Default.aspx?SearchTerm=Cupola+Caboose+RTR&CatID=THRF
http://www.athearn.com/Search/Default.aspx?SearchTerm ºy+Window+Caboose+RTR&CatID=THRF
http://www.athearn.com/Search/Default.aspx?SearchTerm=Wide+Vision+Caboose+RTR&CatID=THRF

wrote:
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http://www.athearn.com/Search/Default.aspx?SearchTerm=Cupola+Caboose+RTR&CatID=THRF
http://www.athearn.com/Search/Default.aspx?SearchTerm ºy+Window+Caboose+RTR&CatID=THRF
http://www.athearn.com/Search/Default.aspx?SearchTerm=Wide+Vision+Caboose+RTR&CatID=THRF
RTR means Ready To Run. The OP wants a Kit.