I'm afraid I've been a bit lax in updating this thread, so here goes with a mega update!
This kit is pretty much a process of building sub-assemblies, some of which have taken quite a while to get right! First up the front rollers: these came in two semi-cylindrical parts with the internal framework slotted in as you assembled them. The fit was pretty poor and the joints took a LOT of sanding, filling, sanding etc to get smooth. However they are now smooth and with a bit of primer and the first layers for red here we go:
The second photo is supposed to show the remains of the joint on the inner surface but the camera couldn't pick it up. next, the rear wheels were all one piece with a second set of inner spokes and ring that glued together reasonably well, so no joins needed sanding.
At this point I ran out of gloss red paint
You can see in the photos the raised relief detail on the spokes - this is supposed to be painted yellow, but its been suggested that I use piping
decals as used by railway modellers. I'm looking into that as although I could probably paint them well enough, we all know how difficult yellow is to paint over a bright colour like red. It will take multiple coats to get enough colour down and that will introduce so many possibilities for makign mistakes that the decal option sounds sensible!
Next came the forward part of the boiler - the bit in black. As is becoming standard for this kit, the fit was pretty appaling and there are no locator pins or tabs so fitting the two halves together is a case of being very careful! However after some more sanding and filling it looks reasonable:
The water box was next and the instructions, believe it or not, suggest putting the
decals on BEFORE assembly hahahahahaha Once more fit is a problem,b ut this time its a really tricky job to sand as there are moulded bits everywhere near the joints. Some very careful application of wet and dry was required to get a smoother finish.
Next we have the rear part of the boiler in green, which is also supposed to have its
decals applied before final assembly! As usual, fit is poor... yadda yadda
Next is the beginning assembly of the rear firebox and main body. This comprises two very large moulding which have lovely surface detail but no alignment pins or tabs, so I've added them with some plastic strip. The joins will be bad - the plastic has a slight raised lip at many of the joints which requires considerable sanding to smooth it down, however in most instances on these pieces the joints will not ultimately be visible, except on the rear piece which will just require careful fitting and some sanding BEFORE final glueing.
Fast forward another week and there is a great deal of progress! A lot of painting has been done - it seems off to spray primer over red or green plastic and then PAINT it red or green, but thats just the way it goes
Yesterday was a bit of a watershed - started adding some of the
decals to the various body parts. It somehow feels wrong to be applying
decals before the model is finished, but this does seem to be the best way to proceed.
First off the front roller:
and from the side:
If you look at about 2 o'clock in that last photo you can see my first attempt at applying the yellow lining decal to the spokes. As described before, each of the spokes has a raised line which is supposed to be yellow. I had a go at painting the yellow and it was a complete failure, so it was suggested I use some lining
decals as used by railway modellers. I was able to source some 0.5mm linings so had a bash fir the first itme last night. it was not easy, but its doable, if I can be bothered with the hassle!
The outer steel colour is a mix of a new
Tamiya colour called Dark Iron with some silver added. I think it looks pretty effective! The
decals from the kit went on pretty well - I trimmed the carrier as much as possible and used the usual micro sol/set and they went down pretty well - as will be seen in later photos!
Next is the front boiler:
This is relatively simple - painted gloss black over a rough primer coat, which gives a very interesting sheen. So this combines with the front roller to make the first part of the assemblage:
Not bad eh? just you wait!
next up are the rear wheels, these too have been painted with the Dark Iron/silver mix and look good.
Again, the spokes are supposed to have yellow linings - I think this would best be classed as a work in progress!
Next is the firebox and the rear boiler. This has been masked and painted.
The gold bands are spray painted - the kit does suppy stick on "bronze" strips but they look tacky. Red yellow and black stripes are
decals. There are more
decals to go onto the main body, but I ran out of patience last night
Other side:
The water tank has also been decaled and will be fitted under the rear boiler and has a cut-out to fit the steering mechanism.
The moulded on pipes have been sanded off - and from the rear boiler as well and will be replaced with wire to properly represent them.
Also been working on the canopy. The underside was painted brown then thinned black oil paint was used to pick out the wooden texture:
Sadly the upper surface suffers from some terrible sink marks:
I think I'll have to add some plastic strips and sand them to shape to fill these in - there is way to much to just hole that filler will do the job! And finally the canopy trim has had some work done to it:
The two long strips are for the sides. The outer surface is green with a yellow stripe while the inner surface is wood textured so painted the same way as the underside of the canopy. The supporting braces have wood texture as well so these have been highlighted using a dark wash. The two thin end trims visible on the upper right also have raised lines for a yellow strip but these are not included in the
decals so I will have to use the railway lining on these as well.
So as you can see, still lots of "bits" and it will pretty much continue that way until right near the end. I've also been working on the pistons and some of the gears and cranks, but they are not ready to display yet. I'm leaving off most of the gold pieces until I decide what to do with them.
