Hi again, everyone this is Robert with some news for you
about Walthers. Walthers is bringing back some older products from its
Cornerstone line. They are bringing back their Waterfront Series. There are
eight structures and a number of detail parts for this line. The company is
advertising a new product from Sylvan Models to go with their kits; it is a
Tramp Steamer in resin. There are a number of products that could be used with
these kits, to build a great piece of waterfront property. If you are modeling
an east coast railroad, this is some great stuff to add to your layout. It
would be perfect for building a downtown Baltimore port area addition. In
Walthers fashion the kits will work on a number of railroads, check them out.
I am good a finding deals, as you all may know from my tool
tips from past posts. I was looking at Walthers Flyer today and noticed that
they are having a sale. This is not news at all, because they are always having
sales. The savings on most of their products are not that big of a deal. They
have some savings that are a few dollars per item. This is good if you are
buying a bunch of stuff, every dollar helps, right?
Then I did a search on just structures from their
Cornerstone line. What did I find, you ask? I found a great big sale on their
Ashland Iron line. As you know some of these kits are hard to find in hobby
shops and when you do you break the bank with the purchase. I don’t know how
long the sale is on, but I know it is on today. These items had the
best sale prices that I have seen on the site in a while. It was not just a $5
discount or even $10, much better.
Regular Price - Sale Price
Hulett Unloader$186.98 - $99.98
Hulett Unloader$186.98 - $99.98
Rolling Mill $175.98 - $94.98
Rolling Mill $175.98 - $94.98
Coke Oven $142.98 - $77.98
Coke Oven $142.98 - $77.98
Blast Furnace $263.98 - $139.98
Blast Furnace $263.98 - $139.98
Blower Engine House $164.98 - $129.98
Blower Engine House $164.98 - $129.98
This is a great start to building a steel mill on your
layout. Walthers reports also that all of these products are in-stock ready to
be ordered. There are a few other structure kits that are on sale, some of the Ethanol products and the Transfer Table for your engine house too.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by, please do yourself a
solid and check Walthers out before these items are gone. These products are
perfect for those of you modeling the B&O or Pennsylvania railroads, any
place that steel was made.
Hi everyone, I would like to let you in on a few new
products in HO scale for 2013. I will be letting you know about my favorite
road, so don’t go out and buy all of them. So I can get them too. I am joking,
if you buy them up the company might make more. If you are a modeler or
collector of model railroad models then you will understand. If you were not a
modeler you would think that there is an endless supply of the models out
there. I am here to tell you that is not the case. Chessie System models are
some of the hardest to keep on the selves.
As you all know I am a big Chessie B&O fan. I have had
lots of trouble getting the models that I would like to have. In 2013 there are
a couple of great new Chessie models coming out. At least two companies have
new Chessie System locomotives coming out this year. So lets get to it.
First, Athearn has come out with its first catalog in over a
decade and it is not just a catalog it has prototype information in it too. I
remember in my youth Athearn locomotives were about 75% of my motive power.
They produce a great product; since the addition of sound, and DCC control they
are even better. The first new CS model is an Athearn Genesis GP9 Phase II
locomotive in Chessie paint. It will be available in March. There are several
road numbers and it comes with or without sound. These units will be B&O
and C&O with proper details.
The next new locomotive will be also a Genesis, a GP15T.
These will come in 3 road numbers and will all be C&O locomotives. They
will be all prototypical in detail. This locomotive is great for late Chessie
System modelers. The locomotive was delivered to the C&O in late 1982. This
loco would not work on my layout it is to new. These engines will come in DC or
DCC also.
The next company putting out some really nice CS locomotiveis MTH. We have a GP35 in CS paint that is in DCC/DCS and DCC ready. These
locomotives look great, very realistic. MTH is known for its large-scale
locomotives more then their HO, but these are amazing. These come in 3 road
numbers and they are my favorite road name B&O. I wish that I could buy a
fleet of this one. They also have a C&O and B&O GP35 in the classic
blue paint schemes
Both of these companies offer many other locos. Athearn has
a number of Union Pacific heritage units for sale that are popular right now.
