MBZ’s rectory is a sizable structure comprised of stucco and shingle roof, it features stalls for wagons.
Roof section arrived heavily warped which is straightened with triangular sections of cardboard found in the kit.
I was after a representation of aged tinted stucco which was achieved by layers of gouache watercolor. Dirt kicked up from the ground was applied with airbrush.
Parts with rough edges made during the laser process were smoothed over with glue and then painted.
Carriage stalls include open beam detailing plus cobble floor which I plan to allow viewing of after building is set on my layout.
Roof coloration involved much experimentation of layering various colors over a primer coat tinted with brown. Rubbing and dry brush supplemented heavier applications of paint. Roof was top coated using an airbrush of a protective finish of gloss varnish which noticeably popped the color. .
Stucco texture was accentuated by wet and dry brush applied to drying paint. Layers of colors were built up slowly and shading was added with a dark lavender color to suggest shadows around moldings.
Interior of building shows the simple and uncomplicated construction which owes to a less than precision kit with imperfect joints, but that could owe to the look of these buildings settling over time and age which is entirely subjective of course.
All and all an interesting kit but one you need to build without worry of perfection.
MBZ’s rather large 3 bay locomotive shed features an attached administration building. Entirely constructed of brick this kit is rather challenging to paint and assemble.
Very large siding parts in this kit arrived heavily warped which required a little patience but overall not a big deal, the curvature in the parts seem to curl due to the laser-cutting process owing to the nature of this kit. One part I was unable to correct, the long wall on the administration building was not designed with a second structural cardboard to laminate with, I would recommend fashioning a stiff cardboard and gluing it with this part before installation.
Roof sheathing for the whole kit was not included as depicted in the instructions thus raw cardboard was the only provided roof which on its own is hideous, I built the roof sheathing out of 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper that I sanded lightly and airbrushed gray/black. No roof ventilation was included so I used spare parts from the Archistories shed kit which is an area to improve on in the future.
Careful brushwork around windows and the added highlight in the bricks.
Wooden doors were painted out on back of administration building. This kit included brick overlay at corners, but my kit had damaged/frayed bricks so the result was okay.
The brick panels have a very interesting pattern brought out by applying color by brush in one direction (left/right) and another color angled up and down: crosshatch. I also applied a variety of colors to the window glazing.
You can only win at building MBZ kits by embracing color which has been layered.
I spent a considerable amount of time under-painting the front of the bays and doors with transparent paint gradually building up to more opaque applications. Doors are wood and accepted paint differently than the paper sections.
Doors feature common small brass hinges which in this kit are challenging to install, but the doors can be permanently glued in place as another solution, not many modelers need moving shed doors.
I airbrushed the glazing to give a hazy grimy look which will be nice to feature with interior lighting including a flickering red light to suggest welding.
Note: I glued a piece of gray paper to the underside after completing the kit, I found the structure to have a rather weak base, and I don’t plan to install it on a layout for awhile.
If you suffer through this kit like I did and complete the building perhaps you will find satisfaction for it on your layout, I like the end result, it’s unique with big scale suggested.
Siding: Reynauld’s in IL is the dealer for MBZ, they also sell everything you need to light this building too!
MBZ loco shed 16 103 features a single pair of doors thus this one bay locomotive shed is for the simple repair and storage of locomotives along a branch-line somewhere in Bavaria. It features timber construction and terracotta tile roof. Very attractive little shed with a workshop.
Foundation is cement outlining a long rectangle.
Here is a good MBZ kit to start with, but it too has it’s challenges namely with paint.
The sides of this building are heavily cut/engraved by laser leaving rather toothy edges in the paper stock, it is highly resistant to paint. Priming the parts as recommended for all kits is helpful, but airbrushing a color over the primer is what I recommend with this kit. If the paper fibers are course in an MBZ kit paint will be difficult with a brush, however smooth fibers such as the roof panels in this kit readily accept paint: persevere!
Building up layers of paint with a brush gives surface depth and depth of color versus superficial uniform paint: nobody wants to be superficial!
Window details with glazing attached are glued between framework side panels and outer detail side panels. Note: after the the initial structure is glued and standing on its own with glue dry and trusses in place but windows still at Home Depot spray paint interior black or graphite black by Krylon.
