Island Model Works Kits

[Lehmannmws82]

I have asked around, but no one ever seems to post a finished product, nor has much to say about building the kits. I really wouldn't mind a little tougher kit, be more of a challenge. It would be also nice to see the trucks, if anything, I know Kato now has some great wheel sets to use. Any help guys?

[daniel_leavitt2000]

In my opinion the kits are not a viable solution at this time. The castings are crude, to the point where some of my kits were missing basic details like steps. Resin shells don't fit the resin underframe. The "trucks"are simple metal lumps in the shape of a yoke. They are a complete joke and do not work at all.

Worse still is the two foot thick walls and poor proportions. For example, the Kawasaki bi level cars do not feature the inward taper along the bottom. Its almost impossible to file the shell correctly to add the taper.

[up1950s]

Click into my Picasa site below , then click into the LIRR folder , many finished models there . All needed lots of lots of work to adapt other parts to make them layout friendly . Not for un-seasoned modelers . 

[bigford]

ive built 1/24-1/35 resin models ranging from a few bucks to hundreds of
dollars and seen bad to great. I bought the LIRR passenger cars to
go with my proto2000 gp38-2 and with all the flash and air bubbles
and 2' thick window sills. these 7 cars sit in a box  never to be finnished

[Lehmannmws82]

Ugh... Well, so much for getting a few kits to play with. I thought if the trucks were that bad i can buy a few from Kato now that they have the new trucks..... What about N scale kits? any one have some good pictures of those assembled?

[Dave Schneider]

Click into my Picasa site below , then click into the LIRR folder , many finished models there . All needed lots of lots of work to adapt other parts to make them layout friendly . Not for un-seasoned modelers . 

Richie,
Very nice work, as usual. I have never seen these kits but to read what people say about them really puts your fine results into context. You are an exceptional modeler.
Best wishes, Dave

[up1950s]

Richie,
Very nice work, as usual. I have never seen these kits but to read what people say about them really puts your fine results into context. You are an exceptional modeler.
Best wishes, Dave

Thanks , it's not easy making a model with an exceptional array of delicate tools look like I used a tomahawk .

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Anyone interested in a pair of their SW1001 shells?

[daniel_leavitt2000]

No thanks, I already have two packages of marshmellows.

[sirenwerks]

No thanks, I already have two packages of marshmellows.

Am I missing something, 'cause Richie's don't look that bad. A bit thick in places (step sides), not Atlas quality, but not THAT bad. Someone having a bad day?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ha. Daniel's pretty spot on actually. Richie lipsticked the pigs really well. REALLY well. But even he admitted that they'll never run (unless you scratch build a mechanism for them out of unobtanium).

I was really disappointed when I got them.

Maybe someday I can do something with them.

[Mark5]

I have an odd assortment of resin shells that I obtained starting in the 1980s up through the early 1990s - all of which will never be completed.

The first was a TJ models hi-nose GP38(-2?) shell, which was good in many ways, but bad in certain ways that made me decide there was a better way (kitbashing injection molded loco shells).

The last were some NE style (aka Reading style) cabooses which were also on the crude side.

I've come to conclude that the resin stuff can work really well for some forms of rolling stock (FNS, Hellgate as examples), but I shy away from more complicated shells.

[Philip H]

Mark,
What's your loco shell inventory look like? While you may not use them, I'm starting to get more and more into loco modeling, and raw materials to hack away at are useful . . .

[Mark5]

Mark,
What's your loco shell inventory look like? While you may not use them, I'm starting to get more and more into loco modeling, and raw materials to hack away at are useful . . .

I have an assortment, some of which are earmarked to be used as test subjects for learning to airbrush. Is there anything in particular you'd be looking for?

[bbussey]

Resin castings will work, as long as the master they were cast from is of high quality.  Plenty of HO models based on esoteric prototypes are built from resin kits.  All the Fine-N-Scale models are proof that the process works when you start with a great master.