1/35 BR-52 - Germany's WW2 Workhorse

[Buzzbomb]

...and sounds like a train.

There is always stuff like this
http://www.jimsmodeltrains.com/servlet/-strse-264/Steam-Engine-Digital-Sound/Detail

Terrific job.. you are using trainy terms I have never heard of.. Sand Taps
Hope you are wearing yor Casey Jones hat whilst building this

Terrific job though, as always.. love you work.

[Madhatter]

thanks Brian :)

Not too sure about the sound board though - $40.00 for 1 sound is a bit pricey for me. Good idea - just not a good price.

I have seen/read abut builds with these kinds of sound boards in them. There was even a 1/48 E2 that had a revolving radome and engines which also played the start up sounds when you switched on the engines. It was pretty cool I must admit! Can't remember who's it was though.

As for the "sand taps" - well, I think that's what they're called - I can't be sure. I do know they are connected to the sand lines and control the amount of sand that goes onto the tracks, so I'm assuming that's the correct term for them. Please feel free to correct me here!

[Old Wombat]

OK, looks like I may have been wrong regarding the orientation of the splinter stripes on trains.



by allesumsonst (here http://imgur.com/a/ir7Gu).

:)

With special thanks to Cliffy B for posting the original link in "Ideas & Inspirations - Land".

[Madhatter]

  usually one exception to the rule each time

I did contemplate doing that one but I  have the wrong tender type for it and besides, it's already been built a few times and even appears on the MIG Pigment packaging for their rail weathering set

[Queeg]

Very interesting build and I'm loving the camo ............

Brent

[Madhatter]

thank you Brent - I appreciate that :)
I'm really sorry I haven't updated this thread in a while - I have been busy with life, work, sick wife and child.....    aaaaand trying to complete an in between project that I was intending to take to expo (but after a recent windscreen malfunction, I know it won't win anything, so not sure why I am too concerned about finishing it)

I have also been trawling the net looking at some more sci-fi stuff (I really need to stop doing that) and I bought 2 more 2199 kits the other day from Japan which I am super excited about because they look damn amazing and a proper lighting and detailing job is just screaming to be done (also something else I need to stop doing - my wallet hates me right now)
But all in due course. What I wouldn't give for more hours in a day!
I am also looking for a cheaper Pegasus than what I find online, so I am hoping there will be one at Expo for me. I have some really good ideas for it and a new lighting technique I am busting to try out.
I will finish this engine though - as I said I would. I might be 50 by the time I do but it'll be done! 
See you again soon
Si

[Old Wombat]

.... I might be 50 by the time I do but it'll be done!  ....

Well, for me, that was a couple of years ago - therefore, you must be a youngster, like Volkodav.

[Volkodav]

I might be a young'un but with any luck Ill be retired before most of you 

[Madhatter]

.... I might be 50 by the time I do but it'll be done!  ....

Well, for me, that was a couple of years ago - therefore, you must be a youngster....

hahahaha - I'm not that young - I'll be 40 next year. I don't feel that old though. 

[Madhatter]

greetings - long time no update!

Yeah, sorry about that. It's taken nearly a month to get my hands on some more hex rod - and even then it didn't come from the store I got them from last time. Man they are useless! Obviously, they don't want my business - which suits me fine. I'm going to buy one of those RP Toolz Hex Punch sets and then I can make my own uniform height nuts. Much easier than cutting rod with a razor blade. 

During my time off from this, I have managed to knock out the Ace Combat SU-33 Yellow 13 and I even brought out the Moebius Galactica that Ii started a couple of years ago and never finished.

So, I thought I would do both projects simultaneously - working on either one on alternate weeks. Not sure if that's a wise idea or not.....time will tell

So, what have I actually done on this since I got my hex rod? In all honesty - not a lot, but I have finally managed to finish putting on the nuts on the frame and I've added the air hoses up front. There is also an electric box which I will connect up to the lights soon.  I'm also going to rust the insides of the frame and then do the whole hairspray thing and finally lay down the base black coat once I have attached the fenders and some other smaller fiddlier bits first.

Anyways, enough blabbing, time for a few pics - and I do mean just a few.











I've also had to add some strip styrene to the boiler supports so the boiler will actually rest on them - not hover just above them. They need shaping and sanding but that'll be done once it's all dried and cured.





Well, that's it. I did say it would be a small update! I'll continue working on this again tomorrow night and possibly Tuesday as well - time dependent.
Thanks for stopping by and it's back to your regularly scheduled programming :)
MH

[Brian da Basher]

Nice to see you back at this marvel on rail!

It looks more and more convincing with each update!

Brian da Basher

[Madhatter]

greetings all

Work continues on at the usual glacial pace. I am torn between continuing with this and starting one of the new 2199 kits I have. I still have the Galactica to finish yet, but seeing as no one (including me) seems to be too interested in that thread, I may just leave it for now and come back to it later.

