MBZ Pump Station and Water Tower are good examples of those used in Germany, both feature brick construction and tile roofs. Built alongside rail yards and residential buildings water towers are abundant and variously designed throughout Germany. Pump stations provide the water and water towers pressurize the system through gravity feed.
The pump station by MBZ is the only one of its type offered for Z scale, it is a very good kit with construction challenges due to its small size: corners are a little tricky to join. Other manufacturers’ kits start with stiff cardboard frames glued to finely detailed outer wall and roof parts, MBZ kits rely on thick side walls and roof parts to be all-in-one parts which are much more difficult to secure and finish with sharp corners as with examples in this post.
MBZ Water Tower 16093 is of a rather plain construction but features nice brick embellishments. Corners do not go together easily with this kit otherwise it is an easy kit to build.
Available at Reynauld’s 16092 (Pump Station) $16.84 and 16093 (Water Tower) $33.23
Siding: MBZ HO kits may vary greatly from their Z gauge kits featured in this blog.
Accessorizing MBZ’s farmsteads and rectory might include their bee house and bake oven: 16133 and 16175.
These great little stand alone structures and very easy to build, but you will need tweezers and patience. I pre-painted the parts due to the small size and followed up at the end with some touch-up painting.
The bee house is accessed by a door on the back wall, but it can be married to a barn if desired: many were. Stone foundation was painted with dry brush.
Brick ovens were built for large houses or production baking of other sorts including the commercial enterprise of a local baker. Although it could be used for general baking and roasting they were generally used for bread baking. Building a fire to heat this large oven was impractical for a small farmstead, but infinitely more practical for MBZ’s Rectory (R16089) who’s retired priests and ministers could find comfort and reflection baking loaves of bread for their community.
Available at Reynauld’s 16133 (Bee House) $7.39 + 16175 (Brick Oven) $16.16
Hohenberg House designed to be a multi-family dwelling or shop and dwelling with stucco construction and mansard roof further extends the MBZ rural offerings.
Kit was easy to assemble with the exception of the dormers which were challenging to seat in roof panels. Note: imperfections are part of the charm of MBZ kits and wonky dormers are part of that charm.
The recent release 88001 steam locomotive continues Marklin’s limited release Museum locomotive series this time based on the class 80 steam locomotive in Bochum-Dahlhausen Museum’s collection.
Housed in a wooden box the locomotive comes with a numbered certificate with stated limitation of 499. Locomotive features photo-grey paint scheme with operating number 80 030.
The class 80 locomotive is a tank locomotive: coal bunker is behind the cab with water tanks welded to the sides. The model features the new generation brush-less motor and finely detailed running gear. Locomotive features metal construction with fine detailing, glazed cab windows and LED lights.
Marklin 88001 leading train of 8661 cars variously lettered SMI’s
Built in the late 1920’s for switching/shunting work, class 80 030 was built by Hohenzollern, its service life extended nearly 50 years retiring as an industrial switcher for the coal mining industry.
Marklin 88001, Marklin 8661 SMI cars variously lettered, and Archistories “Makeshift Yard Tower (111181)”Marklin 88001 leading train of Marklin SMI 8661 car types produced in 1996
The large building kit 16071 includes 4 buildings including barns and farmhouse. This very interesting MBZ kit includes 4 buildings also available separately with open frame/stucco construction farmhouse, stucco barn and two random rubble stone foundation barns. Two barns: one small and one large stored hay, feed, equipment and the occasional member of this farm’s livestock community. Roof color was applied with dirty sponge and pigments. Stone foundation was painted using dry brush.
MBZ 16071 (farm house)
Multi-generational farmhouse with shuttered windows and flagstone open porch is at the center of this farm complex. Stucco was painted with white pigment mixed with yellow pigment followed by light dusting of dry gray pigment to weather and age stucco.
MBZ 16071 (barn 3)
The small storage barn or shed is comprised of stucco, its use was determined by what needed to be stored whether equipment, feed or ciders. This kit is less detailed than the other three so details could only be suggested by paint. Stucco treatment included few areas of repairs to show age, it would have been slightly less maintained than the main house structure thus keeping it water tight was enough maintenance. Presumably the first building erected on this farm perhaps starting out as a barn/farmhouse combination, it may have been used for numerous activities long before the large barns and farmhouse were built.
