Last week a care package arrived from Orlando Fl. from Tom containing a plastic box I brought to the EXPO with some vehicles and a couple of Sheepscot kits Tom asked me to build for him. I decided to build the Autocar first, and if you've seen the video I did for Brian Bollinger, a lot of this will look familar.
The contents of the kit
We'll start by filing down the mold marks on the frame. I use a small file I bought at Home Depot and different grit sanding sticks to clean up the frame. I'll only use about 3/4 of this frame so that will be all that's cleaned up. I also won't spend time cleaning up inside the frame rails because they won't be seen. There are 2 ears on one end of the frame, these will be cleaned up so the grille can sit down on them.
While I'm cleaning up metal parts,I'll do the wheels. I use the file and a coarse sanding stick also to do this.
A little trick I've learned is to use the edge of the file to ream out the seam of the inside rear tire. You might also need to hit this with a small needle file so it fits over the nub of the outside wheel(https://modelersforum.com/1-010.JPG)
My super glues of choice are the one's made by Bob Smith Industries. The blue bottle is real thin and the pink is medium thickness. When working with the metal parts it's IMPORTANT that areas to be glued be cleaned whether by sanding or scraping the area to be glued for good adhesion.
I pressed the inside tire over the nub of the outside tire and put a drop of the thin super glue at the seam and let it flow into the seam.(https://modelersforum.com/1-012.JPG)
While they were setting up, I went back to the front wheels and drilled them out with a 1/16 bit. I sanded up the brass wire and glued up one side with the medium superglue. I also did a rear wheel at this time. MAKE SURE you give yourself enough brass wire to work with.(https://modelersforum.com/1-015.JPG)
Time to switch over cleaning up the cab. There was a fair amount of flash around the bottom of the grille and a lot of little resin bubbles at the cab windows. These were cleaned up with a #11 blade and needle files. The bottom of the cab was cleaned up with sanding sticks and some fine grit sand paper.(https://modelersforum.com/1-017.JPG)(https://modelersforum.com/1-018.JPG)
While cleaning up the bottom of the cab ,I drill a 1/8th hole in the bottom of the cab to accept a Dremel #401 mandrel. You could use a sheetrock screw but I like these because they don't cut up your fingers and the cab will spin easy in your fingers when doing the detail painting.
Here's the cab all cleaned up of flash. There may some pinholes on the bottom of the cab that could be filled with putty at this time if you feel the need to do so.(https://modelersforum.com/1-022.JPG)
Time to add some details to the cab... Auto cars of this era had the mirrors mounted high on the cab. George includes a set of 3 photo etch mirrors, a small set of round, a small set of rectangular, and a set of west coast mirrors, we'll use the small round. When cutting photo etch, I've found that you get a cleaner cut the deeper in throat of the shears you can get the piece. NOT THIS(https://modelersforum.com/1-vehicle%20build %202%20005.JPG) THIS(https://modelersforum.com/1-vehicle%20build%202 %20007.JPG)
Hopefully you get the point. I also installed the two headlights by drilling holes in the side of the grille about halfway between the horizontal bars.
...More in a bit..
At this point it's back to the frame to attach the axle blocks. Looking at this photo, the front is to the left, rear to the right. The front axle block is resin and George still includes this in some kits. The rear mount is metal and this has been swapped out for a resin piece in newer kits. I cut the lugs down to look closer to the front mount. I attached the front mount just behind the first crossmember. I've cut down the frame for the body I want to use and attached the rear axle mount just ahead of the 5th crossmember.
At this point I've glued up the other wheels to the axles. When these have set up, I ran a sanding stick across the surface of the tires to even them up. The width of the front tires is about 15/16th of inch measured from outside edge to outside edge. The rears are about the same(https://modelersforum.com/1-025.JPG)
Now if you set the frame on the axles and the cab on the frame it should something like this
You can see how the grille fits down into the frame. In this kit George supplies some plastic channel to fabricate a front bumper. I've cut two pieces and notched them to accept the front bumper. I've glued these on so they end just beyond the nubs on the frame. I then cut another piece the width of the cab and tacked it to the other piece's
George supplies a piece of plastic tubing and some green wire to make an exhaust. Trucks of this era had the exhaust dump underneath.
I now have attached it to the left side bottom of the frame so when it's turned over it will be on the right bottom looking forward. I've also applied a piece of wire to represent a driveshaft. I also broke the tack on the front bumper :o (https://modelersforum.com/1-030.JPG) (http://modelersforum.com/1-030.JPG)
I drilled a couple holes and enlarged them to represent access holes in the bumper before I placed it back on the frame. At this point the truck should look like this.
