I finally cleaned out my storage room and added wall's over the basement cement and painted it. I started to build the frame work for my layout. The room is 13 x 20 and layout is 13 x 17 and it has 3 Peninsula's the end Peninsula's are twins 13' x 30" and with a 5' turn around at the end's and the middle is 3' by 8', I been buying stuff for 30 years so when I retire I can start my layout finally after we got our kid's out of the house lol. I been building my base's for my Fine scale Miniature's and my South River Modelworks never mind the the other companies. I counted about 60 kit's that I found. My question is How in the heck do you guy's fit all those kit's on the layout? I cut about 25 foam base's and it's taking up about half of the layout without track or anything else. Please beat me up if needed. But I might have to get rid of some (LOT'S) of kit's? Or if I add on to the house I can move layout to the new section? I really could use some advice Please...Dennis. P.S. I'm trying to resize pic's to show room.
another pic.Dennis
some kit's....Dennis
Your situation sounds familiar. I reckon there are a few [hundred] people in the forum that have stories not unlike that.
I also have zillions of kits. As I was collecting them, I assumed they would all be trackside industries and would all be built on a diorama base as envisioned by their creators (George, Bob, for example). As the years have gone by, I have become less interested in having a million spurs and more interested in having beautiful, albeit somewhat caricature-ish town scenes. Just look at some of the many photos from the FSM. Many trackside scenes, to be sure, but also a heavy dose of super-detailed urban settings. I love that look -- it's as interesting and important to me as the trains are (much to the chagrin of my operations-centric friends). So, my expectation going forward is that I will not build most of those dioramas. Rather, I will conceive of scenes that use the buildings and put them together in my own, more dense [in some cases] dioramas. I am sure I will be supplementing the effort with some kit bashing and scratch building.
Along the way, I have recognized that there will be a few kits that no longer fit my vision for what I want to build. In fact, I sold off my first FSM kit a few months ago that I was sure would not find a place on my layout. But, in general, I am keeping everything until I see how it all shakes out. If/when the day comes that I see that I have kits that I can't use, I'm sure I will be able to get some money for them. Until then, I will hang on to them.
I pretty much would echo what Vince said.
I look at any kit - whether craftsman or not - as something that can be broken up, kit-bashed, chopped and changed to fit my vision. I think it helps to build on a hill - you can just fit so much more in when you add the vertical dimension (just look at how many structures George fitted into Franklin. There is no reason why this couldn't also be done with bigger kits). I think with a bit of planning, most of those craftsman kits from SRM and FSM can be dissected. In this way you can create two different industries or one big one. If this idea rings true to you, there is no reason why those 5' turnarouns couldn't have a backdrop through the middle, or a tall hill with structures on each side.
Photocopy walls, build mock-ups, cut and change to your hearts content. In this way there is no risk, and when you like what you have created attack those $$$ kits. The best thing is you will end up with a truly original layout.
Cheers, Mark.
Dennis,
I think anyone that has been in the hobby for any length of time can relate. Personally, I see this as a good "problem" to have. You can look at multiple structure options to fit any given space. This gives you the flexibility to plan sight lines and scenery features to best utilize the available space.
You also have the potential to build some of your structures on a standard sized base and swap out structures between operating sessions. This way you can vary the types of industries and make up trains of different types of cars used by those industries.
You can also build some of your structures as dioramas and display your modeling off the layout.
Dennis
Great to see you building a railroad. Vince, Mark and Jerry have given you some great advice. When the kit manufactures put out a kit they envision one setting for the buildings. My approach to building a layout is to invasion and build the landforms first and then look in those 60 boxes for structures that will work in a given area. Modify the structures where necessary. On my layout I have 6 kits that are built pretty much the way the instructions read. My current G. Wilikers build is one of them and will probably be the last. From this point on I have large towns that will be developed with a structure from one kit here and another structure from another kit there. Scratch building in the transition areas, as needed. Mark's point about building on a hill is an excellent one. Study how you can make a totally different looking structure by adding a foundation that makes the building fit into a hillside. Think of those 60 kits as 60 boxes full of pieces that you need to make work on your layout.
Thank you Vince, Mark, Jerry, John, I will study my butt away. I honestly didn't know that I dug out that many kit's lot's I forgot about over the years. I forgot to mention I really want my round house's somewhere. Those are my favorite two kit's of them all. I will be asking lots of questions and I hope I can do those kit's justice. I have a couple of cheaper kit's that I will be building first.Dennis
Dennis,
You have a great problem. Keep all of them for now. Start with a few smaller builds first.
Help is here for the asking. Looking forward to see what's next in your RR area.
Tommy
Welcome to the club Vince. As previously mentioned I believe many of us our in the same boat. As for myself I never did end up with a house big enough to have an extra train room. ::) No basements in Florida and limited storage space in a small house. :'(
I did read an article one time where the author built some small sections of the layout as removable 'plugs' so he could swap out one industry or structure with another here and there and change the look of the layout. Might be some merit to doing that, or at least planning for doing that, in a few spots.
