cannon high hood help.

[smokie]

well i got the cannon & co 1101 high hood kit in & i need some help. at the risk of sounding like a moron, i don't know where half of these parts go.
pretty muck i know there are four right sides, one left, one top, one front, the sander valve doors, & the see through step. pretty much everything else i don't have much (if any) of a clue where they go.

can anyone help?

[Randy Earle]

There are detailed instructions that come with the kit. As far as some of the additional parts, the best thing is to study photos of the prototype you are building and copy it with the supplied parts.



Here is one I've installed on an Athearn GP-50. If you look you'll see I haven't put the lower doors or brake ratchet on yet. If you plan to install grab irons, I would drill out the holes before putting it all together. Some units don't have the brake ratchet on them. Some have different ratchets, some have brake wheels.

[Randy Earle]

Here you can see a bit of the hand brake ratchet installed on my SD-40.

[Randy Earle]

In building my Cheap Build SD-45, I've used photos like this as a reference.

[smokie]

well i feel pretty damn stupid now. i found the instructions, duh. lmao

[smokie]

well i have the nose complete. is it common for the new cannon nose to be about 1/16 of an inch shorter than the nose that came off the athearn sd40-2? the factory nose was a little longer, & it left a gap on the walkway in front of the hood. shouldn't be hard to fix, but i figured it would have been closer than it was.

[Randy Earle]

Your SD40-2 had an 88 inch nose more or less, the Cannon is a true to scale 81 inch. I've had to do a lot of filling on Athearn units because they aren't really to scale. At least the hoods aren't a foot wider than they should be like in the old days.

[smokie]

who makes a good filler? i've read the modeler filler isn't that great, & some people like use auto body spot putty. is that a good option?

[icghogger]

The auto body spot filler is an excellent choice. I have also used Sangyo's Mr. Putty, Mr. Dissolved Putty and Squadron's putty. I also keep laquer thinner and MEK on hand to thin whatever needs thinning. I use an artist's pallette knife on a square of marble flooring to mix the putty with the thinner to get the consistency I need for the job. It's better to build up the filler in thin layers, letting it dry between coats and sanding each layer to get the finish you want. Very tedious, but worth the time and effort.

[graftonterminalrr]

I use (red) Bondo Spot Putty straight from the tube for all my filling needs. You can get it at Walmart for under 5 bucks and a big tube will last a while.

When squeezed from the tube, it's about the consistency of peanut butter. I find that it spreads well with an applicator made from a piece of thick styrene, or perhaps a putty knife if you have one. You can also use an old, dull #11 X-Acto blade but be careful.

It takes about an hour to dry if applied thin. Thicker applications may require an overnight dry. Once dry, it has a nice, fine grain and sands well and easily if the sandpaper is slightly wet. Use 1000 grit or better; sometimes I finish sand with 2000 grit to bring the surface as close to the original styrene finish as possible.

[Randy Earle]

After the Bondo sets for a while, you may have to insert a stick into the tube and stir it up a bit.

[smokie]

well the cab is on & so is the hood. it looks real good to be my first time. the only thing I'm having trouble with is filling the holes athearn uses for body mounts. i tried to fill them with the spot putty, but when i filed them down it came out. so i filed a flat spot under the walkway, & glued in pieces of plastic (leftover high hood panels) & I'm letting it dry overnight. I'll dremel them down to size & putty over what's needed.

i gotta give you guys credit. those little small pieces are challenging to put together.

i don't know if i want a Southern tuxedo or Norfolk Southern. Norfolk Southern would be way easier.

should the frame be painted gloss black or a satin black?

[rdg5310]

A hole that size should always be plugged first with styrene. The spot putty should only be used to fill small gaps or blend imperfections or gouges. As far as the black goes, it all depends on what your plans are for finishing the model. I usually paint my frames with a flat black like floquil or model master flat. If you want it show room fresh, go with the satin or gloss, that's your choice.

[spike]

I have used wood filler. I think that it was Elmer's.
If you use model filler, you have to gob it on. It otherwise shrinks. The result is extra sanding.