Opening Atlas CZ Cars

ah yeah... I received the kits to replace the window shades that are on the wrong side of the glass.

I did the same as you, pulled and pulled, then some of the bottom details started coming off!

Fast forward to today : I glued the details back on the bottom of the car and the window replacements are still on my work table....cars are still running great around the layout.

I was able to get my 1st run cars apart as instructed in the Atlas video. It came apart quite easily but it was a long time ago and I don't remember cussing at it or throwing anything. I may have posted photos of it in an old thread about the window replacements, but don't remember for sure.

I can tell you that you will need even littler people (is that even a word? lol) than "little people" to fit in the dome itself. Otherwise half their bodies sit above the back of the seat, and depending on which "little people" you use, their heads don't clear the roof windows.

Also take note of the window blinds down below when you fill the car with people. I filled mine up and then realized after it was back together than many of those people are not even seen due to the window blinds. Just wasted a bunch of people, and when I glue people in.....it's a one way trip, they don't come back out. 

I have the 12 cars from the most recent release.  I took all of mine apart and it was a bit of a pain.  They did not come apart as easily as the video would have you believe!  After I removed the body screws I turned the car over and pulled/separated the body away from the frame, as there is double stick tape between the inner body and the frame.  I did this for both sides, the full length of the car.  Then I took a small flat blade screwdriver and GENTLY pried the underbody from the shell.  I just created a bit of separation, I did not fully pry the underbody from the shell.  Lastly I followed the steps in the video.  Be careful where you hold the truck, there is a small detail part the snaps off easily.  I held the shell on the nameplate as demonstrated in the video.  It required a moderate amount of force.  By the 5th or 6th car I found I was a lot less gentle than I was for the first few.  

I used a combination of passengers (GGD, ebay China figures, and Lionel).  The Lionel people fit the best in the domes.  You have to cut part of their legs off, but you can't see the missing limbs.  I am very happy with the outcome.  You may want to set the shell next to the interior before you glue the figure in, as some of the blinds are fully down and you can't see through the window.  I tried to conserve my little people and only glued them where they would be most visible.  

My only regret was not installing a capacitor when I had them apart.  Good luck!

T4TT -

Thank you.  

Your method worked for me.  But, I have another question.  When you removed the light-bar to populate the dome, do the seats drop down or does the dome raise up, off the top of the car?  Again I am being overly cautious on the first one so that I don't muck it up.

Glad to hear it Jim!  The seats dropped down.  I never removed the dome from the shell, well not intentionally.  On my first install a couple people in the dome were too tall and when I assembled the car I created a gap between the shell and the dome...DOH!!  So I had to take it apart and cut away some of the butts of the passengers.

The moral of the story is to consider the height of your dome passengers.  Seat the taller ones in the middle of the dome not at the edges!

Yesterday while trying to take  a  CZ 2nd. run car apart I started with a thin screwdriver between the frame and the car.   Then found popsicle sticks work well. Just carefully pull the body away from the frame and put a stick in move down a little way and put another one in here and there helps quite a bit.

GWEEDO,  

If I may ask how close to the end of the car did you place your last popsicle stick?  The reason I ask is I started the same process earlier in the day but I was using business cards between the car sides and the frame.  I could just barely squeeze them in near the end Cap.  Those puppies are snug.  

I had to change out the window shades on some of the original run cars and could not get two of the cars apart,I am going to try putting the cars into the freezer and see if the bottom will shrink enough to come out because of the material that it is made from.

Mikey

SantaFeJim posted:

GWEEDO,  

If I may ask how close to the end of the car did you place your last popsicle stick?  The reason I ask is I started the same process earlier in the day but I was using business cards between the car sides and the frame.  I could just barely squeeze them in near the end Cap.  Those puppies are snug.  

 

About a !/2" from the body screw there are indents in the side of the car on all 4 corners of the car. Just slide the sticks in those spots and a few other places along the car.  Carefully pull the body away from the frame working it loose. Then pull on the truck one side at time and they come apart.  The tricky part is trying not to knock the detail parts off the frame of the car oops.

GWEEDO,

I see the indents and I have some popsicle sticks.  I will try that on my next car.

Thanks. 

Laidoffsick posted:

I can tell you that you will need even littler people (is that even a word? lol) than "little people" to fit in the dome itself. Otherwise half their bodies sit above the back of the seat, and depending on which "little people" you use, their heads don't clear the roof windows.

These cars are supposed to be painstakingly built to true scale proportions - if you believe the marketing literature.  Why don't scale people fit?  

PJB -

The "true scale proportion" apply primarily to the external dimensions.  Much more difficult and in many cases impossible to replicate internally.  Many people do not invest the time, effort or $$$ to detail and appoint the interior.

Case in point, we have a club member that collected the entire 12-car the Atlas CZ over the past 7 years and has not added a single rider.  He is content to run a "ghost train" .  As for me, I will not run my CZ until it is fully populated.  As of late today I have 204 people designated as passengers.  Sorry to say 80% will suffer double amputation of their lower extremities.  Good news is 99% of the people that see my train run will never notice.

Simple, use a hand grenade. Kidding aside. It really was not that difficult to take the cars apart. Stuffed a couple hundred figures in the cars. In the group there evidently is a giant guy. Could not get him in the dome until I did not only a legectomy, but a 2 cheeketomy. 

Dick