How to Build a Terrible HO Scale Steam Engine Kit: Part 4 - Main Body & Basic Details

There are plenty of good kits out there, but what happens if you come across a really bad one? Instead of throwing it out, follow along with this video series to see how to actually make it into something!
The A3 0-4-0 was one of the last kits developed by Arbour Models. With years of experience and complaints by the time they started making these, they should've gotten their act together, right? As it turns out, nope! This is just as bad as the rest of them, having almost every possible problem that can possibly be fit into what should have been a very simple to develop and build model. As I build this side by side with a Bowser kit, you'll be able to see all the differences between a quality model and a not quality model. :)
Image at beginning from NASA
Opening titles adapted from pre-production "Star Wars" text written by George Lucas

[@andrewpalm2103]

So it's not only absurdly difficult to construct, but you also risk cadmium poisoning. Yikes! Your sacrifice for our edification and entertainment is either admirable or crazy--I'm not sure which. 🙂

[@HamStrains]

The battle continues, but you're winning!

[@czwij]

without any whining...

[@traviscurlutu7723]

A super glue you may not know about is from a company called CoolChem. It is expensive and the shelf life is about a year but it will glue anything including Acetel a, Delrin and ABS. Also Lucas gun oil does really well for metal to metal lube. I appreciate your vids and happy to see young guys like you keeping interests in these old model trains that i grew up with. Im nearing 60 yrs old and for that past 28 yrs have been a real life locomotive engineer and have loved model trains since i was a kid. Keep up the good work and vids you do!

[@CATech1138]

I finally remember what this kit reminds me of….the model engine kits that supply base castings and bar stock….that require full machining

[@badkittynomilktonight3334]

I will never again complain about those old Mantua/Tyco locomotive kits. They went together like butter in comparison.

[@marktaylor8659]

The model is really looking nice and it's mechanism seems quite smooth thanks to your patience. When you showed a quick view of the model on the plans to check for the front wood deck on the pilot, it looked like the original model used in the photo didn't even have the motor installed. You can clearly see right past the engineer that it isn't there. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to your next video.

[@williamsantangelo]

Darth you are incredible you've rubbed off on me, giving me insight to tackle intricacies! Can't thank you enough!! See you again!

[@badkittynomilktonight3334]

I think if you saved all the metal filings of this loco project you'd have enough metal to cast another kit.

[@garyjust.johnson1436]

Great video! Very inspirational and informative! Happy Holidaze 2022 and best New Year 2023 to you!

[@WWIIREBEL]

And i thought assembling an MDC/Roundhouse kit was a pain,lol.

[@P61guy61]

Thank you for posting

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

The pioneers of model railroading in the old days when you got a steam locomotive kit you had to do Machining all over drill and tap all the screw holes and everything. Model Railroader get a test of a 0 scale steam locomotive kit and all of the problems that they had were similar to what you had to overcome and they overcame them and got the locomotive assembled and then did not recommend the purchase of the locomotive by anybody because of its poor quality. They got it assembled and running and it didn't look too bad but all of the extra work that they had to do to correct things and to make things work was mind-boggling. And after did all that work. They were honest about the fact that they could not recommend the kid because of all of its problems. They put together a Mantua kit and they had a few difficulties and the company read the article and change the production of the kit to get rid of the difficulties they encountered and then told the magazine that they were very happy to learn about them and to get them corrected so their customers would be happy with their locomotive that was good they said oh okay just didn't work so we will do things better and they did their kids were top-of-the-line. Forgive the poor grammar I have a shit phone.

[@donaldlamendola8294]

Great video! You did an amazing job!!!!!

[@2nd66tube2]

Never would have thought those white metal parts would take solder

[@blairmielnik8228]

Cadmium!! That is good to know- sanding is less than ideal- probably good to throw away the sandpaper and clean the files off with a bristle card.

[@czwij]

oh bravo, this was quite an intro. Shaolin monk level patience to build this. I could never....The mdc shay is swiss engineering compared to this.

