Well this post started out as a question about the visual compatibility between the MARKLIN and MTL passenger cars. In the end, I am persuaded to say that while they both do look like passenger cars on the track, the visual compatibility just isn’t there to satisfy me. I think the glaring showstopper for me, is the contours of the sides of the cars from one brand to the other. The MARKLIN cars have a distinct ribbed/corrugated element, whereas the MTL cars had the later painted on stripes that were supposed to mimic the ribbed appearance. It was Kurt that actually mentioned that this mix of cars might actually have been prototypical back in the day, but visually it was off for me. I also airbrushed the MARKLIN cars using TESTORS Chrome Silver. While this did manage to cover up the Amtrak decals, it also highlighted the roughness of the ribbed sides of the cars. So that was a little bit of a drawback. Also, I was not happy with the skirting i applied in some areas. Although it did manage to remove the “lifted 4X4” appearance of the MARKLIN cars, the overall skirting application was (IMHO) not my better work. So we can blame that on craftsmanship. Anyway, the pictures below demonstrate a little bit of my thoughts. I will, however, continue my efforts to develop the bellows between the cars. I simply had to put them to the side and take a break, while I worked on other 3D printing projects. This convinces me all the more to save up my lemonade stand money and buy the AZL SUPER CHIEF set. Comments welcomed.
Lance, Pretty damn good job if you ask me! The ribs look pretty good, just normal wear and tear. The skirts do make a difference. Scott
Thanks Scott, and I am sure with the cars rolling along the tracks, they'd past muster with no issue. And as you well noted with the concept of "normal wear and tear" and maybe a little add weathering (which passenger cars seldom have), they'd certainly be viable.
