Detailing an empty Thrall Ph4 60' Quad Truss Centerbeam

rray Jun 26, 2022

  1. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    I was cutting some Centerbeam cars, and decided to build one. That's something I have not done in more than a decade. So after I built it, it sat in a pile on my workbench for a couple weeks.

    Today I was cleaning my work area and when I got to the car, I decided to detail it as an empty. I started by super gluing EZ Line to represent the cables as sometimes seen in MT mode:
    01 Apply EZ Line to represent cables.jpg

    Next I applied rust effects, pooling it up on the flat deck areas and letting it dry:
    02 Apply Rust Effects pools on flat panels.jpg

    Then I applied chalk powders, with the darker colors down low:
    03 Apply Chalk Powders darker at bottom.jpg

    I then diluted some select acrylics, dabbing here and there to represent more rust spots:
    04 Apply Acrylics to represent rust spots.jpg

    And finally I applied debris to the deck. Some are small sticks to represent broken spacers from the lumber stacks, and I found a new trick, that if you dab some glue on the car, then dip your paintbrush in water, then into the chalk powders, it makes decent caked rust and dirt debris:
    05 Apply Debris to deck.jpg

    Side shot, you can see I painted the roller bearings on the truck blue for fun, and all the nice brake gear hanging underneath the car:
    06 See Brake Gear Hanging Underneath.jpg

    And this angle shows the cables and debris on the dirty empty car:
    07 See debris on car.jpg
     
  2. JoeS

    JoeS TrainBoard Member

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    Excellent! You’ve just made an empty car look better than one with a load!
     
  3. CNE1899

    CNE1899 TrainBoard Member

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    Rob,
    Very nice work! I agree with Joe.
    Scott
     
    rray likes this.
  4. Kurt Moose

    Kurt Moose TrainBoard Member

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    Excellent detail on that car, very cool!(y)
     
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  5. MMR283

    MMR283 TrainBoard Member

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    Excellent work Robert. This is a nice detail you never see in any scale! I’m impressed!
     
    rray likes this.
  6. pomperaugrr

    pomperaugrr TrainBoard Member

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    That is outstanding. It is even more impressive that you accomplished that level of detail in Z.
     
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  7. Doug A.

    Doug A. TrainBoard Supporter

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    Nice work. Love those cars.
     
    rray likes this.
  8. HoboTim

    HoboTim TrainBoard Supporter

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    This is yet another display of Robert raising the bar for the rest of us!!!
     
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  9. southernnscale

    southernnscale TrainBoard Supporter

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    Excellent! nicely detailed. Without load does look much better! makes them more interesting! I have a few 3D printed one I did but I didn't put that much details!
     
  10. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    I also installed one of your AB Brake Reservoirs on the car.
     
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