Hi Matt,
great work on those RS18. Have to do some for myself,too. I´ve read somewhere that you could use an RS32 shell vor the conversion for a RS18 u . I´ve also seen those RS 18 parts by Chris Mears. I´ll give it a try with the radiators I think but don´t know if I´ll order the Hoodends,too.
Keep up your good work and I hope to see them finished soon.
Cheers,Chris

Twist Wrote:Hi Matt,
great work on those RS18. Have to do some for myself,too. I´ve read somewhere that you could use an RS32 shell vor the conversion for a RS18 u . I´ve also seen those RS 18 parts by Chris Mears. I´ll give it a try with the radiators I think but don´t know if I´ll order the Hoodends,too.
Keep up your good work and I hope to see them finished soon.
Cheers,Chris

Chris,

Chris Mears' parts are excellent, at least the radiators. I'm not sure if the ends are worth their prices. They sure save tedious works and a few brass castings. In the end, it's probably a tie.

I've used RS32 shells to get some parts here and there. That could be a good start for the low hood indeed (with some work involved).

Now if I can find time to complete them once for all.

Matt

This project is back on track. I installed the details today and primed the model. Painting will start tomorrow. I hope to have them ready to see some operation nex week end.



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Matt

Change in program, I've been asked to paint them in Zebra scheme... Fine with, but painting process will take a little bit more time. I'll try Doctorwayne masking trick to paint the stripes.

Matt

I restarted working on my RS18. They are now painted and decalled but not assembled. My goal is to finish them for Christmas Eve and weather them by New Year.



When I bashed my models, I didn't care about the classification lights located over the numberboards. I knew I would have to do it at some point but had not idea how to do it. Later, I painted the model and decalled it. I thought I was too late to put the classification lights. However, I was quite dissastified not having them.



My first idea was to simply drill holes and add MV clear lenses. While the idea was interesting, I don't have enough MV lenses on hand and the classification lights wouldn't had their characteristic steel rim.



The other option which I implemented was to scrap off details from discarded Atlas shells. It was surprisingly easy and after a coat of paint, it looked just like the real thing. The lights were then glued directly on the model. The mess was minimal and as you can see, orange paint touch ups are going to be minimal. Next step will be to add a touch of aluminium paint over the lenses. According to prototype pictures, the lights were very dirty in the mid-1980s.

Matt

New Power For Christmas

I'm glad to announce the RS18 kitbash project ended yesterday. Units are now painted, dullcoted and assembled. Weathering will be the next step but so far so good. I'm actually wondering if I should add the side glass deflectors located on the cab. I'm afraid gluing them could do more harm than good if not done correctly.

The Proto 1000 unit should be ready this afternoon... Stay tuned!

And now, show time!

















Matt

All good things must come to an end and I'm proud to say I finally can see the light at the end of the tunnel with this mad project. Weathering was the last step and I did it yesterday. It was quite a straightforward process and I surely did not try anything too much artsy.



Since RS18 are the backbone of the fleet, I didn't want them to be garish rust buckets. Most pictures of the 1980s show them as well-maintained and rather clean locomotives except the proverbial ALCO soot covering every square inch of horizontal surface. Most typical wear was white paint peeling off on railings, dark streaks on the running board and some whitish dirt on the long hood on a few units. Trucks were generally clean and not too dusty (at least on pictures of engines assigned in Quebec then).



I believe a good weathering process is about reproducing what happens in real life. My first step was to fade the as if it was degraded by UV rays. A very diluted tan color wash was sprayed over the models until satisfaction.



The second step was to build up the ALCO typical dirt on the roof. Working with prototype picture, I was able to find out the short orange hood roof was almost black and the soot was running down along the vertical sides with rain. A wash of India ink/alcohol was used to mimick this effect realistically. Also, a very thin coat of this wash was sprayed all over the model to dull it a little bit just like the prototype.



When dry, I used a special wash used by Warhammers' modellers called "Null Oil" to add some dirt in the long hood panel lines. It is a very potent stuff and I was careful enough to dilute it a little bit prior to use. It was particularly effective on louvers. Only unit 3623 got that wash over the orange paint. It almost ended up in disaster but I was able to save the day.



The next step was to use AIM weathering powder to give some texture to the roof, trucks, pilots and fuel tank. Prior to this, the trucks were sprayed with Krylon black and camouflage brown spray paint, giving them a nice warm black shade.



Finally, oil paint and odolourless solvent were used to add streaks to the running board. An easy job done following prototype. Each locomotive received different streak patterns and colors to make sure it wasn't too uniform.



Unfortunately, at this point, I sealed my weathering job with Dullcote. In a matter of seconds, all the textures were lost and the models looked almost brand new albeit with color variation effects. To counter this, I sprayed a new tan color wash over everything. The wash was very thin and thus didn't really affect the overall coloration. In fact, it helped to blend everything together. Finally, a last coat of weathering powder was added and I kept it as is.



New headlight lenses for the Miniature by Eric castings (on Atlas locomotives) were done using Woodland Scenic Water Effects. A few weeks ago, I bought my first bottle of Micro Krystal Klear in a shop but quickly realized the seller sold me an old bottle. The content was like a marshmallow and couldn't be worked into a good shape. I've heard a lot of good comments about Micro Krystal Klear, but it seems I'll have to find a better supplier.



Enjoy!

Matt

They all look great!! It shows how much work you had to do, to make them look so real. Great job!

Very nicely done, Matt, as is the paint scheme, one of my all-time favourites.

Wayne

Hi there,
Thank you for the excellent description of your weathering progress. Those three engines are looking fantastic. I have recently started my RS18 so I´ll use your build for reference.

Happy new year to you and all others,
Regards,Chris

Now that, is some nicely done work

That just might be the incentive I needed to get off my _____ and finish up my SDL39. I first saw the Wisconsin Central
version on a line that runs through Vernon Hills, IL., about two blocks East of my condo.

Great models and great prototypes too!

Thanks guys! They were fun to build and not that hard in fact.

I thought you would enjoy them in operation mode.











Matt

Hi Matt,

they are looking great in operation mode.

Regards,Chris

They look great, Matt. I like your weathering, subtle but effective.