Weekend Update 1/15/23

[Ed Kapuscinski]

It is however a Kato (tooled) car!

Sesuki was the predecessor to Kato.  It shows, as the tooling was excellent for its time and was a close second to RivaRossi in my opinion.

Agreed! That was one of the things that impressed me as I was looking at it. "This is surprisingly nice from being from the Pleistocene Epoch."

It's let down a good bit by the printing and paint choice (basically it's all wrong number and scheme wise), but you know what? I'm not stressing about it.

[bbussey]

Yeah well, Con Cor didn't do the tooling any justice with their usual painting and printing quality.  But the Sesuki tooling still holds up well today.  Especially noteworthy are the flatcar, gondola, 50' double-door steel boxcar and 40' plug-door steel reefer.  The reefer is extremely close to an FGE prototype, and can be turned into a premium model with new underframe, trucks, couplers, roofwalk, brakewheel and stirrups.  And of course a good paint/decal job superior to Con Cor's efforts. 

[nickelplate759]

Not a weekend project, but @Ed Kapuscinski 's picture of the old Con-Cor plug-door box prompted me to dig up the one I painted back in the 1980s.  Not quite as nice a job as Ed's work, but not bad for a kid!.   Microscale decals, Floquil paint.  I didn't lower it - it has old-school Micro-Trains roller-bearing trucks with truck-mounted couplers.   Still going strong!

[peteski]

Hot.

Do you know about the "micro saws" that seem to be loved for this type of work?
https://www.micromark.com/Wooden-Handle-Blade-Holder-for-Special-Hobby-Ultra-Fine-Saw-Blade
https://www.micromark.com/Special-Hobby-Ultra-Smooth-Saw-Blades-Package-of-5

They seem to be all the rage these days.

I got my ultra-fine saws from UMM-USA, long before Micro Mark started carrying these saw.  UMM-USA now carries multiple brands of these (and prices are good).  See the while range of their cutting tools at http://umm-usa.com/onlinestore/index.php?cPath=21_28

They also have wide range of hobbyist items (many different specialized rooks Micro Mark doesn't  carry).  Check out the entire website. Highly recommended.

[peteski]

Yeah well, Con Cor didn't do the tooling any justice with their usual painting and printing quality.  But the Sesuki tooling still holds up well today. 

It is Sekisui. 

Full name is Sekisui Kinzoku Kato.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I got my ultra-fine saws from UMM-USA, long before Micro Mark started carrying these saw.  UMM-USA now carries multiple brands of these (and prices are good).  See the while range of their cutting tools at http://umm-usa.com/onlinestore/index.php?cPath=21_28

They also have wide range of hobbyist items (many different specialized rooks Micro Mark doesn't  carry).  Check out the entire website. Highly recommended.

Thanks! I knew there was a better source (I think mine actually came from Eastern Europe directly), but my quick Googling wasn't turning it up.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Not a weekend project, but @Ed Kapuscinski 's picture of the old Con-Cor plug-door box prompted me to dig up the one I painted back in the 1980s.  Not quite as nice a job as Ed's work, but not bad for a kid!.   Microscale decals, Floquil paint.  I didn't lower it - it has old-school Micro-Trains roller-bearing trucks with truck-mounted couplers.   Still going strong!

I wouldn't throw that out of bed for eating crackers.

Lowering was actually really easy. There are small ribs inside the car that set the floor height. Scrape those up a tad with a knife and your car is instantly lowered! You might need to sand or trim the ends a bit for clearance (I did, but mine was also a bit damaged). Either way, only about 10 minutes worth of work.

[Olivani]

(I think mine actually came from Eastern Europe directly)

Yup, same here, some 20 or so years ago 

[peteski]

Thanks! I knew there was a better source (I think mine actually came from Eastern Europe directly), but my quick Googling wasn't turning it up.

You're welcome Ed.  As I recall, the UMM-USA proprietor is a superb military modeler (his modeling articles were featured in the FineScale Modeler Magazine), and he is originally from one of those European countries.  He probably had direct connections to the manufactured of hobby tools in that part of the world.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

You're welcome Ed.  As I recall, the UMM-USA proprietor is a superb military modeler (his modeling articles were featured in the FineScale Modeler Magazine), and he is originally from one of those European countries.  He probably had direct connections to the manufactured of hobby tools in that part of the world.

That all makes total sense.

We have so much to learn from those military modelers...

[u36b]

It is however a Kato (tooled) car!

Sesuki was the predecessor to Kato.  It shows, as the tooling was excellent for 1969 and was a close second to RivaRossi in my opinion.

Nice model!
UP  BF-70-15  ??


 

[nkalanaga]

Very close, and that's what I lettered mine as.  The major difference is the ends, and, as far as I know, nobody has ever made ends like that in N scale.

[wazzou]

My only gripes with the car's tooling are the position of the ladders and stirrups and relative flatness in the peak of the roof.
The stirrups are really the only easy fix.
But, no doubt for the time, the car was terrific and holds up well today.

[Sokramiketes]

My only gripes with the car's tooling are the position of the ladders and stirrups and relative flatness in the peak of the roof.
The stirrups are really the only easy fix.
But, no doubt for the time, the car was terrific and holds up well today.

But the location makes the ladders and grabs easier to shave off!  Shaving won't disturb any underlying detail since they put them on that nice flat plane.  <grin>

[wazzou]

But the location makes the ladders and grabs easier to shave off!  Shaving won't disturb any underlying detail since they put them on that nice flat plane.  <grin>

Ha, very true.  I already have a ton of cut down ladders.