Showcase Miniatures has release 4 new vehicles. They are amazing. They are truly kits. Each kit is made with a cast metal chassis and 3-D printed, very smooth, plastic body. The stake trucks include micro thin laser cut circuit board. Each kit has separately attached wheels and seat. The seat even has a lever cast in. I bought two of each. They are painted with spray cans. I added my own details on 2 of the stake trucks. The tow truck comes with the decals seen. I used n-scale Texaco decals. The extras were then used on the heavy-duty wrecker from Carlos. I finished it a while ago. The decals put the finishing touch on it. The postal van is from Randy Brown. I have used this paint scheme on Showcase's recently released LLV's.
Hey Jim, do you think you can slow down a bit and allow the rest of us to catch up? Yeah those look absolutely fantastic. Excellent work as always!!!
Nice trucks, great paint jobs! The last uploaded picture is to reveal that you are currently working on a PCC in Z…? Matt
Yes. I have two of them. They are works in progress. This view is from my living room window. This is the Mattapan High Speed Line. It is probably the most beautiful trolley ride in America. Those are black-crowned night herons in the trees. This spot is home to ospreys and now, bald eagles. I little slice of heaven in the city. Jim
I have a creek next to my house, and while the Osprey and Bald Eagles stay in the highest trees down by the river, I get the Ducks and Snow Geese in my backyard. Sadly, there are no trains here, BUT I do have a rail line visible from my front yard at my other house in New Plymouth!
It will be interesting. The ospreys are well established. The bald eagles are starting to move in. There are now several of them in the city limits mainly along the rivers and ponds. This is the Neponset River. It is tidal. It has massive smelt and herring runs which attract striped bass and even harbor seals. It was the home of the Baker Chocolate Factory. All of the buildings remain and have been restored. The rails have been turned into trails but the trolley still remains. Our neighborhood has a long rail history. The Granite Railway was established not far from where this photo is taken. It was established in 1826 to bring granite from the quarries in Quincy, MA. to build the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown MA, across the bay. The railway was operated by horses. There is a plaque on Granite Avenue near the draw bridge commemorating the first railroad. The branch remained in operation until 1872 when it was owned by the Old Colony RR. It remained horse-drawn until then. It is a great place to take a stroll. The trolley is the only trolley in the world to travel thru a cemetery. Google it. I have lived my entire life around urban trains of one sort or the other. I still take the T around the city. It is great to see wildlife coming back to unexpected places. Jim
Jim, Excellent work on the vehicles! Those Showcase Miniatures sure look nicely produced! Great shot of the trolley and birds. Since I am interested in birds, I enjoyed it even more! Also enjoyed the bit of local history. Scott
Hi,Rob, Joao and Jeff. I also bought some of their older models and am happy to say they are using the 3-D printed cabs for them as well. This amounts to an upgrade on their utility vehicles. The detailing on the 3-D cabs and bodies is unlike anything I have seen before. The lights actually are so crisply detailed it looks like a talented person could tap them out and use fiber optics for headlights. They are that well detailed and printed. The same with the window trim. I requested they try their hands at making "Checker Taxi Cabs." If they can produce a line of cars utilizing the methods they are using for these small trucks it will be a game-changer for z-scale vehicles. Their modular approach to assembling them also brings out a higher level of detailing. Here's hoping they continue to add to their impressive line of kits. Jim
Just ordered some show case and EA electronics. I’m excited to see how the two different tow trucks compare. Jim you are right though great vehicles and every scene can usually use more of them no matter!
I have some of Eric's waiting to be ordered from ZSM. You cannot have too many vehicles of any kind. More cars of all eras are definitely needed. SCM seems to be on the path to producing a high-quality two-piece automobile. I hope so. Jim
