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Post by drolsen on Aug 30, 2012 9:18:43 GMT -8
A few years ago, I was at a layout with Paul Lubliner (Highliners) and I had a BLI E8 with me....we looked at it for a very looooooong period and he pronounced it as the best he had seen so far of all the E units produced....and I agreed. Thanks, Keith - that's pretty much all I need to know! It would be grea if Keith (Hapes) could adjust the Plano grills a little bit to fit the BLI model, but I'm not sure how many people are interested in upgrading it. The P2K model has been around for a lot longer and were cheap and plentiful for a long time, so I'm sure there are more people working on projects with them. Dave
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Post by onequiknova on Aug 30, 2012 15:23:57 GMT -8
The moment we've all been waiting for. Well, at least I have anyway. The shell is currently in primer with it's nose painted yellow. If everything goes according to plan, there should be pics of it in maroon by Sunday.
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Post by rockisland652 on Aug 30, 2012 15:37:29 GMT -8
I want to tell you both: Good Luck, we're all counting on you.
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Post by onequiknova on Aug 30, 2012 15:44:41 GMT -8
I want to tell you both: Good Luck, we're all counting on you. Surely you can't be serious.
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Post by rockisland652 on Aug 30, 2012 16:15:51 GMT -8
I am serious.
...and don't call me Shirley.
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Post by rockisland652 on Sept 1, 2012 7:36:53 GMT -8
It's a beautiful day...for paint.
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Post by onequiknova on Sept 1, 2012 11:50:26 GMT -8
It's a beautiful day...for paint. Correctomundo.
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Post by rockisland652 on Sept 1, 2012 12:05:02 GMT -8
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Post by dhs12001 on Sept 1, 2012 17:20:29 GMT -8
yessirree,David likes it alot. Those wings are a pain to mask off. Did you cut a one piece mask from a template?
Dave
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Post by rockfan on Sept 1, 2012 17:51:17 GMT -8
Looks great!
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Post by buffalobill on Sept 1, 2012 17:58:44 GMT -8
John: Looking good. Beautiful job on the wings.
Bill
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Post by onequiknova on Sept 1, 2012 18:07:41 GMT -8
Thanks guys.
Dave, yes I used a template. I'll do a write up on it later.
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Post by rhpd42002 on Sept 2, 2012 8:10:28 GMT -8
That is certainly turning out to be one beautiful looking loco!!
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Post by onequiknova on Sept 3, 2012 8:06:58 GMT -8
An update about the paint. I used a custom mix of Pollyscale paint for the maroon and yellow. To mask the wings I ended up making a brass template. I cut them free hand on my E6 I did a month or two back, but the curves are tighter on this E8, and freehanding them wasn't working out to my liking. I started by making a paper template, making sure all the lines and curves matched the prototype. This took a few attempts to get right. Once I was happy with the paper template, I transfer it to a sheet of .015 sheet brass to make my cutting template. Unfortunately this template is probably only good for 654, since the wings varied from unit to unit. I used the brass template to cut out the mask from Tamiya masking tape. The completed mask should look like the paper template above. It's notched for the upper grab iron, and the thin stripe of masking is so you can "free hand" the rest of the wings over the markers and up to the nose door. Like so. I finished decaling it yesterday and gave it a coat of satin finish to prepare it for weathering.
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Post by rockisland652 on Sept 3, 2012 8:26:41 GMT -8
Stellar.
Excellent work.
Great tutorial.
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Post by roadkill on Sept 3, 2012 10:04:09 GMT -8
Damn...
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Post by buffalobill on Sept 3, 2012 11:48:14 GMT -8
John: Beautiful job, and as Tom pointed out, very informative tutorial. Will look great with your E-6-A.
Bill
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Post by onequiknova on Sept 3, 2012 13:48:49 GMT -8
Thanks guys. Most guys will either love or hate this next part. By 1974, 654's paint was wearing pretty thin, and a lack of washing left it pretty ratty, at least until the next time it rained. I'm going for a faded, worn look with out a huge buildup of grime. I faded the yellow with dry brushing and chalks. The rust is oil paints applied with a tooth pick. The Stick on heralds the Rock used faded fast, so I mimicked that by lightly sanding the decal before applying. The number boards were a feat unto themselves. First off, I had to make my own lenses, since they were missing from the kit. I made them from a clear cigar tube, reheating them with a lighter to reshape them. There are a total of 8 decals on each number board to achieve the look of individual numbers inserted from behind. I placed the decals from behind so it looks like they're behind glass. Look at the prototype pic on the first page to see what I mean. It is also correct to have one black gasket and one yellow. Still a lot left to do, but the end is in sight.
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Post by ghengiskong on Sept 3, 2012 15:32:39 GMT -8
Excellent rendition of Rock Island commuters in the 70's. Some of your techniques I will steal for my own N scale Rock Island projects!
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Post by rockfan on Sept 3, 2012 16:27:06 GMT -8
Again, looks great. If you get a chance would love to see the E6 also.
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Post by onequiknova on Sept 3, 2012 17:14:21 GMT -8
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Post by dhs12001 on Sept 4, 2012 10:10:33 GMT -8
Hi John
The engine really looks good. I'm impressed how realistic the rust marks appear. Weathering is not in my skill set, as I've dabbled and end up making things worse. If i may ask, how long does it take before the oil paint dries? Using a tooth pick is something that never occurred to me. I'll try to remember that for future tries.
Dave
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Post by onequiknova on Sept 4, 2012 12:42:08 GMT -8
As thin as I'm putting it on, it doesn't take long at all. Maybe ten minutes if I had to guess.
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Post by roadkill on Sept 4, 2012 13:25:51 GMT -8
Love how you did that fade. Looks dead nuts to me.
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Post by onequiknova on Sept 4, 2012 15:19:49 GMT -8
Love how you did that fade. Looks dead nuts to me. Thanks. I tried some new techniques and am happy with the results.
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Post by onequiknova on Sept 4, 2012 17:44:03 GMT -8
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Post by Christian on Sept 4, 2012 18:08:15 GMT -8
Which ever is on the engineer's side looks right - close to the surface. Even with the gaps. The other side reminds me of how we did windshields in the old days - like Varney diesels superdetailed with parts from Globe diesels and a piece of acetate for a windshield.
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Post by onequiknova on Sept 4, 2012 18:10:38 GMT -8
Which ever is on the engineer's side looks right - close to the surface. Even with the gaps. The other side reminds me of how we did windshields in the old days - like Varney diesels superdetailed with parts from Globe diesels and a piece of acetate for a windshield. I should have mentioned that the glass I made is on the engineers side. The other side has no glass at the moment.
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Post by railthunder on Sept 4, 2012 18:59:30 GMT -8
First off, fabulous work on the Rock Island E8 - I'm a sucker for E units! As far as the windshield, you might try BLI customer service in the chance that they have the exact part your looking for.
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Post by rockisland652 on Sept 4, 2012 20:16:50 GMT -8
Tried that. Ante'd up and BLI sent windshields for an E6. She looks like a work of art, John. The window you made looks right. The side view seems to cinch it for me. What an amazing locomotive.
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