Resin Kits

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Hi,

I have been modeling the CNJ for a few years now. I have done my share of the “Time Saver” type kits and I’m getting bored with them. I have also done some kit bashing so I thought it was time to pick up a resin kit. This is a first for me so any tips would be great. The kit is a Funaro & Camerlengo 40’ Composite Gondola.

Thanks,

Danielle

2

Take you time. And use the medium viscosity CA (the 10 to 15 second stuff). The water thin CA just runs all over, and you’ll end up gluing the car to your hand.

Some say painting can be a little tricky too, although, we’ve never had any problems with Floquil or Polly S.

Most of the time you’ll also need to provide couplers, coupler boxes and trucks.

Resin kits tend to be light, as well. So look for places to add weights. Metal trucks, and wheel sets are a good start. Another good place to hide weight is in a load, or under a false floor.

Nick

3

Thanks for the info

I did pick up metal trucks and wheel sets and as for couplers I was told the old #5s will do.

Thanks again,

Danielle

4

I recently built one of these gons for a friend. Here’s a few things that I did which should help:

  1. Build the entire body, and then fit the underframe into it. It’s the only way to get the sides square.
  2. Don’t forget to scribe on board detail to the inside of the gon; it looks horrible without it.
  3. Instead of using the resin floor, replace the deck with A-line sheet lead. Scribe board detail onto both sides, and you’ll have a decent looking floor AND a resin gon that’s weighted properly.
  4. Drill all the grab holes (there aren’t many) after the body and floor have been assembled.
  5. Assemble the underframe details last. Keep in mind that K brakes were banned from interchange after 1952, so you might want to upgrade the kit with AB brakes (Tichy or Bowser). Don’t be aftaid of the brake rigging; it’s just a little bent wire and ACC. If this is your first time superdetailing an underframe, keep it simple: don’t bother with the train line, the brake lever chains, or with modeling the linkages perfectly. Plain wire added to holes drilled into the brake clevises and bolsters will do just fine (and most resin builders never get past that!)
  6. Don’t bother using dish soap to clean the model, as it leaves a residue. Just use some 70% isopropyl alcohol and a soft toothbrush, give it a light scrubbing, and rinse it with lukewarm tap water. Let the model dry fully before painting.
  7. If you have access to one, do lightly sand blast the entire model. Believe me, it really helps the overall look (and you can remove excess ACC with it!). Since I’ve got a LOT of resin cars to build (100+) I invested in a Paache air eraser, which is a mini sand blaster. It works great.
  8. Primer, paint, glosscoat, decals, weathering, dullcoat.

Hope this helps!

5

Thanks,

I wondered if the dish soap would leave a residue. I picked up this kit because I got bored with the so called “time saver” kits. One of the problems I’m having is the directions are not very clear. They tell you they give you K breaks but they don’t tell you how to assemble them. Are there any sites that have a detailed drawing of the break assembly.

Thanks,

Danielle

6

I bought two of Funaro and Camerlengo’s “Big Otis” drop-bottom gondolas last year and assembled one last winter-not a time-saver kit for sure. The second kit awaits this coming winter when I have the time, patience and mood to tackle it. I reckon I spent about 30 hours on the kit, my first resin effort, including painting and decals. To add to previous recommendations, I learned that it’s a good idea to keep like- parts together as they are cut from the main resin sheet and edges cleaned up by filing and sand paper (avoid breathing the dust). By studying the drawings very carefully I eventually matched the detail parts to the drawings, a bit like a jig saw puzzle. I did wash the parts in dilute dish washing liquid but did thoroughly rinse a number of times after soaking in fresh water. I used thin CA for most parts and some Testors airplane glue - the CA was a pain for me. I brush painted with Polly Scale Tarnished Black. Applying the tiny reporting mark decals, particularly on the ends, was tricky needing steady hands and a magnifying visor. I weighted the gondola with pennies expoxied in place and covered with plastic coal pellets. With Kadee Andrews trucks and Kadee #5’s installed the finished gondola weighs an impressive 6.75 ounces, heavier than the NMRA’s recommendation for a 6 inch long car of 4 ounces. I’ll make the second Big Otis closer to the NMRA recommendation. A photo is posted on modelrailroadphotos.com (see below).

[:)]

7

Thanks

Great Pics!! Your gon came out great. Good luck on the next one.

Thanks again,

Danielle

8

Frankly, all resin instructions suck. F&C’s are horrible, but at leasr they give you a decent line drawing to work with. Westerfield’s instructions are long, but suck too: lots of good proto data, but the model photos are black blobs. They have them on the website, and they’re much clearer. Sunshine includes lots of good photos of prototype cars, and a couple of decent shots of assembled models, so you can muddle through with them. But for the most part, you’re left on your own when it comes to resin instructions. It’s best to have a high-end plastic car around (Intermountain, Tichy, etc) when assembling a resin car, just for reference!

The brake sets that F&C uses are from Tichy, which makes the nicest brake detail sets in the industry. But don’t worry; you never use 90% of what’s in the kit! I’d order a new set from Tichy ($3.00) to get their instruction sheet, and keep it as reference.

Essentially, K brakes are REALLY simple. You’ve got the reservoir, the two brake levers, and a bunch of wire. I don’t know of any K brake diagrams online though.

9

I produce resin loco conversion kits (ALCo RS-3m and L0Nose RS-11). I have never had a problem with washing with detergent and warm water, just make sure you rinse thoroughly. An automotive primer is a great base to paint on. For gluing, if you need more time for adjustment, use a 5 minute epoxy (like JB Kwick) - it cures to the same consistency as the resin and can be carved, drilled and sanded.

10

Thanks everyone I really do appreciate all the help.

Danielle

11

I went to Tichy’s website and found a nice detailed drawing of the K breaks.

I am still going to order the Tichy parts for the instruction sheet though.

Thanks for the great idea!!

Danielle