New N Scale Truck/Trailer Project - FINISHED!

Many of you have seen Mark Watson's 3D printed dry bulk trailers. If not, they are spectacular. Also, you may or may not have seen 3D printed Peterbilt tractors from "N Scale Addict". I just received a set of Mark's trailers and have the tractor on order.

Here is an image, of a unit, that I will attempt to do justice in my build. Should be cool with some Spazstix paints. I'll keep you posted.



Yes, I will do in white/purple/stainless steel.

Happy New Year to all !
Carl

 

Pete 379 with 63" flat top sleeper.

Nice rides looking forward to this Carl

Going to add the 4 horns ?

 

Look forward to seeing it, Carl.

 

Thanks guys for the interest. Just don't get in too much of a rush as I am dealing with the loss of a brother on 12/17/18 to cancer. Very rough, painful, slow way to go. But I need something to take my mind off of the event and being the only survivor I have all the "business" side to deal with.

So, I am going to start on this project as a rehab. I have the trailer and have the tractor on order. I can add some small detail to the trailer and paint it now ( when weather warms up and humidity drops ).

Vince, I will add as much detail as I can and yes I hope I can make the horns out of some straight pins or the like. Stay tuned.

Everyone have fun !,
Carl

PS: here is a 3D printed truck with some scratched tanks, I did a few years ago. I have since fixed the front wheel paint.........

 

Condolences to you Carl on your brother rough way to go.

But we're here for you.

 

My sympathies to you Carl.
Amazing work. I wish I could paint that well at 1:24, much less 1:160.

 

Thanks guys, it was a "blessing".

Paint done by air brush all the time.

Carl

 

Hi Carl, look forward to your progress with the models, I have made a similar models in photo etched brass and brass master. I have posted some other pics of some of my trucks if you are interested.

best regards
Vic Fitzpatrick
vicsmodels

 

Thanks Vic. I have seen your models - very nice. I just need another project, dontcha know.

Carl

 

I am bringing this thread to the front because my Shapeways tractor came in today, so I am ready to begin the fun. The original picture is what I am attempting, to do well, I hope.

Here are 3 images that show the very excellent Mark Watson trailer print and the SW's tractor print. Mark yours really outshines the SW item, however it is better than in the past (NO FUD).







This last is to illustrate the Molotow Chrome that I purchased in a 2mm point marker and a bulk refill so that I can pour chrome into air brush for application. The grill on the clothes pin was a test on an old grill that I had. The chrome was applied to the bumper and the frame around the grill screen. For a first time test with marker I think it came out OK.


Stay tuned, if we warm up a tad and the humidity falls a bunch I can start painting. Strange dampness for January in El Paso.

Carl

 

Carl, sorry for your loss. Truck looks good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Here is an update of my project. I have combined 2 steps here. The first step was painting the Shapeways tractor and the Resin printed trailers with a KRYLON brand automotive 2in1 primer which is supposed to be a filler and sandable. It is a relatively dark gray. I put 3 thin coats on all items and they looked pretty good as is. The 2nd step was to wet sand with 1000 grit and then 2000 grit wet/dry auto sandpaper. I was going to "show off" the great smooth, ready to paint, parts. Then I took the following 4 images and burst my own bubble. Actually most of them look good and smooth up close with some fine finishing on them. However the sun visor on the tractor needs another 2 or 3 thin coats of primer and then a re-sanding.

Now the trailer, and I want to say the striations that you see are mostly a poor job of sanding and not a poor printing job. Another 2 or 3 coats of thin primer and then a proper sanding with light pressure in one direction should do the trick.

I always try to use pictures of an item surface before painting as that image will not lie. BTW, look at the small detail railings and such on the trailer. IMHO, very top notch 3D print.









I must be patient, I must be patient, I must be..........................

Thanks for looking,
Carl

 

Looking good Carl!

 

Way cool looking large car and dry bulk tank .

 

Update from the last images in the gray primer above. I was not happy with the gray, so I re-primed all pieces with Dupli-Color Auto primer in the usual rust color. It worked better than the gray and filled and sanded scratches better. Now today I got impatient and wanted to air brush the Molotow Liquid Chrome. So here are some images :

The 1st is the grill/bumper and filter canisters, keep in mind they are not separated and are still on the paint stand.........

The bumper looks much better than this image in the real world.

The next 2 images are of the tractor chassis................




This is obviously the bulk trailer............


The next 2 are of a gas trailer that I am bashing and is nowhere ready to paint but I could not resist testing the air brush characteristics of the Molotow......................





I am quite happy with the results on everything except the dry bulk trailer. My next comment is from experience and I say be very careful with the mud flaps on the rear of trailer as they are very fragile, they are both off of this trailer BECAUSE in my haste I did not fasten this trailer to a paint stand well enough and it fell off, broke off the flaps and dinged the finish badly that will have to be corrected. The other trailer and top of cab are fine.

The ambient temp was only around 50-52 degrees but low humidity. I just could not wait any longer. With a higher temp the chrome, most likely, would have gone on better.

Thanks for looking and have fun,
Carl

 

We will have those higher temps next week Carl, forecast is for high 60s and low 70s!

 

Holy moly, that "Liquid Chrome" is amazing!! Looks like stainless steel, great work Carl!!

Just started reading this thread, sorry to hear about your brother.

My condolences to you, and your loved ones.

 

Very nice finish on the tanker and frame sorry bout the dry bulk mishap.

Look great though

 

Thanks to all for the kind words and nice comments on the project.

Richard, i am anxiously awaiting that 70* day, if only the wind does not blow. What are the chances?

I have some more images, mainly to show off the Liquid Chrome results. It is shiny, for sure.

1st one shows the wheels for the 2 trailers and the tractor, I will paint the tires later. The shiny finish really shows on the bottom left wheel...........


Next is the top of cab that shows the sun visor and the horns and clearance lights. Now I need to figure a way to mask over the small parts. I tried a liquid mask on an old chrome test and it removed the chrome.......................


The last 2 are the trailer that did not fall. Looks good in real life but I'm not sure where the pitting look comes from. May be my poor photography technique........................



I am going to let the Molotow dry for 3-4 days before attempting any more work.

Thanks for looking,
Carl

 

Another test to check out the plum color I picked. I am not too happy with the results because I think the "pearlized" pigments are too large for N scale truck. But went on with test.

1st are the fenders for the tractor drivers................


2nd one is test painted over the Liquid Chrome. I actually applied the plum in varying coats to check out results. Too much pearl for N scale IMHO..............................


I then applied several coats of KRYLON UV-Resistant gloss clear acrylic coating to check for compatability. It is supposed to be non-yellowing.

Carl