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Post by dazed on Sept 12, 2017 23:10:54 GMT -5
OK, bare with me here, but long story short, I want to convert this:   Into this:  Yes, I know...different loco, etc., etc. Trust me when I tell you I know more about the spotting features of the SD70MAC than any human really should.   The overwhelming theme of this post is NOT to compare the two locos or talk in depth about any attempt to create an accurate Z-scale SD70MAC at this time. So, for the time being we are pretty much talking PAINT JOB here. However, I will make a few points about potential kitbashing options: 1. If you write-off the major issue of overall length, the most glaring spotting feature missing on the SD75I is the blower duct and related handrail configuration. Note the "hump" in the handrails in the photo of the BNSF loco above. 2. If I were to do any major surgery on this shell, that would be the majority of what I would do....the duct, the handrail change, and the alteration to the walkway. The result would still be a fairly "frankenstein-ian" creation, and it would be quite a bit of work to do correctly. 3. To REALLY do it right, I would want to create the blower duct in FXD, and have completely new handrail/side sill assemblies etched in brass. Again, I would end up with a heavily compromised stand-in and now and ever-increasingly-expensive one. So, the "spruce-up, decorate, and weather" plan of attack makes the most sense to me, and will yield a loco that captures the essence of the "Big MAC's" in Z-Scale. (To be continued...) |
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Post by dazed on Sept 12, 2017 23:26:40 GMT -5
Before I go any further with "the plan", I have a question or two. First is about stripping the paint. I do have the CN unit in hand...I got it for a song off eBay and I had mentally prepared that if I could find an "I" version of AZL's SD75-series locos at a certain price I would start this project. Well, here we are.
So my question is about the best way to strip the locomotive and specifically what chemical to use to strip it. Well, spoiler alert as I've already begun the process of soaking the locomotive in 91% alcohol which is my go-to "first pass" method. The alcohol made short work of the brass insert area...paint fell right off. Also, the cab put up little fight as well. I have not done anything with the handrail/side-sill section yet, but the rest of the shell is also showing signs of paint being removed. So good progress thus far.
Now to the handrails. I would like to get feedback on what I should do here. Here are what I *think* my best options are:
1. Leave the handrails alone. Try to stip only the sill areas. Then mask off the white handrail areas and paint the entire thing dark green, painting right over the existing black and red handrails.
2. Strip everything, then primer, then paint.
3. Obviously the concern with 1 is potentially uber-thick handrail paint. And that's a big concern. It's easier, but at what cost.
4. With 2, I think this will yield a much better quality end result. One negative is that custom painted handrails never seem to be as durable as their stock counterparts...particularly the white safety rails.
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Post by dazed on Sept 12, 2017 23:40:40 GMT -5
So, to the plan... Overall, here are the tasks I think I will be completing 1. Disassemble loco. (90% Done) 2. Strip paint. (40% Done) 3. (Optional) Perform some basic superdetailing steps, mostly adding grab irons and possible roof detail, plus pilot detail. Investigate adding working ditchlights. 4. Primer all parts to be painted. 5. Opportunistic assembly of like-painted items. 6. Paint cream color onto loco body and cab. 7. Mask cream areas. 8. Paint remainder of loco Grinstein Green. (very dark green) 9. Paint details Grinstein Green. (fuel tank, trucks, snow plow, etc) 10. Paint wheels rust color and other strategic weathering. 11. Design and print decals for "BNSF", loco number, and BN logo for sides of cab and nose. 12. Apply the loco decals, along with warning labels, hood anti-glare panel, and simulated grills in key areas. 13. Gloss all parts, and then reassemble loco. 14. Install DCC 15. Final weathering. Here's sort of what I'm going for, finish-wise. The year I'm modeling is 2007-ish so this should be about right and I want to err on the side of less. archive.trainpix.com/bn/EMDORIG/SD70MAC/9694.HTM |
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Post by shamoo737 on Sept 13, 2017 8:17:06 GMT -5
Doug, you are going to beat me to this project. If you don't mind the length difference, it's doable. I made the laundry chute from styrene, and super glue the railings together. The hard part is going to be the decals. Custom decals are hard to find, and expensive when you can find a decal maker.
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Post by dazed on Sept 13, 2017 9:27:00 GMT -5
Moo, the decals should be fairly straightforward I would think. The dark green logo and numbers should be able to be printed via inkjet right onto clear decal paper. The dual red pinstripes I'm gonna print as one piece with the dark green in between, again on clear decal paper. I have an N-scale set to aid in producing the right curviture, etc. The rest is just warning labels and other misc that shouldn't be too difficult to cobble together. I'm dreading the numberboards probably more than anything. Ha, beating you...that's a good one! My first version will be without the mods such as the chute...if I have any shot at finishing this thing before retirement that is gonna have to be how it goes down. Even at that, I still might not finish it by then. Maybe someday I'll revisit making a better one, but for now it'll hold up against the foobie BNSF coil cars, foobie BNSF reefers, and the rest of my hacked together z-scale world. 99% of the planet wouldn't know unless I told them anyway. I'll just make sure only its "good side" (the engineer's side is very close to the same on both locos) is visible in any magazine shoots.  |
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Post by dazed on Sept 13, 2017 10:14:20 GMT -5
So, suggestions on painting...
1. Trucks. I have the sideframes off and ready for treatment. Suggestions for primer and paint? Are they Delrin and/or will they otherwise hold paint?
2. Same question for the shell...suggestions for primer and paint? One thing that is tricky...should the brass insert be primered with a different type of primer? I noticed the paint almost fall off the brass sides when it hit the alcohol...mental note if attempting to remove lettering from the side of an SD70 later on.
3.If I do strip the handrails, same question. And, do the etched metal piece of the handrail and side sill come apart from the plastic frame? I haven't inspected those closely yet to know if they were laminated together somehow. Should be easy to mask and apply plastic safe primer on the frame and then prime the whole thing, but just an extra step to do the masking.
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Post by modelwarships on Sept 15, 2017 10:50:30 GMT -5
I will be watching closely as I have a standard cab SD70 to convert to an Oakway SD60. I am thinking about using the trucks off an SD45 (but an AZL SD40-2 would be better hint hint). New blower housing and handrails are a must.
I would love to have a few SD60M's in Whiteface. BN executives would be nice too.
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Post by dave on Sept 15, 2017 11:23:34 GMT -5
I will second that of a whiteface SD60 (and/or a GP30) as most importantly, that Executive scheme SD70something.
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The overwhelming theme of this post is NOT to compare the two locos or talk in depth about any attempt to create an accurate Z-scale SD70MAC at this time.