Doors are hinged in this model, but the solution is not that subtle: 2 small brass cabinet hinges glued in place between layers of card-stock. This is the first time I have encountered this type of hinge solution, initially I thought: UGH!, but after painting them they aren’t too bad; they are far more durable than other solutions and hardly noticeable with the doors open.
Using airbrush I applied a final acrylic varnish coat in matte finish to the sides and a semigloss finish to the foundation. Note: airbrush masking tape comes in a variety of widths, it is well suited to isolating areas to be painted either by brush or airbrush.
The roof is comprised of a chimney and 3 smokestacks made of wood, the kit included 3 printed paper caps for the stacks which I didn’t like and didn’t use. I built up layers of paint loosely mixed together to give a mossy and terracotta color. The protective coat on the roof is micro-crytstalline wax commonly referred to as “Renaissance Wax”, it was applied sparingly with my finger. Note: If using this product it is important to apply as sparingly as possible to avoid a waxy build up. Renaissance wax is a non-acidic/non-yellowing wax available at art supply stores.
Siding: Reynauld’s is the USA dealer for MBZ kits in numerous gauges and MBZ paints.
MBZ laser-cut building kits in Z are comprised of an extensive line-up with particular focus on Bavarian architecture including rural dwellings and railway buildings.
Based on real architectural prototypes the kits offer modelers an historical basis for layout design; they can be used generally for layouts with countryside scenes or inspiration for rigorously suggesting the topography and features of Bavaria and its branch line railways.
Included in this post is the Locomotive Shed Hofsteinach (MBZ Art.#16 057) Z gauge kit comprising two parts: administration building and attached 2 stall locomotive workshop. A late photograph I found for the prototype appears to show the building used late in life as a storage facility, evidence suggests it was not used with a turntable although a very simple one may have been employed at some point.
An introduction to these kits beyond historical perspective and including build quality leads to comparisons with other manufacturers of today’s laser-cut kits: Archistories and Faller. Each company has its own approach which is translated to each kit’s personality. Archistories kits are Prussian in basis and precision in nature from kit to completed building. Faller is rather more generic architecturally, and their kits sometimes could use a little more finishing, but the buildings are uniquely appointed with interior masking allowing nice details including curtains to be seen in buildings with interior lighting. MBZ kits have a personality uniquely their own, I have built close to 10 thus far, and each presented unique construction demands.
After opening an MBZ kit one will notice the uniform dark brown card-stock for the majority of parts, windows are separate fixtures on white cardboard. The card-stock is rather soft if compared with the card-stock used by Archistories, these parts also have carbon deposits left behind by the laser-cutting process: sometimes heavy. The kits also smell of burnt paper which is okay because it is rather subtle and one gets used to it. Large parts are also usually warped presumably due to the laser process. The downside to these kits are gluing, painting, and lightweight filigree parts such as trusses, but I hope to share my personal approach and help others build these kits satisfactorily because they are good kits.
Gluing: I use Noch 61104 glue because of its quick setting and flexible nature, it dries clear with a little gloss so don’t use it to fill gaps, gaps can be filled with brown tinted wood glue with better results. Before you glue to need to prep the parts to remove carbon deposits, manufacturer suggests sanding sponge or wire brush, but I use a paper towel and brush away the dust. Best use is made of gentle approach here. Note: youTube video posted by Reynaulds shows Thomas Oswald building one of his kits using UHU Hart glue which is an excellent glue but rather messy with strands that seem to pull away applicator after application.
