Little and large (N part 52)…
Accurascale’s PCA was an early wagon in their slow march towards domination in the hobby and a great piece of tool making and product design…
Every bit of detail present on OO has been shrink, the tiny etched tie downs are insane, I would argue the model is worth every bit of the full asking price, if you can justify the outlay. I’m very happy to have a set for such a reasonable amount. Comparing them to the Bachmann Metalair example I’d say they’re on a par with one another, Bachmann’s ladder is finer but the underfloor detail is better on the Realtrack.
The trio will see work on both PR2 and it’s successor, one will be retained for cement service whilst the other pair will receive faux PiChem markings and be used on powdered chemical traffic on PR3. I’ve shrunk my custom decal artwork accordingly.
A perfect blend of materials, the steps finely moulded in robust engineering plastic whilst the walk ways sublimely fine etched metal lifting the injection moulded body and details to stratospheric levels for a British ready to run model.
What I hadn’t appreciated at the time was that it has been shrink ray’d to N for Realtrack models, although I became aware of this later. The £70 I spent for a 3 pack in OO felt an extravagance so the £90 for a Realtrack 3 pack in N was out of the question, until I found a second set on Rails.
Arriving this week I was instantly taken with how much of the 4mm model had been successfully miniaturised, and by the real size difference as back to back near identical models really hammers this sort of thing home.
There are many in our hobby who bemoan the price of these models. They achieve for the many what was only available to the few for a price that I couldn’t match as a custom model maker. Give me a kit of parts and ask for something as good and it’s going to be north of £100 a wagon. Let’s hope the Chinese can keep assembly costs to a minimum as they’re inevitable increase in wages and living standards rise. In the meantime, if you’ve pondered of these wagons are worth it and should you get a rake, the answer from me is a definite and resounding yes, well designed, well made and expensive, however you will not be disappointed. Thank you Realtrack for taking a bit of a punt on N. Until next time, more soon…
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Very nice but... nearly a hundred pounds for three? I'll stick to scratch building in 1:55 scale I think...
ReplyDeleteDid you miss my point about how much these would cost you if a professional (cough cough) was to build them? I think they are worth the money, just perhaps you don’t want the detail or have the time and skills to get there yourself, which is a different point and perhaps shouldn’t be confused with price?
DeleteIf you only ever see one (1) side of your wagons on your micro layouts, have you given any thought to applying your Pi decals to one (1) side only then you get double the amount of wagons - three (3) cement and three (3) (or two (2)) Pi chemical wagons. That is potentially six wagons for the price of three?
ReplyDeleteTom, yes I have in the past, not sure about this time. The issue is weathering… I need to take a look at the prototype more to see if the end platforms take on cement dust, if not then it’s possible.
DeleteI'm not saying anyone else shouldn't, just that it's not for me.
ReplyDeleteI have the skills to make 1:55 scale models out of card and old bits of wire to a standard that I'm happy with, even though it would make a finescale modeller faint, and to a budget that is sustainable for me, so I'll stick with that.
That was my point too, I think your skills are superb and really capture the European narrow gauge that inspires it, and one thing I really like is your consistent artistic hand through each item.
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