I know you've already thought this through. Watch! Just about the time you get yours done Kato will come out with one.
Those guys look pretty kicked back and relaxed. Enjoying seeing all the neat interior work you are doing Richard.
Thank you. I enjoy sharing my attempts with y’all. Hopefully later tonight /early am tomorrow I will have the GS4 lighting glued back together and be able to reassemble it to see how it looks with the dual beam plate in the MARS light and how the crew look with the cabin light on.
Richard, I looked for this "dual beam plate" on the SBS site. I could not find it. Any assistance would be appreciated, thanks!
Sorry, he calls it “twin beam” https://store.sbs4dcc.com/SBS4DCCNScaleTwinBeamSealedHeadlightLens.aspx I had it on my GS4and left it to cure overnight, but the curved end of the stock light pipe acts like a magnifying glass, so I shortened the pipe more, and am regluing it in closer to the front. I have the black heatshrink from SBS and am considering gluing the part I cut out back, but on LED , then using a tube of heat shrink to join the assembly together for light control and ease of install. I’ll have to see once the Krystal Kleer turns clear again.
Edit above: it helped a lot, but the magnification was basically 2:1, so you could only see one hole or the other. Not what I was looking for. I got out the mini files and filed the lens flat, then got out the dremel and repolished it. Accidentally knocked the plate loose so I touched up the glue and and waiting for it to dry while I read the new MRHM Running Extra, and watching my daughter’s Thomas the Tank engine go around the track dropping off monkeys. Now that she has her own “twain” she doesn’t grab mine as much. Edit 2: Forget it, the above didn’t work either, still too much optical blurring in the smaller diameter tubing. I used my small round file to open up the mars light hole to the diameter of a toothpick (it’s a barely noticeable amount) so I could mount the twin beam plate about 1mm behind where the lens would have been, and then filled it with Krystal kleer to make a new lens and lock it in place. Waiting for that to dry, but the effect was quite nice before I filled it to make the new lens. Especially with the brass plate shining in there. Took several trials but this is going to work out... and it looks pretty right when off too... Mike: when you order the SBS plates, you might get the miniature heatshrink kit, the larger 3/32 is perfect for the F3, and the 1/16 fits the GS4s smaller light rods quite well. Don’t even need to shrink it, but it works for light shielding very nicely, so things slide together and couple well This has been a PITA, I’ve spent 8 hours on this one light... but I reckon someone has to forge the trail. Or boldly go.. Thanks for tuning in, no pictures tonight, tomorrow it should be dry and we can see what we wound up with!
Richard, FYI, the SBS plates are "out of stock" currently.... But, I'll keep in mind for the future! Thanks
What size(s) do you need, Mike? I only need one more large for my other F3a, so I have two smalls 3 medium and 1 big left on the sprue. And if you really need the two larges, I have another month before I can even run the ABA set, so I don’t need it... yet. I can wait if you need them both as a set now. I’m happy to send them to you in the mail free, if it would be of any help at all, god only knows when/if Brian will have the time to make more since he is busy with the move. That is the downside to freely sharing information I suppose!
I have a bunch of the SBS plates as well -- however for my GS's -- I rolled (punched) my own. Fiber optic for the lenses. Thanks, Wolf
looks really nice Wolf! Looks like you opened up the upper opening also? You can really see the crew in the cab, so I’m happy I took the time to paint and install them. I also remounted the FL4 to get a mm clearance back, boiler fits perfect again. I really like the effect the plate gives, but forgot to leave the Microscale bulging to account for shrinkage... as a result it dried concave, which adds a “following you” effect to it. I may take it off again and fill it flush, if I lightly wet the existing Microscale first, the two layers should bond translucently, correct?
That is one good looking locomotive. Sort of resembles the UP Greyhound scheme, which I like. Thanks for sharing, you have awakened my interest. Would you mind sharing the brand and colors of paint that you used ? Carl
Tru-Color Paint TCP 065 SP Lark Grey TCP 134 SP Light Lark Grey custom mixed to achieve the lighter green, mixed to eye no recipe TCP 135 SP Dark Olive Green I wanted her to look fresh out of Class Over haul.
Took some cheap trees from Michaels and am making them into orange trees. Need to find some Noch leaves though to give them a little pizazz. I shared this elsewhere on the board already Introducing the MegaKato Rerailer. One size fits most!