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I'm going to do kitbash tomorrow AM. Please keep comments until I say all clear. There are almost two dozen photos and I won't comment until I'm done. Hard job. Jim
Kitbashing is one of the overlooked fun things to do in our hobby. HO scale has just about everything available, but not always. Other scales have even more limitations. Here's a pic of my first kitbash:
This is from 2007.
This one from 2008:
This Shay shows a different kind of 'bash,' shrinking. In this case N scale to Z Scale. Hard, but rewarding. Jim
Today let's take a look at this photo again and see what I can do with this Bmann caboose that I consider a bit too large.
Sorry, I didn't take a 'regular' photo of the caboose before hand. First we have to carefully take the caboose apart and see 'how it works.' This is an O Scale narrow gauge On30, runs on HO track project.
After some studying it is time for a commitment and a saw. Sharper the better I might add.
After more sawing, up seams if possible, we discover more issues about our project. In this case electricity.
Finally the car is apart. In a project like this you have to decide how big you want your car and find the best area on it to make your cut. For a 'woody' like this seams are natural cut lines. On steel cars it is best to cut just to the side of a rivet line. Most of these cuts can be covered up it you weather your cars. On this project I'm NOT doing this for some NMRA level award so I'm the only judge of my work. Folks that attend the next open house may not even notice this caboose isn't simply store bought, or maybe they will. So, I will try hard to make it right.
Sand the part of the caboose you're keeping.
Because of electicity in this car extra thought is required to make sure this will all fit in the new model.
Finally it is all apart. I can't emphasize enough the importance of sitting back and studying and thinking out your reconstruction process. As with most of these projects something will not fit and modifications will have to be made.
Here's the section I cut out. Always make two cuts and don't mess with the ends of your car. Here I've taken the time to test paint for the new car. This paint is Tester's Tan in a small rattle can.
Now it is time for reassembly. Sanding the steams is tedious but necessary. Try to match your parts together a close as possible. Here is a photo of 'matching' parts from the inside of the car.
And here it is clued and viewed from the outside of the car. You can see the saw seam on the smooth car top, but not on the wooden sides.
Once the car body is glued together you best check to see if it all fits. Naturally it will because you carefully measured and test fit the pieces before gluing.
The previous rebuilding is fun and rewarding. The next bit is not hard but seems to tax most of our skills, and that is shortening the chassis. Again careful measuring is a must. 100th of an inch too short is okay as is a 100th to long, you can sand that. Better too long than too short on any sawing. Here the first step is cut away struts.
I will hope you use a saw sharper than mine. Sharper the better. The reason is that when you cut these pieces apart you will have to fill them with 'green' putty from your LHS. I forgot to take a picture of this filler on the car body, but it will show up when we get to the roof section of this project.
Finally the chassis is glued together. I use epoxy gel for all plastics. I've added some lead 'thread' for weight over the trucks. I had to Dremel saw the original metal car weigh down to make it fit. Again, measure and test fit every step. Hovering is the shortened car interior. The weight will have to be affixed to the bottom of the interior piece.
Now we come to the electrics. This job came out simpler than I thought. I did have to sand a few nobs down to get it to fit, but after soldering the wires it works!
Up until now the work, while challenging, is doable by most of use. The roof is where the real test is. Sawing and fitting before gluing is the key here.
Here you can see the 'green' putty I put on the seams. I did this last night and still have to sand it. I will go do this now.
Great Job on the caboose, Jim. Would it have been possible to cut the roof next to the cupola, to avoid the seam in the middle of the roof or would it be too hard to cut it there? Just thought that might save a little work, if it is doable.
RL, Absolutely. I've done that before. The problem with this car was the electrical components, they didn't look like they would fit so I chose the more difficult route.
Here is a photo similar to the one at the beginning showing the caboose in action. Jim
Some final thoughts. This was fun. Some folks don't like working with plastic. Too expensive if you make a mistake. Wood is more forgiving and if you goof something up it is usually replaced with a new piece. Not so in plastic. You've made your purchase, in this case $40, and that is why I stress thinking, studying, and measuring before each step and before gluing. I seem to have drifted off to wood scratch building in the past few years. It was good to try my sore old fingers on plastic again. Hope you learned a thing or two. This project is not finished yet. There is lettering and weathering to get it the way I first envsioned. I'll show you the final caboose pic down the road. Jim
The caboose looks much better shortened. It just looks a lot better in a logging train. The original looked like it belonged on a main line with a larger loco pulling it. This seems to fit in much better. Looks great sitting on the rails.
I was just wondering if you have, somewhere in the thread mentioned how you do your ground cover as well as what you use for it. I don't remember seeing anything on it, but the thread is getting so large it is getting pretty hard to find things. Pretty soon you will have to put in an index. Your groundcover, trees and bushes are what stands out the most to me, in your layout. I would really like to see how you do yours. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge with the rest of us. Ron
