Weekend Update 10/12/14

[Jesse6669]

Looks like a beautiful kit.  I wish there were more like this--the build is fun plus it allows for customization to prototype before decoration.

Just curious, I suspect--but want to confirm--Is the curve in the fuel tank caused by camera distortion, rather than the casting being warped?

Jesse

[BCR 570]

Masking, painting and 'decaling' is easier done without the grab irons and the handrails installed. I am doing it the same way.

True, but I would be concerned about the amount of handling of the model required for installation of the grab irons and handrails, and in particular with the grab irons, one would have to be very careful with the glue in order to avoid requiring paint touch-ups.  The grab irons would also have to be painted in place because handling them with the tweezers during installation would compromise any paint applied beforehand.  Perhaps you have an easier time installing them than I do!

Tim

[BCR751]

If the handrails are a different colour than the main body, I always install them after painting the body.   The handrails are then painted.  I make sure to test fit the handrails to the body before painting to make sure they will go into their respecting holes without any resistance.  This eliminates the need to fiddle with them and possibly wrecking the paint.  To reduce the potential of the tweezers ruining the paint, I always put small pieces of masking tape on the tips.  This makes them softer and less likely to damage the paint.  And, needless to say, be very careful during the installation.  The handrails and grabs on this M420B were done this way and I think they came out pretty good..

[craigolio1]

Thanks guys.

Yes the distortion is because I took the photos with my phone.

Tim, indeed the handrails and grabs will go on after paint.  The ones on the ends are silver which would require a lot of paint to cover the the red or blue that would be shot before hand.  I find too many layers of paint on those tiny details makes them not so tiny after you are done.  I also use masking tape on my tweezer tips and a little touch up here and there is no big deal.

Once the model is washed, it is only handled wearing nitrile gloves until it's done.  I've had good results doing this with other models and paint touch ups have been minimal.

Also, I've started on my Niagara Canyon bridge which required painting about a thousand etched links that make up the cantilevered trusses.  For the first time, I baked the paint.  It's now more durable than any finish I've ever done.  So in the future I will be baking paint on any metal parts to be applied after the main model is painted.  Handrails especially!  No chipping any more.

Handrails:

I've done them on three other models and here is a Coles Notes version of how I did them.

1.  drill the smallest holes you can that fit the stachions so they stay on with friction.  This will require filling (with Styrene - not filler!) and redrilling on a factory model.

2.  Bend your rail and slide the stanchions on

3. press fit the stanchions with friction on the model

4. get everything lined up.

5. solder or apply thin CA to fix the stanchions on the rail

6. remove and paint.

7. re-install

Craig


Oh, BCR571.  I see the grabs on the end are drop grabs.  Did you bend the ones in the kit or substitute something like a BLMA part?

   Amazing paint work by the way.  To be honest, I'm afraid to paint my BCR models because of the stripes.  I've been honing my painting skills on lots of other models prior to starting my BCR fleet.  My first attempt at stripes was on my Dinner Train loco, 601.  It ended badly but I know what I did wrong.  I should have shot the stripe colour after masking to seal the tape, and then shot the main colour.  Would you mind telling me how you masked and did such a nice job on your lightening stripe?  Did you use the MicroScale set as a template for the mask?

[JanesCustomTrain]

and in particular with the grab irons, one would have to be very careful with the glue in order to avoid requiring paint touch-ups

I paint the grab irons on a holding device I built for that purpose when I paint the shell. After everything is dry and the decals are on I put the grab irons in place and glue them in from the inside of the shell. No mess with glue this way.

Jane

[BCR751]

Oh, BCR751.  I see the grabs on the end are drop grabs.  Did you bend the ones in the kit or substitute something like a BLMA part?

   Amazing paint work by the way.  To be honest, I'm afraid to paint my BCR models because of the stripes.  I've been honing my painting skills on lots of other models prior to starting my BCR fleet.  My first attempt at stripes was on my Dinner Train loco, 601.  It ended badly but I know what I did wrong.  I should have shot the stripe colour after masking to seal the tape, and then shot the main colour.  Would you mind telling me how you masked and did such a nice job on your lightening stripe?  Did you use the MicroScale set as a template for the mask?

The grabs are from BLMA  I can't remember of they are the 15" or 18" but they fit the cast dimples perfectly.  Just drill out and apply (once painted )

For the BCR color separations, I first shoot the light green over the entire shell.  Then for the dark green, I took measurements from an actual loco and made a metal template out of 0.010" brass shim stock.  One template will do both sides, just turn it over. I lay this over a strip of masking tape, cut out the pattern and apply it to the loco over the portion to remain light green.  Works perfectly.  For the white striping, I use the ones from the Micro Scale set.  You need to be careful here because there are two different sizes of the white lightning stripes in the set.  You need to use the one that's correct for the loco you are doing.  This is the same for the metal template.  You will need to make two.  In the absence of actual measurements, go ahead and use the white stripes on the decal set. They are very accurate and you can make a template from them quite easily.

