Large Scale Central

Vote here for you favorite 2025 Mik build

The MIK - Annual Build Challenge
#9

Once again a huge thank you to Dave Taylor for keeping this alive. I have a funny feeling that Miks boy may be keeping an eye on this since he discovered it on a google search.

As always I am voting in the “Spirit of Mik” !

Knowing and remembering Mik from LSC, I haven’t decided in my own feeble mind yet if Mik would have grabbed onto the 3d printing end of the hobby or not. So I’m gonna stick with the basics which to me is making junk outta junk ( I model Amtrak right?).

#1 …Todd Haskins …
Very straight forward base build that requires basic tools and makes a serious statement. You get the bugs all worked out you could detail the heck outta that thing! Once again an excellent basic approach.

#2 …Kidzilla Muller…
Yes, this child is my chosen one! However the boy is learning a TON for his age! Not only proper tool usage but geometry, math, how to slam a beer when dad ain’t looking, etc.
By the time he gets to high school he will be the school districts volunteer millwright and in return they will lower or remove his daddy’s school tax!

#3…Devon Sinsley …
Because it was basic and it was built for a GREAT purpose. Can’t pass the hobby along if they ain’t interested!

On final thoughts …aahhh shut up :rooster:

Honestly …Just awesome modeling all around for the guys that participated and would like to have voted on all that joined Mik this year finished or not!!!

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#10

This is always the hardest part of the Mik Challenge. How do you choose between all the great builds and they were all great. But, choose we must so here goes:

  1. KZ/YD Mueller - Rocket carrier
  2. Devon’s circus car
  3. Vic’s rail truck

And always, a big thanks to Dave Taylor for keeping the Mik alive and kicking.

1 Like
#11

We had a fun evening reviewing the builds. There were some votes for other Mueller projects, but we allowed that as we were competing as separate teams. @Dave_Taylor , as always, you can average the votes, take each separately, whatever! Each of us voted based on our own separate criteria (modeling, “spirit,” craftiness, theme, etc.), but we all had many favorites in common.

CINCHOUSE

  1. Bill Hines’ hand car
  2. Dave Taylor’s lime car and gondola
  3. O.D. & O.S. Steampunk Locomotive

Eric

  1. Rick Marty’s dieselized steamie
  2. Dan Hilyer’s backwoods diesel
  3. Dan Gilchrist’s NSC 42’ steel car

Oldest Daughter (O.D.)

  1. Rick Marty’s dieselized steamie
  2. Vic Smith’s “Casey Jones” railbus
  3. Eric Mueller’s inspection locomotive (No, I didn’t bribe her!)

Youngest Daughter (Y.D.)

  1. Rick Marty’s dieselized steamie
  2. Bill Hines’ hand car
  3. Devon Sinsley’s circus car

Oldest Son (O.S.)

  1. Rick Marty’s dieselized steamie
  2. Vic Smith’s “Casey Jones” railbus
  3. Todd Haskins’ schnabel

Kidzilla

  1. Vic Smith’s “Casey Jones” railbus
  2. Todd Haskins’ schnabel
  3. Rick Marty’s dieselized steamie

As ever, hats off to @Dave_Taylor for hosting this! It remains the single best learning tool on the web, it is a whole lot of fun, and it brings the family together for a month of hacking, gluing, and painting! Thanks also to all participants, as you enable this fantastic means to evaluate several ways to surmount the same basic challenge!

Good luck to all participants!

On Behalf of Clan Mueller,

Eric

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#12

I will cast votes for
1.Kid-Zilla & Y.D. for their rocket car
2. Devon Sinsley with his circus car
3. Vic Smith and his Casey Jones railbus

And a shout out to MIK just MIK for starting this whole thing by deciding on his simple challenge to " Hey guys, lets just build something" to beat the winter doldrums after the holidays when we all start looking for something to do.
And certainly to Dave Taylor for keeping it going these days.
To all remember only 312 days till your next chance to join in the fun

#13

Once again I’ve had to go through all entries and try to give it to only three. So here it

  1. Rick. Outstanding…just Outstanding.:open_mouth:

  2. Todd. For the shear audacity to build something bigger than some layouts, mine included😉

  3. Eric. Because that looks like something I would build :grin:

I don’t know if there is a Spirit of Mik award this year but it there were, it should be a group award for Clan Mueller, who put on an outstanding effort this year. :clap:

#14

Good lord, this is tough.

