Large Scale Central

Modeling disaster

Modeling
#1

So in my quest to make some more interesting and varied 1:29 rolling stock, I found out that REA/Aristo used to make an outside-braced reefer. Cool! I found someone who had one in stock, and ordered it. Yikes! It’s not a good model. Looks like it was made from very worn molds, detail is fuzzy. But worst of all is this:

A big nasty molded in diamond, leftover from this boxcar being labeled for Railway Express Agency. Ugh! Looks terrible. So what to do? I decided to try to cut it off. I used a dremel with a router collar to chew off a lot of it, after using a razor saw to cut a clean line along the braces. Then lots of filing bondo glazing putty, using needle files to cut plank lines, and voila:

Yuck. I’m sure many of you are saying it would be easier to just build the thing from scratch. So is this redeemable? I’m thinking of roughing up the styrene “boards” before repainting, and then maybe some of this mess will pass for weathering. Put a big logo there, might get away with it. Alternatively I thought of making a wooden sign and attaching it where the molded on diamond was–a square with some ad on it maybe. i also thought of replacing the reefer door with a conventional boxcar door, building a wooden door, and leaving it open to partially cover the mess. But then I’d have to leave it open on both sides Any suggestions on how to make a silk purse out of this sow’s ear?

#2

Ain’t nothin that never happened to any one of us, Mike. We just don’t let on what happened. …:wink:

If your efforts at redeeming it don’t work out, a sign or a patch to cover the spot might work. I had a decal get all messed up on a reefer and covered the spot with red primer. Looked as if they replaced the boards and hadn’t gotten around to painting them yellow yet…:wink:

#3

Have you ever really looked at old rolling stock. Many cars used to have bent, dented and very bruised exteriors. They were repaired periodically but only necessary repairs were made on foreign railroads. Unless wrecked while on interchange cosmetic repairs were saved for the home road when it finally returned and even then were often minimal as long as the car was serviceable.

I think you’re trying to be too neat. Freight cars, especially of that era, often weren’t pretty although reefers were in generally better shape. You might consider replicating one of the reefer to boxcar conversions shown in one of your photos from another post retaining the reefer doors as they did. The only difference would be that yours is outside braced. Paint and letter it conservatively possibly for your own RR. Then a modest bit of weathering should make fine looking car.

I think you did a remarkable job with removing and restoring the car side. It really doesn’t look bad at all.

#4

Well, Mike, every modeler, and boat builder as well, has a “Moaning Chair,” that is used when something is FUBAR. After 20 minutes of moaning in the chair, a solution always presents itself.

Besides, I agree with Richard. It looks pretty good as it is.

#5

Thank you all–you know how it is, you work on something and it looks awful, then you walk away and you think hmmm…

So now I need to take my chisels and hack up the other parts!

#6

I usually don’t post pictures of my “disasters”, Mike. :wink: Of course, mine look a heck of a lot worse than that.

I’m surprised you were able to do that good of a job with the Dremel. Very impressive. I don’t think you’ll really know what it looks like until you get it painted.

Now, the metal bracing COULD be smoothed up a bit with a nice flat file. I’d consider adding the rivet detail, otherwise it’s going to stand out. Try some textured paint to make new ones.

I like the idea of a wood sign, maybe with some neat graphic. But, even without it, I think it’s going to look pretty good. Remember that you won’t be viewing it close up; a camera always shows the stuff you don’t want to see, but in person it looks pretty good.

I agree with Richard. We make all of our stuff look brand new. This looks pretty good to me.

#7

You could mold a area on the car that would match that bad area, then cast it. Cut out the bad spot and glue it in. Then mold the whole side and cast as many sides as you want! Get those cheap Delton frames and you’ll be a car maker! Synair Corporations Knead-a-Mold would work fine. Just knead the two parts together and press it on, once it sets up, pull it off dam around it a little and pour in your plastic(I use Smooth-on).

#8

Mike,

See what it looks like after you prime it. Impressive work, so far.

#9

Mike,
I guess you really didn’t like that diamond. I think I would have just put a square over it to begin with :wink:
But now don’t cover up all the work you’ve done :slight_smile:
Ralph

#10

A few dings never hurt the 1:1 roads

#11

Doesn’t look too bad. I’d fix up that area just a little more, and rough up the rest of the car a bit, and call it weathering.

#12

That part looks great. Now you just need to grub up the rest of it to match.

#13

I think you’d done a pretty good removing the diamond. A bit of paint and weathering and it will look fine.
Dave

#14

I’d just start from scratch and make my own side. Jerry what you to do it the hard way. Later RJD

#15

Probably would have been easier to just make it from scratch Thanks for the comments and encouragement–I think I can live with the result

(http://www.lscdata.com/users/lownote/outside-braced.jpg)

The model has a big sill or face board on the top side. I was never able to find a prototype reefer that looked like that, so I decided to make it into a boxcar rather than a reefer. I added a lot of stuff at the top of the door to kind of minimize the face board. Roughed it up a bit. It needs weathering and lettering, and I think it’ll be ok

#16

Here’s another shot–you can see the nasty area where I cut out the diamond. But I made a strip of rivets in .10 styrene and that helped some

(http://www.lscdata.com/users/lownote/outside-braced2.jpg)

#17

Mike,

I’m not kidding…Aristo should seriously consider emulating what you’ve done and produce a car like that. I think you had a great idea and I like the result very much.

#18

Richard Smith said:
Mike, I’m not kidding…Aristo should seriously consider emulating what you’ve done and produce a car like that. I think you had a great idea and I like the result very much.

Thank you Richard–it’s a total mystery why they don’t. I’ve started to try and letter them–I’m waiting to get more decals and vinyl. The “Friso” and the black diamond are inkjet printed on bumper sticker paper.

(http://www.lscdata.com/users/lownote/2boxes.jpg)

(http://www.lscdata.com/users/lownote/2boxes2.jpg)

That “frisco” car needs to be lowered

#19

Very nice!

#20

If you had only shown the last two, the repair wouldn’t even be noticed, but because you pointed it out, it can be seen, but only if you really look for it. You’ll always see it because you know it’s there. No one else will ever notice. I think it came out great.