I got this far and disaster struck, I spilled my bottle of Pro Weld and destroyed one of the cab sides and doors, the roof also got hit and warped a bit but otherwise is ok, I think I can save it. You can see the upward curve at the front of the roof in the pics, obviously the roof is not glued in, I now have to wait for replacement parts before I can continue. But I like the kit a lot and am looking forward to seeing it upon completion.
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I don't know - straightening this car may be even more difficult than bending it the way you wanted ! Would think the "sway-back" you intended might require heating most of the length of the car to "bendable" state...very touchy for temperature as the folks who use Vac-Form techniques will attest. Maybe just call this "wreck damage" the reason the car was retired to the ground ? The whole area is coming together beautifully, must confess to being a little "green" at your skill and talent. Bob C.
OOPS! Don't suppose the Pro-Weld would work on the passenger car...not enough left after the crane ?
If you want to sway back a plastic car you can prop up the ends and leave it out in the sun. I discovered this technique by accident ( wasn't the effect I was looking for, just wanted to dry some paint). All you need is a sunny day, witch is hard to find this time of year. So good luck with that.
Bob, don't think I didn't consider the Pro Weld! But I figure it is even harder to control than heat. And, I'd wind up with a fingerprint! Steve, I did what you mention only tried to speed things up with a downward pressure in the center, while heating the center. Here is a pic of the jig. The bolsters rested on the two strips of wood, and pressure was evenly applied by turning the nuts on the center bar a bit at a time, while heating the center of the sides alternately. I tried directing the heat at the bottom of the car because I knew the cherestory would deform easily. But as Bob points out, application of the heat is tricky!
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Looks good.
As far as the crane...Leave it. If none of the other parts got ruined I would leave it. Gives it character, and makes it look like it was worked(works) hard. Nothing like a railroad to let pieces of non revenue equipment to fall apart.
Nothing like a banged up piece of equipment to show it's earned its keep....
I've spilled enough MEK to build six kits!
Don't you just hate when that happens??
Hope you can recover as much as possible.
I've spilled enough paint and adhesives that I finally fixed it so nothing spills unless I want to spill it. I took some scrap 2x4 lumber and cut them into 4-6 inch long pieces. I then took the spade bit that is just slightly bigger than the bottles I'm using (one size for paint bottles, a bigger one for adhesives), then I put the bottle in the appropriate hole before opening it. The 2x4 keeps the bottles from spilling.
Ha! The sad thing is Russ, that I read a tip like that in MR many years ago, but never went ahead and made them. Jordan models instruction sheet includes a form for requesting replacement parts, which are free. However, when I trued to find an email address for them to speed things up, I failed, and a phone # I found must actually be used for fax or internet, as I got that funny tone. So I went ahead and mailed my request, will find something else to work on for awhile, lord knows there is plenty to do!
Regarding the passenger car, the side in the photo isn't bad, but the other side I've decided just won't do. The damage there is not at all realistic, no matter how hard I try to rationialize! So I will obtain a new car and give up the swayback idea, it will be heavily weathered and beat up, with windows boarded up, etc. Think I'll open up the baggage door and build a ramp up into it, with detailed floor inside, and items being stored.
Thanks for the posts everyone.
Hi everyone, well the good news is I've returned to work, even though it is on a temp basis. This is great for all the obvious reasons, and only too bad for the loss of nearly all modeling time.
While I was waiting for my spare parts from Jordan (which arrived prmptly) I decided to build a station kit I had on hand, by Stella Models. I wrote a review of the kit in the review section if you would like to check it out. Here are a couple finished pics:
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A quick note, I scatchbuilt the platforms and loading dock door as the kit was more of a yard office and I needed a freight station.
That's a gorgeous little structure...!!!
I need something EXACTLY like that....I googled stella models, but all I came up with is a store that sells R/C trucks stuff....Where did you find/buy it..??
My fault, sorry! Actual name turns out to be Stella Scale Models, here is a link
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That building has such a classic look! I like it. Reminds me of a structure I saw near the yard in Kingston NY.
Ralph
A quick update on the Jordan steam crane build. I received replacement parts for the ones I damaged, and the kit is almost complete and ready for paint. I have to install the doors and rigging, and a few details. Unfortunately, one of thise details went flying when I removed it from the sprue. A quick search has not turned up the little critter, so I'll vacuum with some stocking in the hose and sort thru what gets sucked up, hoping to come across it. If not, I'll have to write Jordan again! Here's how it's looking so far:
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