Definition:
Kitbashing is the art of building a scale model by adapting parts from another model kit based on a similar prototype. The term most often refers to locomtive or rolling stock models, but can equally be applied to kits for models of other items around the railroad such as houses.
Usage:
"Nobody makes one quite like it, so I kitbashed this."
Explanation:
Half way between bulding a model from a kit and from scratch, this process may involve some fairl drastic surgery to the kit parts to achieve the desired result, hence the "bashing"
Trivia:
Kitbashing can be done with care for just about any scale and for any prototype, but is especially prevalent for North American prototypes where the several railroads may run locomotives of the same basic design, but each with their own customisations.
Some kit manufacturers go as far as to design kits with the potential for kitbashing in mind.
