Post by fr8kar on Mar 20, 2017 17:07:25 GMT -5
I just can't pass up a good deal on an Atlas C30-7. After solving the problem of adding the extra grilles in the radiator section on my NS C36-7 build...
...I decided it was a good time to try the slightly different Mopac version. I looked on ebay and there was a cheap C30-7 waiting for me.
The first step was to strip the paint. Next, I cut out everything below the radiator wings and installed the Smokey Valley dynamic brake box and Hi-Tech grilles. I have also added a nose from a U23B. The cab is from an Atlas B23-7, but later on I decided against filling in the corner windows and started with a different cab (it might be from the same U23B... I lost track).
I actually mounted the Hi-Tech grilles too low; maybe 0.040" higher would have been better. The dynamic brake box is too short vertically, so it exacerbates this problem. I would rather have the top of the dynamic brake box be at the correct height than have too little of a "bump" on the roof, so the large grilles and the dynamic box have a fair bit of smooth hood between them. Until I solve the dynamic brake box problem by printing a better one, I don't see any point in worrying about the position of the grilles.
Here I've added the printed radiator section with the extra grilles. It was primed white before installation:
The other thing I had to do for this model was the large fuel tank. Like the radiator section this is also printed by Shapeways in their Frosted Ultra Detail acrylic material. I used drawings by Jeff Capps from the Diesel Era article on the Mopac C36-7 fleet to create the CAD file for the fuel tank. Here are some shots of the entire model in gray primer:
Finally, I have the model in Scalecoat II UP yellow.
I like to hold the freshly painted parts in my hand near a space heater to flash off the solvent and get the paint to lay thin, but sometimes I don't realize just how warm the heater is. The thin sliding window frames ended up melting a bit, so they will be carved out to model open windows. I model Texas, so open windows are the norm as long as it's not raining.
I'll give this model (and the C30-7 that's poking its nose in the last photo) a week or two to cure and get ready for the gray paint.
...I decided it was a good time to try the slightly different Mopac version. I looked on ebay and there was a cheap C30-7 waiting for me.
The first step was to strip the paint. Next, I cut out everything below the radiator wings and installed the Smokey Valley dynamic brake box and Hi-Tech grilles. I have also added a nose from a U23B. The cab is from an Atlas B23-7, but later on I decided against filling in the corner windows and started with a different cab (it might be from the same U23B... I lost track).
I actually mounted the Hi-Tech grilles too low; maybe 0.040" higher would have been better. The dynamic brake box is too short vertically, so it exacerbates this problem. I would rather have the top of the dynamic brake box be at the correct height than have too little of a "bump" on the roof, so the large grilles and the dynamic box have a fair bit of smooth hood between them. Until I solve the dynamic brake box problem by printing a better one, I don't see any point in worrying about the position of the grilles.
Here I've added the printed radiator section with the extra grilles. It was primed white before installation:
The other thing I had to do for this model was the large fuel tank. Like the radiator section this is also printed by Shapeways in their Frosted Ultra Detail acrylic material. I used drawings by Jeff Capps from the Diesel Era article on the Mopac C36-7 fleet to create the CAD file for the fuel tank. Here are some shots of the entire model in gray primer:
Finally, I have the model in Scalecoat II UP yellow.
I like to hold the freshly painted parts in my hand near a space heater to flash off the solvent and get the paint to lay thin, but sometimes I don't realize just how warm the heater is. The thin sliding window frames ended up melting a bit, so they will be carved out to model open windows. I model Texas, so open windows are the norm as long as it's not raining.
I'll give this model (and the C30-7 that's poking its nose in the last photo) a week or two to cure and get ready for the gray paint.