Peanut Butter Lid Challenge

Here is the video of the animated animated tree house .

Here are photos and explanations of how he did it .

Here is the Peanut Butter Lid Challenge Thread from another board that's 34 whopping pages long! Looking at all the photos from the thread my best guess is that the above animation is in HO scale.

I'm wondering how many of us are interested in doing the same challenge in Z scale. We don't have to do the animation thing, but a peanut butter lid should be a great footprint to work with in Z I'd be up for it Who else would like to do it? There don't have to be prizes. We could just do it for the fun of it and for the glory

We could even do it in a smaller size if anyone can think of a universal size.

Terry just posted a video about how the mechanisms work . Very interesting

I saw this about two years ago and thought it would be good for Z. I'm in although I'm deathly allergic to peanuts- I'll have sweety clean it real good. Ah the glory!
Fred

Bev,

Thanks for sharing the video, I also enjoyed the music. That is just fascinating how Chris devised the cam wheels, levers and all that other "stuff" to make it operate.
He is a real genus.

Robert

Robert, it was made by TrainClown a.k.a. Christopher Dowie. He is some good.

Fred,

It can't just be you and me in the challenge! Where are all those adventurous folks who might be considering doing their first layout? How about the folks who have done dioramas almost to death? Where are all the participants??!?

Well, Fred, if we have to get this challenge off the ground, how about we set up a few rules? Here are a few that I have in mind. Let me know what changes and/or additions you'd like to see....

- I'm hoping to accomodate participation worldwide so we should have a bit of a range of lid sizes so everyone can get in on the action. My PB lid has an inside diameter of 3 1/2" and an outside diameter of 3 5/8". Since I'm a bit of an over-achiever, I've also lined up a few other lids that I'm going to do independently of the challenge so I have a nice cluster to display. I think we could go a bit larger and smaller than the one I have, or go with the larger sized peanut butter lid. I don't have such a lid to measure, however. Folks in Germany and Australia, to name a few international participants, can name a lid size that's similar to the N. American Peanut Butter lid. If you want to participate, please let us know what size you have in mind

- There should be ample time for participants to complete this challenge, and it should not start until after the current Caboose and Bridge Photo Contest has been completed. How would a completion date of, say, June 30, 2009 be with everyone? That gives us three months think about what we want to do with our dioramas, get supplies ordered, and get working on it.

- A participant can enter as many PB lids in this Challenge as they want. The more the merrier

- It would be great to post photos of our progress to this thread during the Challenge. The final photos should be posted to a special thread, and the number of final photos per PBL entry can be up to four photos. Participants can also post videos of their entries to this thread, but to be fair to everyone, only photos will be allowed in the special final photos thread.

Um. That's all I can think of for rules. Anyone have suggestions?

I'm in. If nothing else, it will be great practice before I start attempting to add scenery to my layout.

Hello Beverly, as for myself, I am more interested in the mechanics of it. I find it most fascinating and will utilize ideas from it for eventually animation on my layout. Unfortunately my time is very limited by home renovations and costs are an issue too, so I'm out at this time. Maybe sometime in the future I can try my hand at it. Good luck with it and above all else have FUN.

Germans can use Nutella lids and Aussies can use Vegemite lids!! These things don't have to be animated do they?

Kelley,

The PBL diorama does not have to be animated. They do not even need a Z scale loco or car as long as the scale of the diorama is in Z scale. I'm not going to animate mine, unless I can manage the animation myself - which is doubtful. But they could be animated, lit, have a moving train, or anything else of special interest if you want.

Terry,

Oh, no! I know you're a busy guy, but a PBL is very small. You don't have to animate it! You have all the materials you need right on or near your work bench to do first class work. Please reconsider



BTW, are there any N. American box cars made that have side door that opens? I know Marklin makes at least one (postal) car that has both side doors that open, but I want to do N. American in my PBL.

Micro trains makes several box cars where the doors open. Contact Loren for specifics.
I'm looking at a Santa Fe Green 50'er.
Fred

Beverly here are a few- 50 and 40 foters
Fred

Beverly- Have you checked out these box cars? The doors open- some are double doors.
Fred

Fred,

I had a quick look at them and realize they are AMERICAN! Nothing wrong with American or German, but I'd like to do some good old Canadian dioramas I have to make an online order to get a few supplies for the contest plus another little project I have lined up, and will look for those box cars online if I can't find CN or CP cars. If I can find the Robert Ray caboose kit, I think I might give it a try.

What are you going to do for the PBL Challenge?



BTW, I think EVERYBODY should be able to enter the PBL Challenge - including folks as board moderators, board sponsors, people who make kits for sale - generally the usual suspects PLUS those who don't ordinarily get to enter stuff like this because they're sponsoring these kinds of events. Everybody's in for this one

Beverly check with Loren- He Knows EVERYTHING MTL put out. Maybe he can find something Canadian.
Fred
BTW you mentioned N American in your post:cheer:

Not I, too many things to do in real life. I can't afford the time at the expense of my layout. Sorry. Another time maybe.

Terry,

Hey, you get to enjoy the Z work of others That's still a pretty good deal even if now isn't the time for you to be doing the PBL Challenge. The Challenge runs until the June 30, 2009 in case you find some spare time later on. Good luck on the renos! I've been there so I know how important it is to get the house back in order asap.


Fred,

I found a CN 40' double door boxcar that has green doors. I haven't spent a lot of my life looking at boxcars, but I have seen a few - in person Never have I seen any boxcar, CN or otherwise, that has green doors like this. CN, CNR, NAR (Northern Alberta Railway) boxcars are typically brown - ALL OVER. What the heck am I going to do with green doors?


I also foind a CP 40' plug door (I don't know what a plug door is ). Now I think I remember seeing this car quite a while back, but there are no railfan photos of it that I could find.


Actually, I did a Google search on both boxcars last night and spent two hours looking at photos. I didn't find either one, though I found the CP boxcar (called a PacMan becaouse of the logo) in green instead of yellow.

Hmm. Maybe I won't do a boxcar or caboose at all. Even though I have a photo in for the March contest, I'm still quite a way from finishing the diorama. I don't want to start on the PBL until it's finished. It'll take another week or so before I'm ready to tackle my lid

You didn't say what it was you were going to do...

Beverly,
I collect Canadian roads and have a number of box cars and I believe MTL did a boxcar that was all boxcar red car with opening doors, I'll try to check my box cars when I get home tonight and see if I have extras. The MTL cars with plug doors don't open.

Thanks,
Jerry

Jerry,

Cool I saw the red boxcars last night while doing research, and probably saw them in real life, though I remember brown so much more vividly. When it warms up around here, which is taking forever this year, I should go the the local CN yard to see what cars are there. Sounds like a great photo trip

Did MLT ever release a Canadian Wheat Board car...


Or a CN Buffalo boxcar...


Both of these were very popular in their day. Living in wheat country, I've seen hundreds of CWB cars

Beverly,

To my knowledge no one has released the Canadian wheat cars, because if they had, I would have them. The closest to them would be Full Throttle's "Potash" or "CP rails" cylindrical hopper.

Thanks,
Jerry