High Nose GP40 - Rescue Build - Part 4

I finally got some time to finish the remaining details on the GP40 rescue build, adding the high nose bell, all weather windows and the MU cables and pilot steps.

I filled the small gaps on the nose and gave the shell a shot of primer ahead of its trip to the RPM table at this weekend Holbrook show.

I've been brushing up on my airbrushing skills (airbrushing up?)  and the process was a lot less wasteful this time, previously I've ended up with a lot of overspray as a result of being a bit too heavy on the flow.

I'm pretty pleased with how it has turned out, aside from a small gap along the treadplate edge it is looking good and ready for painting.  Easily my fastest ever build, and although it's not going to be a contest winner, it's definitely a real improvement from how it looked when I bought it.

Next comes the paint and decals.  Watch this space.

High Nose GP40 - Rescue Build - Part 3

I got some more time on the GP40 build today and got the all-weather windows in and the coupler lift bars, filled the pilot holes and added the shims for the coupler boxes.

 

All I need now is the high-hood bell, a little filler and she's ready for paint.  I even managed to find a GP35 to act as truck donor :)

High Nose GP40 - Rescue Build - Part 2

I spent some time working on my newly acquired Athearn high nose (link) and I made a fair bit of progress.  The engines history has left it a bit worse for wear and the various glue-marks mean it will be a 'three footer' rather than a showstopper, but I am pleased with how it's turned out so far.

I am using the parts I have 'in stock' so I won't be spending any extra cash to finish this particular build.

I tackled the high nose end of the model first, the existing cannon nose is missing most of its detail parts and had the nose doors from the original Athearn low hood glued over the spaces where the Cannon doors should be.

I opted to retain the Athearn doors, but I trimmed them to fit the hole in the Cannon nose and mounted them flush.

The numberboards were pieces of Cannon plastic and had been glued too far back (the Cannon nose has a recess designed for a clear insert).

I prised off the old pieces and fashioned a suitable numberboard from plasticard.  The numberboards look a lot better after this fix.

The Athearn model has a dash 2 cab so I trimmed off the overhang at the rear to make it closer to a GP40 style cab.

The fans were drilled out using a step-drill to create the holes for the Cannon 1702 dish top fans, and the base sections were glued into postion.

 

I also added Cannon walkway tread around the frame and drilled the holes for grabirons.  I used Detail Associate grabs on both ends and lift rings on the roof.

The mu hoses are Athearn Genesis parts I had in my bits box, they were very easy to fit and I think they look slightly finer than the Details West whitemetal parts I usually use.

I'm pleased with the progress so far, the next step will be adding coupler lift bars to the short hood end, all-weather windows to the cab and adding body mounted coupler pockets.

Freemo Board Update - Dirt (Not Dirt)

Just as I thought I was finished with the messy work on my module, it turned out there was a problem with my scenery.

The club module spec didn't specify a particular type of dirt, so I decided to use regular garden dirt, finely sieved.  This seemed to work pretty well, but the dirt stayed a dark 'wet' colour after glueing which gave my board a very distinctively post-rain feel.

Now that some of the other boards have been completed by other members I realised that their dirt areas were far lighter in colour.  It turns out that most of the guys are using a special dirt powder marketed by 'Treemendus'  http://www.treemendusmodels.co.uk/ which doesn't dry dark like the regular garden earth.

I ordered up some of the Treemedus 'earth' powder and spent some time over the weekend re-doing the various open areas on my module.  The earth powder darkens when wet but dries light again, giving a much nicer effect, the module now looks like a dry dusty day instead of a damp one.

I will need to redo some of the ground foam to recover areas and blend the joins to the existing scenery, but the board is certainly looking far more 'to spec' than before!

Time is getting tight for the club show is in three weeks so I have also been working on the buildings, and I have adapted a Rix 'Smalltown USA' store to fill the awkward curved space on the corner of the board. 

I need to get the buildings detailed and painted this week so I can get the board back to the club space and the electrics tested ahead of the ballasting.  Lots to do!

High Nose GP40 - Rescue Build

I found this high nose Athearn GP40 going cheap on ebay and picked it up as a quick project.  The model has been fitted with a high-nose, which turned out to be a Cannon & Co part, but not much else has been done to the model.

It had one of the worst paint jobs I have seen in a long time, with really, really thick paint brushed on, followed by an extra generous layer of dullcoat.  A real mess!

 

 

I have an idea I might be able to spruce the model up in time to put it on the display table at the club show, this won't be a concourse model but I will add some basic details and
grabirons to make it more presentable.

First port of call is the dip tank, I sat the model in 91% alcohol overnight then scrubbed with a toothbrush, I couldn't prise the handrails off because of all the paint, so I left them on until the paint had softened enough.

I don't know what brand of paint the model has been painted with, but the thick N&W blue comes off fairly easily when scrubbed with a toothbrush, the original paint is underneath, revealing this was a Conrail unit when it left the factory.

The Cannon high-nose has been fitted in an unusual way, with the previous owner keeping the original Athearn hatches at the base instead of cutting flush with the deck making it apparent that the nose itself is very slightly out of place. 

There is a chance that it might need replacing but I will wait until all the paint is off before deciding.

The Athearn paint is proving harder to shift than the top coat, so I will leave the shell soaking for the rest of the day.