Photos of Amtrak #203 Operation Lifesaver
Jun 25, 2024 15:23:20 GMT -8
Donnell Wells, tracktime, and 15 more like this
Post by cr9617 on Jun 25, 2024 15:23:20 GMT -8
Hello all. As usual for this time a year, my other hobbies have taken a front row seat and modeling has pretty much ground to a halt. However, I have been slowly, and I mean s l o w l y, pecking away at this Athearn Genesis P42 from the most recent release. I was finally able to wrap it up so I thought I'd share some photos.
Amtrak 203 Operation Lifesaver by cr9617, on Flickr
Amtrak 203 Operation Lifesaver by cr9617, on Flickr
Amtrak 203 Operation Lifesaver by cr9617, on Flickr
Amtrak 203 Operation Lifesaver by cr9617, on Flickr
It's basically stock out of the box except for the HEP cables and the front plow. The prototype's plow is missing the door on the fireman's side, so I filed that off and sanded it smooth. The top and one edge was also banged up, so I just twisted the plastic around with my photo etch bending pliers until it broke and then glued it back together and then twisted it up again till it looked right. The plastic grabs obviously didn't survive that process so I replaced them with wire. The camera is just a little piece of square styrene with a black dot on it, not exactly accurate but it looks the part. I can always replace it later with something better like the MACrail part. I also added the blue rule book on the dash but you can't really see it.
The majority of the work was replicating the peeling decals. If you look at photos of the nose and engineer's side online you can basically follow the progression as more and more peel off. I chose this photo taken in May to replicate:
Vallejo Game Color Sun Yellow is an almost exact match so I used that to chip the decal. The large spots on the side were a little difficult, but after a few failed attempts I got what you see above. I first marked out the pattern in pencil, then brushed the yellow on a little larger than the previously drawn pattern. It comes out too smooth and blobby, so I let it dry for 24 hours and then came back and very carefully and lightly chipped the edge with an exacto blade. The model comes with a semi gloss finish so it kept the paint from adhering well which is exactly what I needed here. It came out ok. There is a little unwanted texture there, but I'm satisfied with it. Next time I'd add a little retarder to the paint so it leveled a little more.
Amtrak 203 Operation Lifesaver by cr9617, on FlickrAmtrak 203 Operation Lifesaver by cr9617, on FlickrAmtrak 203 Operation Lifesaver by cr9617, on FlickrAmtrak 203 Operation Lifesaver by cr9617, on FlickrIt's basically stock out of the box except for the HEP cables and the front plow. The prototype's plow is missing the door on the fireman's side, so I filed that off and sanded it smooth. The top and one edge was also banged up, so I just twisted the plastic around with my photo etch bending pliers until it broke and then glued it back together and then twisted it up again till it looked right. The plastic grabs obviously didn't survive that process so I replaced them with wire. The camera is just a little piece of square styrene with a black dot on it, not exactly accurate but it looks the part. I can always replace it later with something better like the MACrail part. I also added the blue rule book on the dash but you can't really see it.
The majority of the work was replicating the peeling decals. If you look at photos of the nose and engineer's side online you can basically follow the progression as more and more peel off. I chose this photo taken in May to replicate:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C6rox15PHWs
Vallejo Game Color Sun Yellow is an almost exact match so I used that to chip the decal. The large spots on the side were a little difficult, but after a few failed attempts I got what you see above. I first marked out the pattern in pencil, then brushed the yellow on a little larger than the previously drawn pattern. It comes out too smooth and blobby, so I let it dry for 24 hours and then came back and very carefully and lightly chipped the edge with an exacto blade. The model comes with a semi gloss finish so it kept the paint from adhering well which is exactly what I needed here. It came out ok. There is a little unwanted texture there, but I'm satisfied with it. Next time I'd add a little retarder to the paint so it leveled a little more.
