Cheap G-scale figures from Ebay

Every layout benefits from models of people which make it more 'alive'. And that's also true in the garden railroading. What's different in the G-scale however, is the very high price of a single human figure.

Those high prices are somehow justified. The models you buy are usually high quality with a lot of details. They're also expected to last outdoors. The price becomes an issue, when you need a lot of them.

That's when you start looking for an alternative and the easiest place to find one is of course Ebay. Ebay is full of cheap large scale people models. Some are sold for as little as $0.50 per piece but those do look bad in my opinion. There are however $1.50 figures which offer much more details and look acceptable in the photos shown by the sellers. I've decided to buy a 12-pack of those.

The seller was of course from China so I expected to wait around 4 weeks for delivery. To my surprise, the package arrived just one week later and was posted in Austria. I did not expect it to come in a nice box and that's exactly what it looked like.

The figures themselves were packed in plastic bags.

They seemed to look more or less like the merchandise I ordered. First impression - they're indeed not that bad...

I won't go into discussing the figures very deeply. I'll let the photos tell the story...


So they're quite detailed - they have eyes, eyebrows and some clothing details. The quality of painting is rather low - all models have 'funny eyes' and there are clear lacks in the finishing. Poor packaging also takes its toll - there are clear marks coming from the figures rubbing against teach other in the plastic bags. But other than that - I'd say they're worth their price!

So those figures are cheap. And yet, they're pretty good. How's that possible? Seems they're simply copies of products from other manufacturers. Copies that are probably not really legal, too.

Here's one of the figures I bought on Ebay and next to it: my expensive Preiser figure. They look like twins, don't they?

The similarities are obvious, yet, the cheap copy somehow manages to be noticeably smaller. The copy has also less details (eg. the cigarette is missing) and incomparably worse painting.

The face expression on the original is much, much better, too. The Preiser figure looks like a real human being, while the copy seems like a caricature.

Painting is so basic on the copy, that the manufacturer even decided not to cover the bottom of the figure at all. This is a sitting person, so it does not matter but it shows how badly they wanted to save money while making the cheap model.

***

What do I think about it? Ethical dilemma aside, I would not use the no-name figure in an exposed part of my layout. That might really destroy the realism of the scene. I could live with the poor painting and scratches from transport, but the 'funny eyes' are just too much for me.

On the other hand, those cheap models might be good fillers if you're low on money. They should look good enough in distant areas of the layout or inside the structures. I wonder whether they're weather resistant at all, though...

My plan was to use them inside my passenger cars. So here they're. And they end up looking pretty good in my opinion...

Difficult installation of a vinyl grass mat

A few months back I wrote an article about my second N-scale layout which I use as a base for my DCC experiments. This layout by definition was supposed to be just a test track, and therefore I was not planning to do any landscaping work there. However, with time I got tired of the rough look and that's when I created my very first backdrop. Unfortunately this improvement did nothing to the fact that the base of the layout was still just a piece of wood that did not look nice at all.

This is what it looked it like. An OSB-3 base with just some elevated road bed. What it needed next was at least some nice grass-looking surface.

I did use several different techniques to create grass before. And the one that had definitely the best effect/effort ratio involved gluing a pre-fabricated grass mat to the layout surface. That's what I decided to do now, too.

The mats I used before were all paper based with grass flocks of different lengths. They were great for permanent layouts where the track was attached to the surface, and the green elements were placed only between the tracks.

But here I had a test track on a non-permanent layout. And I did not want the rail track to be attached, I wanted to have it freely lying on the grass surface. A mat with flocks was not very good for that purpose. I needed something more flat.

That's when I found out about vinyl mats. Those are not very popular where I live and it was actually pretty difficult to buy one. But once it arrived, I immediately realized that it was exactly what I needed.

The mat I'm describing is a product from Woodland Scenics which is a very popular manufacturer in the US but not so much in Europe.

Since I knew nothing about vinyl mats, I had to gather some knowledge about how to apply it. I've learnt that a spray adhesive would be a proper solution in this case. Here's the one I was able to buy at a local store.

I wanted to get as flat surface as possible. But my layout already had some elevated elements and was simply not flat at all. I had two choices to go about it.

