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Offline Bahner  
#1 Posted : 18 July 2020 06:44:08(UTC)
Bahner

United States   
Joined: 18/11/2017(UTC)
Posts: 166
Location: California, East Bay
The last of the Archistories Z scale kits (for my 'Kleinhopfensee' layout), the 'Windmill Marienfell':

Archistories (703141) Windmill Marienfell Front_071620.jpg

Archistories (703141) Windmill Marienfell Rear2_071620.jpg

Closeup of the structure's rear (quite detailed!):

Archistories (703141) Windmill Marienfell Rear_071620.jpg

Went a bit overboard on the weathering, perhaps, but my take is that it would have been an older structure even in the layout's Era 1/Era 2 time period. This wee-little thing is not much bigger than a matchbox Smile

Learned a few things building this one. As i was mounting the motor I noticed it was set at about a 7 degree angle:

Archistories (703141) Windmill Marienfell Motor_071620.jpg

I couldn't see any other way to mount the motor, so after a bit of head scratching it occurred to me that a windmill probably catches the wind best at an angle...and so they incorporated that into this kit (nice touch ThumpUp). This kit utilizes the exact same motor and capacitors as the company's 'Wassermuehle im Bieberbachtal' (# 706160) kit.

From experience, one mistake to avoid is adding ANY glue to the two tiny tabs on each individual stair that fit into the side braces. All the tiny stairs should be inserted in their respective slots first, then glue can be lightly applied to the side brace's outer sides onto the visible stair tabs to anchor the stairs in place.

This one required a magnifier for the smaller pieces (I was able to build the two other kits without any magnification...'your experience may vary'). A few of the really small pieces had delamination issues (some of these parts are approaching the near microscopic level!), but a miniscule dab of glue and some patience got the job done.

After building quite a few of these life-like Z scale micro-kits, it's quite interesting to see the differences between the two main companies, Archistories and MBZ. While both are awesome, there are some real differences. IMO, Archistories's strength lies in it's clear and concise directions, numbering of each part in the instructions for accurate identification and super precise laser cutting. MBZ in contrast, has more vague instructions (often just an exploded view of all the parts with arrows pointing in the general directions where they should go), but generally uses more robust materials (where needed) that are more resistant to glue saturation/delamination and the resulting deformation. If I had one thing to suggest to either one, I'd say "Please use real laser-cut hardwood (or something with similar properties) for the small parts that require manual manipulation, not cardboard".

Hope these quick reviews help anyone considering these awesome, life-like kits. Have fun!


Ralph.

Edited by user 18 July 2020 21:08:03(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

thanks 6 users liked this useful post by Bahner
Offline LA2019  
#2 Posted : 21 July 2020 02:18:01(UTC)
LA2019

United States   
Joined: 18/11/2012(UTC)
Posts: 311
Looks great; nice job!
Ken
USofA
Offline Bahner  
#3 Posted : 21 July 2020 04:24:10(UTC)
Bahner

United States   
Joined: 18/11/2017(UTC)
Posts: 166
Location: California, East Bay
Originally Posted by: LA2019 Go to Quoted Post
Looks great; nice job!


Thank you!
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