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Post by edgecrusher on Jan 28, 2020 6:39:55 GMT -8
Donnell, that is such impressively clean work. I have no doubt that for me to make such changes I'd have to strip the whole shell and start fresh. Great work.
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Post by Donnell Wells on Jan 28, 2020 6:50:11 GMT -8
Going from memory, it's ex MILW GP40 2011 (one of three painted in the Hiawatha scheme), remove the cab overhang, no EFCAB, no sunshade mount with a drip rail in it's place, remove ribs from blower duct, high mount bell unless they changed that, battery doors versus bolt on panel, different dust bin hatch and remove vent from side of cab. Not sure if intakes are different. Of course some of the above may have been changed in the rebuild. Spot on, thunderhawk!
With this build, I don't want to go too overboard. I want to retain as much of the factory finish as possible, so I'm trying to be very careful with the mods. I'm shooting for the obvious distinctions and will live with the compromises.
The cab overhang shouldn't be too difficult though I'll have to scribe a new joint where the cab meets the long hood. The cab shade, well, this mod depends on when this unit is being modeled. I found this 2019 picture that shows a newly installed conductor's side cab shade.
I will machine the molded-on dust bin hatch as low as possible, and then scrape the rest to final depth before installing a new one. The ribs on the blower housing will be scraped off and sanded smooth. The EFCAB looks different than on the real unit but removal will be difficult, so no mod there. Although, I may scribe the area between it and the rear face of the cab to give to illusion of it being a stand alone part. The inertial intake grilles need to be replaced, this modification though difficult, will be worth doing. The access door under the cab on the conductor's side should be the full-width of the cab. This will likely remain unmodified due to the cab being glued on, plus there are paint patches there that look pretty cool.
A few more things to note; did I mention that the cab is glued on? So, I had to break the glazing to remove it using Xuron needle nose pliers. I removed the factory LEDs as I will be adding front (and hopefully rear) ditch lights and want all lighting intensity to match. I'll have to fashion some sort of mounting block to house the new headlight LEDs and will determine if back lighting the number boards is possible. The frame will be stripped of it powder coating and the fuel tank ends will be cleaned up on the mill. Fuel tank brackets will be added. The molded fuel filler and sight glass will be removed in favor of separately applied parts. The molded air reservoirs will be removed in favor of DW air tanks.
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Post by loco8107 on Jan 29, 2020 15:53:38 GMT -8
You know, those models don’t look half bad. But (and you knew there would be a “but”) for the price it seems to make more sense to hunt down a deal on a Genesis version. I get that not everyone is thrilled with the Genesis line for QC issues and parts that fall off, but you get a really good shell and better drive train. Besides, $139.98 isn’t what I would call cheap for a Roundhouse model. Mark J. You hit the nail with that last sentence. There should not be such little price difference between RTR and Genesis. What’s the point then? Us low budget modelers need better options.
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Post by loco8107 on Jan 29, 2020 15:54:53 GMT -8
Going from memory, it's ex MILW GP40 2011 (one of three painted in the Hiawatha scheme), remove the cab overhang, no EFCAB, no sunshade mount with a drip rail in it's place, remove ribs from blower duct, high mount bell unless they changed that, battery doors versus bolt on panel, different dust bin hatch and remove vent from side of cab. Not sure if intakes are different. Of course some of the above may have been changed in the rebuild. Spot on, thunderhawk!
With this build, I don't want to go too overboard. I want to keep as much of the factory finish as possible, so I'm trying to be very careful with the mods. I'm shooting for the obvious distinctions and will live with the compromises.
The cab overhang shouldn't be too difficult though I'll have to scribe a new joint where the cab meets the long hood. The cab shade, well, this mod depends on when this unit is being modeled. I found this 2019 picture that shows a newly installed conductor's side cab shade.
I will machine the molded-on dust bin hatch as low as possible, and then scrape the rest to final depth before installing a new one. The ribs on the blower housing will be scraped off and sanded smooth. The EFCAB looks different than on the real unit but removal will be difficult, so no mod there. Although, I may scribe the area between it and the rear face of the cab to give to illusion of it being a stand alone part. The inertial intake grilles need to be replaced, this modification though difficult, will be worth doing. The access door under the cab on the conductor's side should be the full-width of the cab. This will likely remain unmodified due to the cab being glued on, plus there are paint patches there that look pretty cool.
A few more things to note; did I mention that the cab is glued on? So, I had to break the glazing to remove it using Xuron needle nose pliers. I removed the factory LEDs as I will be adding front (and hopefully rear) ditch lights and want all lighting intensity to match. I'll have to fashion some sort of mounting block to house the new headlight LEDs and will determine if back lighting the number boards is possible. The frame will be stripped of it powder coating and the fuel tank ends will be cleaned up on the mill. Fuel tank brackets will be added. The molded fuel filler and sight glass will be removed in favor of separately applied parts. The molded air reservoirs will be removed in favor of DW air tanks. Nice job so far- can’t wait to see it done!
