Hello all... I'm 'building' a Pennsy B60b for a forum friend...the Hell Gate models resin casting of this car (other than one which may or may not have been manufactured in brass, this is the only model of this classic baggage car that I know of) I'm not a Pennsy modeller, and don't know much history of the Pennsy, apart from the famous GG-1's, and that some of their diesels had those 'funny' pipes on top!... That being said, while inquiring about modelling the ATSF's Fast Mail Express, this foreign road car kept reappearing,...these distinctive cars apparently 'got around'. The package arrived in the post a couple of days ago, along with a spare shell!!!!! (hoping I can acquire the necessary parts-namely the distinctive trucks- to complete my own model for my 'Fast Mail'!) Here are pics of the parts included with this kit- the standard baggage version (not equipped for messenger)...the only difference I can see in the two versions is that the messenger version has roof ventilators....) A quick perusal of the parts: Resin body shell Resin underframe two trucks (equipped with truck-mounted coupler hardware Two sideframes for the trucks (each truck is a 3-piece assembly) 2 bolster screws 2 coupler-mounting screws (for the truck assembly) Decal sheet printed by microscale not included in the kit: handrails steps grabirons couplers ...Initial opinion... the resin body shell seems to be free of any major holes or pits...no warping just a little evident 'flash' over the porthole windows the underframe is the same, no major holes or pitting, no warpage w/o knowing much about the prototype, the structural bracing of this car is molded fairly well, although no rivet detail is molded. the truck sideframes seem very well molded and true...very distinctive, I'm not familiar with this style...apparently they were unique to the Pennsy...but at first glance they look really good. Now, on to collect some prototype pics...... Bruce
Here are some pics I collected from the web...a couple of the pics are of HO scale models... These will help me identify handrail and stirrup-step placement and help me evaluate the accuracy of the Hell Gate model... Bruce
After studying the prototype pics and washing the two big resin pieces in warm soapy water (to remove any mold release agent), it's time to give the shell and underframe a closer inspection. Shape seems fairlty accurate, all the distinctive structural members are represented...there's only one 'discrepency' I can see in the accuracy of the molding-on the ends, the arched sill, just below, the roof, should start in the same plane as the large sill across the length of the car. On the casting, the arched frame sits below the carbody side sill...it's not so noticeable because it's on the ends, but it is there... other than this, the casting seems to be a very good representation of this distinctive baggage car. On to the casting... one particular peculiarity of some resin casting processes is the possibilty of tiny bubbles trapped within the resin, during the process, sometimes 'bubbling' to the surface, popping...to reveal tiny 'pits'-holes in the surface. I've seen some resin castings that were marred by huge cavities in the surface...in the case of this example, pits and holes seem to have been kept to a minimum...none are visible from 8-12 inches away upon serious magnification, one can see some pitting and a little 'softness' in some of the detail... However, these are relatively easy to fix or hide, so, all in all, I'm pretty pleased with the quality of this short run casting more follows....
The underframe fits into the bodyshell fairly positively...aided by the molded in 'lip-posts' in each corner of the shell...a good feature from the manufacturer..... a quick trial fit shows that the underframe sits as it should within the bodyshell, so no shimming will be necesaary! there is a small 'soft spot' in the detail of one of the underframe cylindrical tanks...this can be repaired easily with a little putty and surfacer... Next installment will involve the techniques to fill the tiny holes in the casting, sharpening and defining the details, and pre-shading the body shell before the base 'Tuscan Red' color... Thanks for looking, Bruce
I've had a couple of these sitting on my desk for some time. My biggest question has been the windows, as in how to make them look like, well, windows instead of holes or pieces of opaque plastic. Looking forward to this thread progressing!
"as the large sill across the length of the car..." a.k.a.: the letterboard. Thanks for sharing your project!!! These cars were run all over the place (where express cars were interchanged)... I know that I will yet be getting a couple, one for an N&W car (doors being changed) and the others as PRR, to help cover express shipments on my roads.
Ah...'letterboard'!...Jerry, you're right...that definition makes it much easier to explain...and, of course, it IS the letterboard! NOTE*...I want to explain, right away, that I think this kit is quite nice, easy to construct and paint, fairly accurate...but most important, built straight as is...LOOKS like this unique car!...I applaud Hell Gate models for this effort...I only hope they will do another run of these cars VERY SOON! I believe there is room for improvement in most plastic engines and rolling stock...even those available today!...Just look at the detail parts available for the latest releases from Kato and Atlas...Fox Valley provides seperate grabs for those that wish to include them...even the newest Kato passenger stes can be improved with seperate photo-etched grabs and railings... ...so...my efforts here to improve and detail this car is not a 'knock' at Hell Gate...just my method of fiddling and improving this model to a standard that I enjoy... that being said, no kitbasher, scratch-builder, or painter of plastic or resin models (of any type) should be without these two products! Gunze (Paint brand) "Mr Surfacer"...in two 'grits'-'viscosities'..500 and 1000. Basically a surface primer...it can be brushed or airbrushed...and hides tiny irregularities in finishes...it is indispensible for aircraft modellers simulating a natural metal finish...most paints designed for NMF will showcase EVERY tiny scratch in a plastic or resin surface, regardless of the efforts used to remove them...the "Mr Surfacer" settles into a very even coat after application, filling the tiny scratches, pits, and irregularities, before applying the base coat of paint. I've used super glue to do this in the past, trust me, for tiny blemishes, this stuff is like gold! For this project, I'll just brush it over the areas I want to address, a quick swipe with a sanding stick and knife blade will be sufficient! back to the model..... I used a sharp knife blade to 'clean up' some soft detail present in the casting... NOTE* resin cast subjects have a problem replicating detail in areas 'undercut' another prominent feature...in this case the small area under the arched 'rain gutters' (?) over the doors...this area lays in shadow from light, and, apparently, lays in shadow with resin pours. This is not a fault with the manufacturer, just a part of the process...in fact, technology is, just now, starting to address this issue in plastic injection molding, with the advent of 'slide' molding...where, during the process, a corresponding plate is slid into the other ...cleanly molding parts iwth no 'undercut' or, even, 'parting' lines..(an expensive process) on one of the four gutter areas, the detail was 'soft' a few little cuts and swipes with a sharp Xacto blade cleaned it up a bit, enough to match the detail present under the other 3 gutters....