Next up, Body, primer and paint......
Quote from: Raymo on June 15, 2015, 08:25:14 PM
Next up, Body, primer and paint......
Can't wait!!! :)
Raymo,
That truck sure looks good and will fit in nicely on the A&S RR. Great thread.
Tom ;D
Thanks Dan for a super thread building this truck. I've always enjoyed your cars and trucks. It makes me wish this era was in my time frame for my modules. Either way I will check here for updates. You not only make it look fun but easy.
David
Raymo
Great thread! I'm watching with great interest.
Quote from: ACL1504 on June 16, 2015, 10:13:52 AM
Raymo,
That truck sure looks good and will fit in nicely on the A&S RR. Great thread.
Tom ;D
Hopefully you have a need for coal delivery :D
Quote from: DEFugere on June 16, 2015, 06:44:22 PM
Thanks Dan for a super thread building this truck. I've always enjoyed your cars and trucks. It makes me wish this era was in my time frame for my modules. Either way I will check here for updates. You not only make it look fun but easy.
David
David ,Thanks for following. Glad to see you on this forum. :D
Quote from: S&S RR on June 16, 2015, 08:21:52 PM
Raymo
Great thread! I'm watching with great interest.
Thanks John.
I've decided to go with Sheepscot's coal delivery body on this build. This is a nice clean casting that just needs a little detailing. I've started by making a headboard out of 1/8 and 3/16 strip styrene
On the back I've added a chute made from styrene and a door from a piece of Alloy Forms diamond plate. A piece of wire and an eyebolt make up the handle
That's really cool.
thanx
Bob
I went back to the frame and added a battery box and a toolbox,also details available from Sheepscot, ahead of the rear wheels. Small I-beam and channel make up the detail that would be the scissor lift on the real thing. Also a small piece of styrene was added under the cab to make it sit level to the frame.
Now we have the truck at this point, Time for the paint shop.
Dan, I try to make all my vehicles as nice as yours. I'm glad that you post here so I have something to compare to.
Outstanding ..... just OUTSTANDING!!!! Raymo.
Quote from: coors2u on June 24, 2015, 05:09:53 PM
Dan, I try to make all my vehicles as nice as yours. I'm glad that you post here so I have something to compare to.
Thanks Dustin. I hope my Tichy crane comes out as nice as yours when I build it. ;D
Quote from: Donato on June 24, 2015, 08:20:26 PM
Outstanding ..... just OUTSTANDING!!!! Raymo.
Thanks again Donato.
The Autocar made it to the paint shop for a coat of primer. I'm not sure if I covered it in the video (I think I did), but the primer and paint coats need to be applied in very light coats. If you apply it to thick, your truck will look like someone used it for target practice with an H.O. scale shotgun. I've discussed this with George Barrett, and we agreed this is the only solution to the problem. It has something to do with the curing process of the resin. I lucked out with this cab as only a few showed up on the door.(https://modelersforum.com/1-003.JPG)
This photo shows the pinholes a little better.(https://modelersforum.com/1-%20050.JPG)
That's it for now. Raymo
Hmm, those pin holes are worrying.
It looks like the resin had microscopic bubbles that the paint solvent managed to find and soak into. Did the resin have a hard shell-like finish? Did you sand before and after the priming? Any suggestions on how to avoid it.
Marty
Very, very nice Dan. Your builds are superb. I notice you're using Floquil Primer. What do you plan on using when you run out of that? I ask because I'm running low. I'll use Floquil Earth next, I have several bottles of that, but sooner or later I need to find something else to use. :(
Hi Raymo:
Very nicely done. Can't wait to see it in paint.
Karl
Dan, you may have mentioned it somewhere, but I can't find how you do windows on resin vehicles.
David
BTW, fantastic job.
D
Raymo,
Nice job on this truck build. At the start of this tread you mentioned a video that was done. Can you post a link for it or where it can be purchased if someone is interested ? Also are their models only available direct from them since I don't recall ever seeing any Sheepscot models available in the hobby shops I visited in the states of Illinois, Texas or Minnesota.
Thanks !
Tom
Quote from: martin.ojaste on June 30, 2015, 08:13:03 AM
Hmm, those pin holes are worrying.
It looks like the resin had microscopic bubbles that the paint solvent managed to find and soak into. Did the resin have a hard shell-like finish? Did you sand before and after the priming? Any suggestions on how to avoid it.
