I didn't need, or really want another one. But the price was just too good to pass up.... But I found another older Case traction engine (steam tractor) model for less than half what a new one costs.
I didn't expect to win it.... but for whatever reason, nobody bid against me. The paint was scruffy, the canopy is missing, and the little man as well. But canopies were extra cost options on these things, I couldn't use the little cast man anyway, and paint is cheap enough.........
These things are cast aluminum TOYS, designed purposely to be like the old cast iron ones, rather than a scale model..... but with a little tweaking, they can be made fairly presentable. It is roughly a 1/25 'model' of a 1912 45HP engine. Lucky for us large scalers, several sizes shared the same basic shape.... so it can be made into a 30HP in 1/20, or a 50HP in 1/29.... or a 36HP in 1/22, a 40HP in 1/24, a 65HP in 1/32, etc. The proportions are right on for a 36 or a 45, a 30 should be a bit shorter in the barrel, but I'm not going to mess with that.
The first step in converting it from a toy to a model is to partially disassemble it (1 screw!) and remove what you DON'T want. This time that included cutting off the part that was supposed to be a geared water pump (the smaller HP engines didn't have them), and grinding away some of the raised lettering... Then I used gazing putty to fill the seams, and smooth over my grind marks. I also covered the preheater with some plastruct tube to change it's shape to look more like the 30HP version, and extended the governor 'belt' so it actually reached the governor.
I added about 3/16" to the back of the firebox with acrylic, made a firebox door from the same, and added the countershaft made from more tube.
I couldn't find my smaller beads, so this one got a 2 ball Judson governor rather than a 3 ball Pickering. I don't think the Judson type was used after somewhere around 1909, but I won't tell if you don't.
classic 3/4 shot showing the new preheater, and the smokebox door with the 'CASE' lettering removed. The 30s and 36s just had a 'chicken on a basketball' (bald eagle on the globe) on the door, 40s and larger had the lettering.
As usual, I just had to start painting, even though I still need to make the steering bolster, drawbar, and modify the contractor's bunkers and step, yet.
I'll post more pix tomorrow. After it's done I need to decide what I'm actually going to DO with it. It might become a flatcar load, or part of a mini plowing or threshing, or hauling scene, or I might heavily weather it to put behind the barn.... or I might just re-sell it. (anybody wanna buy it?)
I didn't expect to win it.... but for whatever reason, nobody bid against me. The paint was scruffy, the canopy is missing, and the little man as well. But canopies were extra cost options on these things, I couldn't use the little cast man anyway, and paint is cheap enough.........
These things are cast aluminum TOYS, designed purposely to be like the old cast iron ones, rather than a scale model..... but with a little tweaking, they can be made fairly presentable. It is roughly a 1/25 'model' of a 1912 45HP engine. Lucky for us large scalers, several sizes shared the same basic shape.... so it can be made into a 30HP in 1/20, or a 50HP in 1/29.... or a 36HP in 1/22, a 40HP in 1/24, a 65HP in 1/32, etc. The proportions are right on for a 36 or a 45, a 30 should be a bit shorter in the barrel, but I'm not going to mess with that.
The first step in converting it from a toy to a model is to partially disassemble it (1 screw!) and remove what you DON'T want. This time that included cutting off the part that was supposed to be a geared water pump (the smaller HP engines didn't have them), and grinding away some of the raised lettering... Then I used gazing putty to fill the seams, and smooth over my grind marks. I also covered the preheater with some plastruct tube to change it's shape to look more like the 30HP version, and extended the governor 'belt' so it actually reached the governor.
I added about 3/16" to the back of the firebox with acrylic, made a firebox door from the same, and added the countershaft made from more tube.
I couldn't find my smaller beads, so this one got a 2 ball Judson governor rather than a 3 ball Pickering. I don't think the Judson type was used after somewhere around 1909, but I won't tell if you don't.
classic 3/4 shot showing the new preheater, and the smokebox door with the 'CASE' lettering removed. The 30s and 36s just had a 'chicken on a basketball' (bald eagle on the globe) on the door, 40s and larger had the lettering.
As usual, I just had to start painting, even though I still need to make the steering bolster, drawbar, and modify the contractor's bunkers and step, yet.
I'll post more pix tomorrow. After it's done I need to decide what I'm actually going to DO with it. It might become a flatcar load, or part of a mini plowing or threshing, or hauling scene, or I might heavily weather it to put behind the barn.... or I might just re-sell it. (anybody wanna buy it?)