This is a project I've been working on for well over three months, and finally finished. It started out as a stock, 1/29th scale Aristocraft RS-3:
I kitbashed it into a fictional, 1/24th scale narrow gauge RS-3 variant, for my In-ko-pah Railroad :
Here's a YouTube video showing it in action on my In-ko-pah Railroad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJvAk3onISY
And here are some more photos:
In addition to changing its appearance, I also installed an Aristocraft "Revolution" r/c receiver, a Phoenix PB9 sound board, and custom headlights.
This project took a LOT longer than I'd expected but it was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot along the way. Now that's it's finished I feel much more confidant about my modeling abilities.
There are a couple things I should have done differently. For instance, I didn't realize until too late, that the headlights are only slightly higher than the top of the handrails. I should have made the hood a little taller, and maybe made the handrails a wee bit shorter. Also, the weathering was originally intended to be a bit more subtle, but I had trouble achieving a "slightly dusty/sooty" look using thin washes of acrylic paints. An airbrush would have been more effective. But the final, heavier weathering was easier to achieve, and turned out reasonably well.
Many, many thanks to the folks on various forums who offered advice and tips, especially when it came to the electronics -- an area where I am typically in over my head.
.
Here's a photo showing the windshield wipers I made for this loco. They were made from bits of brass rod:
Nice looking model. I am curious though. It looks like you lowered the hoods. Any reason for this? Is this modeled after a specific prototype or is it just a modeling exersize. Anyhow, the work looks first rate, keep up the good work.
Dan
Thanks!
I was scaling this up, from a 1/29th scale standard gauge model, to a 1/24th scale narrow gauger. It's not patterned after any particular prototype but is intended to look like a smaller, narrow gauge variant of the RS-3.
In scaling it up, I wanted to reuse the existing hoods rather than having to model all those doors and such. I did add some material to the bottom edges of the hoods, making them a quarter inch (6 scale inches) taller. In retrospect, I probably should have made them a bit taller still, mainly because it would have given the headlights a little more clearance over the tops of the handrails.