• I could have either glued the mat step by step working around the elevated parts and cutting holes as I proceeded
• Or I could have removed the elevated elements and applied the mat in one step

I've concluded that the latter was too much effort. That it would be very difficult to clean the base and make it really flat again. So I decided to go for the former idea. That might have been a huge mistake...

I've started working from one corner. I've assumed that both my layout and the mat were perfect rectangles and I just glued it at one end. Once it dried a little I started cutting the holes for the elevated areas.

This has been surprisingly easy and I was not noticing any real issues. That was the case right up until the end, when I realized that not everything I did in the process was perfect.

Problem #1 - as I was shaping the mat to accommodate the existing road bed, I was also changing its shape. The vinyl base is similar to rubber and what started as a perfect rectangle in the beginning was not one in the end. This made my final gluing step very difficult.

Problem #2 - I've noticed that in some areas the mat did not attach itself very well. There were clearly bubbles of air under it. If the mat was one continuous piece, I could just pick it up, add glue and fix it. But it wasn't and I could not risk tearing it by pulling it up. More on this issue later.

In the end I've managed to glue the entire mat and it looks pretty good from a distance.

And it looks even better with the backdrop mentioned before.

And for the most part it looks fantastic even up close.

But not everywhere. Here's one of the parts where the glue was either not applied properly or simply did not act very well.

That part is very difficult to fix. The gap is not only at the very edge but reaches far into the field. This means there's an empty space under the area where the rail track will go.

I had to do something about it. The only option I could see was cutting the mat and spraying some glue under it. This did not go well on the first try resulting in the following problem.

I've managed to fix it and it's better now. But unfortunately my actions revealed another issue which I did not predict.

A vinyl grass mat seems very sturdy but it's only an impression. It can get damaged easily either by:

• bending it
• pressing it a lot
• pressing it a little when your hand is dirty with glue

In all those cases the result is the same. The grass layer comes off and reveals the vinyl base.

The paper mats with grass flocks also get damaged when working with them but the negative effects are not that much visible. It would seem that one should be very careful with vinyl mats, even though they feel indestructible at first touch.

Summary

I can't say I'm happy with the results of my work. I'll keep it for now because it's not THAT bad but I expected the entire operation to be much simpler.

And all this does not really mean that I feel the product from Woodland Scenics is a bad one. On the contrary - I do believe it's a very good product. It's just that it should be applied on flat surfaces. And I complicated the entire process by attempting to install it with minimum effort in a rather difficult setting.

***

An extra note about the glue. I thought I could use a spray adhesive safely inside my apartment. That was a wrong assumption. This kind of glue:

• requires good ventilation, as it does not "smell" very healthy
• and - most importantly - it diffuses in all directions, meaning it will not only land on the target surface but also everywhere around it

Other than that, the so called "spray adhesive" seems to be a good solution for attaching vinyl to wood.

[Update] Please be sure to read my final notes here.

Garden lighthouse with a beacon light

Some time ago my family has bought me a wooden lighthouse for use on my garden layout. The building is not exactly G-scale but looks great and I'm going to be installing it as soon as the season starts. One thing it was missing is some kind of interior lighting that would make it look more real.

But it's of course not just a building but a lighthouse. It needs a beacon light. So the emitted light should be either spinning or blinking. Creating a rotating light source seemed complicated so I decided to go for one that would just switch on and off. This can be of course achieved by using a multi-vibrator circuit.

The basic one can be seen below. There's not much to be said about it. The frequency of blinking can be adjusted by using different values for resistors and capacitors. And I really think we have a full freedom of choice here. One thing I would be careful about is making sure that R1 and R2 resistors are always of higher values than R3 and R4.