Doug

[Cajonpassfan]

Occasionally, I get the bug to build something in other scales....is that wrong?
I built this Sunkist packing house for a friend's HO layout. It seems so....BIG...
Otto K.

[craigolio1]

Doug, I love your metal template idea. What kind of masking tape do you use?  I have always used Tamyia tapes but on my model of 601 I tried blue painters tape as I had heard of others using it. What a mistake.

Craig

[PGE_Modeller]

- snip -  For the white striping, I use the ones from the Micro Scale set.  You need to be careful here because there are two different sizes of the white lightning stripes in the set.  You need to use the one that's correct for the loco you are doing.  This is the same for the metal template.  You will need to make two.  In the absence of actual measurements, go ahead and use the white stripes on the decal set. They are very accurate and you can make a template from them quite easily.

Doug

Doug,

It is taxing my memory as it goes back a long time but, when I was doing the artwork for the Microscale BCR Diesel set - which they insist on calling, to this day, "two tone grey" instead of "two tone green" -  there was only room on the sheet for two different heights of lightning stripe.  I don't remember what heights I chose but I do recall that I made them so that any locomotive which had the lightning stripe at that point in time could be decalled with no more than a one scale inch discrepancy in the height of the lightning stripe.  That, of course, may not be true for locomotives painted after the date of the decal set.  At the time, I even managed to slip in a pair of 8" X 32" dogwood logos in addition to the 16" X 64" and 20" X 80" sizes used on locomotives so that Tim could letter a BCR tractor!  Actually, that 8" X 32" version was used on RS-3 #560, so including it wasn't really a cheat.

Cheers,

[CBQ Fan]

Experimenting with the new Camera.  Of course the image has been downsized a lot.

Very, very impressive!!

[BCR751]

Doug, I love your metal template idea. What kind of masking tape do you use?  I have always used Tamyia tapes but on my model of 601 I tried blue painters tape as I had heard of others using it. What a mistake.

Craig

Until recently, I've been using the green painter's tape.  It's thin and can be worked into most places fairly easily.  And, the stickum isn't as strong as the blue stuff.  One thing about it, however, is you need to use a metal straight edge and trim one edge to get a smooth, lint-free line.  don't ask me how I found this out .

Our local "hobby" (mostly craft) shop started bringing in the Tamiya masking tape.  I just today tried it out for the first time.  It can be formed around stuff very easily, which I like, but it has industrial strength stickum.  I think one has to be careful when removing it so as not to pull off any paint.  The edges seem to stay "sharp" without any trimming, which is a good thing.  It's thin enough that it doesn't pick up much crud.

Doug

[peteski]

Until recently, I've been using the green painter's tape.  It's thin and can be worked into most places fairly easily.  And, the stickum isn't as strong as the blue stuff.  One thing about it, however, is you need to use a metal straight edge and trim one edge to get a smooth, lint-free line.  don't ask me how I found this out .

Our local "hobby" (mostly craft) shop started bringing in the Tamiya masking tape.  I just today tried it out for the first time.  It can be formed around stuff very easily, which I like, but it has industrial strength stickum.  I think one has to be careful when removing it so as not to pull off any paint.  The edges seem to stay "sharp" without any trimming, which is a good thing.  It's thin enough that it doesn't pick up much crud.

Doug

By green, do you mean Frog Tape?  The way I understand it works, the edges of Frog tape have special additive in the adhesive which absorbs water from water-based paint. The swollen adhesive provides better seal than just the pressure-sensitive adhesive found in regular masking tapes.  But if you trim the edge, that gets rid of the special additive and the tape becomes a standard masking tape.   Also, if the tape is used with organic solvent based paint, it then behaves like standard masking tape.

As far as Tamiya tape goes, to me it doesn't have very aggressive adhesive. Not any more than the blue painters tape I sometimes use. It to me is less aggressive than standard (tan) masking tape.  What is special about Tamiya tape is that the tape itself is very soft and pliable. The adhesive also seems softer and more pliable. It seals the tape edge very well, even on uneven surfaces.  I was a skeptic for a long time. But once I tried Tamiya tape, I was hooked.  I use organic solvent based paints and I never had the tape lift the paint off the model.

[BCR 570]

Interesting discussion on painting (while some of us were at work!) - thank you all for your input.


RS-3 #560  #561

Tim

[craigolio1]

The only time I've had paint lift was when I shot CN Lines Tuscan Red (Scalecoat II I think?) over Tamiya white primer.  I think this might have been because the paints were less compatible than I would have liked. Other than that the mostly True Line Trains (on their own primer), and CN Lines (on Floquil primer) have had no issues.

I have had great success masking with Tamiya.

Craig.

[superturbine]

Occasionally, I get the bug to build something in other scales....is that wrong?
I built this Sunkist packing house for a friend's HO layout. It seems so....BIG...
Otto K.

Really nice Otto!!