Anyone have ideas, resources, internet finds, etc. for Z ? Scratchbuild materials, ideas, anything that can be used for Z, even if from another scale. Please continue to add to the thread (easy to remember title) Earlier this year, I found that the Micro Engineering N scale Plate Girder bridge panels were perfect for Z, much smaller than all of the other N scale suppliers. Here is an N-scale etched brass fence that can easily be used for Z: From N-Scale Architect (Walthers 716-50045). Ethcing shown with Z scale figures, MTL flex roadbed for scale compare. Horizonatal rails are 2' apart. Cut the lower section off for a 2' garden / yard fence. Fence boards are 3.4" to 4.8" wide. This may be a Shire Scenes product as the etching has a +44 UK phone number on it and N-Scale Architect had partnered with Shire Scenes. .
Well, I know many people use atlas N code 55 joinners for their track. I use the catipillar earth mover that they sell at Kmart in the hot wheel section for about 2 bucks and it is pretty close to scale. you can take one of the HO scale noch roadways and cut it down the middle between the markingsto get two z scale roads.
I use N Scale Cork Roadbed, cut down the middle for my track roadbed, and get 2 pieces for the price of one!
I saw this great robust mobile storage box from Vaultz at Costco, much cheaper than the other online shops but available thru many outlets: http://www.ideastreamproducts.com/vaultz/VZ01270.html . Model: VZ01270 if you want to search.
Hi Jeff, I have been looking for something to carry my locos and rolling stock in when going to shows. I'll check this one out. I like the fact it has wheels and a handle - Pelican makes some roller cases, but they are expensive. I also see technician cases on eBay made by EWI for about $65. I wonder if anyone on this forum has one? THanks for the tip. John
We had a thread here regarding Storage Boxes maybe 2 years ago. The guy from the Lay Z Way website had pictures from some jewelry cases.
Need a Mc Donald's sign?? Probabaly naught. But thier white plastic swizzel sticks have a great - small golden arches sign in relief and the stem has "McDonald's" in the company script. ( I also use the blade and shaft for the basic oars on model ships- not 1:220) Many swizzel sticks have company logos and this might be a source for signs. American Airlines- with the eagle- was ( don't know about now) good, also American Cruise Lines. Maybe swamp water swizzels might have a good logo. It's hit or miss on this but over 20 years I hit on several good ones. The round brass chimeny in throw away lighters are good for roof top clutter. Need a dome or quarter dome for a building- Round plastic cat toy balls cut in half or in quarters works well - especially the ones that have ribs. Silos can be made from metal cigar containers. CRW FLAGS a great resource for flags- thier brochour is full color and has all country, state many city and county flags plus bunting and social flags about 2xZ. Copy to desired size. Statues-- Try silver charms. got a great one when out west-"End of the Trail" and in Boston, Paul Revere on a horse. Some are better than others- depends on the company. check out thier brochours. I got a buckboard, chuck wagon and a knockout stage coach, Conastoga wagon, and model T. Many of the charms are site specific such as the Glouster Fisherman, The Lexington Minuteman. I got Z scale tramways from souveneer spoons from Canada- Also some very nice Totem poles. London Bridge Toys have some nice decorative eagles for a fancy bridge or mounted on buildings. Back quick to swizzel sticks- They may have a crab, duck or lobster for the logo. great to use like MUDHEN ( I always get names mixxed up) on the appropreate building roofs for part of a sign. Crab shack, Lobster pound, or hunting supplies. Some of the details in Z are too small to model but these are used as oversized signs. I remember Exxon gas stations with BIG Tigers on the roofs. "Put a tiger in your tank" -29 cents a gallon and they checked your oil and washed the windshield and on top of that gave away hotwheels or your favorite team glasses! Harbour Lights have nice cast houses- watch out the scale- but many are just right for Z! Old model ship parts are a good source for small useful things- booms,winches, boats, the hull made into a totaly different Z model. N or HO figures ( I'm thinking ELK or bear here ) used as statues or "Wooden Indians" Lots of tree stuff in the fake flowers of Micheals.. That's enough palaverating. Got to get back to training. One never knows when one will find a Z treasure---Do one? Fred
I can't find my pictures, but these cases take standard 14" display trays: Gems On Display, Jewelry displays, Ring displays, Earring displays, Jewelry display Trays: Gems On Display, Jewelry displays, Ring displays, Earring displays, Jewelry display There are several sources for tray liners and foam inserts as well as trays and cases. The one above has the best shipping rates (for the east coast, that I have found). The site below might have better shipping to the west coast. Jewelry Supplies, Jewelry Boxes, Jewelry Display, Jewelry tools, Jewelers Supply, Showcase Display from NILE Dan S.
