I’m working on turning an N scale Kato RDC 1 into a NJ Transit passenger car. The problem is that the RDC’s roof curves down at the roof on a NJ Transit car’s roof goes staight to the end with no curve down. I’ve already sanded the bulk of the roof to make it flat, but I’m left with the piece at the end of the roof where it still bends down slightly. I did one of these before and I used Squadron White Putty to build up the end. This worked, but later on the the very end of the roof chipped off a little.
Is there a product that would adhere to the plastic and would have a plastic-like strength that I can use to build up the ends of the cars? The area I’m working in is too small to use styrene to fill it out and I want to make sure that whatever I use will bond with the plastic. Ideally I would like it to have the same resilience as plastic. I’m no pro so I can’t melt plastic and apply it, but I can certainly build up the area and sand/file it down.
Any help would be appreciated. Below is a link to show the NJ Transit roof line and the roof line of an RDC. Thanks.
Take some scrap styrene, put it in a glass jar, and add MEK to it. The plastic will melt, and form a putty that you can apply to the car like the Squadron product, but, when dry, will be plastic. It is important that you use MEK and not lacquer thinner–the lacquer doesn’t all evaporate, and the area you build up will shrink (and you may not be able to work it properly). I haven’t had this problem with MEK
Sounds like you may have had an old tube or allowed the white putty to dry too much before application. That will cause such a failure to adhere. Also, build it up in layers if it’s a large defect.
Another possibility is that the surface you applied it to was still painted? It’s best to have a raw plastic surface to bind to, rather than a painted surface.
You might also give Tamiya putty a try. It seems to be a wetter consistency than what I remember Squadron being when both are fresh. It adheres very well in small and larger quantities. It does dry very fast, so you need to get it on the model once it comes mout of the tube. Squadron has a bit longer working life, IIRC. But both require you to get it where it needs to be quickly once out of the tube.
Take .060 styrene sheets and cut them the width of the body and the distance from the end of the corrugations to the end of the car. Laminate several layers until you get a block the thickness from the eaves to the top of the roof. Wait several days for the glue to dry. Then use sandpaper, files or nail emery boards to shape the edges of the block to the profile of the roof.
Cut away the the smooth part of the roof on th ecar end and glue the styrene block in place.
Old school is to do the same thing with a block of wood (basswood, pine or hard balsa).
It depends somewhat on the proportion of MEK to plastic in the putty–the more MEK, the longer the working time. You can also keep a bottle of MEK that you dip your brush or tool into in order to be able to work the putty longer. At any rate, you probably want to dip a brush into the mixture, spread it onto the roof, dip the brush in the mixture, spread it over the first layer, etc, and build up the area with thin coats.
Really, go outside? Come on. do you go outside when you are assembling a plastic model using MEK or any other organic solvent based cement? Keep the lid on when you aren’t actually getting some of the MEK/Styrene mixture out, and you’ll be fine. IF you do find the odor annoying, a small fan set up at the other end of the room to provide a low draft away from your workbench will solve the problem.
Really, do it outside. I stopped using MEK because of the odor and the health hazard. When I used to use it indoors, my wife would get ticked and open all of the windows and make me use an exhaust fan.
Alternatively, you could be a moron, do it indoors, without ventilation, breath in the vapors, and risk your health.
There’s a popular response (usually credited to the good folks in Maine?) that goes: If I were you and I was going there, I wouldn’t leave from here… or words to that effect.
What I’m getting at is maybe you should look at starting with a body style that is closer to what you are aiming for. Looking at the photo you provided I would be more inclined to start with a Walthers Horizon coach…
It seems to me to have a better contour and window arrangement than the RDC. Might save you a bit of custom work. Perhaps you could get the shell of the Horizon to fit the chassis of the RDC?