kpnuts Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 Thanks for the info hopefully I will win one of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtx6970 Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 a most different , yet very interesting subject.I like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Van Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 I have the kit myself........thought a 'work' version would be cool.......so I'll sit back and watch!! Good start! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 Still not a whole lot of progress due to "real" work getting in the way. Still hope to get some time in this weekend on this guy. But I've managed to sneak in a few moments here and there. As much as I can, I'm adding small parts to subassemblies that will all be painted the same color. It's much easier to add all of these little odds and ends pieces now and paint as a unit than paint all the little pieces separately and then assemble. This will all be painted a dark red... Same deal with the wheels. These are the rears. As you can see, it'll be much easier to build the wheels first, then paint the assembled wheel as a unit, instead of painting the separate rims and separate spoke inserts, then scrape paint from all the joints, then glue together and hope to not get glue on any painted surfaces... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 And here's a little tip for you guys out there who think that this hobby can get a little pricey (and it can!)... I bought that tiny bottle of Testors paint thinner/brush cleaner a while ago. The price on the bottle is $3.98... I'm sure that the price has gone up since I bought that bottle. Well, that tiny bottle of Testors thinner is the last one I will ever buy. When you "do the math," the price per ounce is astronomical. Instead, I wised up and bought a quart of the same stuff at the home center for less than I paid for that little Testors bottle! The little glass jar is from Hobby Lobby... it cost a whopping 75¢. Now I can just refill the little glass jar as necessary, and wind up spending way less than constantly buying those silly little bottles of the Testors stuff at $4-5 a pop! I realize this isn't exactly rocket science, and that most of you are well aware of this "trick." But I'll bet there are others out there in the "why didn't I think of that?" category, so that's why I posted it. And there are many other simple, "no-brainer" ideas like this that can save you big bucks overall and keep the cost of the hobby as low as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramfins59 Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Thanks for that Harry. I haven't bought one of those ridiculous, tiny little jars of thinner/cleaner in years. A friend filled a large jar with thinner for me a couple of years ago and I'm still using it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 Got some work done on this one this weekend... the kit has no headlights, so I found a suitable pair in my parts box that could be modified. First step was to fill in the open areas where "glass" was supposed to go... I added the fronts to the lights... they are actually 1/25 scale intake stacks from a model car, with 5-minute epoxy as the "glass." I also scratchbuilt the headlight mounts, and the license plate bracket. Here is the front of the boiler with the front axle attached... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 Here is the "dashboard." There are a lot fewer parts here than you think... a lot of it is just "paint detailing" to make it look like there are more parts here than there really are. Gauges are kit decals, the "glass" over them is 5-minute epoxy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 The decorative plaques on the sides of the engine block were brush painted gold, then I flowed a black wash on them to emphasize the lettering. The lettering is very crisply molded and is completely legible (but tiny!)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 And this is the water tank, it mounts below the main boiler. The gold bolt heads were brush painted (they are molded in place), but the decorative stars are separate kit pieces... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 Getting started on the main body. I got the decals in place... next step will be to black wash all of the molded-in details like the rivets, etc. Then an overall coat of flat clear, and some slight weathering like oil stains, rust streaks, etc. That's all to come... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sixties Sam Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Excellent work, as always, Harry!Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Ambrose Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 And here's a little tip for you guys out there who think that this hobby can get a little pricey (and it can!)... I bought that tiny bottle of Testors paint thinner/brush cleaner a while ago. The price on the bottle is $3.98... I'm sure that the price has gone up since I bought that bottle. Well, that tiny bottle of Testors thinner is the last one I will ever buy. When you "do the math," the price per ounce is astronomical. Instead, I wised up and bought a quart of the same stuff at the home center for less than I paid for that little Testors bottle! The little glass jar is from Hobby Lobby... it cost a whopping 75¢. Now I can just refill the little glass jar as necessary, and wind up spending way less than constantly buying those silly little bottles of the Testors stuff at $4-5 a pop! I realize this isn't exactly rocket science, and that most of you are well aware of this "trick." But I'll bet there are others out there in the "why didn't I think of that?" category, so that's why I posted it. And there are many other simple, "no-brainer" ideas like this that can save you big bucks overall and keep the cost of the hobby as low as possible. Lacquer thinner is even better for cleaning brushes. Just don't use it for thinning paint without testing it first. I don't know about the rest of the country, but here in the People's Republic of Kalifornia, the state has mostly outlawed the sale of xylene and toluene, which are the usual ingredients in lacquer thinner. They call them Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Ironically, acetone, which is clearly a VOC is not included although extensively used for nail polish. I guess angering most of the female population was too big a step for even State of California. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Spectacular, as usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted November 11, 2015 Author Share Posted November 11, 2015 Slow going on this one... this kit has just an endless number of tiny detail pieces that each have to be cleaned up (mold seam lines), then painted, detailed, black-washed and dull-coated. But I am making progress getting some of the details done... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted November 11, 2015 Author Share Posted November 11, 2015 That big control lever on the right is the reverse lever. I cut away the molded-in "spring" and made a new one by winding thin wire around a drill bit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Spectacular - as usual. Your gold details always look just right. What brand and tone of gold do you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim B Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Looking fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted November 11, 2015 Author Share Posted November 11, 2015 Spectacular - as usual. Your gold details always look just right. What brand and tone of gold do you use?1. Rustoleum "Specialty Metallic" line of spray paint, color "Metallic Brass"2. Testors Transparent Black Window Tint3. Additional black wash if needed (Future + acrylic black, brushed on to the "nooks and crannies")4. If I want a more weathered look, a final coat of Testors Dullcote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 Great scratched details and the overall 'old-timey' look. It's clear your heart is 1/16 sized... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted November 12, 2015 Author Share Posted November 12, 2015 Great scratched details and the overall 'old-timey' look. It's clear your heart is 1/16 sized... Yeah, I guess I do have a soft spot for 1/16 scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 Looking great ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthehobbyguy Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 I always enjoy following your projects. Pick up some great tips also. Another beauty in the works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted November 12, 2015 Author Share Posted November 12, 2015 The way this kit is engineered, "everything works." If built correctly, when you rotate the rear wheels, they are connected through the gears to the crankshaft, and everything moves (crankshaft rotates, connecting rods move, etc.) The problem is that there are a lot of parts involved, and to get everything to work, you have to glue a lot of really tiny parts together... parts with very small glue surfaces yet that need to be strong enough not to break or snap as the drivetrain moves. The crankshaft on this tractor was exposed to the open air. Building it was a real challenge... like I said, a lot of very small parts with very small glue surfaces that have to still slide past one another after gluing and painting. Not for beginners, for sure. This assembly is made up of about 25 or so parts, that all have to spin freely after assembly and paint... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted November 12, 2015 Author Share Posted November 12, 2015 And here is how the crank installs. As you can see, it lays side by side instead of the more typical front to back... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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