This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
A gloss coat needs to be sprayed on the model before decaling (above). The glossy surface allows decals to adhere better to the model. CB&Q No. 941 was not long off the assembly line when this photo (below) was taken at EMD’s La Grange, Illinois, plant. By 1972, this former CB&Q GP30 had been renumbered into the Burlington Northern roster (page 60, bottom). Now ten years old, the red has faded a bit and the unit is covered by a coat of dirt and grime.


Spray the run in the direction of the bottom of the shell, like a welder makes a bead. The excess air will dry the area behind the run and the small amount of paint will help the run roll off the shell. Polly Scale levels well and you will have a hard time seeing where the run was. Normally one would paint the light- est colors first, then the darker ones. However, the gray will cover the red here. (I also tried to keep the red only on the sides.) Polly Scale dries relatively fast, but for best adhesion allow at least a cou- ple of hours before masking. You can use a hairdryer to help the process, but


COURTESY OF RAIL PHOTOS UNLIMITED: LA GRANGE, IL; MAY 2, 1962


I usually play it safe and wait until the next day. I have used a lot of masking medi- ums through the years, but I now pre- fer Tamiya’s low tack masking tape. I learned about it from an armor model- er. It has an incredibly sharp edge, and no prep work is needed. You just pull, cut and apply it.


Using photos as a guide I placed the tape just below the grilles, leaving the cab on and going around it. This en- sures that the color separation lines will match exactly. Once this was done I carefully cut the tape between the cab and the hood and lifted the cab free


for painting by itself. The Tamiya tape is somewhat flexible; be careful on the areas with straight lines. I made little tabs with the tape to make it easier to pull off, and I also burnished the edges so it would conform to the doors, hinges, etc., and be tight against the body. This can be done with a blunt toothpick, but don’t rub too hard. I was not concerned with covering the inside of the cab because it will be paint- ed gray later. The painting specs are the same as before: 16-18 p.s.i., 25 per cent thinner to 75 per cent paint, except when I do a second color with masking I spray at the lower p.s.i., 16 pounds, to keep the overspray to a minimum. I also spray away from the mask. This still makes a sharp line with the thin Tamiya tape and avoids building up paint against the masking or seep- ing under it. I sprayed a few light pass- es on the sides first, then went to the top, took one pass down the length of each side, then did a few passes cross- wise to get the fans and exhaust stacks. Do enough passes to build up a good coverage, but don’t go too heavy and create a “paint bridge” between the color and the masking. That will lift off the paint you just sprayed when the masking is removed.


The next step is important for a nice, sharp line: removing the mask. This can make or break everything, so you must work fast and carefully. As soon as you put down your airbrush, start removing the masking. Make sure your hands are free of paint and use a pair of non-lock- ing tweezers to grab the tape tabs you left earlier. Hold the dry part of the shell and pull the mask towards the paint you just sprayed. If you pull the mask towards the masked area, you risk getting a small amount of gray on the red. By pulling the mask towards


RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN


61


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100