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Originally Posted by hibar:

Will Sunset do correct size fuel tanks on the upcoming F7 units? I thought Scott was up on getting these details right.

They will not be change from the FP7.  The biggest change is in the Y dimension and I can understand their point.  The builder has put together a great design team and their research and mine see things a bit different.  The number of people who have noticed the difference and said something is one: me.

Originally Posted by rdunniii:

Yes, to replace the fuel tank with the Lionel you have to drill and tap the holes in the chassis.  And it is a bit of a pain to make sure they are in the right location. 

 

I do not recall if the speaker is a direct swap.  The Lionel speaker has a nice sound and there is a separate weight and cover plastic piece you can use with their speaker and tank, or with no speaker.

 

Don't tell Scott Mann but I replace all the fuel tanks on my 3rd Rail E and F units with Lionel ones too.  It's a pain too because I have to grind out the ends for the tank drives but...

 

Both the Atlas and the 3rd Rail tanks are undersize, noticeably so.  Santiago, your going to be surprised at how much larger the Lionel tank is when you receive it.  It's going to make the side flaps on the shell look a bit small.

Thanks for the input, I would love to see how your units came out!

 

Originally Posted by Pingman:

 Santiago, in your tests of silver paint, did you try this one?

 

 

 

Plastikote

I have not, bud. Have you? Of course it depends on the look of the model itself and how to match it, but i don't think a chrome look would work, I think its more like an painted silver or "dull" aluminum. Which is true for the prototypes since those were painted silver and did not have a chrome or polished steel finish. So far I have used revell, testors and acrylics paints in both enamels and water base. Metallic enamels have been difficult to work with when it comes to thinning for airbrushing. On the other hand, thinning acrylic paints with Tamiya's acrylic thinner works great for airbrushing since it act as a retardant and the paint flows beautifully. Nothing definite yet, but will post results when I have something more substantial.

I finally got some parts today, the Lionel fuel tanks. This were the last parts I ordered, but the first ones I received, thank you holiday shipping!

 

I think they look great, and they should be a big improvement over the Atlas fuel tanks.  Here are some pics with measurements should anyone wants to order them. The part number for these is 610-4595-506, and are from the Scale Western Pacific F7's. I ordered those because they were cheaper than the F3's, they came already in silver and unlike the F3's these had the added details included with the piece.

 

The tabs for the screws look very thick, so I'll file them so the screws are not so visible from the underside.

 

 

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Originally Posted by Pingman:

Santiago, this is the stainless steel look I'm chasing:

 

 

TS obs car rear view excellent

Hmmmm, I know there are some paints that you can polish for a better look. But I don't know which ones. Are the parts removable? If so, maybe you can have them electroplated? I have not used the the paint you posted. I too have wondered about getting that finish before, but have not plunged into it, and I think it's an issue we could discuss in its own thread. A quick research on the web and you get various spray cans that promise this finish, however they are not aimed at modeling and I would be concerned about aging and plastic compatibility.  

Extruded aluminum usually is polished and sealed with a satin top coat. This is how we used to finish out the Midland Reproductions kits. They are silver, stainless steel is silver not nickle like brass plated models. Silver plating is best at 3-4 times the cost.

Alclad is for non silver applications like brass or plastic. I would polish your Aluminum and seal it. You can put it on anything after all its your model.


Originally Posted by Pingman:

       
Originally Posted by Erik C Lindgren:
Erik, I'm looking for a finish closely similar to the photo of The Texas Special observation car posted above.  Is it your experience that the Alclad product will work on properly prepared LIONEL 15" extruded aluminum cars?
Last edited by Erik C Lindgren
Originally Posted by CentralFan1976:
They look great! Should be an easy swap for the pilots and I was looking at the fuel tanks. If the biggest issue is the vertical dimension, can we just shim them to drop them close to the track? I really don't want to transfer the speaker and such.

Can't wait to see these done, they're going to look spectacular!

Thanks.
Mario

The biggest problem with the fuel tanks is not Z, it's X and Y. They are small in all dimensions but mostly X.  The PD hobbies tanks were fine so Atlas had to come up with these all on their own.

I wonder is there a way to improve on those horrible plastic headlight lenses with the rod like shape that acts like a fibre optic?

Needs a reflector and lens-- the pre-sealed beam units used the full reflector and done right look really top shelf.

I did a pretty good job on the P&D units when I built them. Went as far as using brass Pyle national sealed units on the later models.

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You could add the silver stripes to the sides of the number boards too; and the MU hatches. =)

You could have a lot of fun detailing these.

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After enough arm twisting I got FM Train Model to shape up and do the reflectors correct on the E5 project. They just never listened until I brow beat them enough. I had to draw pictures to explain it.

