It’s been a while, hasn’t it! I’ve been busy with school work and interviewing for jobs, so I haven’t had much time to put the model together. Instead, I’ve been prepping individual pieces here and there–getting them ready for the major assembly.
Last update I said that I redesigned the cab and pilot parts. So, I’ll show you that first.
I mainly redesigned the pieces to fit together better–there were problems with the first cab where the cab wasn’t truly squared. Also, the posts have been realigned so that their grains run vertically–previously they ran horizontally.
The new pilot now have the little bumpers on the side.
And here it is painted in special red: my custom mix of bright red and a touch of black and glossy lacquer.
The pilot truck is painted and fully assembled. A neat little feature is that–because it’s built like the real swing-type pilot–the casting piece actually does swing! But that’s of little consequence in a static model. Nonetheless, it shows how well the model reflects the computer model, which of course reflects the real engine.
The saddle is painted as usual, but the steam chest gets wrapped in real brass sheeting.
And the same technique was used for the domes. The brass will get cleaned and polished before they get placed on the boiler.
And to a larger extent, the boiler gets wrapped in thin steel sheeting, which will of course get painted glossy black.
The wrapping around the backhead was notoriously difficult. As is the result of working with sheet metal at such small scale, there are some scratches and bumps on the jacket that I’ll have to smooth out. But I think the paint can help hide them.
Beautiful. You’re doing God’s work here. Can’t wait to see it done. One question…if mas produced will the texture of the plastic parts be the same as this prototype? Reason for asking is that it looks rough and the gloss finish will not look smooth.
John
Good question.
First, the model won’t be mass produced. It will be in extremely limited quantity. I think you’ll understand that there just isn’t *that* much interest in it.
Second, there are other options for materials–including ones with smoother surfaces. Unfortunately, they’re also more expensive. I think once painted the current plastic looks pretty good once you know what to expect. And remember that most pictures don’t reflect how the real thing looks to the eye very well. Cameras tend to add highlights.
Hope this helps.