I had another modeller give me a Kadee Skeleton log car to build for him (Kit#102) After I built that one I decided to build the three that have been sitting on my shelf for a couple years. Now that I'm building a layout with a dedicated logging area and sawmill these will be prefect. I already built the one for the other modeler but I'll take you through the building of the others.
The entire car is cast white metal for weight and the parts are in sealed plastic bags.
I did some initial cleanup but most of the casting and pretty clean and flash free. Any flash that was on there cleaned up in only a few minutes.
I didn't entirely follow that instructions step-by-step for the build after I built the first, some things I found were better the assemble before others due to the fragile nature of some parts and assemblies. For instance, the instructions want you to build the entire brake system before attaching the coupler pockets. I found that the coupler pockets can take a good amount of force to get the on and it's better to attach them first than to damage the brake components.
The brake wheel is attached to the 'b' end coupler pocket. It and the brake chain is pinned with a 1/2" nail that is pinched at both ends to hold everything in place.
Finished assembly, ready for installation.
I then installed the coupler pockets and assembled the brake system.
I did appreciate how almost all the components fit where they were supposed to. I did have to do a bit of trimming of the brake rods but that was about it. The frame is pre-drilled so I didn't have to drill any holes, just glue the parts in with either thin or gel CA.
The entire car is cast white metal for weight and the parts are in sealed plastic bags.
I did some initial cleanup but most of the casting and pretty clean and flash free. Any flash that was on there cleaned up in only a few minutes.
I didn't entirely follow that instructions step-by-step for the build after I built the first, some things I found were better the assemble before others due to the fragile nature of some parts and assemblies. For instance, the instructions want you to build the entire brake system before attaching the coupler pockets. I found that the coupler pockets can take a good amount of force to get the on and it's better to attach them first than to damage the brake components.
The brake wheel is attached to the 'b' end coupler pocket. It and the brake chain is pinned with a 1/2" nail that is pinched at both ends to hold everything in place.
Finished assembly, ready for installation.
I then installed the coupler pockets and assembled the brake system.
I did appreciate how almost all the components fit where they were supposed to. I did have to do a bit of trimming of the brake rods but that was about it. The frame is pre-drilled so I didn't have to drill any holes, just glue the parts in with either thin or gel CA.