1/43 BR road runner crew van

[ChrisS]

16 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

I would have left the rear O/S corner as it was as 'accident damage'.

 

8 hours ago, fodenway said:

....I was just about to say that!

 

Thanks for the input - it would have certainly saved time filling and sanding!

 

4 hours ago, 37114 said:

It is really coming on Chris and will look nice when finished. I was looking at the SBT website earlier as I think I may have room for one if these on the layout extension, one thing which I have only just noticed is the top of the cab windscreen on the model curves down at the corners whereas it is flat on the real cab. It maybe something you can live with but from recollection Steve supplies glazing oversized so you could file the corners a but and redo the beading? 

 

 

 

Oh no - I'm now going to have to think about this. Just when I thought I was nearing the end of sorting the cab and crew body out.

 

I now can't unsee what you've pointed out - lol

 

[Steve_Beattie]

This made an interesting read and I'm sorry the O/P had a couple of issues most notably the floor which I can only appologies for letting it slip through. 

 

I can't give exact product details for fear of advertising but the floors on all four vans I do are now ABS or PLA FDM printed (In plain English stronger and dead flat!) as is the tail lift. 

 

Big thank you to the person who posted interior pics as well very usefull. Does anyone have pics of the inside of any of the Re-railing vans too?

[ChrisS]

On 16/03/2023 at 09:51, Steve_Beattie said:

This made an interesting read and I'm sorry the O/P had a couple of issues most notably the floor which I can only appologies for letting it slip through. 

 

I can't give exact product details for fear of advertising but the floors on all four vans I do are now ABS or PLA FDM printed (In plain English stronger and dead flat!) as is the tail lift. 

 

Big thank you to the person who posted interior pics as well very usefull. Does anyone have pics of the inside of any of the Re-railing vans too?

 

Thanks for the input Steve. Always good to hear about continuous improvement. Whilst there have been a couple of issues encountered, overall I'm enjoying the modelling - which is what it's all about.

 

On another note, as I could not unsee what was pointed out re: top of cab and windscreen shape, I took a deep breath and got the files out. It seems to have worked and improved the look, and looks more like the prototype.

 

 

Cab and crew body is now back in white primer - getting closer to a coat of yellow!

 

 

Till next time.

[37114]

That looks much better Chris! I bought a Dodge/early body today so look forward to getting on with it.

[ChrisS]

52 minutes ago, 37114 said:

That looks much better Chris! I bought a Dodge/early body today so look forward to getting on with it.

 

Thanks. I think I'd like an earlier version too. I didn't realise how long they lingered in the fleet. You'll have to start a thread for it.

[Steve_Beattie]

Top of the window screen? Hmm need to look deeper into this! 

 

[ChrisS]

Not too bad for the first coat of yellow. Looks a little better in the photo compared to reality - it will definitely need a few more coats.

 

 

 

[ChrisS]

I hate spraying yellow but seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Looks good in the photos but still might need a coat or two, and varnish as well.

 

I could not resist putting the cab and body on the chassis, and I'm liking the look of it.

 

 

 

 

After spraying yellow, glazing will be the next fun challenge!

 

Till next time.

[Steve_Beattie]

OK hint on the glazing. The screen is oversize and pre-formed so cut around the base and reduce the material bit by bit until it sit's nicely. Some 320 grit abrasive paper helps. Std PVA wood glue is a good adhessive and dries clear. 

Edited April 11, 2023 by Steve_Beattie
Typo.

[37114]

On 11/04/2023 at 23:09, Steve_Beattie said:

OK hint on the glazing. The screen is oversize and pre-formed so cut around the base and reduce the material bit by bit until it sit's nicely. Some 320 grit abrasive paper helps. Std PVA wood glue is a good adhessive and dries clear. 

Hi Steve, re the windscreen, should my Dodge Commando have come with a pre formed windscreen as well please? There wasn't one in the bag but didn't know if this was intentional? Ta

[darrel]

Looks great pity no one does these rtr in 00 gauge. 

[37114]

4 hours ago, darrel said:

Looks great pity no one does these rtr in 00 gauge. 

I had similar thoughts when I modelled in 4mm, Oxford did some BR vehicles but never the crew vans. RTI do the bodies/chassis but they are obviously kits rather than RTR.

[Steve_Beattie]

15 hours ago, 37114 said:

Hi Steve, re the windscreen, should my Dodge Commando have come with a pre formed windscreen as well please? There wasn't one in the bag but didn't know if this was intentional? Ta

Hi no those don't it's only the Leyland 45/150's and Cargo's that do. 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Steve_Beattie
Spelling error

[37114]

17 minutes ago, Steve_Beattie said:

Hi no those don't it's only the Leyland 45/150's and Cargo's that do. 

