1960's and 1970's Vehicles

[Rasputen]

Regarding the short bed Ford pickup,  I'll have to think about that.  The problem is that you can't just chop one end off of the pickup bed and glue it back on.  A section would have to be removed both in front of and behind the rear wheel opening.  An N scale vehicle is too small for me to perform this on, so this means you have to rework the bed in a larger scale and then shrink it down.

I've used Microscale Krystal Klear on all sorts of my own transition era vehicles.  It looks okay with the naked eye, but in my opinion it is not suitable for close up photography.

[peteski]

I've used Microscale Krystal Klear on all sorts of my own transition era vehicles.  It looks okay with the naked eye, but in my opinion it is not suitable for close up photography.

I agree (not a big fan of Krystal Klear) but I'm willing to give it a try.  Actually, I'm not a fan of any window material which is applied to the window opening as a thick liquid.   When the liquid settles and dries, the center of the window is thinner than the edges, creating a lens effect.  But if the edges of the window are relatively thin then the effect is minimized.

[MichaelWinicki]

Someone suggested a product called Gallery Glass for making windows, but I haven't tried it myself yet. 

Sorry, no website or eBay stores. Just trying to help fellow N scale modelers.

Michael, I'm interested in seeing how gloss medium works if you have any pictures...

Here you go!







I dunno... maybe a 6.5 out of 10?

A lot better than nothing in the space, not as good as a clear plastic insert.

I won't bring up the 3' rule  but at a typical viewing distance it looks more than acceptable to me.

[Rasputen]

That looks pretty good!

[BCR 570]

I have four more vehicle types available. 

Wow - going to have to place a second order.  The 1961 Comet is very distinctive, isn't it?

Thank you for releasing these.


Tim

[sirenwerks]

Regarding the short bed Ford pickup,  I'll have to think about that.  The problem is that you can't just chop one end off of the pickup bed and glue it back on.  A section would have to be removed both in front of and behind the rear wheel opening. 

Which is why I am hoping you'll do it, so I won't have to.  I just haven't seen a photo of an autorack full of pick-ups that didn't have variety between the two sizes and cab-only versions.

No web or eBay?  Bummer.  All the same, expect an order from me next week, once I've moved next week.

[Rasputen]

Which is why I am hoping you'll do it, so I won't have to.  I just haven't seen a photo of an autorack full of pick-ups that didn't have variety between the two sizes and cab-only versions.

After giving it some thought, I think I might be able to make a short bed version.  Give me a few weeks to work on it.

[Dave Schneider]

Just thought I would share that I received stellar service from Brian using email and PayPal. He even refunded postage to me as it was less expensive than expected. Nicely packaged and sent quickly. First rate!

Best wishes, Dave

[jimmo]

Which is why I am hoping you'll do it, so I won't have to.

Plus he's probably tired of waiting for me...

[Catt]

Living in the same state as Brian it only took two days for my order to arrive.

[Pennsy]

Well I am getting an order for some of these too. But where is anyone getting the paints for these? Is there a list of prototype colors somewhere? As I remember there where some pretty ugly colors on some of these

Jim

[Rasputen]

I recommend two approaches for selecting colors.  First, check out some of the original sales brochures.  These are quite handy when it comes to how the whole vehicle will look in a certain color, or what combinations were used for 2 and 3 tone paint jobs.  An excellent resource can be found here:

http://www.lov2xlr8.no/broch1.html

Second, you can view and print out the paint chip pages from the Ditzler paint catalog.  This will help you find something close to the color you want, based on the year and model.  Even if your color printer doesn't duplicate them perfectly, you will be pretty close:

http://www.autocolorlibrary.com/

Google Images for specific vehicles can help you decide too, but beware of all the restored vehicles shown.  Many vehicles get repainted a color that has modern appeal but may not have been popular when they were new.

[MichaelWinicki]

Well I am getting an order for some of these too. But where is anyone getting the paints for these? Is there a list of prototype colors somewhere? As I remember there where some pretty ugly colors on some of these

Jim

The interiors/wheels separate from the outside shell.

I started down the hand-painting route but found that it was doing to take at least a couple coats to cover if not more.

I then hit both the outside shell and the interior with gray primer from a spray can.

I then when through my inventory of spray paints... primers, flats, glosses and chose some different colors.  I've got a decent collection of Testors Gloss Spray Paints, which I used on many of the outside shells... Gloss Blue, Gloss Black, Gloss Red, Gloss Green, Gloss Brown, Gloss White.

But I also used a couple spray cans from an autoparts store that I had on hand.

The interiors were hit with a variety of primer and flat colors.

I then brushed Tamiya semi-gloss on the tires and brushed Tamiya Flat Aluminum on the appropriate spots of the car (grill, hub-caps, bumpers) that needed that sort of thing.

[pnolan48]

I've had varying results with Krystal Klear. I use it often on ships because of painting concerns--it's easier to apply KK after painting than to mask off all the windows and portholes. As Pete(ski) mentioned, it seems to work better on thin edges. I've also found that it works better if you get it stretched thinly on the first pass. If you can't close the opening quickly, start fresh by wiping any KK away from the opening and making a new attempt. As the material gets thicker, the lens effects gets more prominent. It works better on small openings: my large pilot house windows are acetate. Perhaps a windshield or back glass is too large for KK to wok well?

[jimmo]

I've had varying results with Krystal Klear. I use it often on ships because of painting concerns--it's easier to apply KK after painting than to mask off all the windows and portholes. As Pete(ski) mentioned, it seems to work better on thin edges. I've also found that it works better if you get it stretched thinly on the first pass. If you can't close the opening quickly, start fresh by wiping any KK away from the opening and making a new attempt. As the material gets thicker, the lens effects gets more prominent. It works better on small openings: my large pilot house windows are acetate. Perhaps a windshield or back glass is too large for KK to wok well?

I agree with Pnolan and Peteski, the results are kind of hit and miss. Most N-scale windshields are small enough but the real problem is concaving of the surface as the liquid wants to find the shortest route to the other side. I've had limited success by positioning the vehicle with the "glass" hanging down as it dries, thus forming a sort of curve.

This is why a lot of us cottage industry model-makers have shied away from hollow-bodies, It ends up being way too labor-intensive to produce at an affordable price. Nevertheless, we are experimenting with vacuum-formed glazing for our new truck models.