But the basic circuit was not good enough for me. Most notably - I wanted a blinking light, but one with a nice fade in and fade out effects. Therefore I had to make some changes:

My circuit differs from the basic one in three areas:

• I removed one of the LEDs as I needed only one blinking light
• I've added a bridge rectifier at the input - the circuit needs a proper polarization and I just didn't want to worry about that when connecting the power supply
• For the nice fade in and fade out effects I added an extra capacitor parallel to the LED

I also wanted the blinking to be slow. I could have calculated the proper resistance and capacity from the formulas for that circuit but it was just easier to reach the goal by experimenting. So my final values for the elements are:

• R1 = R2 = 9.4 kΩ
• R3 = 860 Ω
• R4 = 110 Ω
• C1 = C2 = 470 uF
• C3 = 2200 uF

I also had to decide what my actual light source would be. I was thinking about using LED strips and somehow forming them into a spherical shape. But then I discovered those cheap light bulbs on Ebay.

They're LEDs so they don't take much power. They're cheap - $0.50 a piece. They're powered with 12V, so they're safe. And their connector (which is G4) fits pretty nicely into a standard PCB socket. So I ordered them...

Here's my first prototype for the beacon light. It took some experimenting to decide the right values for the elements, and this way of building the circuit was great for the first step. And it also allowed me to easily monitor the voltage on the light bulb. Now I know that I need to provide at least 16V at the input in order to have around 12V on the LEDs.

Once I was happy with the light output, I had to solder the circuit. As always - my creation does not look good but works as expected!

I had two more goals to achieve:

• I wanted to protect the circuitry from the bad weather. I didn't think it needed to be perfectly sealed, but some level of protection was desired.
• I wanted to make the light more diffused. The light the LED bulb was producing was "too direct" for me.

And here's my solution. A plastic container remaining from a dessert my daughters had. You could say I got it for free.

Here's my circuit installed inside the plastic box. My favourite hot glue proved to be useful, as always :)

More hot glue and the whole beacon light bulb is now attached to the base of the lighthouse. I'm starting to be proud of my creation at this step!

The lighthouse is closed. The light is lit. Looks good to me!

And it looks even better when moved outside. The photo was taken just before dusk. The light is not very strong but it was not meant to be - I do not want to disturb my neighbours' sleep.

I've also shot some short videos at different phases of my work. They show the frequency of the blinking as well as the fade in/out effect. Enjoy!

First look at G-Scale rail clamps

I did not have the need to use rail clamps on my garden layout, yet. It's not really surprising since I've just started my adventure with G-Scale, and everything I have is brand new. I know however that sooner or later I'm going to need them...

So I decided to go ahead and try them already now. I've bought products from Split Jaw, PIKO and Uncle Herm's for that purpose. But I won't be reviewing or testing them here. It will all be just my first impressions...

One thing that has been brought up recently is that some of the rail clamps break when too much force is applied. It's very tempting for me to perform a test and have some conclusions documented on my blog. I could even live with the financial loss that such test requires but I won't do that. There are two reasons for that:

Reason one: the test would require to break a clamp from every manufacturer while the applied force is being precisely measured. I do not have an equipment to do that...

Reason two: let's take a look at the Split Jaw rail clamp installation note:

It says explicitly not to use too much force. So it seems the manufacturers know that these things may break and they warn us about it. Does proving that a manual is right make sense at all?

So instead I will be applying a reasonable force when working with rail clamps. I will always tighten them up to the point where I'm not able to pull the rails apart anymore. That's their function, isn't it? And as soon as any of them breaks (today, tomorrow or in a year) I will report it here.

OK, let's take a look at the rail clamps.

Uncle Herm's Code 332 Rail Joiners

I've bought a pack of 10 of those on Ebay. They were priced at $18.49 which gives $1.85 per piece. Shipping within US was free and I was able to use that option (courtesy of a friend of mine). What came in an envelope is a small plastic bag with clamps and a screwing tool.

At first I was not sure what to think. Was the tool part of the set? Was it a free gift? Why do the clamps come in a regular plastic bag with just a sticker? Why wasn't it all packaged like a real product?

But let's move on. There are no surprises after unboxing. It's still just the clamps and the tool. No manual at all and no spare parts.

Inclusion of the tool is a big plus. You don't need to search for one in your toolbox, it's just there for you. The tool is pretty thin but feels sturdy. It does not bend and seems it could be easily used to apply more force than is really needed.

Here's a close up look at the clamp. It is built from two brass pieces connected with two screws. The profile seems rather low and the screws are medium sized. It feels like a solid piece of metal when held in a hand.