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Post by Donnell Wells on Jan 30, 2020 22:54:51 GMT -8
Last night, I took the plunge and used the mill to remove the molded inertial filter intake grilles and inertial hatch in preparation for the Cannon replacements. I also scrapped off and sanded the ribs on the traction motor blower housing. I noticed that the front and rear cab doors sit proud of the cab face, so a bit more work is necessary.
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Post by myoungwisc on Jan 30, 2020 23:24:54 GMT -8
Fantastic work Donnell, like where this build is going! Martin
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Post by Gary P on Jan 31, 2020 5:08:22 GMT -8
I'm following this build, as it is quality work. A+ stuff!
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Post by thebessemerkid on Jan 31, 2020 5:33:20 GMT -8
Very enjoyable to follow.
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Post by thebessemerkid on Jan 31, 2020 6:07:16 GMT -8
Close-up photography like Donnell has posted on this thread can be cruel to the best of models. If you don't believe that, try it out on your most prized model. But the one thing that stands out to me on these models and every other diesel model produced of late is how utterly awful the paint is. What looks like soft, poorly rendered detail is revealed to be crisp and and sharp when stripped. Paint should not be thick enough to fill in a EMD knuckle-bust door latch. Unfortunately, this problem isn't limited to the models Donnell has highlighted here, even the most highly touted high-end models suffer from paint jobs that clearly look like someone used a 1:1 scale paint gun on a 1:87 scale model. With one fairly recent purchase of a current state-of-the-art model, I was really disappointed at how soft the details appeared when I first inspected it. I started to wonder if the new way of making molds wasn't all it's cracked up to be. However, once I stripped the paint, the crisp lines and all the attention to detail that were claimed were more then evident. So why hide it under all that paint? I'm one of those who will go out of my way for an undecorated model, in part because I think using paint matched to a prototype color chip yields a model that is far too dark, and I'm not great at lightening it to my satisfaction. But mostly it's because ya'll (and I mean that inclusively rather than as a slang term) routinely do a terrible job slathering on the paint. Nice razor sharp lettering doesn't make up for the fact that the base coat is a measurable thickness if we account for scale. Surely we can do better? Elizabeth I think the only answer is undecorated models. Without the parts attached. There are some companies that do a better job than others with paint, but overall, the lack of crisp, sharp edges in the painted model itself, as seen in prototypes compromises nearly all factory paint jobs. It is a shame, as some of the lettering is outstanding. I'm looking at some of the upcoming Athearn models (not singling them out) and none of the big SD's nor the B&O / Chessie caboose are showing as available in undecs. When I look at past Athearn modelw on their site, every last undec is sold out. Somebody ia buying them. I guess companies figure they make their money selling different road numbers or weathered versions of the same model. For some of the more complex schemes, factory paint is a godsend: BNSF for example. For others like a Conrail or NS with a dip paint job, it just hurts the potential of the model. Understood we may be a small fraction of modelers, but we're not asking for special paint, we're asking for less. Two complete parts of the manufacturing process aliminated: painting and assembly!
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Post by markfj on Jan 31, 2020 6:15:20 GMT -8
Donnell, you’re doing a great job getting those parts removed and the surface smooth and flush with the surrounding panel. Really good, clean modeling work!
More please.
Thanks, Mark J.
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Post by loco8107 on Jan 31, 2020 13:06:10 GMT -8
Donnell,That will be one sweet looking engine when you get her finished.. As a suggestion I would remove those Athearn horns and use Atlas GP38 horns. I would normally agree but I believe the hood mounted horn (based on the photo posted) on this unit is a Nathan K3 which would be a DW part. I really despise the Athearn horn......Donnell- I am guessing you used the filter box from an Athearn 38-2 hatch and modified it with Styrene?
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Post by sgoti on Jan 31, 2020 16:49:24 GMT -8
Donnell- I am guessing you used the filter box from an Athearn 38-2 hatch and modified it with Styrene? Looks like the 40-2 hatch with the front tapers of the dynamic brake blister and the turbo exhaust hatch milled off (VERY CLEANLY, I will add!), then a filter box built up from styrene.