You don't. Look, as others have said, most, if not all of us, bought cool looking kits for our future empire. Personally, I had over 300 kits for that "some day." Since I settled on a era and locale I have sold off most of the Fine Scale, Model Masterpieces, Timberline, and other kits that just didn't fit in. Granted, I sold them for a lot more than the purchase price, so that felt good. Still have a bunch left that I sell at a somewhat local swap meet. All I can add is be real, you won't get to build a lot of them. Draw up some basic town ideas and build accordingly. If you can manage to make building foot prints that can be swapped out, then go do that. So you got a 13x17 layout space with 3 peninsulas? Two that are 13'x30"? Sounds interesting.
My friend, you are not alone.
Like Old Guy, I had over 300+ kits at one time. I sold all but two of the SRMW and only kept 3 of the FSM kits and on and on. I began kit bashing and scratch building as FOS, FSM and SRMW all produced kits that were better suited for New England areas.
I'm in the South and 95% of those big kits won't work on a southern style layout.
Anyway, one day I decided what I needed to fill my layout with the structures that I liked or knew would fit. All the rest were sold or given as gifts.
So, Vince, as Reading Bob said, "Welcome to the club"!
Tom ;D
I guess I'm "lucky" in the fact that I just started building craftsman kits within the last 2 years. Everything that I buy is pretty much built immediately, so no large collections of unbuilt kits.
One trick I've learned is to construct footprint templates for every kit. The best kits come with these, but usually you have to draw them up from the kit plans and photos, etc. Then you can use the templates when you're mulling over how to position buildings.
You can also scan the drawings and print those to cardstock, cut them out, and construct 3D mockups.
dave
Thank you Tommy. Believe me I will start small. It was the 80's when I has a small layout, But most of my kit's then was plastic. Then kid's came along. Done!!!!! lol.Dennis
Thank you Bob, The room was only storage until this year when I did a massive cleaning. My wife is still looking for stuff. ;) Dennis
Dennis,
Trust me...those red boxes take time to complete...but you will be rewarded by your efforts !
Tommy
Thanks Bob Dye, I cant even imagine 300 kits!!! Wow!! yes. It's 13' Long with a 5, turn around and straight run is average 30" deep with 3-4' end for my city. there's two legs that are the same and the middle one is 8'x3'. I wanted to knock a wall down, But wife said no way lol. Not lucky like John. Dennis
Tommy, Those are some nice looking building's. Dennis
Tom, I'm glad I'm not alone. This is tougher then I thought. I never planned one before. I just winged it with back then. over 300+ kits you have? How? that's a lot of kit's. Dennis
Hi Curt, I wished I built immediately. But I was saving till kid's left the home. Now's there's tote's everywhere I look. Dennis
Dave, I will try that instead of cutting all these base's.
THANK YOU ALL..Dennis
So I was reading through these posts and said to myself - I can't possible be as out of control as my buddy Tom. So I started counting kits this evening. :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ Okay so I got it bad and I need to sell some kits. I will be offering them to the forum first. I sure wish I wouldn't have started down this road. Number of kits x $300 per kit = OMG And Dennis thinks he needs help!
John, LOL See what I started? You got that many kit's too?.....Dennis
Quote from: Dennis Bourey on August 31, 2020, 08:43:33 PM
John, LOL See what I started? You got that many kit's too?.....Dennis
Dennis
To be honest - I quit counting when I got over 100 and there were a lot more to go. Way more than I will ever fit on the layout. I do see a number of them that I can say for sure will not find a place on the layout - I will be posting a list when I get ready to sell some.
John, I thought I was bad? Not anymore ;0) Dennis
;D I don't have 300+ of them but I have enough kits that I had to create a spreadsheet listing everything I had stashed away so I could print out a listing and take it with me to the EXPO so I wouldn't accidentally buy something I already had stashed away. It wasn't really a problem with the bigger kits, like the FSM kits, but with the smaller kits I'd often confuse "I'd really like to have that one" with "I already own that one". ;D ;D ;D
Being fairly new to the hobby I have not collected more than I can build yet, but I am working on it! I have had the privilege of visiting some amazing layouts from long time modelers. Each and everyone had stacks and stacks of kits waiting to be built, even when their layouts were nearly complete (one is never done). So not to throw kerosene on this fire ::) ;D I noticed even more smaller boxes stacked at least equally high. I think they are called 'kit built rolling stock' and 'Brass Locomotives'. I wonder how many heart attacks would occur if these were counted up, priced out and added to the total. Sorry, sometimes I just can't help myself ;D
Jim D
Bob and Jim, Thanks. This hobby is crazy lol. I already move some framing to try to get a large area for a city scene. I really like George's city scene's but not no way near as much detail. He's a amazing modeler, As the guy's here. I can't believe it's that complicated and yet rewarding to us.Dennis
Like everyone else (99%) I went through the same process. :o
I started to write a reply but it got long. I'm thinking it's a bit too late for 'us' but really need to get the message to those who follow, especially newbies and lurkers. Let me rethink my reply and start a new thread... If I had to do it differently. ::)
--Rich
Thank you Rich...Dennis
Never enough kits!