I decided, also, to address the arched roof support panel on the ends...at least cosmetically.... to completely accurize it would involve cutting and carving (something I'd rather not do)...instead, a few swipes of a coarse sanding stick will contour the roof ends, revealing an arched shape that lays in the same plane as the side letterboards, and, has the benefit of accurizing the end contour of the roof.. The down side to this is that the end arched support is now 'thicker' than it should be (without carving it down), but I believe this trade-off is worth it...IMO, it makes blends the ends into the sides. I won't scribe a roof/end dividing line...instead, i'll accent this line with paint and shadow during the painting process... Here, you can see, how, by sanding, the arch of the roof support 'appears' from the resin... These two pics also show some soft spots (left of the end door) that I want to smooth before drilling for the handrails and brake wheel... Until next time, Thanks for looking, Bruce
Hello all... finally acquired the red paint that allows me to proceed with this build.... I applied 'Mr Surfacer 500' with a brush to the areas that had the most visible tiny 'pits', then sanded smooth studying the prototype pics reveals a small 'lip'/rivet strip on the bottom of the letterboard across the length of the car...there is also a strip/gasket across the top where it meets ther roofline... I wanted to add this lip/gasket to the resin shell...I used some very small Evergreen strip to start this process.... I also added the strip on the ends...once sanded 'down' the 'lip' will appear more 'scale', and help define the roof contours... once this step is done, it will be time to mask, preshade, then add details before final painting! Thanks for looking, Bruce
Although the etched stirrups and grabs aren't supplied in the kit, I had some spare stirrups and tons of grabs from previous projects, so I added them to this build... The kit supplied brake wheel is beautiful... plenty of #80 drilled holes later, the shell is ready for paint. Thanks for looking, Bruce
The Red is on...Floquil's 'Boxcar' red...which is a great match for the post-war Pennsy red... I'd forgotten how beautifully Floquil sprays (I've been airbrushing Pollyscale acrylics almost exclusively...which, after a number of hoops which must be 'navigated' produces a great durable finish)... I wanted to use Floquil on the prepped resin...it has a good amount of 'tooth'...I also mixed the Red with Floquil high gloss clear (hence the 'shine'), after curing, there'll be no need to add a gloss coat before decalling... something I like about this shell, which really shows up after the gloss, is the panel distortion in the body....it appears very prototypical, although I can't imagine if this was actually modelled into the master for the molds. Methinks it's a result of the resin casting process...if I'm mistaken on this and this effect was intended, then I'm even more impressed!...I like this effect on a 'slad-sided' model...although it would be more in place on a lightweight car... Tomorrow, I'll mask and spray grimy black for the roof and underframe... Thanks for looking, Bruce
Bruce, it's looking good! I suspect the oilcanning distortion is unintentional, Fine N Scale resin kits had similar wavy quality to them. Btw, are you building both cars? Regards, Otto
Otto, thanks...no, this one is yours...I've used the underframe to cut out one from sheet styrene...but don't have a source for those wonderful trucks...yet. I did mount some MT 1025's for you...they couple perfectly at the correct height... what number would you like it lettered? Bruce
Bruce, any prototype number will do, I only will have this one B60b. How are you planning to do the glazing? I'd rather have it blank than Microcleared, unless you have some method that looks right.... Thanks a bunch, Otto
Ready for lettering! Will try to get this done before running into work this evening...perhaps tomorrow, if not... Otto, haven't decided yet on glazing...I'm going to try a couple of things before deciding if it can be done or not...Krystal Kleer was going to be a 'last resort'...glad you gave me the 'heads up' on that.. Thanks for looking, Bruce
Decals on... after a day of completely drying, I'll clean up the model for the flat clear coat... in the meantime I'll attempt to fabricate the porthole window 'glass' (I'll have to rumage around my kit and tools to see if I have the items to form the windows from clear stock)... this one's not too far from the 'finish line'... Thanks for looking, Bruce *NOTE-in these pics, the white balance is a little 'off'...the car appears much more 'red' in the pics than in the flesh...