Painting: MBZ kits are raw cardboard, they are not pre-tinted like Archistories and Faller thus painting is required. MBZ has a line of pigment paints which are applied with a sponge which are reasonably priced in kits, but I prefer using Gouache watercolor paints which I will ouline here. The first step is priming the parts before assembly and painting other parts before assembly. I use Gouache for several reasons: building up texture, quick drying, excellent color choices, and can be lightly sanded. Gouache is opaque watercolor which can be diluted with water for more transparency, it also mixes well with other colors. But as with certain other artist media Gouache needs to be protected by a final application of lacquer, I use acrylic lacquer applied with an airbrush. Lacquer comes in matte, semi-gloss and gloss, the choice for each is complicated by the fact that each will impart a different surface appearance but also and more importantly different levels of color saturation thus gloss will impart the colors with much more saturation than semi-gloss or matte. I also use the micro-crystalline wax by Renaissance which gives a waxy/gloss finish appropriate for textured surfaces, I don’t use it often but for those situations it is suitable there are no substitutes. Preparation for paint: first prime the parts thereby sealing the paper. Note: MBZ textured laser-cut parts for some reason resist paint, I found a drier paint (less water) was required, too much water in the paint pooled on top of the parts. I find MBZ kits to border on primitive, I embrace the soft edges of the paper parts and uneven color application therefore I have tended to use brush versus airbrush, it is a technique where I was able to control paint thickness and shading, but a combination of airbrush and brush should yield excellent results. With MBZ kits for me are about embracing buildings with age and years of history, I have found it better to push in the direction of defects than perfection with these kits thereby bringing to the surface years of use.
Very delicate filigree parts such as trusses are difficult to work with in MBZ kits, they are best to be glued to the roof panels before inserting into loco sheds as suggested by the manufacturers’ illustration which also serves as assembly instructions. Note: Instructions in the form of a short text accompanies a large illustration which I have found at times misleading and/or challenging to say the least, it is best practice to lay the parts out and try to understand fit and placement before gluing. Note: reread last note!
For each MBZ build kit I post now and later I will describe trouble spots with the kit in question and technique I used unique to that kit.
Loco Shed Hofsteinach: All in all a very good kit and equally nice building of medium size. Unique to the architecture of this building is scale, it looks much bigger than it really is which is a unique achievement praised in architecture. Construction of this prototype included brick infill siding with numerous windows framed in iron, stucco and shingle administration building. The kit included hinge design for the 4 large wood loco shed doors which involved super gluing a pin (nail) to the edge of each door panel, due to the thickness of the pin and securing the doors to it I chose to forgo working hinges and permanently glued the doors in place. Trusses are very nice in the kit, but they are very lightweight although prototypical in scale they are hard to work with, they should be glued to the roof panels before installing in building as suggested by the instruction’s illustration. Window panels are glued to the outside of the building’s framework and outer panels glued over top which is a little different from the other manufacturers.
I used the dry brush technique and build up color on the brick infill siding finishing with airbrushing a light spray of gray/black.
Door panels on loco shed were first stained with a brown stain followed by a wet brush of gouache with grimy black paint and finished with light airbrushing.
Roof panels were darkened with gray/black using airbrush. Note: manufacturer did not include smokestacks, but I will include those when the building goes to layout.
Adminstration building includes aged shingles and stucco. I came up with a color for the stucco I was happy with and added white charcoal powder for texture, this layer was followed by a slightly darker tone to suggest weathering, age and repairs.
Shingles were darkened with a light spray of gray/black. Foundations stones varied from one side to the next, I colored matched the administration building’s stone color for a uniform look around the building. Note: it is not uncommon for foundation stone color to vary depending on construction time-frame and changes made to original structure over time.
This very solid, designed and proportioned loco shed is a very good building for branch-line service.
Siding: only USA dealer for MBZ is Reynauld’s in Illinois.
The 2005 release of the Marklin T 9 tank locomotive painted and lettered for the Royal Wurttemberg State Railroad (K.W.St.E) featured a 5 pole motor and it was the first of its type for this railway produced in the mini-club line-up.
The 88952 produced in 2005 as a “one time series” celebrated “200 Years of the Kingdom of Wurttemberg.”
The Era I locomotive is appropriately coupled with Wurttemberg coaches: 80105, 8700, 8701, and 8739. Marklin’s recent release 5 coach set is also a very good choice: 87009.
Coach 8739 trails the T 9 with destination boards for Boll-Goppingen, its operating number E4 2733 was produced by Marklin from 1989-1998. Eleven years in production does not make this coach particularly rare, but this open corridor coach has been popular with modelers of early trains. Check out the next section detailing the relationship between this coach and locomotive.
