In an earlier post there was mention of the airline that runs from the top down the side of the tank. FYI, that is a 1" hose, actually about 1-1/2" OD, and about 1" ID. It runs from just beside the hatch on top on down to a Tee, with a 1" ball valve that can be opened to purge the line. Coming off the Tee is an air gauge for reading tank pressure.
Plastruct angles might work, but the size's we're talking about are smaller than what platruct offers: .4mm x .4mm "L" so I will make it a solid box and see if that goes through. I will drop the ladder entirely in the newer version, with the material being used to fill in the catwalk supports.
Adjustments made. New shipping date is May 6. I thickened up a few pieces, including some grabrails. Hopefully that will keep this model moving on into production.
Not yet. The computers keep kicking the model back because some of the details are too thin to print. I've made changes and resent the model 7 times now. I'm still waiting on the current version.
Good news! The most recent version of the model passed the computer inspection and is being printed! Something else I'm going to look at: making a version that has 2 cars in it. For some reason, I think there is some kind of overhead built in to the printing process that makes it decently less expensive to have more than one of the same model printed in the same file. I will make a version with 2 cars in it to see if they will fit within the limits of the machine. Estimated ship date: May 15.
I will receive the model Monday the 13th. Putting 2 cars in the same model saves about 12% per car, and an 8-pack saves about 21% per car. Hopefully the tank wall will be strong enough and the enlarged details don't detract. I'll put up photos Monday night.
A two or three pack would be perfect. An eight pack would probably be overkill. Decals will still be a challenge.
As for Decals, check out the "Kato/Kobo Celebrate the Century" thread. JDG has the skill and equipment to make decals. He might be able to be encouraged *grin* It looks like it's just the halliburton logo, the car number, that black board, and some of the smaller text I can't read.
The model arrived. A lot of the superfine details are hard to see in its current form, and I need to strip the residual wax off of it to really see what's going on. The handrails, eventhough they are thicker than I wanted, actually look pretty good. The wall thickness isn't an issue at all. As far as assembly goes, I may need to tweak a few things in the design. The tank tops fit in place, but the weld plate that connects the tanks isn't quite fitting "effortlessly" like I wanted between the tanks. The model seems rigid enough and strong enough to handle what it needs to. It will take some time for me to find what I need to strip the wax off and buy an airbrush to paint the model to see the details. I have not yet test-fitted the trucks or couplers. They are on order. Here are pics but they are probably a little misleading, since there is residual wax present which is hiding some of the details:
Wow, well "reading between the lines" it looks to me like it really turned out good. Regarding the tank fit issue...are they not lining up correctly, or just too loosely, or ??? I mean, I'm inclined to just order it as-is from what I see unless there's some type of fit issue.
They line up fine, but I had created a little notch for the plates to fit into the center tank. We're talking about .3mm which is so small, I can't really tell if they are fitting properly or not. I'd like to exaggerate it a little so the builder will know it's fitting like it should. Also, the alignment ridge that the tank tops align to the base with is too small to get a good feel for it again, and there is no rotational alignment tabs which I'd like to add. Additionally, I think the screw hole I made for the coupler and truck attachment might be a bit small and will require drilling. At this point, expect to do a little extra work in the event the trucks or coupler don't mount perfectly. There is extra material in that area on purpose. The trucks I designed the vertical offset for are the BLMA 70 tonners. I would really like to make these changes and test fit trucks and couplers before saying it's "good to go" but if you want to take the chance then that's up to you. I'm going to make the above alignment and tab changes right now, and resubmit the model, but won't order a reprint for a week or so (after payday and after I test-fit the trucks and couplers) I'm also going to see where I can take some material away to try to lower the price a little more.
Model changes completed. The price dropped only a few cents per unit due to the additional material added to assist in assembly and alignment. I am also looking at another type of printing process that promises greater detail, stronger materials, a smooth finish and can print truly clear parts. So I would hold off for now. I would have to bulk order from this other company so I am in the process of getting quotes right now, but the technology looks to be much better than I am used to.
OK, cool. I'll stand by...I'm in no hurry...but it just looks pretty cool. I don't have any Bestine either so I couldn't do anything with it anyway.
I'm still following the thread and, I must say, it's very interesting to watch it all come together !!! I would still like some of these cars when they are ready. In 50 years, I have never seen them in this area, or anywhere else, actually. Of course, as soon as I get them, I will see them everywhere. Even Metra and Amtrak will have 'em !!!
Using the a different company's equipment, the cost would be about 40% more so, it's going to be Shapeways. I have adjusted the model slightly to aid in assembly, and the products will be available this evening. I need to find some Bestine or equivalent to clean one of these up. The ride height on the BLMA 70 ton trucks is right on though:
Bestine is a heptane-based solvent that removes wax, leaving the plastic. I've heard that it turns this semi-transparent plastic to a more opaque white color. Bestine is used as a thinner for rubber cement. I've yet to go to the Hobby Lobby to see if any is there.
