RPM Chicagoland Mini-Kits

[squirrelhunter]

Well, I can tell you that overnight in 91% alcohol won’t touch it. My IM donor car is Brown with white lettering (CNW). It appears to be molded in brown with the lettering applied directly to the plastic.  I guess I  will have to paint over it. 

Now I really need to look closely at the inside if the shell...mine is an NKP kit, didn't think about the car being molded in brown...

[peteski]

Well, I can tell you that overnight in 91% alcohol won’t touch it. My IM donor car is Brown with white lettering (CNW). It appears to be molded in brown with the lettering applied directly to the plastic.  I guess I  will have to paint over it. 

I kind of like the irony of painting out the CNW scheme to apply a CGW logo.

I’m hoping to get started on those kits soon, but not sure it will happen with summer in Colorado about to happen.......

Tom L
Wellington CO

While some early N scale cars were unpainted, I doubt that the IM car us unpainted plastic.  Many manufacturers mold their cars using plastic that has a similar color to the paint that will be applied onto the car.  Going by the IM's orange reefer cars I have, I also thought that they were unpainted plastic, but they are painted with a very thin layer of translucent orange paint.

With paint so thin there should not be any need to strip it before repainting.  But you might end up with ghosts of the original lettering visible in the newly applied paint.

If you want to try stripping the IM paint, try Floquil/Testors ELO (Easy Lift Off), Scalecoat Wash Away paint remover, or even the "Purple Stuff" heavy duty cleaner.  Original foaming Easy off oven cleaner might also work. Be careful with the last 2 as they contain Lye, and will eat your bare skin.

[nickelplate759]

I have a bunch (40+?) of IM cars built from kits, and only one scheme was printed over unpainted plastic - IM made a pair of BAR steel reefer kits (with the big BAR lettering, not the the scheme that's in the current IM catalog) as a special release for some club or historical society.    It's not a good look, because the orange plastic is not only translucent but the translucent plastic appears differently depending on the thickness of the plastic at various places.   I had to install a light-blocking liner in the shell when I assembled them, but they still don't look great.

I've never seen another IM car that was lettered but not painted.

[squirrelhunter]

So I realized I never posted the completed CGW boxcar on here:



I've got some Unitrak I'm using to test a track arrangement for some switching modules, so I grabbed a couple of quick shots.

I ended up just using ELO to strip the lettering and hit the while car with Tamiya TS-33 dull red, and weathered it with Pan Pastels. Used craft acrylics to do the natural wood roofwalk. Masked off the reweigh data when I weathered it so it would look fresher than the rest of the paint. Sealednit all with Tamiya flat clear.

[jpwisc]

I don’t think I posted mine either.

Here’s the 2017 CGW car with a trio of the 2018 cars.
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And my 2019 cars
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[Mark5]

lookin good!

[squirrelhunter]

jpwiac, those cars look great!

[jpwisc]

jpwiac, those cars look great!

Thank you!

[jargonlet]

Finally got started on mine. I haven’t had a chance to work on the IC car but I did finish the CGW. It still needs weathered so it’s at the top of the list for that. On mine I added brass grabs and ladders.

[jpwisc]

Old thread resurfacing! At this year’s Chicagoland RPM, I found a few of the 2016 Mini-kits for sale. I made a good deal with the seller (thanks Matt!) and got to work. If you want to see what it takes to make this car, the details of the build can be found at
https://www.rpmconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2016-RPM-Program-Complete.pdf

It was cool that there were prototype photos and decals for three different schemes, so I did one of each. There is a 4th too, I may have to source another car to make it happen.  The frame mods were kinda crazy.

The B&O X-15 was a fun build. I think I now have all the mini-kits made. It would be fun if this tradition in N came back!
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[garethashenden]

A B&O M-15k is on my to-do list, although I've been planning on using the Fine N Scale kit. Good work on these!

[mcjaco]

Old thread resurfacing! At this year’s Chicagoland RPM, I found a few of the 2016 Mini-kits for sale. I made a good deal with the seller (thanks Matt!) and got to work. If you want to see what it takes to make this car, the details of the build can be found at
https://www.rpmconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2016-RPM-Program-Complete.pdf

It was cool that there were prototype photos and decals for three different schemes, so I did one of each. There is a 4th too, I may have to source another car to make it happen.  The frame mods were kinda crazy.

I think I have one kit laying round unopened from 2016. I can take a look, if you're interested.

[Mark5]

Old thread resurfacing! At this year’s Chicagoland RPM, I found a few of the 2016 Mini-kits for sale. I made a good deal with the seller (thanks Matt!) and got to work. If you want to see what it takes to make this car, the details of the build can be found at
https://www.rpmconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2016-RPM-Program-Complete.pdf

The B&O X-15 was a fun build. I think I now have all the mini-kits made. It would be fun if this tradition in N came back!

Great work, and thanks for the link PDF - I am enjoying all the info in it! 

[jpwisc]

I think I have one kit laying round unopened from 2016. I can take a look, if you're interested.

If you find it, let me know!