Following years of innovation by modelers of Z one such development proved invaluable: marrying coaches with short locomotives. Locomotives of short length and weight have proven to be less than rewarding to operate on the mini-club layouts with turnouts and crossovers with their slight dip in power, short locos are challenged to pass freely through these track features, but one creative minded individual came up with a solution: wiring the axles of a coach to the leads of the locomotive thereby extending the length of the locomotive. In this case the 88952 with 3 powered axles has been extended with 2 additional axles. Wiring the coach involves some soldering and drilling with micro bits, but it is overall a fairly straightforward and easy repair the second time around, the first time should be counted as a learning curve. Adding an LED light panel at the same time is just a little more work. In this example a draw-bar was installed thus permanently coupling the loco and coach together. Performance for this type of locomotive is improved greatly.
Marklin’s very large laser-cut kit for the Hamburg Dammtor Station was broken into 2 parts on delivery and sold separately: station kit (89792) + bridges and arcades (89793).
The bridges and arcades modeled the elevated approach based on the prototype which includes shops and approach bridges. The shops portion of the kit could be built along one side of the elevation, but it did not include enough solid brick for both sides presumably giving a choice between dividing it 50/50 between the sides. Or the other option leaving one side complete and the second side un-decorated so to speak. If your layout includes 360 views perhaps finding a solution for completing both sides is for you as it is for me.
I have two complete kits including the one depicted that I will be using for a Christmas layout, this kit I divided the walling and shops equally between the two sides leaving large sections on both sides bare card-stock. What to do?
Archistories the company well documented by me on this site came out with a solution: “Masonry Slab Sheet” (ARC 806181), it simulates shaped and tinted concrete or natural slab rock. In the case of the Marklin 89793 in will provide natural stone retaining walls extending past the arcade shops. Installing on a layout will require a smooth transition from masonry built elevation to natural fill elevation. Photos are readily available on-line to view the Hamburg station as it looks today.
Note: my photos show installation of sheet sections directly to the original unfinished sides, but after completion I may redo the attachment after installing a thicker base perhaps 1/16″ inches. Projecting the slab stone out from the sides a little maybe much more natural in appearance.
The height of the elevation is 1 1/8 inches thus one sheet of Archistories ARC 806181. There is a correct orientation to the sheet with top and bottom either end of the vertical sheet, further the vertical sheet has a top and bottom which can be delineated after careful observation.
Faller’s recent release laser-cut kit is a town building which further builds on this company’s foray into high quality building kits: Quakenbruck Town Hall. Texture and color seem more realistic in card-stock versus plastic owing to the popularity of this building kit type with today’s Z modelers.
Featuring fine architectural details including clear-story above door followed by further embellishments accentuating central tower structure, building is further sheathed with terracotta tile roof and patinated copper. The strong structural look of this building results from the masonary construction and simple 4 corner design wrapped by blocks.
Included with the building is a very nice accessory statue made of cast resin which sits atop a card-stock pedestal. The statue depicts a rather familiar hero of liberty with sword in one hand and flag in the other.
Putting the kit together is a rather quick and easy affair with few visible seams in the finished building. One odd exception should be made with the kit: the finished roof is attached to the finished base versus building the structure up and attaching roof sheathing at the end. This method of assembly does not allow gluing within the building, it must be applied along the outside seams: not a big deal except the two pieces required a bit of wriggling to attach.
The lovely statue arrives attached to its casting sprue with a dark red natural color. It was easy enough to cut the statue away from the sprue and gold metallic paint worked well to paint it. The pedestal could be a candidate for painting as well.
Overall a very good new building kit by Faller which features their signature window masking plus excellent packaging and instructions.
The recent release by Archistories is a neo-Gothic church solidly built of stone, leaded and stain glass at least for the prototype, its interpretation into Z scale is rather remarkable with an overall height of 4 1/2 inches x overall length of 4 1/2 inches.
A lovely 19th century church dedicated by namesake with Pope John Paul II is every bit as charming as its real world counterpart existing in same form throughout Europe and America.
A large bronze bell can be peered through slats in the clock tower below the gilt weathervane.
Intricate window moldings are assembled without glue owing to the high degree of design and precision found in Archistories kits. Simply put: printed mylar suggesting lead glass or stain glass is popped into each window opening followed by likewise installing moldings lastly followed by tiny bit of glue on the exterior framing surrounding each window.