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Post by Donnell Wells on Jan 31, 2020 18:24:07 GMT -8
Donnell- I am guessing you used the filter box from an Athearn 38-2 hatch and modified it with Styrene? Looks like the 40-2 hatch with the front tapers of the dynamic brake blister and the turbo exhaust hatch milled off (VERY CLEANLY, I will add!), then a filter box built up from styrene. Yes, it is the existing GP40-2 d/b hatch with the exhaust removed. I glued a piece of .080 x .250 strip styrene over the area where the turbo used to be, across the width of the hatch, flush with the front edge, and overlapping the sides. I then added an .080 x .100 piece of strip styrene behind the first strip, again overlapping the sides. While the glued joint was setting, I machined a small block of aluminum into a fixture to hold the D/B hatch so that I could mill it down to its correct profile. I’ll post pictures of it on the next round.
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Post by loco8107 on Feb 1, 2020 10:12:48 GMT -8
Looks like the 40-2 hatch with the front tapers of the dynamic brake blister and the turbo exhaust hatch milled off (VERY CLEANLY, I will add!), then a filter box built up from styrene. Yes, it is the existing GP40-2 d/b hatch with the exhaust removed. I glued a piece of .080 x .250 strip styrene over the area where the turbo used to be, across the width of the hatch, flush with the front edge, and overlapping the sides. I then added an .080 x .100 piece of strip styrene behind the first strip, again overlapping the sides. While the glued joint was setting, I machined a small block of aluminum into a fixture to hold the D/B hatch so that I could mill it down to its correct profile. I’ll post pictures of it on the next round. I agree it’s a very clean milliing job! What kind of file do you all use and does any particular brand work the best?
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Post by Donnell Wells on Feb 1, 2020 13:22:46 GMT -8
I have a Sherline 5400 mill, which does the bulk of the material removal. Because the shell doesn’t sit completely flat and square in my vice (well, it’s as close as I can get by eye), I mill as close to the baseline as possible, then scrape the rest to final depth. I use various grits of sanding sticks to clean up the tooling marks from the machining process.
Donnell
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Post by alcoc430 on Feb 2, 2020 18:11:29 GMT -8
I have a Sherline 5400 mill, which does the bulk of the material removal. Because the shell doesn’t sit completely flat and square in my vice (well, it’s as close as I can get by eye), I mill as close to the baseline as possible, then scrape the rest to final depth. I use various grits of sanding sticks to clean up the tooling marks from the machining process.
Donnell How do you mount the shell in a vice? I been using a block of wood inside the shell and several layers of cloth on outside to prevent damage.
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Post by Donnell Wells on Feb 4, 2020 9:28:12 GMT -8
How do you mount the shell in a vice? I been using a block of wood inside the shell and several layers of cloth on outside to prevent damage. Hello alcoc430,
I have yet to make a fixture for mounting this specific shell in the vise. For this build, I mounted the shell on a stripped BB GP38-2 frame, minus the trucks, and then mounted that in the vise on the mill with the front truck bolster positioned over the slot in the seat of the vise so that the shell/frame would sit as flat as possible. The mill is bolted to a temporary workbench which is on casters and is not leveled, so I have to line everything up by eye. I used thin strips of foam to cushion the shell between the jaws of the vise, and tightened the jaws just enough to hold the shell snugly, making sure not to crush the shell or cause any bowing. I took very light cuts, anywhere from .002"-.005", and went slowly to ensure that the 4-flute HSS end mill didn't grab the plastic and pull it forcefully into the cutter. Patience is your best friend during this process!
Donnell
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Post by Donnell Wells on Feb 10, 2020 23:23:55 GMT -8
As mentioned, here are pictures of the fixture that I milled in aluminum to hold the bluebox GP40-2 dynamic brake hatch for the machining. The fixture is perfectly square, allowing me to make precise and accurate cuts on the D/B hatch. Also, if you look closely, you can see the lightly scribed line indicating where the Cannon dynamic brake fan will be installed.
I will be making two more fixtures in the near future, one for the BB GP38-2 hatch and another for the BB SD40-2 hatch.
Just to the left of the fixture are the non-turbo exhaust stacks, Detail Associates #2402. I very carefully wet sanded the base down to a thickness of .008". I think I did a fairly reasonable job of matching the fatory molded GP38-2 exhaust hatch.
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Post by Gary P on Feb 11, 2020 4:56:24 GMT -8
As mentioned, here are pictures of the fixture that I milled in aluminum to hold the bluebox GP40-2 dynamic brake hatch for the machining. The fixture is perfectly to square, allowing me to make precise and accurate cuts on the D/B hatch. I will be making two more fixtures in the near future, one for the BB GP38-2 hatch and another for the BB SD40-2 hatch.
Just to the left of the fixture are the non-turbo exhaust stacks, Detail Associates #2402. I very carefully wet sanded the base down to a thickness of .008". I think I did a fairly reasonable job of matching the fatory molded GP38-2 exhaust hatch.Donnell - I love seeing these pictures. Thanks for sharing.
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