Category Archives: Scenery

Once Upon a Time: Building Kits in Z Gauge

GC Laser #59025 Lindsay Bros. Entry Backdrop + Marklin 88625 (class E8A)

I am starting a new series of posts examining older (some very old) building kits for Z gauge partly inspired by a gift of a friend: great variety of Z gauge building kits from the 80’s and 90’s. Already this part of the Z gauge history is now 25-35 years ago which astounds me, where has the time gone; my old vintage Marklin Z locos and rolling stock are now like old friends. Scenery went through an evolution in this timeframe just as trains did.

C Laser #59025 Lindsay Bros. Entry Backdrop

American manufacturers of building kits were small and larger but still small compared to German makers. A great variety of kits included paper, wood and plastic: cast, laser and photo etched.

C Laser #59025 Lindsay Bros. Entry Backdrop
C Laser #59025 Lindsay Bros. Entry Backdrop

In the mix is this first kit by GC Laser a known manufacturer for Z gauge buildings: #59025 Lindsay Bros. Entry Backdrop. This is a space saving backdrop building featuring a beautifully detailed facade. Constructed of laser cut cardboard and wood, kit features parts that are glued to both sides of a 3/16″ piece of wood. Very quick and easy to assemble with blackout paper attached as the final step. No need to paint this building due to very realistic color and detail.

C Laser #59025 Lindsay Bros. Entry Backdrop

Footprint: 3 3/8 ” (length) x 3 1/16″ (height) x 5/8″ (depth including sidewalk). Signage is very attractive, but does not appear to refer to an actual business based on Google search for this post.

I will be posting other early kits in the next few weeks as I build them to show and review. Thanks for looking and Happy Railroading.

Fish Belly Bridge: Marklin 89758 Building Kit (2019)

Here is a build kit suitable for Germany and the United States. Released in 2019, Marklin 89758 is another laser-cut cardstock building kit based on a fish belly bridge. Such a design allows for very heavy freight trains, in the United States Lehigh Valley Railroad built a steel fish belly bridge in 1901, it connected Easton, PA and Phillipsburg, NJ. This bridge is now abandon, but its original purpose was transportation of very heavy freight trains hauling coal. Interesting to note: this bridge was built on piers built in 1866, it stands today far outliving its useful life.

Marklin’s 89758 is described in Marklin literature as similar to one historically protected in Plettenberg, Sauerland, Germany.

The bridge model represents a steel bridge with quarried stone piers. It measures: 8 5/8 inches (length) X 1 1/8 inches (width) x 1 1/8 inches (height). The build is straight forward comprising precision parts that fit together without modification thus a very fine kit. My only criticism for the kit is a limited number of gusset plates. I may opt to use paint with dry brush and/or air brush for an added layer of weathering perhaps making the bridge look for ‘steel’ like.

Faller 282800: Three-Sided Half Timber Farm Kit

As the title suggests Faller’s new 3 part farmstead is inspired by German timber frame construction, it is recognizable to all who have built model houses and buildings for German themed layouts thus there are many such kits in plastic and cardboard. This cardboard kit for Z scale by Faller contains the typical characteristics of Fallers laser-cut cardstock buildings including interior masking (introduced in their plastic kits years ago) and lightweight paper parts. Building the kits is fun but challenging particularly with the filigree paper ‘timber’ parts. So far I have built 16 Faller Laser-Cut Kits with no regrets or problems; they take good magnifying goggles, tweezers, small drops of good glue and PATIENCE. The finished builds are excellent, and I highly recommend them.

I divided this article into 3 sections mostly to show what the kit looks like built without alteration followed by 2 sections covering my attempts to add realistic color and texture. I am not a professional scenery modeler, and my steps taken should be considered as one way to do things not the only way to do things.

Section 1: How the Buildings Look Built with no Alterations

Note: end walls of barn were installed improperly, stucco wall should be installed other end so stucco wraps around building. Mistake is less noticeable further in build.
Note: roofing materials used by Faller are heavily detailed which is a nice feature, but they fray easily when bent from their flat original state. I score along the seem with 3 light scores with razor blade which significantly helps make a good bend.
Note: brick walls and fencing come with the kit to frame out the barnyard, there are numerous layout designs to consider along with Faller’s own suggestions.

Section 2: Attaching Buildings to a Light Birch Plywood for Later Layout Installation. Plus First Steps with Color and Scenery Construction.

Buildings glued to very thin birch plywood available from hobby stores which was first painted black.
Note: application of pigment with an airbrush to establish a layer of aging.
Note: dry-brush was used on roofing material to bring out texture, it was applied with inconsistent amounts of paint to mimic how roofs age with time.

Section 3: Fine-Tuning Paint and Textures. And Adding Cows and Shrubs

Note: fine brown ballast by Woodland Scenics was applied to ground surface.
Note: very thin birch plywood is prone to warping even at time of purchase, but it will be flat when glued to layout board.
Note: numerous dry-brush applications were used to enhance color and texture, I have gotten better results with my projects by not rushing things thus I came back to this model many times and tweeked this or that.
Note: Dark brown paint was applied to ground to suggest the varying shades of earth, grass will later be applied in patches to further layer the visual detailing surrounding the farmstead buildings. Dairy cows by Preiser were added to the pen. When this small diorama is ready to install on layout more animals will be added, flower boxes installed on house, tractor or other equipment placed somewhere in scene, and a tree or 2 will be added for shade. I will also open a door and add a figure too!

Thank you for having a look and happy railroading!

Revell 05685: Bucket Wheel Excavator Build Kit (1:200)

Introduced in 1984 Revell’s “Bucket Wheel Excavator was reissued in 2020 with upgraded parts. And suitable for Z gauge modelers with a build ratio of 1:200.

Schaufelradbagger 289 – Model 8813 (Version 1: 1984)

A plastic build-kit with an undisclosed number of parts was based a very large land-driven machine for excavating lignite. Based on the prototype built by Krupp for the mining firm Rheinbraun (Essen, Germany) the original Revell kit was released close to the prototypes first day of work in the late 70’s.

Schaufelradbagger 289 – Model 08813 (Version 2: 2013)

Twenty nine years later (2013) the buckle wheel excavator was re-released as a “Limited Edition”, it was very popular and quickly sold-out. It was offered to me for $600 in 2015 or as equal trade for my mini-club “Bumble Bee” steam loco, of course I held onto the Bumble Bee and $600 thus also lacking the confidence to build such a kit. Version 2 is reportedly the same as Version 1 with only a change to the box design, but the overall dimensions printed on the box offers a variation: whereas Version 1 is stated to be 102cm x 42.5cm overall, Version 2 is reported to be 101.1cm x 43.3cm. Not much dimensional difference between Version 1 and 2, but it is interesting none the less and likely due slight variance in finished model.

Schaufelradbagger 289 – Model 05685 (Version 3: 2020)

In 2020 Version 3 of the bucket wheel excavator was released as another “Limited Edition” this time with updated parts. I can’t report on the nature of the improved parts, but this kit includes glue and paints with brush, perhaps a “Level 5” modeler will find no need for the paints opting instead to use airbrush applied paints? This time the kit’s box lists the parts total as 687 and kit difficulty as Level 5! A big kit which will take time to build but far less time than the 5 year assembly of the prototype!

I was recently visiting Miami, FL, and I visited MicroMacroMundo where I found the kit which was not on my radar thus I accepted the challenge to eventually build it with no experience whatsoever building Level 5 plastic kits. Measuring more than 3 feet in length the finished project is impressive in size and suitable for Z gauge!

Numerous dealers have this kit currently in stock priced at $150 more or less. Good luck if you decide to take up the challenge.