No problem, thanks Steve.

[ChrisS]

I've finally finished spraying yellow - yay!

 

Now starting to do all the detail bits including the rubbing strips and trims etc - still a work in progress, particularly the cab. I have some BR logos and lettering from Railtech to apply too.

 

 

 

 

Its looking a bit toy like at the moment but some weathering will help i think.

 

The finish line is getting closer, albeit at a relaxed pace!

[37114]

Looking really good Chris!

[ChrisS]

It now has a face.

 

Close up photos can be so cruel - It's funny what you see in a photo but not in reality!

 

This is only the first coat and I'll try to tidy up some of the black lines- I did use Tamiya masking tape which is normally quite good. From a distance it looks ok.

 

I've painted the interior to interpret the plastic, door cards and cloth trims too. 

 

[Steve_Beattie]

I feel your pain. Everytime I make a demonstrater I think 'that's ok', then take some pics on my ageing Samsung S5 and - oh dear!

 

As you can see by the parade of spills below! They look ok from a distance trust me. 

[markwilson]

It’s looking incredible - well done!

[ChrisS]

7 hours ago, markwilson said:

It’s looking incredible - well done!

 

Thanks for the feedback Mark - much appreciated.

 

I've been applying the varnish coat to the cab and body, so hopefully another up-date soon.

 

[ChrisS]

Getting very close to the finish line.

 

The original kit wing mirrors were never going to last as they are very fragile. So I decided to mount them on some scrap wire.

 

Oh how l laughed when I realised I'd drilled a hole in the wrong place! I guess the same rule should apply to drilling as it does cutting- measure twice and drill once :-O

 

A tiny bit of filler applied and a small touch up will be needed.

 

 

Oh well - Till next time.

[ChrisS]

I couldn't put it off any longer, so I've made a start on the cab glazing. 

 

I covered the glazing with masking tape and cut the plastic to a rough size. I then temporarily stuck it in place and traced the shape of the windows from within the cab - using a very sharp pencil. 

 

 

After trimming, filing and test fitting many times, I now had all the glazing done.

 

 

I used a paint brush to apply the canopy glue to the window frames before fitting each window. I tried to tidy up any excess but from experience this glue does dry quite clear. Due to its size i temporarily secured the front screen with tape whilst it dries. Hopefully everything will look good in natural light.

 

I may have to re-visit the front screen as I've noted a dent in the plastic. It's not visible in the photo but I know it's there!

 

 

The glue in the rear windows has already gone clear in the following photo but you can still see the glue in the side window.

 

 

On another note..........

 

 

Till next time.

 

 

Edited May 15, 2023 by ChrisS
Pic in wrong place

[ChrisS]

I think I might re-visit the front screen at a later date as I think I can improve on it. There was some excess glue hidden under the tape used to hold the screen in place (left side in photo) which i didnt see when initially tidying it up - but for now it's done. 

 

Added the wipers and wing mirrors and it still looks quite good IMO. Still to finish the headlights.

 

 

Looks quite good on the chassis too. 

 

 

 

Will hopefully be able to start the glazing on the crew body soon.

 

Till next time.

[Steve_Beattie]

I'd be interested to learn a bit more about these van interiors as they all seem to be quite different. I guess just providing a basic set allowing the modeller to customise works. 

[ChrisS]

 

Glazing part 2 - on the home straight.

 

I should mention the crew van body was gloss varnished and transfers added the other week. It then had a coat of satin varnish too. I'd also painted and varnished the frames and window seals separately.

 

There is a recess around the widows that would allow the glazing to be sandwiched between the frame and body, but following filing, painting and varnishing, the recess was not deep enough in places and caused the frames to sit proud. 

 

Using the same method on the crew body as what I did for the cab, I covered the plastic sheet in masking tape and using a sharp cut down pencil I traced the outline of the windows from within the body.

 

 

The windows were individually cut, test fitted and labelled for orientation. On a side note I also painted the cupboards and combi oven. I added wire handles to them too. These were subsequently installed. You can't see much of them when fitted but at least I know they are there.

 

 

Using tiny amounts of super glue I stuck the frames and window seals to the body first.

 

 

Using the canopy glue i installed all the windows from within the body. I also painted the door handles as I'd forgotten to do this before varnishing the body.

 

 

 

 

Overall I'm quite pleased how it looks.

 

Till next time.