Light naturally falls in and around the building further highlighting the architectural details.
The smallest details are found with the separately applied strap hinges on the real wood doors.
Although small in size this kit will take the better part of a day to assemble as it combines layers and layers of detailing all but vacant in other manufacturers’ kits.
Key features of this kit are the very well produced and illustrated instructions which are meant to be followed in order. Please note: part ‘B’ which there are 4 total appears on two parts sheets and careful to glue on clock faces in correct orientation.
Sweden’s early L5 steam locomotive featured a jack-shaft similarly found on other early locomotives including the Bavarian electric locomotive EP 3/6. Following up with a follow-up to another follow-up is the progress report on the FR build kit 46.140.91: SJ’s L5 locomotive.
Out of production again this build kit is very challenging, it took me two kits to get good results, but never having built an FR loco kit before I chalked up the first as a learning curve for this and other FR kits. Note: kit has not been available twice thus far, but it is still featured on FR’s website: if you are interested let Harald know, he maybe planning a third release.
The kit comes with everything except the chassis and motor assembly, that is found by buying a second hand Marklin version 8895 tank loco, I will be using the SNCB or SNCF version due to the black spoke wheels. Adapting the Marklin chassis to the finished shell will take some pre-planning, and I will be covering this topic in a future post. For now I will be giving details on the project from the standpoint of completing the shell and tender.
Photos include Marklin 88951 tank loco chassis (top) and shell (bottom) with assembled FR L5 shell in middle of picture.
The materials include laser cut nickel silver, stainless steel, cast plastic and cast pot metal for boiler.
The tender is designed with pick-ups to add 6 additional conductive wheels which are essential with short steam locomotive types. Metal sheet parts were soldered while handrails and buffers were epoxied in place. Plastic castings are epoxied on side of truck frame after customizing their shape to fit with top shell of tender, I found the Dremel tool handy for this task.
Note: wires sticking out of tender are attached to mini circuit board that connects to wheel pick-ups. These same wires will be soldered to pick-ups on motor during the final assembly stage.
The locomotive is made of up cast metal boiler, nickel silver parts and stainless steel. Cabin: roof is rounded around a very small wood dowel, soldered along with the other parts and ground to make a perfect round shape with Dremel tool. Small roof cap is added at the end of assembly. Stainless steel add-on parts are epoxied in place. Boiler: smooth out underside of casting as needed, pre-drill buffer holes and mounting screw (shell to chassis screw) as per included instructions and epoxy latter in place. Note: all parts attached to boiler should be epoxied, solder will melt the pot metal casting! Ladders and handrails are stainless steel and resist soldering thus epoxy these parts in place. Note: a variation of the 1st batch of boilers and this one includes new placement of the smoke deflector brackets which in this version is much better.
Finishing: best painting results are with airbrush (15-20psi) using water based paints starting with primer followed by two light coats of top coat followed by protective coat of water based primer. Headlamps are painted last with tiny drops of white paint applied with pin. Some touch-up with a fine brush maybe needed so add a brush to the tool kit for this project.
Putting the finished shell and tender with Marklin ready made chassis and motor will require some disassembly of the side rods and riveting a jack shaft in place as is found with the prototype, but knowing the most difficult task is yet to be I am finishing another project before tackling the final stage of constructing the L5.
Essential equipment: -Dremel tool with grinding and drill bits -fine paint brush -airbrush -soldering iron with fine point tip -5 minute epoxy -water based paints
Siding: old Kodak plastic 35mm film canisters work great for paint mixing and storage
The German type Gbls boxcar has been modeled in all scales as it is an important freight car commonly used for many years in Europe. A good solid construction and design make this a long lasting boxcar that travels throughout much of Germany and its neighboring countries.
FR has had their version in Z featured on the FR website for sometime thus it is available to order today. It features full medal construction, marklin couplers and modern updates to the prototype featured in the model: 46.815.01.
FR’s German made Gbls is modeled on Era IV for the SJ.
The obvious attention to detail and prototypical accuracy sets FR’s offering apart. Separately applied details include handrails, brakes and ladders. The undercarriage includes detailing as well along with the FR logo. Handmade in small batches FR’s offerings are highly collectible. Check out the big round brass buffers!