MBZ’s ‘rural’ structures include houses, barns, farmstead out-buildings and granary. It is an extensive line of rural structures based on German prototypes which in some cases can be adapted to fit an American themed layout. In some cases German prototypical barns moved to the United States with little variation from those found in Germany. The long history of European immigrants settling in the United States have expressed influence in many ways and combinations thus looking for interesting buildings for American layouts could thus be found within MBZ’s line-up.
An older design granary used for storing animal feed or grain is a striking example of a rural German structure used for the same purpose as American grain elevators, but this one based on a late 19th century structure stored bagged grains and feed versus silo storage featuring automatic chute feed. This granary was a centrally located storage facility located near a siding supporting numerous local farms.
Built using MBZ ‘Pigment Starter Set’ (R72217) and Noch Laser-cut glue.
Note: smokestack was not included with kit, I made it using polystyrene tubing. I did not install dormers, I liked how it looks without them.
Two buildings from MBZ’s large farmstead kit 16071 comprising farmhouse and 3 barns including one with an apiary.
MBZ building kits are German inspired architectural forms available in multi-scale kits including an extensive line-up in Z. Building and finishing a kit has unique challenges that are quickly overcome after constructing a kit or two. Included in this post are a few notes I hope are helpful for successful building.
MBZ kits are automatically age old buildings with history time-stamped into their design and fabrication. Giving a model building history through weathering and aging is easy with MBZ, each kit starts out with a baseline moment in time at least 50 years ago. Adding more use and age to the look of a building is up to the modeler: perfect kit buildings for Era I, II, and III.
Cardboard used in MBZ kits vary from other manufacturers, its natural color is gray/brown thus painting is required after the application of a solvent based primer.
Prepping the cardboard requires priming with MBZ Primer R72214 (pre-mixed) or R72211 (unmixed), I recommend the pre-mixed version. Priming is required due to future mold issues as suggested by manufacturer. Flattening parts after priming and before gluing is required: large parts including roof and sides warp heavily after priming, but rolling parts against the warp flattens them easily. Manufacturer suggests painting with pigments applied with sponge. MBZ pigments are water soluble, and they can be mixed together for custom colors. Consistency of paint should not be too wet or dry, it is applied with a wet sponge but avoid caking pigment. Air-brush masking tape should be used to isolate sections to be painted with sponge application. Dry-brush, air-brush and fine brushwork can be followed up later in construction for fine tuning. Pigment paints dry matte, and I recommend a light air-brushing of matte water based lacquer as a final protective coat.
The manufacturer suggests UHU ‘Hart’ glue which is fast setting but I find it messy to work with, I recommend Noch ‘Laser-cut’ glue which is fast setting and quick drying. Note: other fast setting white glues or wood glues should work well, but a fine applicator bottle available at craft stores should be considered. The few parts that are not always included in MBZ kits are ramps and steps which must be built by the modeler. No partition walls are designed in many of these kits thus requiring custom masking for interior lighting. I nice feature of these kits are stone-laid interior floors which can be exposed in a diorama through open doors with perhaps a wagon parked within the barn.
Note: barn buildings illustrated in this post used dry brush technique to highlight and paint stone foundations whereas sponge application of paint was used for uneven authentic weathering of paint. For glazed terracotta tile roofs I apply a light application of Renaissance Wax (micro crystalline acid free wax) which gives a gloss surface without being too glossy or too thick looking plus it is a non-yellowing museum quality wax available at library supply houses and fine art supply shops.
Three painting kits offered by MBZ will get you started, I recommend ‘Pigment Starter Set’ (R72217), it includes numerous pigments, primer (unmixed), and sponge for $55.49, it was more than enough for painting 13 kits. The kit includes a very high quality sponge, but other sponge shapes and sizes are available at art supply shops, they fall within the category of pastel sponges which are tight cellulose sponges which can be used wet or dry, pastel artists use this type of sponge dry only which readily allows mixing of charcoals and pastels.
Note: MBZ kit builds are best treated with a loose approach without worry of precise paint application: using a dirty sponge gives much more depth of color than a clean one between coats of paint.
Siding: Reynauld’s in Illinois is the exclusive USA dealer of MBZ, they have in store examples of finished kits as well as paint and accessories.
Marklin’s current program features several new laser-cut buildings including this one: Item 89703 – Bausatz Bahnhof Eckartshausen-Ilshofen (Sulzdorf).
Based on the 1867 Bavarian station today disused of its original purpose in Sulzdorf, Germany this kit is very good, it is a handsome medium size station featuring block construction and ample waiting platform.