I've wanted to bring up the jewelry cases for a long time but figured I'd not be taken seriously so I'm glad you did Jeff. In my career as a jeweler I have seen them all, and I have one type that I've already used for storing rolling stock. Some of them you have to be careful that they don't squish your delicate detail. I remember the vendor jewelry cases, sweet! You can imagine how many thousands of dollars worth of jewelry and gems were on just one tray! But I like the handle and wheels, their sturdiness (had to be), and all the nice Z scale sized slots and compartments. I can look these up in my wholesale catalogs but these days you can buy anything as cheaply online.
Jurg, No problem. I forget my name from time to time, too. AOL shutdown Hometown without sending me an e-mail. But, since I haven't really had a lot of time to come out with anything new, or make any more of the old stuff, i haven't bothered looking for a new place to put up a website. Hopefully, someday. Right now, about all I have left are most of the animals. Dan S.
Karen, I have been using the case and 14" trays for at least a couple of years, now. I saw a guy at a flea market that was using them, and within a week, I had the small aluminum case and 12 1" trays. I now have the small case, a 24 tray case, another 12 tray cabinet with clear covers on the trays (I use these trays for locs, now), An assortment of trays and tray liners. I am still working out a few things (especially for 40' box cars), but, I'm getting closer. I mostly use off the shelf liners with other foam and bumpers added. I use padded velvet pads over the trays that they will fit in. For most of them, I lay cloth over the cars between the trays. Dan S.
Very, very nice Dan! How much did that set you back? Can you imagine seeing that full of diamonds, gold, platinum, and all colors of jewels??? I loved it!
Karen, The case was about $40, the trays are between $1-2, the inserts range from $1-$3. Plus Shipping. The web sites in my first post in this thread are where i got most of them. Dan S.
Dan, Those are nice cases and trays. With 2" trays you could store rolling stock in their jewel cases. Many photo shops sell pick and pluck foam which would allow you to custom size the trays for rolling stock and locos. John
John, I started out using the 1-1/2" trays so I could keep the cars in their boxes. There were only two problems with this. One, in their cases, I could only fit 13 MT (not husky stacks) or 13 PZ cases in each tray. This left space for one FR case in each tray, as well. So, it wasn't bad, but I needed to get the larger case to hold enough of the 1-1/2 trays. The other problem was that using the boxes and the trays actually made it take longer to pack up after shows. Not only did I have to find the right box for the car, but I had to make sure that the trays were loaded properly. Also, if I wanted to pack my Full Throttle cars, I had to use the wooden trays. I couldn't fit two boxes across with the plastic trays. I don't mind the wooden trays, but I already had a bunch of the plastic trays. One advantage of the plastic trays (that can also be a disadvantage) is that they "interlock" when they are stacked. This makes them a bit more secure. However, this also makes it hard to slide a single tray out of the middle of the case. You win some, you lose some. I played with the diced foam. The problem with it was that the foam cubes were about 1/2" each. When I only pulled out one row, the cars were too tight and I kept pulling off wheels. If I pulled out two, then the slots were too large. I bought some uncut foam, and that works pretty well, but it is hard to cut cleanly. Maybe a better word than hard would be time consuming. I haven't given up on that yet, but I am definately not motivated to dig all of that out again. Right now, I have about 25 trays that I am fairly happy with. I am using a combination of off the shelf tray liners and adhesive foam and gasket material. The attached photos show the trays with assorted manufacturers cases. Remember, the Full Throttle cases are in a wooden tray. Dan S.
It might not be gold, but I have one tray with 45 FR cars in it. Another with about 20 FR cars, and two more with about 20 locs each. Maybe not jewels, but treasures all. Dan S.
Hi Dan, Where did you buy the smaller case (your photo DSC0021) and the larger one (your photo DSC0016)? The cases on the webpages you linked are a little different than yours. Perhaps they changed the latches. Just found yours at FDJ On Time. They sell the small case for $65 and the larger for $82. Thanks, John
