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Post by dave on Sept 25, 2017 12:39:16 GMT -5
I have been reading some of the threads about structures and am wondering what structure kits out there are most to scale. I read where one brand is more to scale for the houses but not the commercial buildings. A couple of years ago, I bought a couple of laser kits from a local guy and they are not in scale in relation to each other. I figure before I build any more, I may as well get some kits that are to scale. If people have built kits, please list the exact kits and how close they are to 1:220. Thanks for your help.
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Post by neverland on Sept 25, 2017 20:18:01 GMT -5
Are you most interested in railroad & industrial structures, cityscapes, or shops & rural structures?
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Post by dave on Sept 25, 2017 21:15:15 GMT -5
Probably smaller buildings as the layout isn't very big.
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Post by neverland on Sept 26, 2017 5:12:26 GMT -5
Probably smaller buildings as the layout isn't very big. My layout is 2' X 4' with a dog bone oval & station siding set in rural 1938. My small town is comprised entirely of Micro Structures shops & townhouses. My farmland & rural countryside structures are mostly Stone Bridge models whose scale matches Miller's brass pieces beautifully. I have one structure by Nansen Street Models that also goes well scale-wise with my Z trains. I really like how the Archistories models go together but they run a tad to the large size. I found that GCLaser models are all over the place. I built his barn & silo & found it looked like N scale compared to everything on my layout. Conversely, RSLaser kits are often much too small, even in the background & I personally found them too flimsy to assemble. A highly experienced modeler might say otherwise. Hope this helps. |
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Post by ztrack on Sept 26, 2017 7:29:41 GMT -5
For US structures, check out Showcase Miniatures. They are offering some amazing kits and accessories for Z, all too scale. Here is the link: www.showcaseminiatures.netI am a big fan of their work. The O H Wright & Co kit was just released this month. You may also want to take a look at Bob Mitchel's kit reviews in Ztrack. If there is a particular kit you are interested in, Bob may have reviewed it. He offers great analysis and tips on building Z scale kits. Rob |
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Post by strummer on Sept 26, 2017 9:43:51 GMT -5
Probably smaller buildings as the layout isn't very big. Conversely, RSLaser kits are often much too small, even in the background & I personally found them too flimsy to assemble. A highly experienced modeler might say otherwise. Although I've been in the hobby for many,many years, I have only recently switched to Z scale, so I'm no "expert". I did just this past week complete the building of the RSLaser kit #4031 "Cape House". I found the parts to be very well made, easy to piece together (I really like the self-adhesive backing) and it made up into a very nice little structure. I have no doubts I will be buying more from this maker. FWIW. Mark in Oregon |
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Post by smr on Sept 26, 2017 14:57:18 GMT -5
Probably smaller buildings as the layout isn't very big. I really like how the Archistories models go together but they run a tad to the large size. I found that GCLaser models are all over the place. I built his barn & silo & found it looked like N scale compared to everything on my layout. Conversely, RSLaser kits are often much too small, even in the background & I personally found them too flimsy to assemble. A highly experienced modeler might say otherwise. Hope this helps. I am tending to use more and smaller (but perfectly to scale) buildings lately, since they appear to give the layout more volume and the illusion of a larger size. An example:  On Niles I did the "mistake" of constructing a building with a larger footprint, with the consequence that no other building fitted on one third of my whole layout. With a trick, namely a lot of trees, nearly a forest, I could place an optical separator between the building and the small village with its small, otherwise the big warehouse would just have been too dominant for this small layout. But see yourself;  |
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Post by strummer on Sept 26, 2017 15:01:50 GMT -5
Gawd, that is some beautiful work!  Is the large structure in the 2nd photo one of MTL's "boat works" kits? Mark in Oregon |
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Post by smr on Sept 26, 2017 17:28:59 GMT -5
For illustration of what I mean, here the small village "Niles" in full length,....  ....and nearly as a topic / layout on its own the "warehouse island"  Best, Sven |
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Post by smr on Sept 26, 2017 17:41:52 GMT -5
Gawd, that is some beautiful work! Is the large structure in the 2nd photo one of MTL's "boat works" kits? Mark in Oregon Thank you, Mark, Yes, that is one of MTL's kits. There are many more, see below.....  One can use them nearly everywhere - highly recommended! Best, Sven   |
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Post by zscalehobo on Sept 26, 2017 17:50:14 GMT -5
I really like how the Archistories models go together but they run a tad to the large size. Do you mean that they are in scale but just big buildings in general? Archistories do have two different smaller houses (one with 4 different color variants) and just this week they released a 2-building set, farm house with barn, in the timber and red brick designs: www.zscalehobo.com/archistories/405171.htmlwww.zscalehobo.com/archistories/406171.html |
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Post by smr on Sept 26, 2017 18:07:55 GMT -5
RE: Neverland "I really like how the Archistories models go together but they run a tad to the large size. " Do you mean that they are in scale but just big buildings in general? Archistories do have two different smaller houses (one with 4 different color variants) and just this week they released a 2-building set, farm house with barn, in the timber and red brick designs: www.zscalehobo.com/archistories/405171.htmlwww.zscalehobo.com/archistories/406171.htmlI don't think so, Frank, Archistories buildings are perfectly on scale as these two beautiful pictures by Dirk Kuhlmann may illustrate.   I can strongly recommend using them, have a look at the other buildings as well. The water mills are perfectly suited for kit-bashing...... Take a look at Dirk's web page and you will find a lot of ideas how to customize Archistories kits to your needs. www.helenensiel.com/HomeBest, Sven |
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Post by neverland on Sept 26, 2017 18:26:26 GMT -5
I really like how the Archistories models go together but they run a tad to the large size. Do you mean that they are in scale but just big buildings in general? Archistories do have two different smaller houses (one with 4 different color variants) and just this week they released a 2-building set, farm house with barn, in the timber and red brick designs: www.zscalehobo.com/archistories/405171.htmlwww.zscalehobo.com/archistories/406171.htmlOh, they are in scale for sure & match well with other structures. Their houses in 4 different colors are a dream to assemble but do have a large footprint. I have two on my small layout & I really like them! I ordered them from you after all! 😆 |
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Post by neverland on Sept 26, 2017 19:30:02 GMT -5
To clarify, many of the Micro Structures are tall (often 3 levels) & narrow. On the other hand Archistories tend to be no more than 2 stories with a larger foot print. If you have limited space, you can either use just a few Archistories buildings or in the case of Miller's downtown buildings you have the option of pushing them together and get several in the same space. It's all a matter of personal taste.
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Post by shamoo737 on Sept 27, 2017 10:47:44 GMT -5
You can get structures from different sources, but you do have to integrate them.  |
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