I understand it is still available from Walthers, but it isn't $8.98 anymore. I have one I plan to use to make the lost wax mold for a boiler on an AC-9 Southern Pacific 2-8-8-4.
UP, Alittle advice! Don't even try to power one! I done or had the same idea and its never going to work! The plastic frames to hold the axles and all are to brittle to handle that type load and stress! The parts of the engine beds in them are glued together. On a HO scale Big Boy or any steam loco they are poured plastic castings... Solid in form. where you have to glue everything together on a Revel Monogram Big Boy static model. However they are great for replacement boilers and such type things, cab, boiler, pilot, etc on Rivarossi. I have 4 of them! One of the 4 is a complete static model. the others suffered the knife for a repair on my big boys that are now EM-1's. I bought a few Rivarossi Big Boys in a lot box for a small price that needed some work and used the parts off the revel big boy and it worked as if the castings were the same! And they were really close the same, but I had to slightly modify the boiler to fit the Riv. at one point near the cab. But all worked great!
Not unless I make molds of the wheels & drive rods, I can also try and experiment with it until I get the SOB running, replace the gears with metal ones and so on. It'll be a task but worht the effort!
It won't work if you use the models original engine beds! They won't stand up to the stress and if you get good engine beds to hold the drivers, that are of strength the loco sub frame will sag and bow in time with holding the weight of an actual big Boy engine bed. The plastic isn't strong enough to free support the metal engine beds!!!! You'll end up buying a a model customizing it. And then to run it a few times and once the plastic weakens you'll then realize you've just spent $80 in a loco thats not going to run like your rivarossi already does! And besides, Thinking of that, you plan to make another big boy to run with the one you already have... The Riv will pull the revel monogram model in half! The plastic will NOT withstand the stress of a double header! And then to have a train in tow behind. it will never have the strength to couple up to a Riv Big Boy! and even if you put the Revel one on the point the torque on the couplers will pull it in 2 anyway. the couplers, themself wether or not they are KD's or if the the XF2's are stronger then all the plastic in the loco body and frame! I have a friend that tried this to save money. Bought a revel monogram Big Boy model, took and bought a auction from ebay that was nothing more then a big boy that was on'y weight and engine beds and wheels without a motor and put in the revel monogram shell a week later the shell saged from the weight and created stress cracks.. The plastic won't hold the weight as the plastic to a factory Riv and the Revel Monogram both are 2 completely different types of plastic! The Revel monogram will not withstand any type of heat not even from a hair dryer where the Rivarossi plastic will. See??? its like regular metal and tempered metal... 2 completely different types for different things it won't hold out! Thinking og holding out. The Revel Monogram loco will never last as long as the Rivarossi will! The first Revel monogram locos get very brittle over time where a 40 year old Rivaroosi will have the same strength in time as if it were new! Like I've said, the plastic in the Revel Monogram loco is good to replace the expensive Rivarossi boiler castings only because it has no real weight on it! Its well supported by the Riv frame. This way it will last years and never become a problem. If it has to support weight the plastic hasn't got the strength needed to do so... [ 04 December 2001: Message edited by: 7600EM_1 ]</p>
I'm painting my Big Boy static model in Southern green. Yes I know a 4-8-8-4 never ventured here in the south, but it does look sharp in this scheme! I thought once of trying to power mine, but it seemed like throwing good money after bad.
I have one that is painted a golden brass colour. I place it in the service facility on my club's modules during trains shows; there are a lot of modellers that oogle at my "brass" big boy! heh heh -FE
They make a great static model sitting in a roundhouse on your layout! I see them every once in a while offered on e-bay.
