Ben must have been having fun, because the time sure slipped by. and his kit is a very nicely done one at that. He is a great designer in my book. And I agree with Don, we sure do miss Robert Ray's involvement in Z. I may have to find another spot for another lookout tower, if I keep building mountains.
CNC Milling of a M3 Stuart canon in 1/220 scale (no sound) 10 canons per hour (including the piece change and all) Wood does not react the same way as metal, I need to sand during some of the passes. Boy is this a tiny "tiny" little piece.:frustrated: Video is 2x speed. [video]https://youtu.be/qs-mAuTDs4I[/video]
Ok, the M3 Tank is now available... And I'm currently working to finish the San Francisco "California" Street car kit.
The cable car is so nice! Is it Z scale (normal gauge, where prototype is 3'6" gauge) and powered? Dom
Powered? I only wish!!! This is a static model, being in 1/220 scale, there is no way a normal truck would fit in there, see? This is an MTL truck on top by the way It is for show and tell, to gather attention on layouts, or if people want to make a San Francisco corner on their layout, the cable car rails are hidden into the road , so I think only two or 3(for the cable) engraved sections will suffice for the look
You could always get the cable cars to move the same way the real ones move.....A moving cable under the street that the cable car is attached to. The cable car is beautiful, by the way, Ben!
And with the photos shown on previous page I realize how indeed I was wrong with my idea of running this street car, furthermore on normal gauge Z scale track... Dom
Use a closed loop drive under a slot in the narrow gauge track. Move it like a real cable car. I envision a string. 2-3 stops, clanging bell (I have one). Could even do a turntable at each end.
One could use the magnorail to run the cable cars. https://www.magnorail.com/site/en/ Here's a film with some applications, from 2.57 min you see 'what's underneath'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzE7jhDvOeU&list=PLdP2sBMWFOh3oVGJuEm6XqGnZIuxeAtEU cheers, Matt
In the meantime, I've written a little review about the JustPlug system on my site, I just love those units. http://animekmodels.com/JustPlugTesting.html
David, where ever you are, hope you are still doing some Z modelling, I know you wanted this kit, back in 2012. It is finally available, sorry for the wait. http://animekmodels.com/Vehicles.html I've put some of the construction steps over here. https://picasaweb.google.com/112488631516994596395/CableCarConstructionDetails
Hello Ben! As I sit here writing i'm waiting for the mail man (person!) to deliver my package. I ordered through Z scale monster. I ordered two of them, because i love them so much! Yes, much anticipated. Thanks for remembering me. Frankly i hope they are hard as hell to make so i can spend hours upon hours crafting them perfectly! I may just have to consider making them for people who don't think they can do it on their own. (Paradise!!) I've been doing some more in Z, but i've just been so busy that i haven't interacted on the forum much. I made a 2nd CF7, so now i have a matched set (love those Santa Fe CF7s!) I also recently made a Z three truck shay from the Nn3 castings -- turned out beautifully, but doesn't pull it's own weight very well. don't know what i'll do about that. i've ALWAYS wanted a Z scale shay! now i'll have a beautiful model of the cable car. my wife and i spent our honeymoon in San Fran, and i made a plastic model of a cable car soon after. it's one of my treasured items on display in our cabinet. now i'll have a another wonderful representation somewhere (somehow?) on my layout (if nothing else being transported on a flat car). Maybe i'll make a diorama framed to hang on the wall. maybe i'll even make something actually working/moving (we'll see). BTW ... wouldn't a "T" scale set of trucks work under that cable car? Said truck are also made with magnetic wheel sets, so that would help keep them stay stuck to the rails. i'm surprised no one has suggested it yet. Blessings and thanks to you, Ben. Rest assured I ordered this gem first shot out of the box! Thanks for all you do for us. Dave
David, we missed seeing all your kitbash. Please post them when you find time. Its not been the same since you and Robert stop posting.
nice to hear from you John! Yay, I miss Robert's contributions too. He was also a masterful decal maker. Maybe Ben might yet convince him to make decals for the cable cars. That would be fantastic! I'll see what I can do about posting some pics. I retired April 1 and have been busy with my son's houses (remodeling projects). Been teaching some classes and preparing for a big study in the fall. I had to take most of the year past off to work out of town until I retired. now it's all good. sometimes I just sit in my "train room" and watch them go around on my test track. I'll be continuing work on my layout SOON. Gosh, I love this scale. Maybe i'll get to go to another national train gathering again in coming months (or years). I would love that. Keep smiling until then.