Many of the items I get on eBay come in lots, or bundled, with items I don’t need. One of these purchases included one of those garish Tyco “Chattanooga” cabooses. I decided that this would be a good piece to test my hand at some painting. I thought I’d share the experience. Lesson 1: If you’re gonna take pictures to show what you did, take a “before” photo. This one was copied from eBay.
I began by taking off the ladders/hand rails and the smokestack. Before just yanking the shell from the floor, I actually looked to see how it was attached and managed to get it off without breaking anything. That doesn’t happen often.
On the brake gear and tool box I brushed on some Poly Scale Oily Black. On the end sills, steps and platforms I used PS Grimy Black. I used this on the handrails and ladders, too. Lesson 2: Don’t use cheap brushes! TOIL (The One I Love) bought me a pack of 16 in various sizes for $3. She didn’t get what she paid for. They don’t hold their shape and they shed worse than my dogs.
I lightly brushed some PS Rust on the truck assemblies, just to kill the shine and make them look a little used. I’m not going to attempt to replace the Talgo trucks, as the car will never really be used on my layout and it’s not worth the time or money right now.
Using a Q-Tip, I washed the shell with 70% isopropyl alcohol (I’m not sure why, but I may have read about that - or thought I did.) After that dried I sprayed on a coat of Floquil Reefer Orange as a primer. (A while back the LHS was getting rid of all of their spray cans and sold the remaining stock at a buck a can, so I picked up a couple.) Later, I added a second coat on the sides. Then a third. And a fourth. Lesson 3: Do not use model colors as a primer. Get something real.
If I may, I have a few tips for you.
-
Stripping the model before you paint is a must. Any letters or striping will show up on the finished product.
-
Scrub your stripped model with soap and water with a nail brush. This will insure that your paint will stick to the model and it wont come off when you remove masking.
-
I would start every painting project, inside and out, with a light spray of primer or gray. This will give you a clean slate to paint on.
-
Start with your lightest colors first. In this case, the orange goes on, then the brown. Give the paint ample time to cure between coats and masking.
-
Gloss coat the paint when painting is finished. This will protect the paint underneath and give you a surface that decals will love.
-
After applying your decals, final coat with the finish of your choice.
David B
Hi SaltRiver,
Congrats on your first paint job. [:D][tup] Who here hasn’t had a “hiccup” on a paint project?
The final result looks good. What roadname decals (freelance or prototype) are you going to apply on to the body?
Great tips from David. The only thing I can add is that you can wash plastic model railroad car/loco shells with a mild soap, such as Dawn or Ivory Liquid. Avoid soaps that are anti-bacterials, and/or that contain lanolin and other moisturizing lotions.
The alcohol mentioned on the other threads that you’ve read was most likely the 91% suggested for paint stripping. A stronger chemical that can be used is the “Super Clean” sold at automotive parts stores. 70% alcohol can be used for flushing out airbrushes after spraying acrylic (water based) paint chemicals. For solvent based paints like Scale Coat and Floquil, lacquer thinner is a preferable airbrush cleaner.
Re: Your airbrush. Good that you’re getting practice with it. I’m not putting down rattle cans, as I’ve done a number of decent paint jobs with them, but I enjoy the control and “finessing” that airbrushes offer.
High Greens to you [4:-)]
A tip on masking-Spray your red base. (let dry) Apply masking tape for your black. Spray that tape edge with a coat of red first. Let dry and THEN spray your black coat. Let dry, then carefully remove tape. This will keep the black from leeching under the tape into your red.
A pretty good start though![tup]