The kit assembles rather quickly due to few embellishments, but it does not lack the color and character of the original structure.
Signage is offered with several variations printed on a small sheet but cutting them out is rather a difficult task. No partition walls as with Archistories so lighting the building will be unrealistic unless some modification is made. Overall a very good to scale station that is very easy to assemble.
Siding: weathering will add interest to the building including brown and/or black chalk in the tiny nooks and crannies dirt would naturally collect on a 100 year old train station. Light fixture is represented but non functioning, painting the bulb with gold paint will give the impression of light or further modify the building with a working bracket light available on Ebay.
Marklin classic locomotives and rolling stock are worth another look even with today’s technological and aesthetic advancements with contemporary Z gauge.
Seen here with Faller’s laser-cut building “Town Corner House” (282782)
Here we have a classic locomotive from the 1990’s train set 8133: Rheingold. This class S 3/6 Pacific was first used in 1928, it pulled the first Rheingold train originating in Holland with final destination Basle, Switzerland thus began the story of the famous train with elegant appointments on May 15, 1928 thus Era II.
Long out of production the train set belonging to this locomotive disappeared from production in 1998 having an eight year history in the program. It never featured a 5 pole motor as standard equipment having fallen out of production in the year the 5 pole was introduced, but its original motor is/was a robust affair with very good running qualities. And motor upgrades are available today as part number 211909.
Just this week I purchased the train set as “Dealer Old Stock”, it was like receiving a shiny new car from 20 years ago that has not been driven. Of course it needed an old change and cleaning due to HOS (hardened oil syndrome), but 15 minutes in the garage the loco is as good as new.
Nothing compares these days to the classic steam locos, this one features shiny silver wheels, shiny black paint, and hand-painted boiler bands making it a new favorite of mine.
Dipping into buying mint/new old dealer stock is an untapped potential of modelers with train sets suffering HOS selling for $200 ‘as is’ which happened with this purchase. And the set included 5 highly detailed coaches along with the loco and tender. With a little experience HOS can be easily overcome, it usually amounts to one gear being stuck by hardened oil.
Special note: sometimes not always the original oil has attached itself to the plastic light rods used for headlamps thus they might pull-out as the shell is removed, be aware of other parts coming undone as the shell is removed, 5 minute epoxy will permanently anchor any static parts that loosen up.
Siding: brushes for the original 8133 locomotive with 3 pole motor is part number 8989.
In the rare collectible category of Marklin Z special imprints is one for 8661 style box car. The early box car type with brakeman’s cab (8661) models an era I and II freight car, it has been released in Marklin’s regular program for many years primarily as a bier wagon but also as a general freight car with and without advertising. The prototype’s wooden construction is detailed in the model depicting vertical boards, corner iron mending plates, round buffers, and windows on all sides of brakeman’s cab. Using this style of freight car is another category of special imprints, other freight car types include modern examples. As few as 100 wagons were produced for any given design starting in 1991. Historically a special imprint was commissioned by a private individual/firm in collaboration with the design team at Marklin thus limited Marklin productions.
Note: outside firms through the years have purchased unpainted freight cars of various types from Marklin for private printing, these cars are referred to as “Industry Prints”. Industry Prints differ from Marklin special imprints with the omission of ‘m’ often but not always printed very small on two sides of freight cars. Further verification of a Marklin special imprints can be found using the Miba/Monk list, if it is on the list Gilles Monk has collected it and archived these treasures on his exclusive list; Mr. Monk only collects Marklin special imprints thus Industry Prints will not be included on his list or confused with the Marklin models.
As a collector of Marklin special imprints I can attest to the patience required finding these cars, my 8661 car collection is 10 years in the making with as few as 1 found in a year to more recently finding 10 within a two week span. Most special imprints are secondary market thus having passed through at least one collection. More successful collectors will find these cars listed by European dealers on Ebay, but ZTrackResale.com is another source for Marklin collectibles as well as other Z gauge items in gently used condition (highly recommended source!).
Included here are 10 special imprints of the 8661 style box car recently added to my collection:
Wimpfener Heimat-Bote released 1995. Koll’s #95701. Miba/Monk #895. Edition: 100
Konigsbrunner Edel-Pils (DR) released 1996. Marklin #8661.013. Miba/Monk #1009.
Konigsbrau OGGENHAUSEN (Wurttemberg) released 1996. Marklin #8661.025. Miba/Monk #1025.