Marty
Marty that's exactly what happens, but you can't see them till you apply a finish to the resin. I do sand the primer with fine grit sand paper and it helps. Like I said light coats while painting helps.
Quote from: ReadingBob on June 30, 2015, 01:45:58 PM
Very, very nice Dan. Your builds are superb. I notice you're using Floquil Primer. What do you plan on using when you run out of that? I ask because I'm running low. I'll use Floquil Earth next, I have several bottles of that, but sooner or later I need to find something else to use. :(
Thanks Bob. I still have some Floquil and Testors primer but I'm always looking. I tried this Krylon I bought at the local hardware store. It went on a little muddy but dried dead flat. It's a little darker too.
Quote from: postalkarl on July 01, 2015, 07:33:41 AM
Hi Raymo:
Very nicely done. Can't wait to see it in paint.
Karl
Thank you sir. I can't wait to see it painted myself. ;D
Quote from: mecrr on July 01, 2015, 01:07:58 PM
Dan, you may have mentioned it somewhere, but I can't find how you do windows on resin vehicles.
David
Thanks David. I use Gallery Glass for windows, it doesn't seem to cloud up and attract dust like the others. Stay COOL and Hydrated
Quote from: tom.boyd.125 on July 01, 2015, 03:12:18 PM
Raymo,
Nice job on this truck build. At the start of this tread you mentioned a video that was done. Can you post a link for it or where it can be purchased if someone is interested ? Also are their models only available direct from them since I don't recall ever seeing any Sheepscot models available in the hobby shops I visited in the states of Illinois, Texas or Minnesota.
Thanks !
Tom
Thanks for following Tom. The video is available from B.E.S.T. Trains, Chester Fesmire shows some of his tricks to building Jordans and I do a build of a Sheepscot International. Sheepscot is a direct only dealer now and his website can be confusing. He's home most of the time if you want to try calling.
As I told Karl it's time for paint and the colors have been chosen, Tru Color black for the chassis and CNJ Deep Sea Green for everything else. But it has to wait till next week because the jar adapter on my air brush came apart and I'm waiting for the replacement to arrive. :o
The part arrived for my airbrush and I was good to go. Because of the warm weather, the paint flashed off (dried) quicker than expected so the paint dried a little flatter then normal. It's not a problem though,so I can move forward with this build. Up next, Detail Painting.
Raymo,
Do you use a paint booth?
Jaime
I have one that I use in the winter. During the warm weather I use a bench in the garage. I need to finish this build up.
Dan,
The truck is looking really great. The small extra details sure bring it to life. Love the color.
I owe you big time. Thanks.
Tom ;D
As I stated in this mornings daily thread, I got back on working on this kit. I started by painting the mirrors and headlights semi-gloss black. The grille,roof marker lights and the inside of the headlights were painted silver and the windows were painted Grimy Black. I also painted the coal load Grimy Black.
I gave the grille a couple of coats of the Detailer to bring out the depth of the grill.
In the same photo you can see I've added silver to the windows. My technique for doing the solid cabs is to do a dry-brush of silver over the grimy black in kind of a quick stabbing motion. The idea is to give a silver sheen to the black. I went a little heavy on this cab but it still looks good. This was something that got cut out of the final cut of the video Idid for B.E.S.T. Trains.
Grimy Black was also used on the tires. The raised edge of the wheel helps to keep the paint where it needs to be, but I have to keep touching the edge up as I bounce back and forth between colors.
That's it for now, Decaling and assembly are next. ;D
It is coming along very nicely Dan. And thanks for the tips and techniques along the way, much appreciated !!
I'll be following along as you progress further.
--Paul
Dan
Very nice work! I'm enjoying the thread and leaning a thing or two in the process. Thanks for sharing this.
Raymo,
It is looking fantastic. I forgot about the trucks you are doing, great tips as well. Thanks.
Tom ;D
I'll simply parrot what everyone else has said Dan. Looks great and thanks for the tips. I need to watch that DVD again (once I find out where it is and get it back) and order me some vehicles. :D
Bob,
I have Danny Raymond's Oscar Performance, Award Winning DVD here at the Atlantic and Southern.
Tom ;D
Quote from: ACL1504 on October 09, 2015, 04:02:34 PM
Bob,
I have Danny Raymond's Oscar Performance, Award Winning DVD here at the Atlantic and Southern.
Tom ;D
Cool. 8) Cuse wanted to watch it too. I don't know if it's made it's way around to him yet. If it hasn't, and he stops by, let him have it. I do want to place an order for some vehicles from Sylvan and/or Sheepscot one of these days. Let me know if you're interested in anything and we'll place a joint order. :)
Hi Raymo:
Loook good so far. I like the color.
