1/35 Gas Mechanical Bash

[marc_reusser]

The Smokey Bottom Lumber Co. ?Freelance Critter? was one of the first RR and ON30 models I built when I came back to the hobby when I came back to RR/model-building??.while recently purging my 1/48 models/kits, I ran across a second kit of the loco?I was going to get rid of it, but just couldn?t?it just called out to me to build?.I thought it would be a simple and quick build, and I could use it for a "painting challenge" on the MIG Forum?.but alas?is anything ever as simple as it seems?..this kit is truly a POS (at least buy my standards)?..the concept of ?square? really escapes the mfr.

The assembled frame:
The individual frame pieces in the kit are cast as "paralellograms"....so prior to assembly they were first made "square", and the same height, on the disk sander. For assembly the corners are glued held against a square jig on the exterior, when set they are filleted, with ACC, and the styrene tube is pressed in place for bracing. Additional ACC is then filleted along each frame piece at the "V" created by the intersection with the styrene tube. [The use of the stryrene tubes as corner bracing allows for squaring if the exterior faces of the frame when the interior faces are not (in this case due to irregular casting), and square interior bracing would not fit correctly in the corners.]




Top view of the Bonnet:
1. Off center radiator filler cap
2. Mis-shapen "bulbous" radiator sides
3. Concave bonnet sides
4. Rear of bonnet, wider than front




Side View of Bonnet:
1. Concave radiator front
2. Misaliging radiator and bonnet pieces
3. Sway-back bonnet top
...and of course, butt-ugly hinges (that would never be found for such an application), and very poorly cast, and irregular,  parting and panel lines.




In order to create a consistant parting/panel line between the radiator grille and the bonnet, a spacer was cut from .005 styrene sheet....also you can see that the ugly hinges have been removed, and the top panel line on the bonnet has been filled with putty.




After a lot (6 hours so far) of squaring/repair/rework/prep on the frame and bonnet section I did a quick test fit for the deck, and wanted to get an idea of scale?.so I stuck a 1/48 figure next to it??it just didn?t look right?.so I pulled out a 1/35 railway figure I had started a while back?..and TA-DAAA?there it was?.this was going to work much better in 1/35-32??though it is going to require a good bit of additional detailing?..I think it will be a fun entr?e into occasional 1/35 RR modeling.




That's it for now...


Marc

[TRAINS1941]

Welcome back Marc.  Just knew you find a good reason to give Marty a little challenge in the critter department.
I sent you ane email but found out the information I needed by going through all the posting.  Brian at Whistle Stop real nice guy.

Jerry

[Krusty]

Marc

I remember when this kit came out. Your assessment of its quality is remarkably restrained and polite.

In addition to the heavy-weight reefer hinges the thing that really stuck out for me was the ring of decorative bolts around the edge of the running board. These don't serve any useful purpose, but provide a nice safety issue for the crew. Glad to see you've lost the twee Victorian-era steam locomotive cab that originally came in the kit.

ISTR Phillipe Cousyn did a 1:35 conversion of this loco for the carri?re Rougeault layout he and Franck Tavernier built several years ago.

[marc_reusser]

Jerry: Thanks. Sorry I missed the e-mail/message.....I don't usually look to see/notice if I have eny messages here, and the email box that it is connected to is one I rarely check  ......glad it you were able to get in touch with them. Hope Brian was able to help.

Kevin: I do need to at least pretend at a modicum of decorum   The quarry layout by Franck and Phillipe is one of my top 5 favorites......I was actuallly planning on drawing on inspiration from that beautiful green/grey and red diesel that Franck did (not sure if that is the one you are thinking of)....maybe even employ the same/sim color scheme....I spoke with him a while back, while working on the tractor loco, to see if he would be OK with me copying the idea of the missing builders plate......I didn't get around to doing it on the last one...so maybe I will pay homage to him with it on this one.


Marc

[Krusty]

I was actuallly planning on drawing on inspiration from that beautiful green/grey and red diesel that Franck did (not sure if that is the one you are thinking of)

Marc

That would be Franck's Gmeinder ? one of the nicest loco models I've ever seen (in photos anyway). The only photo I've kept of Phillipe's Smokey Bottom loco is this one, which he took to show his experiments with Heki grass, so it doesn't actually show too much of the loco.

