UPDATED 10/5 Finishing stages of custom painted Maine Central GP9

Very nice work.  Are you taking any outside orders?

I never thought of doing custom work for others, maybe something to think about, maybe when I retire. 

One of my favorite paint schemes. Nicely done!

Looks like it could have jumped right out of the pages of a postwar catalog.....nicely done!...

Pat

@harmonyards posted:

Looks like it could have jumped right out of the pages of a postwar catalog.....nicely done!..

Pat

I completely agree...

Mark in Oregon 

Great job!   Glad to see my favorite railroad represented here.    I'm going to be painting up a MEC GP7 #569 into this same "simplified green" scheme sometime in the future.    

Thanks for the compliments, next a Maine Central in harvest gold scheme and Bangor and Aroostook in solid blue scheme with yellow frame and silver trucks 

Looks fantastic!  Thanks for sharing your work.  Please keep us updated with follow on projects.

Superbly done! Did you prime the stripped shell before the Scalecoat Pine Green? I want to use the very same paint scheme to repaint a Delaware & Hudson Lion Chief Plus 6-84696 (2017 catalogue). 

I don't mean to be off topic, BUT, I have no idea how to deal with the wires to the cab, forward and reverse lights and the smoke unit. There are at least 6 wires from the chassis that are hot glued to the roof of the shell. Even if I cut or unplugged the wires, to separate the shell from the chassis, the LED's and smoke unit do not look easy to remove. Therefore, I dare not immerse the shell for stripping with the electronics still attached. Suggestions? Maybe I could skip stripping the original paint. The wires are long enough to allow supporting the shell above the chassis for airbrushing.

Thanks, Bob

Judge, 

Very nice work! simple, clean and crisp! I've got a stripped Williams GP9 shell ready to send you....

Jeff

Bob O

I have not worked on a LionChief engine, not sure how to remove the wiring.  I use postwar and MPC engines for repainting less complicated than modern electronics.   I wish Lionel would offer undecorated engines and rolling stock.  I used Testors flat light gray for a primer.

Postwarman

Maybe in the future

Thanks for the reply, Postwarman. Yes, undecorated would be a great seller, I think, especially for those who want a particular road name.

My experience with 3rd Rail has been that undecorated units do not typically sell well prior to popular opinion.  Not many modelers left who want to paint their own trains sadly.  We have offered them, but they typically make up maybe 20 at best out of a 500 unit run or less and get cancelled.

Your paint job is great by the way.  Keep up the great work!

If i remember correctly, the only manufacturer that once produced locomotives that allowed the buyer to cutomize was Atlas0 with decals but I don't know what their popularity was. 

Update on painting projects

FINISHED MAINE CENTRAL GP-9 HARVEST GOLD SCHEME #563

I finished painting a harvest gold and pine green scheme Maine Central GP-9 to add with the other earlier GP-9 in pine green scheme, this was my first atempt in tu-tone paint.  I used Tamiya masking tape for the edge and Minuteman Scalecoat II 2168 Harvest Gold and 2129 Pine Green paint and Mircoscale Decals # 48-519 for the decals and Testor's dullcoat, also Mircoscale's Micro Sol for setting the decals is a must.  I used a postwar Burlington GP shell, easy off oven cleaner to strip the paint, the powered frame is a Lionel 8477 with magnetraction and electronic horn.

I requested Mintueman Scale Models to make Bangor and Aroostook blue in scalecoat II and Shawn said he was working on the color, hopefully it will be available soon.  I have a couple of shells and decal sets for that project.  I know earlier I was going to paint the handrails on the green unit in harvest gold, still trying to decide what to do, I have a yellow frame powered unit from a Lionel 8063 Seaboard SD-9 was thinking of putting green unit on that or might try painting a frame.  Probably should use the yellow frame for the Bangor and Aroostook project.

Thanks for looking and enjoy the hobby.

The Judge.