In addition both companies offer some C&O and B&O EMD locomotives of
the early diesel units, like the F7 or E8. The F7 C&O from MTH is greatly
detailed. So go check them out.
This month I am
studying Product and Artist Management. I thought about many people saying,
that this hobby is dying. I don’t agree with that at all. I think things are
just changing, and many fear the changes. I was thinking; how do you manage a
product if there are no people to buy the product? This would be hard to do.
So, my blog post for this addition of the Trackage Video Blog will be about
ways to get youth into the action.
You all know my
story. My grandfather was an engineer on the B&O, and he started buying HO
scale trains for me when I was in the womb. He took me to see the famous 2101
Chessie Steam Special in 1978, and gave me a few up-close looks at a few GP
units. I even got to operate a B&O GP unit once, and a powered Budd car
too. This is what started me off on loving trains.
I have started to
do much of the same with my son, and three girls. I took them to see engine 765
Nickel Plate Road Lima Locomotive built Berkshire in action, and have taken
them to see the sister of the 765 the 779 in a park in Lima, Ohio. I also got
to take my son to see the Amtrak 40th
Anniversary Train. I also show him videos, and let him see what I am doing in
the hobby. I don’t know if it will be his thing; or not, only time will tell.
Now: let us take a look at some of the
products out that will help to get new modelers in the future. Kalmbach
Publishing Co; has a great idea to reach children that will one day be the
model railroad modeler, a magazine called Trains 4 Kids. This magazine has pictures of prototype trains and model trains.
The magazine has games and puzzles to play. It is much like a Highlights magazine that is about
trains. I think this is a great way to get some junior engineers started.
There are a few
kid friendly shows for the train-loving child now. First you have Thomas and the Chugginton shows. There has been a great Christmas movie done in
the last few years too, called The Polar Express with Tom Hanks voice as the conductor. My son loved the movie a
lot. My grandchildren like Thomas, Chugginton, and the Polar Express a lot too.
In the May 2012
issue of Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine there is an article called Kids and Model Railroading that may give
some tips on how to get kids involved in the hobby. Many train shows are now
offering small clinics for teaching children about modeling. There is now an
organization called Youth in Model Railroading that is just for kids. YMR is a bit like the National Model
Railroad Association for kids. I think that this is a great idea.
Without bringing
kids into the hobby there is no future for it. It is a good idea for the model
railroad industry to do what it can or the hobby will disappear. This will be
bad for modelers, and bad for the companies that make model railroad products.
If you are a modeler, railfan, or railroad worker get involved with some kids,
yours or someone else’s maybe both.
Hello, welcome to the Trackage Video blog my name is Robert
Reynolds CEO of Trackage Video. Today’s blog is about how to save you some
money on model railroad hobby tools Part 2.
Again I would like to say that in no way am I discouraging
anyone from buying products from any number of hobby tool suppliers. But if you
are like me on a limited budget I have built this presentation for you. This
month I am in Entertainment Business Finance, and thought how can I do a post
on finance for the Model Railroader well here you have it. Saving Money On
Hobby Tools so lets get started on part 2.
Last time we talked about several items that you will need
to do model railroad projects. I had said to you that next time I would show you
how to save money on some more advanced modeling tools. I have decided to go a
different rout for this post today, and show you some great deals that I found
on Amazon to help you save money on hobby tools. We will look for several products
on Amazon, and I will compare them back to some of the most well-known hobby
tool suppliers like Micro-Mark, ModelExpo, and others. So lets look at these
great deals that I have found to get an air-brush compressor, air-brush, and
paint booth all in one location for a lot less then getting them from one of
the for mentioned stores. We will need to pay a bit more then the $80.00 that I
mentioned in my first post. The reason is that I am going to find you an
airbrush compressor that has an air tank on it.
I have been using my tank-less airbrush compressor, and
finding out that it is very important to have a tank version. You can use a
tank-less but I think that a tank will work better. I have been working on a
model of a UP Big Boy, and had some problems with airflow of my paint as the
compressor started to loose air presser having a tank on your airbrush
compressor will fix this problem. We will need to make sure the compressor has
an air regulator too. There are air settings for different types of painting in
the hobby without an air regulator you only have one setting.
