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…that count, as they say. At first glance, this may appear to be a stock-version of the new Bachmann narrow-frame tanker â€" albeit somewhat weathered. And that’s just what it is… except I’ve changed a few “little thingsâ€� that make it a bit different from everybody else’s. As most of you know about me by now, that’s always been my motivation for taking “the ordinary and making it extraordinary,â€� as Dean Whipple says.
I picked up this model last month at ECLSTS and I am much impressed by B’mann’s effort to provide an additional source for 1:20.3 vintage rolling stock. In fact, the reason I didn’t do much to this model, other than weather it, is that I didn’t need to. It's a really nice model! After the obligatory “builder’s photos� and some overall shots, I’ll point out the few changes and additions I did make.
First, the builder’s photos:
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… and a couple of quarter views:
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Now, for the aforementioned changes:
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The most obvious change is the replacement of the Bachmann-style couplers for ones from Accucraft.
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I also replaced the breaker bars with ones a bit more realistic and robust. Notice the chalk markings (upper left) â€" I got that idea from the “masterâ€� â€" Bobby Hunter. As you can see, I also replaced the wheel sets with 26" ones from Sierra Valley.
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I added a few more links to the brake chain (fortunately, B’mann provides extra chain and other detail stuff that might break/fall off) and wrapped it around the brake staff a few times in order to make it look like it would really work.
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The model comes with a working filler hatch which may be fun to play with, but, IMHO, anything that’s movable is breakable, so I glued it shut and filled in the gaps in the dogging straps with Squadron "green stuff." BTW, I also glued shut the hinged journal box covers on the trucks, which fall off or get knocked off rather too easily.
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If you look closely, you’ll notice wood grain on the sides and ends of the upper and lower foot boards. This was done by dragging a fine-toothed razor saw along the plain edges in a wavy motion. The upper foot board supports and the ladder bottoms were attached with tiny, but unrealistic looking, Phillips-head screws, so I added a toothpick tip-sized drop of JB Weld (a two-part epoxy compound) to the center of each screw to make them look like rivets.
That's about all I did, but, as I said, the little things add up. I’ll be running this guy at Roger Cutter’s annual “Spring Run� on his wonderful RGS East this weekend up in North Central Maryland. I’ll be sure to post some pix of that in the Large Scale Events forum next week. Stay tuned.
I picked up this model last month at ECLSTS and I am much impressed by B’mann’s effort to provide an additional source for 1:20.3 vintage rolling stock. In fact, the reason I didn’t do much to this model, other than weather it, is that I didn’t need to. It's a really nice model! After the obligatory “builder’s photos� and some overall shots, I’ll point out the few changes and additions I did make.
First, the builder’s photos:
… and a couple of quarter views:
Now, for the aforementioned changes:
The most obvious change is the replacement of the Bachmann-style couplers for ones from Accucraft.
I also replaced the breaker bars with ones a bit more realistic and robust. Notice the chalk markings (upper left) â€" I got that idea from the “masterâ€� â€" Bobby Hunter. As you can see, I also replaced the wheel sets with 26" ones from Sierra Valley.
I added a few more links to the brake chain (fortunately, B’mann provides extra chain and other detail stuff that might break/fall off) and wrapped it around the brake staff a few times in order to make it look like it would really work.
The model comes with a working filler hatch which may be fun to play with, but, IMHO, anything that’s movable is breakable, so I glued it shut and filled in the gaps in the dogging straps with Squadron "green stuff." BTW, I also glued shut the hinged journal box covers on the trucks, which fall off or get knocked off rather too easily.
If you look closely, you’ll notice wood grain on the sides and ends of the upper and lower foot boards. This was done by dragging a fine-toothed razor saw along the plain edges in a wavy motion. The upper foot board supports and the ladder bottoms were attached with tiny, but unrealistic looking, Phillips-head screws, so I added a toothpick tip-sized drop of JB Weld (a two-part epoxy compound) to the center of each screw to make them look like rivets.
That's about all I did, but, as I said, the little things add up. I’ll be running this guy at Roger Cutter’s annual “Spring Run� on his wonderful RGS East this weekend up in North Central Maryland. I’ll be sure to post some pix of that in the Large Scale Events forum next week. Stay tuned.