Karl
Quote from: PaulS on October 07, 2015, 07:37:37 PM
It is coming along very nicely Dan. And thanks for the tips and techniques along the way, much appreciated !!
I'll be following along as you progress further.
--Paul
Thanks Paul. We need to hook up some night at the Honey Dew Donut shop in Georgetown Square.
Quote from: S&S RR on October 09, 2015, 02:07:04 PM
Dan
Very nice work! I'm enjoying the thread and leaning a thing or two in the process. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks John. That's the reason we do these threads, to help other with their builds.
Quote from: ACL1504 on October 09, 2015, 02:25:59 PM
Raymo,
It is looking fantastic. I forgot about the trucks you are doing, great tips as well. Thanks.
Tom ;D
Thanks Tom. I hope you or someone else in Central Florida enjoys it. :D
Quote from: ReadingBob on October 09, 2015, 02:32:55 PM
I'll simply parrot what everyone else has said Dan. Looks great and thanks for the tips. I need to watch that DVD again (once I find out where it is and get it back) and order me some vehicles. :D
Thanks Bob. Hopefully the build will overlap what got cut out of the video.
Quote from: postalkarl on October 15, 2015, 07:44:00 AM
Hi Raymo:
Loook good so far. I like the color.
Karl
Thanks for checking in on the thread Karl.
I was able to decal this truck in about an hour the other night. For those who don't know, Sheepscot has a small decal line for trucks,some of which can be seen here. The cab lettering was from set #68 and everything else came from set #79. Some of the decals can be found on George's website but they are not easy to find. They come in Black,White ,Red, and Yellow.
Here's the truck after decaling. Next up final assembly and weathering.
Wowser! That's really awesome Dan. 😃 I can't wait to see it on the A&S!
Quote from: ReadingBob on October 21, 2015, 06:46:46 PM
Wowser! That's really awesome Dan. I can't wait to see it on the A&S!
Dan,
Wowser and then some! Fantastic truck. A man sure is lucky to have friends.
Thank You.
Tom ;D
Nice work.
Great build Dan, LIKE.
Quote from: Raymo on October 21, 2015, 05:42:26 PM
Thanks Paul. We need to hook up some night at the Honey Dew Donut shop in Georgetown Square.
Hey Dan the truck came out beautifully, really like the color and the signage !! And indeed it ought to look very nice delivering coal along the A&S route !!
And yes, let's coordinate our schedules so we can get together some evening ...
Be well,
--Paul
Great looking truck, Ray.
Jeff
Great job Dan.....you never know, that truck could magically appear on the StL&D if Tom doesn't have it glued down. ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: GPdemayo on October 22, 2015, 08:37:52 AM
Great job Dan.....you never know, that truck could magically appear on the StL&D if Tom doesn't have it glued down. ;D ;D ;D
Just remember who has the guns Butty! 8) 8) 8)
Tom ;D
Quote from: ACL1504 on October 22, 2015, 09:39:32 AM
Quote from: GPdemayo on October 22, 2015, 08:37:52 AM
Great job Dan.....you never know, that truck could magically appear on the StL&D if Tom doesn't have it glued down. ;D ;D ;D
Just remember who has the guns Butty! 8) 8) 8)
Tom ;D
Yeah....but who has the bullet? .....
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Flumbertonoutpost.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F08%2Fbarney-fife.jpg&hash=ed9a5c0f0d8654309b02ccfc4ff753070083e999)
Quote from: Donato on October 22, 2015, 12:33:18 PM
Quote from: ACL1504 on October 22, 2015, 09:39:32 AM
Quote from: GPdemayo on October 22, 2015, 08:37:52 AM
Great job Dan.....you never know, that truck could magically appear on the StL&D if Tom doesn't have it glued down. ;D ;D ;D
Just remember who has the guns Butty! 8) 8) 8)
Tom ;D
Yeah....but who has the bullet? .....
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Flumbertonoutpost.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F08%2Fbarney-fife.jpg&hash=ed9a5c0f0d8654309b02ccfc4ff753070083e999) (http://lumbertonoutpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/barney-fife.jpg)
Donato,
Where did you get my picture?
Tom, er, I mean Barney!
holy crap.....I'm outta here.....how do I find a witness protection plan! :-X
Hi Raymo:
Very well done. Your paint and decals look very professional. I used to make a fair amout of money professionally painting locos and cars for our hobby shop. That was before I started building structures. Wish I had a dollar for every Reading RR loco and passenger car I painted.