The installation was rather tricky. When unscrewed, the clamp won't stay on the rail. It means it has to be held with one hand while the screws are being tightened with another. Unless of course you get some help from a friend or use an extra tool to hold it. But it's definitely not easy...

But it looks very nice when installed and it holds the rails very well. I have to say that even though my first impression was a mixed one, the Uncle Herm's clamp feels like a quality piece and gets the job done well.

Uncle Herm's clamp on PIKO R3 track

PIKO 35293

I purchased this 10-pack online and I used a US-based store again. It was priced at $16.79 which means $1.68 per piece. What arrived looks like a typical PIKO product and makes a good first impression.

Unboxing reveals a manual (one without any "excessive force warning"), a tool, clamps and two extra screws. The inclusion of spare parts is nice although one may wonder why the manufacturer decided to do that.

The only reason I'm questioning it is because the screws are really tiny. And the tool is very thin and a little bendy, too. I can imagine that those small parts might be easy to lose or break. But I'm really just hypothesizing now...

What comes with those tiny screws is a really nice look. PIKO clamp makes an impression of a well designed product. It's not the most important thing in case of a rail clamp but the German tidiness is definitely there.

The clamp has a rather high profile. This probably makes it harder to hide but definitely easier to install. I have to assume that such higher profile is still compatible with all the rolling stock around the world but I don't really know that.

The element is built from two brass pieces connected with screws. It feels a little lighter than the other clamps but I weighted it and it's not lighter at all. So it must be the soft shape...

The installation of PIKO joiner is reaaaaally easy. And it's all because the clamp simply stays on the rail once you put it there. So it does not need to be supported when being tightened. This is really cool and the installation experience is definitely the best of all three products.

And of course it holds the rails very well. Just as expected.

PIKO rail clamp on PIKO R3 track

Split Jaw 40105

The last one I bought is a very popular (at least in the US) Split Jaw brand. The pack of 10 cost me $19.99 which is of course $2.00 per piece. It is therefore the most expensive one and I expect it to be the best one, too :)

Unboxing and a surprise - no screwing tool there. Just the clamps. No manual except for a small note at the back of the bag.

The clamps feel heavy and solid - similar to Uncle Herm's. The profile is low but the screws are noticeably larger. They don't look that nice in my opinion but perhaps their size guarantees better operation. If that's the case - I'm fine with a worse look.

An interesting thing is that the clamp looks like it's made from a single brass piece. And I started wondering how this was going to work...

The mystery is revealed once the screws are loosened. It's actually three brass pieces. So the design is completely different than the two other products.

The biggest challenge for me was the lack of the tool. I thought I had every type of screwdriver in my possession already but this clamp proved me wrong. None of my tools fitted it. Must be some American standard. I really wish Split Jaw took care of that like the other manufacturers did.

Once you have the tool the installation is easy. Not as easy as PIKO but easier than Uncle Herm's. The thing is: the clamp does not stay on the rail when unscrewed and it has to be held. BUT since it consists of three metal pieces you can do it rail by rail. So the clamp can be first attached to one rail end and tightened. And then connection to the other rail end is very easy, since the element is now stable.

Split Jaw therefore manages to keep the low profile while making the installation acceptably easy. That's very cool. And I'm impressed.

The screws are of course still ugly but the rails are kept together well.

Split Jaw clamp on PIKO R3 track

Summary

The three different rail clamps are really three different products. There are differences in all areas:

• the price (small difference but might pile up if you buy 500 pieces)
• the look (both: the height of the profile and the finishing)
• the installation (from very easy to a procedure requiring a third hand)

But in the end they all seem to hold the rails equally well and I'm not able to tell which one I will choose for my layout.

I really like the Split Jaw except for the ugly screws and the lack of the tool. PIKO seems nicely designed but I keep wondering about the very thin and tiny elements. Uncle Herm's is low profile and looks good but the installation is rather difficult.

None of the clamps broke during my first experience :)
And here are some photos to prove that!

From left: Split Jaw, Uncle Herm's, PIKO

From top: Split Jaw, Uncle Herm's, PIKO

From left: Split Jaw, Uncle Herm's, PIKO