RMC Product Reviews
Reviews of great new products for the scale model railroader, presented by the staff Railroad Model Craftsman staff and updated monthly. To have your products considered for review, please send samples to:
Railroad Model Craftsman
Attn: Harry K. Wong
P.O. 16673
San Francisco, CA 94116
August 23, 2018
Bachmann Trains Santa Fe GP30 in HO Scale
Bachmann’s latest GP30 release is all what it claims to be: A DCC sound value model that offers the novice plenty of opportunity for learning the basics of command control operation and programming while also providing those more experienced hobbyists on a strict budget an attractive looking model with all the current tech.
June 19, 2018
Owl Mountain Models Southern Pacific Flatcar Kit in HO
Owl Mountain Models cut no corners in producing a complete quality model of this common and often overlooked prototype flatcar in HO scale.
May 18, 2018
Review: Chasing the Powhatan Arrow
Michael Abraham’s latest travelogue, Chasing the Powhatan Arrow, does not follow the normal course of a book about railroads. Abraham approaches his subject from the viewpoint of presenting an economic geographic assessment of the region between Norfolk, Va., and Cincinnati, Ohio.
April 18, 2018
Product Review: Athearn Southern Pacific EMD SD39 in HO Scale
Southern Pacific modelers are in for a real treat with this locomotive. With its road-specifc features, Athearn’s rendition of the SP EMD SD39 really captures all the subtle nuances of this signature Espee locomotive.
March 11, 2018
Moloco Trains Topkea Shops Bx-97 Boxcar in HO Scale
A recent limited release from Moloco Trains provides a pair of highly accurate examples of Santa Fe’s Bx-97 boxcar. Each road number produced by Moloco includes its own road number-specific details and decoration.
January 31, 2018
Tangent Scale Models Penn Central X58 Boxcar in HO Scale
The overall quality of fit and finish displayed by our sample Penn Central X58 boxcar from Tangent Scale Models was outstanding and void of any paint anomalies or lettering errors. The same goes for operation.
January 9, 2018
WalthersProto Phase II GP35 in HO Scale
If you are a mid 1960s or later era HO scale modeler, your going to quickly fall in love with the new WalthersProto Phase II GP35. No disappointments here to speak of; it’s simply just the model us second generation diesel fans have been waiting for all these years.
December 14, 2017
ScaleTrains Southern Railway SD40-2 in HO
While not the first rendering of the venerable EMD SD40-2 in HO, this attempt by ScaleTrains promises to be the last word on the prototype, eventually encompassing all the major and minor production phase changes of this popular diesel, as well as road-specific details.
November 29, 2017
Lionel Trains Pennsylvania Flyer Starter Set
O gauge, in general, is still one of the best size trains with which to introduce a potential rookie to model railroading. Both the size and rugged qualities of these traditional trains and tracks lend themselves well to the youngest of potential rail barons while, admittedly, the tech incorporated into the newest 3-rail starter sets provide an appealing multi-sensory experience to which the latest generation has already become so accustomed.
October 18, 2017
Rapido’s Pocket Streamliner: Budd RDC in HO Scale
Rapido has captured the look of the Phase 1b SP-10 on the day it entered service, complete with pilots (panels to enclose the space beneath the couplers are included along with a bag of other assorted detail parts for modeler installation as desired), the train indicator boards, and even the Nathan 3-chime air horns.