[jay_imok]

i think resin does that sometimes

[marc_reusser]

Kevin,
Interesting....thanks for posting the pic...though I am not sure about the choice he made of keeping the steel plate end sill, and adding the new rouned one on top of it.....in proto pics I have generally seen either one or the other...but not both. You are correct, the Gmeinder was the one I was thinking of....I agree with your comment re. it's quality/craftsmanship...my sentiments also.

Jay,
True, resin does do odd things...and I could write-off the sinking of the sides and sway-backing of the top, due to this (as it is a big/thick piece and there is a lot of potential for shrinkage and other shennanigans).  The out of square...and were talking 2+ degrees over about a 1/2 length....is not acceptable...that problem lies with the mfr, and his handeling of the molds. Though when considering the price a the time of (if I recall correctly) around $65....none of these issues are really acceptable...especially on a kit with so few parts (less than 20). If I spend $65 for a resin armor kit.....which is really scraping the bottom of the "armor resin kit barrel".......I get far better quality, more/finer detail, and probably more parts. An example of what is possible when a mfr. cares, is the 1/76 HaGo resin kit that I built a while back.

But in all honesty....I am not upset or dissapointed in any way with the kit.....I really had no "expectations" so to speak, as it was just started for fun, and to give me an eventual "canvas" to use for the "Modulation" challenge. My comments were/are merely made in an honest and "educational" sense/appraisal....so others thinking of buying this kit, or heading down this road, know what to expect.


Marc

[Franck Tavernier]

Hi Guy's,

Kevin, you are right it's my Gmeinder!











Marc, of course you can copying the idea of the missing builders plate! I would be very proud...And for you some old pics (sorry for poor quality) took during painting operations builders plate...





Since, I've done other gas loco in 1:35 scale  , like this Smoky Bottom kit, my last model :





Philippe did a 1:35 version of the SBLC kit like yours Marc, and this kit was "perfect" for this scale...

Franck

[jay_imok]

wow; that seat must do some damage by the end of the shift!

beautiful work on both prime movers

[finescalerr]

Beautiful weathering. -- Russ

[Franck Tavernier]

Jay, Thanks for the kind words!

About the last gas loco, the seat is made from a real seat 

[Franck Tavernier]

Beautiful weathering. -- Russ

Thanks Russ 

[marc_reusser]

Franck,

So glad to see you posting here!

Thanks for the pics of the beautiful Gmeinder......definiteley the quality/type of workmanship/finish I need to strive for.

The yellow engine is neat also...but for some reason it feels like a bit more of a "caricature".....not saying it's bad in any way...it's just not the Gmeinder  ....though the seat is cool. (thanks for the proto pic.)

Can you explain the process/technique you used to get the old wood finish on both of these locos? I'm most interested.


Marc

[John McGuyer]

Fantastic work. I guess I'll have to go out in the shop and study some more to raise my level of modeling.

John

[Franck Tavernier]

Hi Marc, thanks for the kind words!

About the yellow engine, I agree it's feel more of a caricature and yes it's not the Gmeinder, but it wasn't the same goal...For the Gmeinder, at that time I wanted a light weathered model, beacause narrow gauge model wasn't always a "rust heap"...For the yellow engine, I wanted to test some technics, and to have a model more weathered, because I found on the web some pics of more rusted models...I think too yellow paint had more effect regarding to rust....but also it's a color which is more difficult to treat in model weathered...

Wood tehnique : It's not a scoop, and the same technique like yours...I use always basswood for is fineness and sugar pine for ties...first, lightly I scored lines along the grain with a sharp X-Acto N?11. Then I add more grain with a steel wire soft brush, and sometimes with a light razor saw, but less and less with the saw because grain are often over scaled...After I add knot holes, and continue to distress and age the wood with my X-Acto knife N?11...Finally, light sand with 200-400 sand paper...I stained with ink / alcohol, or artist oil paint / "F" petrol (we find here in France diffrent type of petrol, A; C; F, etc...) never with turpentine because it left a brilliant or gloss effect sometimes, or 2 or 3 or more silverwood washes...And sometimes  I add weathering powders...

Franck