Here’s part two of Bill Welch building two gondolas at once. Part one can be found here.
In preparation for painting, I like to media blast models with Baking Soda to slightly roughen/etch the surface. A thorough soaking in Ivory Snow is next followed by a good rinse in clear water. I like to do this kind of work in batches of four to six models.
Continue reading “Like Things at Like Times:” Building Two Kits at Once – Pt 2
Bill Welch returns with a double treat. Click on any image here to review a larger size.
For years now whenever I can, I try to build two models at the same time. There are many similar steps for each build, such as washing parts, removing flash, drilling holes, mounting brake systems, installing grab irons, and more. Adding work time to an extra model on the bench seems to reduce the overall build time for two models.
Resin kit building usually involves a lot of hole drilling. I like to use a sharp object to create a starting point for the drill bit so that it will not wander. Mine is different from the one pictured in that link. When drilling holes for sill steps, I like to make a starter hole with a smaller bit before I drill the final hole with a #75 bit. It is just as easy to do this on two cars at once as it is to do it on one. Body motions like changing bits require time, so doing two models at one time can actually save time. My modeling/railroad historian/general raconteur friend Dr. Frank Peacock, DDS, observes that in dentistry this approach is termed “like things at like times.” As my description with the two Funaro & Camerlengo gondola kits will demonstrate, the two models only need to be similar, not identical.
Continue reading “Like Things at Like Times:” Building Two Kits at Once – Pt 1
Resin Car Works announces a new kit to kick off their Scene Setters line focused on once common elements that weren’t far from the tracks. These simple kits can enhance a scene on your model railroad. The first Scene Setter kit represents an iconic Midwest structure, a round corrugated metal grain bin.
The prototypes began with a government grain storage program in the 1930s and thousands of these grain bins were installed in towns across the Midwest.
The Resin Car Works HO scale model is a one piece resin casting and will only need to be painted before it is set into a scene on your railroad. Four grain bins are included for only $36, plus postage and handling. Check out some completed model photographs and review the kit instructions on our website.
Resin Car Works has several of the acid tank car kits in stock, but supplies are getting very low. A new freight car kit is also nearing completion. We hope to share more news very soon on this exciting HO scale model.
Charlie Duckworth builds a pair of Rock Island automobile box cars. Click on any image here to view a larger size.
Ron Von Werder, owner of Rocket Express, offers two Rock Island (RI) automobile boxcars. Both HO scale kits are flat castings and assemble easily. I prefer using Westerfield’s RI decals for the reporting marks and numbers as his artwork looks closer to the Rock Island prototype lettering than what is supplied in the kits.
Continue reading Rocket Express 40 and 50-foot Rock Island Automobile boxcars