NZR DREWRY ?TWIN-SET? RAILCAR, Update.

[treetop]

Further to my previous thread, I have now made and fitted six bogie side pieces as well as other detail parts.
The side pieces are vacuum formed using the plug as shown from 0.5mm thick styrene.

boggie plug.JPG

The resulting shapes were cut out and trimmed using nail scissors, which I find a very useful tool. They are stuck onto the brass side frames with double sided sticky tape and cardboard packing/spacing pieces.

six copies.JPG

Now painted dull black and with some other bits attached below the floor level.

boggie fitted.JPG

The eight taps were fabricated from a brass piece turned in my Unimat 3 lathe with a short length of wire soldered through. The hoses are appropriate diameter wire insulation with a short length of sleeving at the top end. The wire ?hoops? were wound around a former then cut through with side cutters. The outer springs are fuse wire and the tap handles cut from 0.5mm styrene. All stuck together with a cyanoacrylate glue.

hose bits.JPG

The couplers are cut, drilled and filed from solid wood. (MDF)

two ends.JPG

A recent view taken at our convention, courtesy of JRin Tawa.

fiat.JPG


See http://www.gscalecentral.net/tm?m=192680&high=

 

[New Haven Neil 2]

Wow - saw these on a post of JR's recently, fantastic work!!!

 

[JRinTawa]

Dean, I didn't get to ask, but what did you use to paint the railcars, the paint job is possibly the best I've seen.

 

[treetop]

Dean, I didn't get to ask, but what did you use to paint the railcars, the paint job is possibly the best I've seen.

Oh NO, my secret has to be revealed!!!
The basic painting was done using an air brush and fast dry enamel suitably thinned for the process.
The colour is Insignia Red, the only red available in the range.
The black and white is achieved by carefully applying sticky backed vinyl artwork.
The actual shapes were drawn in a draughting package (AutoCAD) at real size.
The curvy end shape was printed out on paper first and held onto the model to check size and fit.
Some adjustments had to be made to the drawing to get it right at the corner.

The drawing was saved as a .dxf file and taken to a sign maker. They printed it black onto white vinyl.
I had to cut out the shapes using a VERY sharp blade. This included the round holes for the tail lights. Because the backing sheet was white, and has thickness, I carefully went around all of the edges with a black felt pen.
Following a tip from the sign maker, I used a very dilute dish-wash liquid solution as a lubricant to aid the placing and alignment of the pieces. Without this they would stick immediately, probably in the wrong place. Dabbing with a tissue soon expelled the water.
Yes, it was fiddly cutting and positioning the pieces inside all of the door recesses, x8.

The current RM133s on the sides are only temporary until I manage somehow to produce the required numbering and text to finish the model.

I have seen occasions of transfer type material flaking/peeling off of models which is not a good look.
I am open to suggestions in this regard. I have just checked, and 12mm is about the smallest that lettering can be cut out.