ICE models, Fleischman and Minitrix

[alpineaustralia]

[CaptOblivious, moderator: I've split this off the introduction thread. This was originally a response to to2leo's introduction post]

 

Who makes the ICE that you have? I am thinking of getting one but they are rare as hens teeth here in Oz.

In relation to giving your TGV a "grease and oil change", see my post on Lubricants.

[Martijn Meerts]

Minitrix and Fleischmann make N-scale ICE's. European brands, so you may need to order them from Europe, they don't seem to be awfully popular elsewhere ;)

[alpineaustralia]

Is there a difference bnetween the Minitrix and Fleischmann makes? Is one better than the other? easier to fit decoders to? cheaper? etc?

What do you recommend Martijn?

[to2leo]

Hi Alpineaustralia,

I got both the Minitrix ICE-3 and Fleischmann ICE-T.  I would recommend Fleischmann over Minitrix because it performs better, has details, and direction lighting.

 

Fleischmann is pretty expensive but the lowest price for European model trains can be found at

 

http://www.modellbahn-kramm.com/index.cfm

 

They speak very well English with excellent service.  I met them personally when I gone for my Europe trip 2 years ago.

 

Let me know if you have further question!

[Martijn Meerts]

Alpine, in general they're about the same. Fleischmann runs a bit more quiet usually, and they usually build some great models of popular German loco's.

 

What Leo said about the Minitrix ICE-3 has to be taken into context btw. Minitrix's ICE-3 (they have both a German and Dutch version, my father has both) is a very cheap set compared to most other trains. It's more or less a "toy train" so to speak, meant to be affordable for most people. The details on it aren't the best, it's lacking any kind of light, and there have been some initial quality issues with the wheel axles. It's real easy to fit a decoder in them though, since it's just plug & play.

 

That said, personally I wouldn't buy the Minitrix ICE-3, simply because it has no direction dependant light, but for it's price, it's a nice set.

[Bernard]

How is putting in a decoder for either the Fleishmann or Minitrix Ice?

[Martijn Meerts]

The minitrix one comes with a 6-pin NEM socket, which means you can just plug in a 6-pin decoder without problem. No idea about the Fleischmann one, as I've never seen one of those up close.

 

The light is a problem in the minitrix version though, as you'd need to scratch build the whole thing.