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Heljan announces the development of a Class 50


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  • 2 weeks later...

Has anyone got any idea how you attach the snow plows to the 50? There are holes in the plow moulding and suitable holes in the chassis casting but they don't appear to be threaded and there are no screws!

 

 

Edited by admiles
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  • 2 weeks later...
7 hours ago, delticfan said:

What do you use to strip off the paint I’m going to respray my old green 37 into br blue, sorry I don’t have a body to swop.


I soaked my class 33 in neat Dettol, make sure 5o wear gloves when you handle it though....dried my skin out

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1 hour ago, 47606odin said:


I soaked my class 33 in neat Dettol, make sure 5o wear gloves when you handle it though....dried my skin out

Ok thanks was trying to work out what paint they had used either acrylic, lacquer or enamel, I’m guessing a type of acrylic maybe.

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Right then, I am now at the stage that I need to number my LLB example.

I know in the Railtec instructions it says that a shine is good but since the bodyside is fairly satin in finish can I get away without polishing a patch of bodyside or will I be left with an outline where the decal sits?

 

Does everyone spray the whole side with a varnish after applying decals? This obviously depends alot on handling but it wont be picked up and handled by the numbered area anyway.

 

Ive done lots of decalling on 00 and H0 models over the years with great results but any mistakes on an expensive 0 model is making me nervous of jumping straight in to this one!

Thank you for any advice.

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6 hours ago, Gary H said:

Right then, I am now at the stage that I need to number my LLB example.

I know in the Railtec instructions it says that a shine is good but since the bodyside is fairly satin in finish can I get away without polishing a patch of bodyside or will I be left with an outline where the decal sits?

 

Does everyone spray the whole side with a varnish after applying decals? This obviously depends alot on handling but it wont be picked up and handled by the numbered area anyway.

 

Ive done lots of decalling on 00 and H0 models over the years with great results but any mistakes on an expensive 0 model is making me nervous of jumping straight in to this one!

Thank you for any advice.

It's a lovely model; I hope you enjoy yours.  I applied my Railtec transfers direct to the factory-finished body, then weathered it, and have not found the transfer vulnerable to handling or conspicuous.  I did not apply any protective varnish (largely because I couldn't;t be fagged to effect the resulting masking.  I'd get those transfers on and enjoy your new purchase, if I were you!

 

PM

 

 

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22 hours ago, blueeighties said:

Hi. IPA.

Thanks how strong? Have heard 99.9% can damage plastic, and what make of acrylic or lacquer paint would you suggest for br blue and warning panel yellow? I’m an aircraft modeller usually and airbrush a lot using mr hobby paints.

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1 hour ago, delticfan said:

Thanks how strong? Have heard 99.9% can damage plastic, and what make of acrylic or lacquer paint would you suggest for br blue and warning panel yellow? I’m an aircraft modeller usually and airbrush a lot using mr hobby paints.

I've stripped several Heljan O gauge models with IPA - 99.9% but diluted to about 90% - not accurately diluted though, just a splosh of water. Not had any problems. Usually leave it to soak for 24 hours and then attack with a toothbrush - just don't forget how flammable this stuff is though!! I spray using Railmatch enamels - good match for Heljan colours, but mainly because decanting from their glass bottles is less messy than decanting from tinlets!

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22 hours ago, philiprporter said:

I've stripped several Heljan O gauge models with IPA - 99.9% but diluted to about 90% - not accurately diluted though, just a splosh of water. Not had any problems. Usually leave it to soak for 24 hours and then attack with a toothbrush - just don't forget how flammable this stuff is though!! I spray using Railmatch enamels - good match for Heljan colours, but mainly because decanting from their glass bottles is less messy than decanting from tinlets!

Yep....agreed! I add 10% water to the 99% pure IPA. Works very effectively. For me anyways. I use Phoenix and Railmatch enamels.

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8 minutes ago, delticfan said:

Sorry to stray off topic but I’ve just got some railmatch enamels, what ratio of thinners to paint do you use, was going to try 50/50 sprayed at 15psi to start with, I’m using a 0.35 Iwata.

I'm not an expert (far more experienced people on here, some of whom respray for a living) but I spray at about 12psi with a 0.4 Harder and Steenbeck Evolution and I have never measured amount/ratio of thinners to paint, but follow the advice in George Dent's book - if it drips off the stirrer without 'encouragement' (as opposed to cascading off because its too thin) then that's about right. The usual advice is the consistency of milk, but I go a bit thinner than that (plus it depends what sort of milk you drink and are comparing your thinned paint to!).

 

Also critical to do many light coats and to not spray from too far away - which was my biggest mistake when starting out and gives rise to a rough finish because the paint dries before it hits the model.  The other bit of advice I had to learn the hard way is to never, ever rush anything when airbrushing. 

 

Hope that helps. 

Edited by philiprporter
typo
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1 hour ago, delticfan said:

Thanks for that, it’s just I do loads of acrylics and lacquers but enamels sound pretty much sounds similar. I’ll try on plastikard first. I’m spray too close lol but it does help, cheers.

My apologies - I thought you were starting out - sorry. 

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5 minutes ago, philiprporter said:

My apologies - I thought you were starting out - sorry. 

Every time I pick up the airbrush it feels like I’m starting out so each new paint is always tested on card to see how it fairs. I started using syringes to be able to be more consistent, I get them on eBay for pennies. 

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Ok, controversial post time. 'Dons tin hat and ducks for cover'. The Heljan 0 gauge class 50. I will freely admit, I have a very good working relationship with Heljan, so may be slightly biased. But I'm being honest here. I have just spent a good couple of hours masking a couple of locos cab ends off ready for respraying. It's always nice getting a shell down to bare plastic.....it's interesting to see how over the years design and mouldings have improved. The thing that struck me here is the complications of the windscreen area....I have never seen as many angles, curves, and layers....they have been an absolute nightmare to mask properly. Just makes me wonder if all of the folk who are only too happy to moan at the first published picture of a new model have actually inspected the thing up close, and stood next to the real thing to properly compare. And over to you.......

50s.jpg

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4 hours ago, blueeighties said:

Ok, controversial post time. 'Dons tin hat and ducks for cover'. The Heljan 0 gauge class 50. I will freely admit, I have a very good working relationship with Heljan, so may be slightly biased. But I'm being honest here. I have just spent a good couple of hours masking a couple of locos cab ends off ready for respraying. It's always nice getting a shell down to bare plastic.....it's interesting to see how over the years design and mouldings have improved. The thing that struck me here is the complications of the windscreen area....I have never seen as many angles, curves, and layers....they have been an absolute nightmare to mask properly. Just makes me wonder if all of the folk who are only too happy to moan at the first published picture of a new model have actually inspected the thing up close, and stood next to the real thing to properly compare. And over to you.......

50s.jpg

 

Ok i'll bite, :)

 

If people hadn't been only too happy to moan would they have gone to the trouble and expense of redesigning the tooling?!

 

I know what you mean tho - for example the problems a number of manufacturers have had in all scales doing a decent 47 tends to suggest its not easy. Then again neither is brain surgery but you still expect anyone having a crack to be reasonably good at it!

 

ps why are you respraying them?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Hal Nail
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Yes that's right - this is the redesigned front which went into production. If us modellers hadn't spoken up it wouldn't have been so good and on this occasion thankfully Heljan listened (which hasn't always been the case in the past).

 

A lot have had to be resprayed by modellers as they didn't make enough of the large logo livery. 

Edited by deltic17
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