PlasticPanzers.com Forum

Wow, that's some great details!

Bryan Krueger wrote: ↑24 Aug 2020, 23:45 Wow, that's some great details!

I thought I was the only one to fall down a rabbit hole. Wow Vincent. There is no way I could do this.

Shawn

Thanks Bryan and Shawn. I'm hoping I can get up to primer before it does my head in.

Vincent

One aspect of the build that I had been putting off was the issue of the louvers in the access doors of the real Locomotive. The kit supplies the doors with solid louvers and flat rear sides. By opening up these doors to show off the engine I need to have the louvers open.

So, how do I give these doors a see-through appearance? Time to experiment.

I thought I would try cutting through each individual louver from front to back and then gently scraping it to shape. I worked slowly, given the small area and the sharpness of the blades. I used lots of blades. Here we have a standard kit part on the left, then some cutting is done in the centre and one of the other larger doors on the right. Here you can see the flat rear of the standard part with in-progress cutting on the larger door to the right. The middle piece is completed with framing which I incorporated to cover the lousy job I did with the cutting. After all the cutting and scraping I ended up with this. The framing is not strictly accurate but gives it a better finish I feel. I like how they came out. Now, only eight more to go

Cheers,
Vincent

Only eight more to go

They do look great.

Shawn

Thanks Shawn, I'm glad you like them.

Vincent

I needed a break from the repetitive carving and scraping of louvers so I thought I would tackle some of the details on the doors themselves. The real Locomotive has small handles on the top and bottom that screw in and out to secure the doors in position. The kit is missing these so I thought I should add them. I also improved the rails that the doors hang on. Well, I think they are improvements anyway. The doors are only loosely fitted at this stage, I'll true them up as I go along. Not a big update but it's nice to tick another item off the list.
Thanks for looking.
Cheers,
Vincent

Excellent work on these doors Vincent!

These parts just beg for photoetch, but bending all the louvers would be challenging as well...

Philipp

Thanks Philipp.
Yes I agree, PE would have been a great solution but I guess there is no real motivation for the aftermarket to supply any when there is no engine in the kit.

Vincent