Bashing and building 'The General" 4-4-0 1/24 scale layout.

[JohnReid]

Richie,I have been warned not to leave the general in the sun or other warm places as it tends to warp.Is this a problem particular to this kit or is it just the normal type of warp age inherent to most plastic kits ? I suspect that because it is G scale that at some point it was left outdoors in the hot sun probably on hot rails or sand etc..
Mine will go in a box so unless I hear otherwise from you I don't plan to take any extra precautions other than what I would do for any plastic kit.Thank you ! Cheers! John.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[KeithT]

Adhesives?
If it is a plastic kit Airfix I use Mekpak or Revell Contacta Professional.
I have had the same large packs for decades!

 

[Richie]

Richie,I have been warned not to leave the general in the sun or other warm places as it tends to warp.Is this a problem particular to this kit or is it just the normal type of warp age inherent to most plastic kits ? I suspect that because it is G scale that at some point it was left outdoors in the hot sun probably on hot rails or sand etc..
Mine will go in a box so unless I hear otherwise from you I don't plan to take any extra precautions other than what I would do for any plastic kit.Thank you ! Cheers! John.

Hi John
My model has not suffered any kind of warping has been sat in a display cabinet for many years and the loft before that built the loco back in 1994 the only thing i do find that parts are very fragile forever breaking the pipes between loco and tender .

 

[JohnReid]

Thank you Richie.glad to hear that ! you are right about the fragile parts though.It will require a case for sure.

 

[KeithT]

There is an Airfix The General kit on ebay at present £50 BIN or make an offer.
Ebay #140623968694

 

[JohnReid]

Thanks for the heads up Keith !

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

I have been fooling around a bit with the camera trying to find interesting angles for future shots.This layout/diorama has a lot of possibilities for telling various stories about the old west.I would especially like to see how close I can come to re-creating scenes from the movie "Once upon a time in the west".I have the movie and I am able to review it frame by frame and thereby learn first hand how Sergio created some of his work.He had a wonderful eye for composition and detail and was a perfectionist in his work.I can feel his influence there with me whenever I am looking through the eye of the camera.

 

[trammayo]

Tantalising pictures John - and quality work - cannot wait to see the outcome.

On the subject of heat and the model, some five or six years ago, a neighbour mentioned seeing a model train in a local antique shop. The shop, here in Foxford, County Mayo, had indeed a loco on display. It was a plastic model of the General. I asked myself, "could that be altered and motorised?".

I asked to have a closer inspection and found that the side facing the back of the display case was in a sorry state. It had sagged rather badly with exposure to heat - no doubt it had been on the mantle over a stove or hearth. Even in that condition the shop owner wanted 60 Euro (about $35 at that time)!.

 

[JohnReid]

Thank you for the info ! If I light it I will use LED's and keep it out of the sun.
I did a little heat test and it seems to be within the normal range of strength for plastic.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

Sergio Leone was famous for framing his shots using doors and windows either from the outside looking in or like in this shot, the inside looking out.It is a great technique for compositional purposes and one that I use often in my own work.

 

[JohnReid]

I build this locomotive as a movie prop and I am now faced with making it
look more like one.I really over built one side and am now faced with removing some stuff in order to have it better fit in with the storyline.It is time to call in the guys with the blowtorches.
The original idea was that it was to be a half model made of tin on a wood frame and set up as it would be on a movie lot.
In many ways it is hard to do this to such a beautiful design but the story must come first in my view.I have another General kit waiting to be built anyway and of course I will always have the pics.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

The third part of my layout /diorama will be to build the luxury passenger car.(Morton's car in the movie) I plan to use finer hardwoods and leave in a few remnants of furniture and memorabilia from the era.It will be weathered as though it has sat in the backlot for some time.I will build it like a sound stage and probably not even put it on tracks except maybe near one of the car stairs where Claudia Cardinale first steps off the train to make her unforgettable grand entrance in the movie.This was the one and only Western movie ever written for a woman and I would like to recognize that fact in the diorama.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[Richie]

Looking very nice John

 

[JohnReid]

In the opening scene the train is going in the other direction but I had to compromise a bit if I want to show the locomotives best (realistic) side.From this view all will look normal but from the other side it will all be movie set.The work that I am doing now on the mock up side of the locomotive will hardly be seen at all in the final version as it will be mostly in front of the station. In the area between the front of the locomotive and the front right hand side of the station will sit Sergio's empty directors chair with his name on the back.Morton's deluxe car in the back will be modified into another movie set somewhat like the station was but will look normal from this viewpoint.On the backside of the station wall I will put up a double sided screen of a view of Monument Valley that will be viewable from both the single front window of the station and Morton's car.Claudia's arrival set will be on the backside end of Morton's car.
I never like to put anything square to the base so the final setup will be at an angle yet to be determined.