So this is what you need to do. First, log on to Amazon.com
then in the search bar type in airbrush compressor with tank as of today you
will get 276 results. The very first item that comes up is a great deal, and a
great compressor, and it comes with a free hose for $100.70 that is a good
price to a $265.00 Paasche at Micro-Mark. Lets keep looking to see if we can
find a package deal that comes with a nice airbrush to go with the compressor. So
you can find an airbrush, and airbrush compressor package for about $150 to
over $300 on Amazon even a Paasche that is like our first pick with an airbrush
for around $180 that is a better price that most hobby stores sell them for.
You can get a tank-less airbrush with a regulator for about $70. As I always
say shop around find the best deal. It is not always necessary to buy the name
brand most of the time the same company made the two anyway.
On to paint booths, and this one can be very ruff. I have
been having a hard time finding any paint booth that is less then $200 in a
hobby catalog, and I found some on Amazon that would work for small projects. I
am not sure how great some of these smaller booths would be for all model
railroad projects. I will show you what I have found, and tell you that you
could build your own booth to save money too. Again go to the search bar on
Amazon.com and type in paint booth then check it all out. The first one that
came up today is a small portable type that I was talking about. I am possibly
going to buy this product myself in the future. This one is $69.95 it has a
small turntable so you can rotate your project, and it comes with an air hose
to vent fumes to the outside. I would say that this would work for you to paint
your rolling stock, and locomotives but it is made from plastic, and I would
only use water-based paint with it. The solvent-based paint would most likely
eat away at it over time. On this same page you will find other paint booths at
some astounding expense several offerings over $200 to over $400.
I have found a nice airbrush on Amazon for you it is the Master S68
Multi-purpose Dual-action Airbrush for Auto-hobby-craft. It is being sold for
$28.96 this looks like a nice airbrush, and the cost is nice. Many airbrush set
can cost up to $100 or more. I know that you can get a nice double action
airbrush from Harbor Freight Tools also for about $20. I have these and they
work great.
I would like to tell you about a nice tool set that
I found so that you can have a nice rotary tool without having to buy it from
Dremel. If you can afford a Dremel rotary tool then go for it. I encourage you
not to buy cordless rotary tools I have lost two so far to date from battery
problems. One was a Dremel, and the other Chicago Tools version so one
expensive, and one cheap. If you do wish to spend top dollar on a rotary tool
buy a Proxxon instead of a Dremel this is my opinion take it or leave it. On
Amazon you can buy a rotary tool for just over $10 to over $150 but I found a nice
hobby package deal last time that I will now share with you from PJ Tool &
Supply a rotary tool set with other needed hobby tools for $44,50.
Set contains:
• Dremel type
rotary tool with 40 accessories and a heavy-duty carrying case.
•4 pc. Dental Pick Set
•5" Curved & Straight Hemostats
•Needle file set
•Riffler file set
•13 pc. Hobby Knife Set
•Head Magnifying Glass
•Inspection mirror
•Magnifier Tweezer Combo
•4 pc. tweezer set
These are some of the items that we talked about last time
with a rotary tool not a bad price.
I think that I am going to have to do a part 3 because this
post has gotten kind of long so next time I will get to the specific HO Scale
specialty tools.
Please let me know if you like this feature on the Trackage
Video Blog.
Hello, welcome to the Trackage Video blog my name is Robert
Reynolds CEO of Trackage Video. Today’s blog is about how to save you some
money on model railroad hobby tools.
First I would like to say that in no way am I discouraging
anyone from buying products from any number of hobby tool suppliers. But if you
are like me on a limited budget I have built this presentation for you. This
month I am in Entertainment Business Finance, and thought how can I do a post
on finance for the Model Railroader well here you have it. Saving Money On
Hobby Tools so lets get started.
The most basic tools that you may need are listed here;
hobby knife, needle files, screwdrivers, and tweezers, pliers, sprue cutters,
pin vise drill, and drill bits. You can get them from a number of suppliers. These
are the tools that you would need to build model railroad rolling stock. They
are needed to work on cars, and locomotives. Some of these tools would be used
to scratch build model railroad rolling stock, and locomotives as well as
buildings, and model scenery.
