CMW TDH3610 kitbashing thoughts

[bbussey]

Alright.  Since we know that bus models in N are going to be few and far between, I've been looking at kitbashing possibilites of the TDH3610 - namely, kitbashing an intercity bus.  While I can use the TDH3610 as-is for ConnCo equipment, I still want a number of intercity buses.  First up on my list is the TDM4507, which would cover NETCo and possibly Greyhound. 



I have the 1:50 Corgi model of the TDM4507.  There is about a .020" difference in the width of the doors and driver's window between the two models when the Corgi is scaled down, but I'm not going to be concerned about it.  At first, I was going to cut up the CMW model and patch together the intercity bus.  It would take at least three CMW shells to do it, plus using the milling machine to make precise cuts.  Even so, there would be features that are not entirely correct.  And while I think the window separations on the CMW model are well done, I still prefer them to be part of the body rather than the glass.  Also, while castings can be made for multiples, this effort would be required for every specific bus model and the kitbashed shell would have to be built to withstand the casting process.  Not impossible, but definitely more tedious and time-consuming than desired.

Then I thought, why not take the front and back of the CMW model and etch the middle?  Then, castings could be made of the front and back, and various brass wrap-around etchings of various models could be made for the middle.  The chassis, front/rear glass, interior, mirrors and windshield wipers could then come from a donor CMW bus for every model, but that is far more economical than using three CMW models for every kitbash.



The blue represents the curved roof portion of the wrap-around.  The black lines are the roof seams.  The maroon is the stepped-down mounting area for the brass to the resin front and back (which would be at least .020" rather than the .010" seen here).  And I probably would use two layers on the brass so that I could have true panel separations on the roof and sides.  The only problem left to solve is how to perfectly form the roof curvature, which consists of two different radii - especially with two layers of brass totaling .012" thick.  Since the front and end castings would be consistent, as well as the etchings, they could be built fairly easily and more intricately than if a master was being built for casting.  Thoughts?

[wazzou]

Bryan -
I like where you're headed but wouldn't it be possible to sacrifice atleast a couple of the CMW bodies in order to fabricate a roof the length required to match your chosen sides.  That way castings could be provided for the roof much the same as the front and rear.  Just a thought.

[bbussey]

I considered that, especially since only the sides would have to be etched in that scenario.  But then you would need a different "core" body for every length bus model.  With the wrap-around etchings, you only need one set of front/rear parts regardless of the length of the model.

[SkipGear]

Assuming the roof profile doesn't change over the length of the bus, just make an over size roof casting, then let the builder cut it down to the size needed for build.

[bbussey]

Also plausible.  But then the roof cross seams may not be accurate and a splice of parts would still be necessary.  Far better than cutting a fresh bus model to size every time, but not as easy as the brass wrap.

[SkipGear]

One more idea then....

Make a resin roof casting, with no detail, undersize by about .010. Use that as the form for bending the roof etching.

[bbussey]

That's an interesting thought.  Basically make a forming tool master and then resin castings from that.