Karl
Well it's been awhile since I posted on this thread but I did finish this build up and it's in Sunny Florida as I type this. The remainder of the build was just a few steps of assembly and weathering.
In this photo I've attached the axle's to the frame with 5 minute epoxy and added a piece of wire for a driveshaft. I don't know if I showed how to build the muffler but that's a bit of wire with a piece of plastic tubing slid over it. All this was touched up with black paint.
Once that was dry, I weathered the frame and body/cab assemblies with a light pass of Floquil mud and Grimy Black.
Dan,
That is one wonderful Comfort Coal truck. I'm just blown away with the quality and realism of your vehicle builds.
Again, great job on the Expo clinic as well.
It was well worth the price of admission.
Tom ;D
When that was dry, the cab was attached first with 5 minute epoxy making sure it was square to the cab. About an hour later, I attached the body to the frame using the angles to keep the body square to the cab and a weight on top to hold down. this dried overnight.
Quote from: ACL1504 on April 07, 2016, 05:18:29 PM
Dan,
That is one wonderful Comfort Coal truck. I'm just blown away with the quality and realism of your vehicle builds.
Again, great job on the Expo clinic as well.
It was well worth the price of admission.
Tom ;D
Thanks Tom! ;D
I forgot to say after the light passes of weathering, I Dullcoated the three assemblys. This photo doesn't really show it but I've painted the window areas with some Polly S Semi Gloss clear. My theory behind this is as grimy a vehicle would get the windows would always have a bit of shine.
I also added some Galley Glass to the headlamps and did some more weathering with some weathering powders.
And that's it, this thread has come to an end. Hope you enjoyed it. Raymo Final Photos
For those following, the Comfort truck now has a place on the Atlantic and Southern RR. Honestly, folks, the pictures are very nice but really don't show the craftsmanship of the build.
I'm very fortunate to have this one on the layout.
Thanks again Dan!
Tom
No problem Tom, I'll get started on the other truck after a little break. ;D
Nice truck. I had to reread the thread on how you did the windows. You were right, it's not in the video. :( Thanks for the lesson!
Jeff
Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on April 07, 2016, 08:08:49 PM
Nice truck. I had to reread the thread on how you did the windows. You were right, it's not in the video. :( Thanks for the lesson!
Jeff
Thanks Jeff. We filmed for over 2 hours for the video and it was cut down to the 45 minutes. How I did the windows is one thing I wish they left in.
Beautiful job Dan! I enjoyed the clinic as well.
Thanks again for the generous loaning of your tools at the EXPO. I was in a pinch...you're the man!
John
Dan
After going to your clinic at the EXPO I came back and reread you thread. I enjoyed the clinic - you did a great job and this thread serves as a way for me to remember what you taught us - thanks for sharing. Enter bookmark here for future reference. ;)
Ditto the 'Great job on the clinic' and 'Great job on this build' comments! I'll see if can snap a picture or two of some coal trucks this weekend. You really nailed the weathering. Kudos to you Dan! :D
Quote from: Cuse on April 09, 2016, 08:04:51 AM
Beautiful job Dan! I enjoyed the clinic as well.
Thanks again for the generous loaning of your tools at the EXPO. I was in a pinch...you're the man!
John
Thanks John, Glad I could help the out of towners while you were in town. Hopefully there was one thing in that box you could use.
Quote from: S&S RR on April 09, 2016, 12:24:42 PM
Dan
After going to your clinic at the EXPO I came back and reread you thread. I enjoyed the clinic - you did a great job and this thread serves as a way for me to remember what you taught us - thanks for sharing. Enter bookmark here for future reference. ;)
Thanks John. I'll be doing a thread using the photos from the clinic when I get a chance.
Quote from: ReadingBob on April 09, 2016, 12:32:53 PM
Ditto the 'Great job on the clinic' and 'Great job on this build' comments! I'll see if can snap a picture or two of some coal trucks this weekend. You really nailed the weathering. Kudos to you Dan! :D
Thanks Bob. It's neat to see active coal dealers still operating in PA. when I'm there. Thoughts are with you and your wife's family this week. :)
Hi Raymo:
Very nicely done. Nice paint and weathering.
Karl
Quote from: postalkarl on April 10, 2016, 05:17:17 PM
Hi Raymo:
Very nicely done. Nice paint and weathering.
Karl
Thanks Karl, it's much appreciated.
Thread bump so it can be moved.