  1. Vic’s railbus
  2. Rick Marty’s locomotive thing
  3. Dan Hilyer’s critter
#15

Great job every body, difficult to pick three, I had it down to seven and then it became real difficult but here they are.

Kid-zilla & Y.D. I love that it’s a family thing

JRad RR camper, love the idea of a camper car

Rick Marty Hill billy loco, Just neat and the detail amazing

#16

Great builds everyone. The Imagination and Talent of this group has once again knocked it out of the park.
The Spirit of Mik award goes to team Mueller for their fun builds.

1 Rick Marty.
2 Vic Smith
3 Jon Radder

Well done!

#17

I almost sat out this year’s MIK Challenge because it was well outside my wheelhouse, and I thought the hardest part would be figuring out what I could possibly build.

It turns out the toughest part wasn’t the build—it was the vote. I learned something from every single entry, so I finally settled on a simple voting criterion: the number of times I said ”wow” whilst reading the build logs. Based on that, my votes are:

  1. Rick Marty – for the complete sight & sound experience
  2. Todd Haskins – for his Bogberry themed Leviathan
  3. YD & Kidzilla – for having more intuition & imagination than I ever will

As a subtle side note, since BD mentioned potential Summer MasterClasses last year, the build I’d most like to copy is Dan Hilyer’s Backwoods Diesel. I’m looking forward to your caboose build log too @WaverlySouthern.

Thanks again to @Dave_Taylor for bringing us together for another Mik-tacular!

#18

#1 Rick
#2 Vic
#3 Dan H.

#19

#1 Vick’s rail bus
#2 Dan’s Back woods Diesel engine
These 2 are the kind of modeling that appeals to me.

#3 Dan Gilchrist’s coil car, just beautiful.

#20

WOW quite the builds, hard to pick three

  1. Rick’s loco
  2. Vic’s railbus
  3. Todd’s Schnabel
#21

I really struggled with voting - especially as I never get to participate! [My parts boxes are in MD and I am in FL, where sufficient stuff hasn’t accumulated yet.]
I assume anyone can vote, not just the participants.

  1. Rick’s diesel conversion just blew me away, I’ve been wanting to make one for years.
  2. Todd’s Leviathan Schnabel car, and for less than $35!
  3. YD and Kid-zilla’s rocket carrier. Just amazing.
    And that the whole Mueller family comes together to do this - special prize!
1 Like
#22

You guys make it tough!

1 - Rick_Marty
2 - Dave_Taylor
3 - Dan Gilchrist

1 Like
#23

Another outstanding year of builds. Took some thinking and lots of looking before I came up with the ones I think are best
#3 Devon’s circus car
#2 Dan Hilyers critter I want it !
#1 Todd’s Schnabel I have a few words about it , Todd draw up and sell plans!!! I will be making a smaller version of one some day, just need to find a ton of trucks!
And Spirit has to go to The 3 Mueller builds , no doubt they have Mik over their shoulders .

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#24

Remember voting ends at sunup Monday tomorrow!

Figured it’s almost Monday the 28th of Feb and it would be a good time to tell you that your train calendar is outdated by 3 years but there is always hope as it will come back around in 3ys.

Do you know how much restraint I had to have in order to wait and post this !

#25
  1. Rick Marty
  2. Vic Smith
  3. Kidzilla & YD
#26
  1. Rick Marty
  2. Todd Haskins
  3. Vic Smith
#27

Very hard to judge all the great builds.

I have a different criteria for judging this year. These guys all took the time to give me encouragement for my build.

Dave Sinsley- Throughout the build
Jon Radder- Mad man with a grinder (but I already knew that)
Korm Kormsem- Stated I had the MIK spirit
Dave Taylor- Agreed that pallets were a wonderful source for wood
Dan Hilyer- Was impressed by the use of the magnet holders as a die

So pulling from that group:

First: Devon’s circus car for his grandson
Second: Dave’s lime car
Third: Dan’s backwoods engine

Honorable mention to Rooster, for his inspiring comments throughout the year. One call out here, where he made sure that several scratch built items were all missing a detail. I made sure my build will have it! Maybe in a week or a month I’ll have it done.

Wayne's 2025 MIK Challenge
#28

Voting is Now closed…

Thanks to all that took the time to vote…

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