[@hamiltonsullivan6563]

Lol love the outro!

[@fallingup90]

Fantastic progress! Would you be interested in working on a locomotive of mine?

[@garrattfan]

Wonderful intro 😂

[@kge420]

When mounting the sand and steam domes could you use some baking soda on the underside to help fill the small gaps? Is that combo structurally strong? Enjoying this build.

[@YeOldeGeezer]

That’s nice but don’t smash it into an excavator when you run it !!!😂

[@DarthSantaFe]

Yeah, that was unfortunate!

[@notmuch_23]

CADMIUM?!? I thought that was leaded pewter! That's probably worse than lead!

[@michaelrollo6518]

you have a laithe why don't you put backing between the jaws and can you true up the boiler to take a small drill to center a small prick punch or a small drill

[@DarthSantaFe]

It's too small and light weight for that level of use. If I tried to turn an imbalanced piece of metal on it, it would probably shake itself apart.

[@kennethljungberg642]

Hello Darth, who made this Kits and can one buy them today ?. Kenneth

[@DarthSantaFe]

These were made by Arbour Models. They’ve been gone for about 40 years now and the tooling’s been scrapped, so the only way to get one now is to find an unbuilt kit on eBay or possibly at a model train show.

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

Once you have conquered everything and the locomotive is finally assembled and running the extra work required because of itch pain in the ass poor quality you can Beam with pride for overcoming all the obstacles like climbing a mountain. And it will be great for that little engine not to be in the Box unassembled forever. I had the ancient Mantua Tycho A3 Switcher with the tender as one complete metal casting with two stems to bolt the trucks to. No frame underneath. In those days if you couldn't see it it wasn't there. Like the underneath of Rolling Stock was not details until later on. Engine was a nice solid little metal engine Derek just something about Metal that screams quality while plastic scream cheap. I wish they still had the old-fashioned 0 scale k i TS where you could buy it in stages in case you could not pay for it all at once. People were real craftsmanship putting these type of kits together model railroad stuff lasts forever and gets new owners because their former owners died. When I have an old piece of Rolling Stock that has been hand-painted and lettered the guy who owns it put the extra effort in it to make it look more realistic and now that little caboose is 70 years old. I bet previous owner is glad that it is running on a layout . The guy I used real gold leaf paint to paint the New York Central stuff on the Caboose. All I did to it was for the conductor on the back platform I run it on my strictly o27 layout that is underneath my hi-rail layout above it also showcases a lot of my orange train in o27. Undersized cars are okay because you're the old days there were lots of 36-foot car is still left. But when you put a load scale three rail locomotive next to and 027 12 size disparity is too much. That's why I only run undersized o27 locomotive with 027 Rolling Stock. When Kaline came out with the old 27 big boy I ordered one and forgot about it because it was so long to get it and then it showed up on my door stop. I asked about returning it but they said it would cost me $100 out of the 400 I paid for it. Decided to keep it. Classic toy trains a article about it and bemoan Kaline did not make an American Flyer gauge version because it was perfect size for American Flyer I like your American Flyer guys would have loved to have a big boy on their train layout. I might put it on my 027 layout when I get everything sorted out from the hurricane. When the shed full of train stuff got destroyed by the tree and the 185 mile an hour winds from the hurricane blue stuff all over I found one of my locomotives two blocks away in the swell and picked it up and it was still good I picked up one box down the street and it turned out to be a commemorative car. Outside of a couple that went flying most of them were in the yard. I put my own stuff that I lost from the hurricane but some were worse than me and so I am grateful for that I can imagine what happened what would have happened if I still had my outside O gauge layout many times it had taken Monsoon Florida storms in stride. Hurricane Ian was a freak megastorm hurricane that I hope I never see again.

[@DarthSantaFe]

Sorry to hear you lost so much from the hurricane! That is amazing that a piece blown 2 blocks away was still perfectly fine, so that definitely says something for the quality.

[@mamarussellthepie3995]

lmao cringe should be expected to have to put effort into old models lmao xd smh good vid tho lol