Hey I'm scratch-building a slug from a Life-Like GP-18. I'm now at the point of the building the body of it and I don't know whether I should use brass, or styrene, or whatever. Any advice welcomed
Well, as I've never tried brass, I'd be hesitant. I do some minor scratchbuilding in styrene and its pretty easy to cut, glue, sand, fill, etc then when you screw up, its easier to melt down and start over.
I wonder how much weight the brass would add? I have never worked with brass on an N scale model.... Styrene would probably be the best (easiest) Harold
I know a fellow building a pair of slugs. He's using GP9 bodies cut down and fitted to Atlas frames and trucks.
is it possible to heat styrene up and then shape it to the correct form.... If I want smooth transition between the parts, for example. I'd like to have tips on manipulating styrene, if possible. This is my very first serious kit bash. Thanks
Yes styrene can be formed a couple of ways. 1. It can be heated and vacuum formed, if you have the machine and die forms. 2. It can be press formed, if you have the heater and die forms. Unless you know how to make, or the money to have the die forms made, and the press to do the forming, it would be almost impossible. It used to require a skilled tool & die maker just to make and fit up the punch, die, and draw rings out of aluminum, (because they have to be heated during the draw-form process.) You are looking at 5 figures for the die alone. Now days, you have to have a CNC mill and know how to program it to make the same parts. Then you still have to have the heating frame and forming press to do the draw-form. You are looking at 6 figures for the die alone now days. You can rent time on a press if you have a fabricator close by. It is not an over-night in-your-kitchen-job. It would be easier to cut and fit existing pieces, then fill cracks and paint. This way you could still retain some of the rivet and door details, and do it at home. This would be kit-bashing today.
From the research I've been doing on slugs, or TEBU's or whatever you choose to call them; there seems to be no WRONG way to make one. It appears that most slugs were prototype "kit-bashed." They took whatever they had, cut it down, and added, subtracted, or modified what they got until it did the job. Some have handrails all the way around, some don't, (even on the same railroad). Most had some headlight on at least one end, but not all. Even saw a few with cabs, but most didn't. So, hows this...take an SW1200...remove the cab, remove the exhaust stack, widen the body in the rear, and BINGO, you've got a slug. Can't anybody tell you you're not correct, beacause that's what several railroads did. Jeff Augsburg & Concord R.R. (a fictional shortline in Central Illinois) http://www.pegnsean.net/~revnjeff
I'm trying to model on of these : CN slugs in the series 211-281 are built from old GP9 locomotives which are cut down and have their diesel engines removed. They usually operate with 7200-series mothers. As stated before, I'm using a Life-Like GP-9R frame. Thanks for the precious advise, Watash (thanks to all of you guys, too!). Now what can I use to fill the cracks?
I recently scratchbuilt an SP slug very similar to the pics. I used a Modelpower RSD15 shell cut down to just the walkways. Repowered with a 9mm can motor and then just built a rectangular box outa styrene. Rounded off the corners and added some details and handrails and poof, a slug. Sorry no pics. As for your model, the ends of the "box" could come off the GP shell. Brass louvers are available from Gold Medel Models. And then theres a whole assortment of other detail parts you can add. Alot of people I know use Squadron green putty for filling gaps but I also use just good ole Testors model putty and it works just fine. [ 22. January 2003, 05:54: Message edited by: John Barnhill ]
