Customizing Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars can be fun. I tend to buy representations of pre-1950 cars and un-hotrod them so they’ll look like they belong on my train layout; others buy them, paint them differently and put different wheels on them to make something different from what Mattel sells. It’s a job you can [...]
All posts tagged matchbox
How to customize Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars
Posted by Dave Farquhar on February 18, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/02/how-to-customize-matchbox-or-hot-wheels-cars/
Go-Bots and Transformers: My small-town perspective
Internet pal Rob O’Hara posted a photo of a whatzit antique mall find earlier this week. I knew I’d seen it before, and I knew some of my friends had it, but its identity escaped me. A commenter identified it as a Go-Bots command center. I seem to recall it doubled as a carrying case [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on February 2, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/02/go-bots-and-transformers-my-small-town-perspective/
Dvorak: The future of retail is search
This week in PC Magazine, John C Dvorak said the future of retail is search. He’s right.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on November 29, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/11/dvorak-the-future-of-retail-is-search/
Don’t write 3D printing’s obit yet
Christopher Mims argues that 3D printing is the next Virtual Reality. I think he misses the point. I see 3D printing as having a bright future, but not because I see it as necessarily the future of mass production. I see 3D printing taking over the fringes, because it makes small-scale manufacturing practical.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 30, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/01/dont-write-3d-printings-obit-yet/
Can you use 1:64 vehicles with HO scale trains?
Can you use 1:64 vehicles with HO scale trains? It’s a common question. The answer is you can do whatever you want. The next question is whether you’ll be happy with it. And under some circumstances, you might be.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 15, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/01/can-you-use-164-vehicles-with-ho-scale-trains/
Cars for trains
Vehicles are a frequent topic of discussion on the various O and S gauge train forms. At times these discussions can get rather heated.
Since use on train layouts is rarely the objective of the companies making various diecast vehicles, there’s no true right answer to what one should or shouldn’t use. This is my personal philosophy. Take it for what it’s worth.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on December 2, 2008
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2008/12/cars-for-trains/
Cars (as in vehicles) for train layouts
I was at Kmart today, and as I usually do, I wandered down the toy aisle on the off chance I might find some cars that might work on my train layout.
I did a lot better than I usually do–Jada and Maisto came through for me.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on November 18, 2006
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2006/11/cars-as-in-vehicles-for-train-layouts/
How to build and paint miniature buildings (and make kids have fun with what they learn in school)
I found this tutorial on building a miniature building and a companion article on painting. The intended audience is wargaming, but the same tricks work for buildings for train layouts, or for kids to build cities for their Matchbox/Hot Wheels-brand cars or their action figures.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on February 8, 2005
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2005/02/how-to-build-and-paint-miniature-buildings-and-make-kids-have-fun-with-what-they-learn-in-school/
What to do if you can’t find a Lionel Polar Express set
The Polar Express is turning out (so far) to be a bigger hit for Lionel than it is for Tom Hanks. Dealers are sold out and the sets are turning up on Ebay, usually with asking prices $100-$200 higher than the suggested retail price. It’s not as hot as Tickle Me Elmo, but since the words "hot selling" and "train set" haven’t appeared together since the late 1950s, well…
So what should you do if you (or someone in your household) wants The Polar Express and can’t get one? Hint: Ebay shouldn’t be your first resort.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on November 23, 2004
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2004/11/what-to-do-if-you-cant-find-a-lionel-polar-express-set/
Tin litho buildings for a traditional pre-war train layout
It’s time to come out of the closet. I’m sick of hi-rail.
Hi-rail, for the uninitiated, is the practice of "serious" model railroading in 1:48 or 1:64 scale using Lionel or American Flyer trains, respectively.
I find two things annoying about it: the snobbery and the price. If I’m gonna pay $100 for a train car, it’d better be older than me and it’d better still be worth that next week. But I found my way out.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on September 29, 2004
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2004/09/tin-litho-buildings-for-a-traditional-pre-war-train-layout/