Your first Archistories building kit has arrived: each comes in a small box or heavy cardboard envelope with an instruction booklet and multiple laser cut sheets of various colors. Some kits even come with electric motors. This kit is the Sanders water tower which can be used for both American and European prototypes, it features timber construction and open fret framework.

A special note about these kits: I have never found a typo or mistake in any of the construction booklets and the step-by-step instructions if followed in order will provide the very best results.

Assembly time varies from kit to kit: rough estimate 3-8 hours depending on building. But when the building is assembled it is done because the beautiful coloration has already been dyed into the laser cut sheets. I plan to experiment with adding weathering to these buildings stay tuned for those results.

An assembled Archistories building is like a Marklin train, you will end up holding it in your hand turning it around and admiring it for its beauty and detail, and your significant other will have a new found appreciation for your skills.

Excellent photographs of each building currently available depicted in stunning layout vignettes:

http://archistories.com/

Each building is now currently available in the USA from Anthony at Z Scale Monster. A feature of this website shows difficulty level on a scale up to 5 stars being most difficult. A good kit to start with would of course be a 3 star kit. I have first hand experience with these kits, and I will be posting what I hope will be helpful pointers.

http://www.zscalemonster.com/

I will be devoting a number of posts to an essential Z scale manufacturer from Germany: Archistories. Why? Because they are thoughtfully designed, fun to assemble and look like real buildings. And detail rich Z scale locos and cars are fully complemented by the equally detail rich buildings, gantry crane, and windmills produced by Archistories. Buy one kit and you will be hooked as I was several years ago. Now they are easy to buy from Z Scale Monster Train.

I have purchased all of the Archistories building kits, and I have built each of them sometimes in multiples. Getting started is easy, and the tools required are more than likely already in your toolbox.

Here is my list of tools:

1. freezer paper: I cover my workspace with this material available at any grocery store, the shiny side up surface is impervious to glue and allows the materials to be moved around easily

2. nail file: available also in the cosmetics aisle of any grocery store (mildly abrasive for smoothing rough edges on the card board super structure)

3. tweezers of various sizes: I use straight and angled tweezers you will understand why as you proceed with more intricate kits, plus choose tweezers that are comfortable: some have a stiff spring that I don’t think are well suited to holding fine parts. And a pair with rubber coated prongs will help keep parts from being damaged although good finesse will negate the need for these which can be hard to find on a good day

4. Xacto knife or other cutting tool:  I use razor blades that are conventionally used in paint scrapers, carpet knife and mat knife for thicker material, and sometimes a small pair of scissors available again in the cosmetics section of your local grocery store

5. heavy cutting mat: self healing cutting mat is highly recommended and is available at sewing, craft and art stores

6. glue for buildings: the manufacturer recommends wood glue, but I prefer PVA glue which is available at art supply stores (I bought mine from Dick Blick), it is a glue that is described as an archival neutral ph glue, but I like it because it sets up fast and dries fast. I have used glues like this for many years, and I would only recommend it after personal experimentation: it may not be to everyone’s taste or comfort zone.

7. glue for glazing: two options for gluing glazing to windows: 1. rough up the surface of the acetate that you will be applying white glue to, this technique gives more surface area for the glue to adhere to on a microscopic level otherwise the acetate will eventually fall off  2. UHU Kraft (I bought mine on Amazon) which is a flexible and super sticky glue that sets-up fast (working with this glue gets easier over time). I prefer the latter because the bond seems more permanent.

8. glue applicators: sewing pins and toothpicks for most detail work (apply little dots of glue when applying sills or other small details, a small brush for small panels and moving glue around openings, medium flat brush for roofing material, and syringe with very small diameter for filling gaps (I only used this once for each of the station kits where the platforms meet up with the building). *Note: a little glue goes a long way and keeping glue away from edges is the best resolve, although these glues are water soluble you will end of with staining on the paper if you try to remove spillage. And keep hands clean from glue and grease

9. magnifying goggles: extremely important (always wear: preparing parts  to assembly!!!!!)

10. light: a good even bright overhead light (natural light does not work for this task: a shadow could throw off leveling a small sill)

I recently wrote an article for ZTrack Magazine whose purpose was to introduce  Archistories of Hannover, Germany to Z enthusiasts in the United States.

This article appears in the July/August 2015 issue of ZTrack Magazine:

Several years ago Marklin released 89796 and 89797: two building construction kits of the theme “The Plant.” Anyone who purchased these sets including myself may have longed for more of these high quality buildings for their layout. Nearly five years later more are available for collectors in the United States at Zscale Monster Trains. Archistories of Hannover, Germany produced the 5 industrial manufacturing buildings for Marklin’s two sets comprising “The Plant” which also included two heavy duty flat cars with cast truck loads. Archistories worked with Marklin’s budget to produce these high quality detail rich buildings, which contrast nicely with the architecture of those now available from this company in the United States. Most Archistories buildings are modeled on late 19th and early 20th century Prussian architecture including two versions of a train station, train sheds, water towers, expandable roundhouse, railway house, gantry crane and 4 Swedish design cottages. Plus an exciting newly released operating windmill complete with drive mechanism. Archistories kits feature excellent step by step instructions which should be carefully examined before assembly, superb quality laser cut card stock yielding the very best available surface texture and detail using professional architect software ArchiCad. The tools required to build these kits are more than likely already in the tool kit of most z scalers: headband magnifier, tweezers, hobby knife, scissors, glue applicators: brushes and toothpicks, nail file, and glue. Having experience with these kits, I have become increasingly impressed with the consistent personality of them: each kit basically follows the same procedure of building out from a heavy cardboard superstructure whose pieces snap together precisely, the outer layer of stucco, brick, and roofing are glued onto this superstructure, and finally details are applied including sills and architectural ornaments. Another highlight of these kits is the attention to detail including interior partition walls and trusses installed realistically in the locomotive sheds, the Torrnstein signal tower even includes hand throw levers on the 2nd floor. The partition walls allow for realistic placement of interior lights thereby lighting specific rooms in a house for example. Plus some of the kits allow for variation in construction thereby allowing multiple versions of buildings. Intelligently designed architecture for z scale, Archistories offers another choice for the z scale modeler.

-Gary Graves