You can buy a hobby knife set from a handful of places. The
set shown in my video is a 33-piece set that has a plastic caliper, tweezers,
mini screwdriver, and a bunch of other things that will come in handy. The
price is about a dollar cheaper for more stuff at Harbor Freight Tools then the
set at Micro Mark. The set at Micro-Mark is only three handles with 13 blades
no extra tools. For a dollar less I would go for this set, and I did. This set
from Harbor Freight tools is only $15.99.
The set of diamond needle files costs $16.99 at Model Expo,
and at harbor Freight only $7.99 for 10 not 5. I cannot tell you if the files
are better at one place or not but you can buy almost two sets for the price of
one plus it is 10-pieces to 5. So you can get 20 for the price of 5 not a bad
deal at all.
There are two sets of precision screwdrivers the one on the
left in the video is $33.25 from Micro Mark, the one on the right $6.99 from
Harbor Freight. The one from Harbor is a 33-piece set in a case. There are a
number of different places to get this type of product. You can get them from
Wal-Mart, and Big Lots even. But even if I had the money I would never pay over
$33.00 for a set of screwdrivers to work on my car let alone on a hobby.
Both sets of the tweezers in the video are available at
Harbor Freight. The one on the left is a 7-piece set with three coated in
rubber so they can be used during soldering. This set is $3.99 compared to a
set of two coated at Model Expo for $1.99 a dollar each. The set on the right
is a 6-piece set of fine point tweezers for $5.99 as apposed to $21.75 at some
other retailers.
Both of the plier sets in the video are very similar to each
other. The 6-piece set in the presentation I have, and have had no problems
with them at all. They are made by Pittsburgh Tools, and have a limited
lifetime warranty. Are they better I don’t dare say but they are cheaper. There
is a second set that you can get from Harbor that has a pair of pliers that is
good for bending trip pins on your cars and locomotives that is about $3.00
that you could add with this set and have about all the pliers you need for
small jobs working on the railroad.
Hobby Town USA has Xuron’s sprue cutter for $13.49 and Micro
Mark is selling it for $17.95. This is not a really big difference but as you
add your tool costs up it will make them worse then they need to be. There are
several different kinds of sprue cutters. The one on the left in the video is a
tweezers type that is a good suggestion to have. This product from Micro Mark
is $18.75 if you need them you may have to pay this for them. I have not found
a cheaper alternative for this product at this time. I will keep looking, and
let you know.
I have an example of a pin vise drill in the video, and
micro drill bits used in modeling. The pin vise on the left is $4.00, and the
bits are $6.00. This is a good deal from PJ Tool & Supply. Micro Mark and Model
Expo plus a number of hobby shops sell this product for much more. They can
cost you $20.00 or more from some of the specialty stores. That covers the
basic tools to start you out.
So for the items that we covered already there has been a
big savings by shopping at Harbor Freight Tools, and by shopping around. If you
do not have a Harbor close to you then look for them online. You can shop
anywhere you would like to, but if you are on a budget I would look around
first. Buy shopping around I have paid
$90.18 for the listed items. I have showed you how to save $71.83. The average
hobby tool shop price would be $162.01, and don’t forget to add the tax to both
numbers. This is still a nice savings on hobby tools. You could buy a
locomotive for your layout for $71.83 and get change back. (Not a great one)
Not to mention like I said in the video some of these cheaper tools had more to
them then the expensive ones.
There are a number of other tools that you will need to go
into your model railroad toolbox. That is all for now next time I will tell you
about some more tools that you will need and want. I will help you find
airbrushes, and airbrush compressors at a great price. Then I will help you
find a good rotary tool without paying over $80.00 for it. We will look into
paint booths, and a few specialty items; like an N.M.R.A. HO gauge, an HO scale
ruler, some more tools that you can find at Harbor Freight to save money to buy
that Walther’s DCC Proto 2000 locomotive you wish to have on your layout. Till
next time, thank you for stopping at the station.
This is alist of
Internet sitesto buy your hobby tools,
and remember shop around. I will point out that sometimes buying tools from a
cheaper tool store may mean that it is not as good as the name brand. I am
giving you the best information that I can. All of the products that I have
listed here I do own. I have had no problems at this time.