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I would say the final project was a total success. Just beautiful.

If you have not noticed I am extreme obsessive compulsive with projects.

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Originally Posted by Erik C Lindgren:
I wonder is there a way to improve on those horrible plastic headlight lenses with the rod like shape that acts like a fibre optic?
I know! I tried taking them out, but Atlas used superglue. I'll have to find a way to take them out. I'll replace the LEDs with 5mm golden white ones that are brighter.

Needs a reflector and lens-- the pre-sealed beam units used the full reflector and done right look really top shelf.
I'll have to kitbash these, but I agree that would be great.

You could add the silver stripes to the sides of the number boards too; and the MU hatches. =)
Yes! I noted this earlier too. I have some microscale silver decal sheets that I trim and place. I always knew that those micro scale silver decal sheets would come in handy at some point hahaha
You could have a lot of fun detailing these.I know! I'm thrilled and not rushing it.

 


If you have not noticed I am extreme obsessive compulsive with projects. Some of us, including me, can appreciate that! It's a weird way to have fun IMO.

 

Originally Posted by rdunniii:
Originally Posted by CentralFan1976:
They look great! Should be an easy swap for the pilots and I was looking at the fuel tanks. If the biggest issue is the vertical dimension, can we just shim them to drop them close to the track? I really don't want to transfer the speaker and such.

Can't wait to see these done, they're going to look spectacular!

Thanks.
Mario

The biggest problem with the fuel tanks is not Z, it's X and Y. They are small in all dimensions but mostly X.  The PD hobbies tanks were fine so Atlas had to come up with these all on their own.

Thanks, Mario!

 

Yes, Rdnunii is right, you are better off changing them altogether

It took them forever to arrive, but I received the parts from P&D today. Here are the ones that I'll definitely be using. The pilot is a perfect fit (same shells duh!) and the interior kit is outstanding.

 

I'll have to order some more parts from PD again, for some reason I thought that the front nose grabs and the pilot grabs came with the PDP5793K maintenance kit, but they don't. So I assume I'll have to order a couple of kits PDP5791K EMD F Unit Grab Iron set for A's, includes cast brass Grab Irons for A units. If anyone can confirm that, it would be great.

 

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Atlas' door handles are really thick, so I got some of these which are a bit nicer. I may end up using the ones from the PD cab interior which are perfect and placing these inside the cab. 

 

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Last edited by SANTIAGOP23

Contrary to what was suggested here, the grab iron in the green circle does not come with the PDP5793K EMD F Unit grab iron maint. set for A's (brass). If anyone knows in which set does it come or which part number it is please, please let me know so I can order it again.

 

 

 

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These are all the parts that do come with the set.

 

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I'm on it, guys! I've been busy with work, but every spare time I get I work on this project. Here are some process shots.

 

I darkened the vents behind the chicken wire to give a sense of depth.

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I used micro scale silver decal paper to extend the silver lines on the number boards. They look nice, I think.

 

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The P&D windshield wipers are nicer than the Atlas ones. Here they are installed.

 

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I also drilled the coupler brackets with a 1/32 drill and used 0.20 brass wire for the coupler lift bar. I painted the couplers silver, but I will also weather them.

 

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The pilot is sanded and ready for some primer. The coupler lift bar handle needs to be attached. Those small handles on the pilot door come with the pilot door, they are a real nice touch.

 

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After many tries, I found a paint that I'm satisfied with. The revell acqua silver #90. I'll let you guys be the judge... I still need to find a satin finish mix for the finish.

 

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Great!  I can't wait to see how they come out.

I was thinking of lightening up the vents behind my chicken wire grills! They're already black!

I agree, the silver is a great match.  Personally, I bring the unit to a local auto paint store to match the color, but then again, I'm not matching metal, just basic black.

Congratulations! They are going to be amazing!

Thanks,
Mario

I received the last order from PD last week. I'm not happy with the mars and headlight as they are here. In the new parts I got the mars light from cal scale, they are nice but too big so I'll have to work on them. The bolt detailed irons make a world of difference. I wish I could move forward faster but there has not been much time for me. I'll post pictures of those parts and the cab later tonight. Thanks for the attention guys. You are awesome.
 

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Some progress guys...

 

I worked on the head and mars lights, what I did was to modify a cal scale mars light housing for F units. These pieces are huge, but with a little grinding they look great! Now I need to chrome them and find the lenses...

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Also worked on the trucks a bit... the break cyliders have molding lines, so I sand them down and repainted. I also replaced the brake cylinders line to a less thick wire...

 

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The left is the modified one and the right is Atlas out of the box...

 

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on the pic below the left is Atlas the right is the modified one....

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