Review: Scale Trains Kit Classics Evans Boxcar

I like shake-the-box kits. (hereafter referred to as "shakers")  The simple process of assembly is enjoyable, the level of detail is pleasing enough without being easily damaged, and at current used prices they generally represent great value.   Athearn Blue Box, Roundhouse/MDC, E&C, etc... Half my roster of rolling stock is made up of such kits.   Probably more than 75% if only-slightly-more-complex kits such as Walthers and Branchline are included.

Unofortunately, such kits are out of fashion and largely out of production.   There are exceptions however and today we have one.  A few years ago Scale Trains started the "Kit Classic" line.  It's a line with only one tooling the "Evans 5100 RBL Boxcar" but it has come -when you can find it in stock- in quite a number of liveries, often in several numbers of each.  Street price for these is around $15.  That's the upper limit of what I'm willing to pay for basic rolling stock, but compared to the $20-30 of most similar rolling stock it still represents a good value.

Part 1. Kit Review.

As seen at the top, the packaging has more in common with modern Ready-To-Run cars than with a kit.  The back is equally professional looking.

The inside container is brilliant though, with a separate slot holding the frame to keep it from rattling around.

The instructions are nicely done.  The first page has s generic description of the model of car, it's uses and era is included. I appreciate this kind of information even if it's not specific to the livery on the model.  Generally the shake-the-box kits of yesteryear had no information about the prototype, era, etc.   1-2 year guarantee and contact information is good to know.

Assembly instructions are very clear and concise and a parts list is included in case parts are missing and need to be ordered.

A better view of the clever frame slot.

Taking a closer look at the  printing shows it to be crisp and well done.  Cast on detail is nice and not too thick.

The end is well done, printing on the ends is a cut above what most classic Blue Box cars had. The roof is silver but the ends are grey.  3 separate main colors on a shaker is a nice touch.  One possible detraction is the wood grain on the panel is very deep and wider than scale would be.

Trucks are basic but functional. Quite a bit thicker than the classic Athearn truck and those used by most other makers of shakers. Each truck had one very smoothly spinning axle and one which will definitely need the attention of a truck tuner.  Wheels are metal on a plastic (Delrin?) axle.

Scale Trains seems to have their own proprietary plastic "semi-scale type E" coupler that they say is compatible with Kadees.  Seems a bit more substantial than Bachman EZ mates.  I generally replace any car that has the EZ-Mates with plastic pressure arm, but EZ Mate Mark II and other plastic couplers with metal coil springs I generally use until they fail.   Thus I decided to use these.  They do not have a trip pin but that doesn't bother me.  Once installed they had a nice stiff -but not sticky- centering action.

Something I've had to do with nearly every shaker is add weight.  The Kit Classic is an exception however. The substantial weight (comes attached to frame already) and metal wheels bring this car -which is just a bit over 7- inches to within the margin of error for the recommended NMRA weight.

In order to ensure that the brake gear is correctly oriented with the brake wheel, the frame tabs and their slots are not symmetrical.

The packaging is perfectly sized to fit the finished car as easily as the original kit.  Adequate space for wheels and plenty of leeway for the couplers.  Why didn't ConCor think of this 30 years ago...?

Assembly was easy as pie and doesn't really merit mention except for ONE GLARING SHORTCOMING!  The truck screws were too big for the holes. The directions list very specific 2.1mm x 6mm sizes for the truck screws, but I didn't have a calipers with me to see whether it was the hole being too small or the wrong screw being provided but something is not right.

I may be over-reacting, but I find this quite annoying.

The entire point of a well-done shaker is that all you need is a screwdriver and maybe a touch  of glue to assemble.  If other Kit Classics are like this then you need a file, drill, tap, or some combination thereof to assemble this.  Not a problem for me, but to a beginning railroader looking to try out a kit, this could be frustrating.  It's not as though many kits of the past didn't have the same problem, but this is decades later and really should have been attended too.

It's likely not worth modifying the tooling, but an appropriate screw should be easy for Scale Trains to source.

Part 2. Comparison.

In gauging the quality of the model it may be instructive to compare it to a similar Ready To Run product.  Below is an Atlas HO "53 Evans Double Plug Door Boxcar" It's about as close to the Kit Classics Evans as I have in my collection. Roughly same prototype, construction, level of detail, similar wheel sets,  molded on grabs, etc.  It's not currently in production but seems to go for around $25 online.

The pictures below fuzzes the white paint a bit  but both cars have about the same crispness of detail at comparative sizes.

However, note that the Atlas has additional printing in very small font that the Scale Trains does not.  Ladders and stirrups are comparable in size and detail. Most door and panel detail is also comparable  though it shows up better on the yellow UP.

Scale Trains seems to have more rivets per scale foot and they are smaller.

The roof detail is crisper on the Scale Trains and it has rivets around the edge that the Atlas does not.

 On the end however the Atlas detail is generally crisper and less chunky as is the printing.  The middle printing on the atlas is better than the picture suggests.  The Scale Trains again has some rivets that the Atlas does not but as mentioned earlier, the wood grain is overdone.

Undercarriages are similar.  I think the Scale Trains precision of detail is as crisp, but the Atlas is a multipart arrangement that looks better from more angles..  The brake lines on the Scale trains are a thin plane of material but it still manages to look delicate and realistic.  I don't pretend to know if either is more prototypical.

The Scale trains trucks are a bit chunkier, but I prefer their screw attachment

All in all, the Scale Trains Evans compares pretty well to the Atlas.  I'd say the Atlas wins a bit in the paint department with finer printing and detail, but it is also a somewhat higher price-point car.  The tooling detail on each is very comparable with the Scale Trains superior rivet detail being a point in it's favor.

Part 3. Sum up.

I like this kit.  It's a good value and except for the screw issue it assembles easily.   It's not up-to-par with the more finely-detailed (separate grabs, tiny paintwork, etc) models that proliferate today, but it will look great in a consist and when moving will look as good as anything else.   I highly recommend it to anyone looking for new budget boxcars for their layout.

Part 4. Is it for me?

At it's price point, I think there's no doubt that the Scale Trains Kit Classic Evans is a very good value and stands up well against similar Ready To Run cars.  For me however, the question is whether at $15-17 it can lure me from my usual shakers which tend to be around $10 or much less used.

The answer is maybe, depending on the road.  

Though they appear to be out of stock, the last round of production included Illinois Terminal boxcars in 3 road numbers.  Illinois Terminal is a favorite of mine and not terribly common new or used so  I'd be hard pressed not to buy all 3 road numbers if I came across them at a shop.   Likewise, I'd also probably pick up a Wisconsin and Southern if I came across one in a shop.   The other liveries are nice, but not enough to tempt me.

In fact I notice that a shop in the 'burbs that I never visit -because it doesn't carry used items- carries the line and I'll probably stop in to see what they've got next time I'm in the area.  So maybe Kit Classics is a product that could actually get me in the door of a shop that deals only in new product.

For more common road names however I'd likely pass and wait for something similar to show up a train show for half price or less. As an example, the Atlas Evans above may retail for around $25 but I bought 3 for less than $10 each, boxed and in like-new condition, so Kit Classics can't really compete with the used market.

That's all folks.

I hope you enjoyed this review as much as I enjoy this nice little boxcar.  It will probably get patched for Chicago Valley Railroad at some point but even now it is a welcome addition to my collection.