Those issues aside, I have built up the cab plates and will start looking at scratching up the bits in the middle (I have no idea what they are called or even what they do - but they're there and Trumpeter haven't included those parts)

Just need to wait till it's all dried and then a quick sand will make it look good:









Front buffers are ow on:



And I have begun doing those steam things up front (I am soo not a train person - although I do know what they are called, the name escapes me right now):



Well, that's all for now. Will continue working on these tonight and might update again tomorrow - depending on how much I get done

Thanks for watching

MH

[Old Wombat]

Good to see the Mental Milliner doing awesome things to this train again! :)

[Madhatter]

hehehehe - someone has their thesaurus out   

Well, today saw some more progress (for lack of a better term) with the front lights wired up, the sand taps finished and added, some  piping added to the steam cylinders along with scratch built valves for the wires that run into the cylinders (that was a fun way to spend an hour - I quite enjoyed that part) and some other small details added like the shielding for the front lights and so on. I not only did I glue the valve taps in the wrong place, I also inadvertently filed off the handle holders from the hand wheels on the side under the sand taps, so had to quickly scratch those up too

Basically, lots of small things which took up a huge amount of time. Once the steam cylinder are finished I'll begin work on the cab - which is the part I am putting off for as long as I can as that part requires the most amount of work  (and is also the least visible so makes you wonder why do it - but I will because I am a schmuck like that)

Enough blabbing, here's the pics:























Well, that's all I have for now till next week. As always, thanks for stopping by and having a look

Till then

MH

[Old Wombat]

Crazy-detailed goodness! :)

(And I don't even like trains all that much! )

[Mark Aldrich]

Absolutely incredible work!!!!!

[Madhatter]

thanks fellas :)
Yeah, I was never an anorak for trains either and I still aren't, but I do like the BR52
Got an idea for a dio using: the 52, the 1/35 K5 Rail gun, the Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire, some fiber optic thread and a flasher unit  See if you can work it out.... mind you  - it isn't very hard to figure out 

[Brian da Basher]

I really like the brass details!

Brian da Basher

[Frank3k]

I'm another one who's train knowledge falls in the "the trains go choo-choo" camp, but this is a fascinating build and I'm following it with interest.

[Madhatter]

thanks guys - I'm glad it's interesting  - more than my daily commuter machine anyway

Well, work continues very slowly and tonight, I have finally finished the steam cylinders - well, at least 95% of them - I still need to fit the overflow pipes down the bottom but I'll wait until later to do those as I'll probably break them before long. It took longer than I thought because of the extra work that had to go into it, but I am pretty happy with how they've come out.

The lead wire is the hardest stuff to work with sometimes - it just doesn't want to stick to the plastic. I have removed the brass pipes and bent them where they should be bent, drilled out some really small resin nuts and re-fitted them through the center to make them much more sturdy and less likely to break off - like Ii did a few times before. I am a slow learner some times.....

I really want to start painting the inside of the frame but it's so cold here the man cave is more like a fridge. I really should stop moaning like a little princess and just suck it up and do it....

















They are by no means a work of art but I do think they look better than the OOB version in my humble opinion.

Well, that's all for now. I'll be starting the cab very shortly but I want to tidy up a few things on the frame before I do - like the front air hose connectors etc.

As always, thanks for stopping in

Till next time....

MH

[taiidantomcat]

I'm another one who's train knowledge falls in the "the trains go choo-choo" camp, but this is a fascinating build and I'm following it with interest.

Same here but man is this cool! Inspiring, has my wheels turning...

[Buzzbomb]

Just more terrific work.
Great attention to detail

[Madhatter]

thanks guys :)

greetings and salutations citizens of the world!

I spent a fair few hours on the drivers cab last night - filing off the piping and sorting out what resin stuff I'll need/use and attaching PE bits and bobs here and there.
I also decided to redo the floor as the Trumpeter one just doesn't look like wood. So, what's better than a wood look - real wood! So, it was off down to the local art store to buy a narrow sheet of 1mm balsa wood

I used kit part as a template and cut the shape out of thinner sheet styrene. I thin cut the balsa into narrow strips, again using the kit part as a guide to the size of the planks.
Once the strips were cut, I cut them all in irregular places to give them a more natural look when they were laid down.
The only concern I have now is how to weather balsa wood with out it completely soaking up a wash and it completely loosing it's nice natural colour. If you have any suggestions, I am all ears.











I won't get much more done tonight as I have a club committee meeting but I will endeavor to get more plumbing done.

Thanks for tuning in
MH

[Frank3k]

A couple of things I've tried:

1 - Use an ink (like sepia or similar) to stain the raw wood. Look for an alcohol based ink that'll evaporate quickly without warping the wood.

2 - Seal the wood (I like to use CA, but any varnish should be just as good), then paint with either the ink above or any other wood stain paint. I like CA because it soaks into the wood without affecting its shape.

[Madhatter]

Thanks for the tips Frank, I'll do just that.
I have also decided to bite the proverbial bullet and file off the molded piping that runs along the side of the boiler and replace it with brass. Not looking forward to that task