The "early version" KATO cars roof are a pain to remove, as you have to carefully raise one end high enough to clear the end of the car yet not so high you snap off the L-shaped fasteners. Then you need to slide the roof to disengage the L's. The COLA and BL cars roofs just pop off with simple click-fasteners, you may wish to take the car shell off and disengage the clip locks with a small screwdriver but if you're careful you can pull the roof off w/o damage. I have no idea what the Zephyr sets roofs are like. But I'm glad to know I'm not the only person who uses KATO cars as basis for new car sides. I think they are superior to any kit you could get, and come with interiors. Plus they run well with stock KATO cars, have the same couplers/trucks and lighting set-up to blend in with all the stock KATOs. I'm also working on getting KATO window glass (with the gaskets) to fit in the window holes of the car sides, so the kitbashes REALLY blend in. Basically its a cut up the strip into separate windows deal. One thing to watch, tho, is the car lengths. The COLA cars are a foot or so longer than the BL cars, and sometimes the kit sides may not match the length of the car you're using. I haven't done measurements of every version of KATO cars, tho. This is a BL 10-6 body/interior I used to make a NH 14-4 to match the ESM sides. The major complication was the PRR floor arrangement being 180 degrees from the NH one, so I had to cut off the floor into three pieces and rearrange them to get the vestibule (and lighting socket) on the right ends. Then I cut off and rearranged the roomette walls, added some with styrene, and "closed" all the compartment doors with strips of styrene. Yet to paint it. I also need to cut off the underbody parts and rearrange them into the NH configuration.
I've been looking at potential core kit victims, and I'm wondering could I use a car with a skirt and model a skirtless car with it? I'm pretty much set on what my consist will be now I just gotta start finding the right cars to victimize. I've seen some CCS cars that would be nice, but they seem to be a pain to take apart. If anyone has ever used a Centralia car to use for a core please let me know!
They were at first (early production was just built-up and decorated Des Plaines Hobbies kits, no interiors), but current production is not. Geoge
Having spoken to John recently on this subject, he is looking for a tool and die person to repair the die. If any of you posess that skill, call him. He is very receptive to get the kit back into production, But he needs help to do so. Using a commercial house to repair it is expensive and would take a long amortization to pay for it thru selling the kits.
I used a 3/8 inch, two flute end mill. Turned it at slower speed and at slow feed so as not to melt the plastic.
