Ho Scale NS 6920 FINISHED!

[legostudios34]

Quick progress shot on NS 6920 tonight. All the decals on the engineers side are done, with the exception of Micro-Solling them.

Making Progress. by lego-studios34, on Flickr

[MagnumForce]

Very neat Baxter, who makes the cab?

[legostudios34]

Thanks Brent. I made the cab from styrene and a Detail Associates SD60M cab.

[MagnumForce]

The art of the kitbash is not dead! You get a gold star my young friend!

[ConrailMan5]

My question is was this cost competitive with the 3D printed version. At the end of the day you still have a lot of man hours detailing both, but with the 3D printed version I would assume you have less time spent actually sculpting the number boards, nose, and cab door. I would think it would save quite a bit of time and frustration.
That is very good work. I was honestly a bit surprised to see that that had started life as one of those sd60M cab kits. Well done!

[legostudios34]

My question is was this cost competitive with the 3D printed version. At the end of the day you still have a lot of man hours detailing both, but with the 3D printed version I would assume you have less time spent actually sculpting the number boards, nose, and cab door. I would think it would save quite a bit of time and frustration.
That is very good work. I was honestly a bit surprised to see that that had started life as one of those sd60M cab kits. Well done!

Thanks. I spent about 12 hours of actual work on the cab (not counting glue and putty drying time) and about $15 for the parts. I could have got a 3D printed one for something like $30 but I'd rather build it myself and I'm out of school for the summer so my time is unlimited.

[MagnumForce]

I'd rather build it myself too, way more fun.

[Saturnalia]

I'd rather build it myself too, way more fun.

It's too bad so much stuff comes right out of the box...even railcars. I enjoy putting the things together...used to do Blue Boxes...not no moe, unfortunately.

[SD80MAC]

I am part of the newer generation that prefers the instant gratification of ready to run models, I suppose. When I can go out and buy, say, a correct Conrail SD60I with marker lights and every imaginable road-specific detail already installed, with sound to boot, it makes no sense for me to spend hours upon hours trying to build one myself that won't look half as good as the factory model (obviously there isn't an RTR SD60E ((...yet)) so that argument doesn't apply here). I have high standards (call me a rivet counter, whatever) and my model-building skills don't live up to them Some would say this takes the "modeling" out of "Model Railroading". Not true. I simply prefer to focus my "modeling" on other aspects of the hobby, like weathering and scenery.

Very nice job on the SD60E.

[MagnumForce]

I never cared about scenery as I never even ran my stuff. A dummy was just as good as powered to me and I did awesome stuff with blue boxes and detail parts, was so fun.

[ConrailMan5]

I guess I'm kinda caught in the middle of SD80MAC and Brent on this one. I really enjoy taking a basic stock model (bachmann, train line blue box etc) and detailing it up, but I really hate to take a good expensive model and try to add more prototypical details for fear of screwing it up. I have this p2k rio grande SD50 that I tried to add some details to, and the results were less than satisfactory and irreversible. So having the worry free factory details is great in that regard. However I recently went on a ditch light and mu Hose spree on a bunch of my locomotives and it really is quite fun.
And like Braxton I'm in the middle of a project making a NS tophat dash 9, there's nothing more gratifying than doing your own work to a model that no one else really has. That's the fun in kit bashing for me.

[legostudios34]

I guess I'm kinda caught in the middle of SD80MAC and Brent on this one. I really enjoy taking a basic stock model (bachmann, train line blue box etc) and detailing it up, but I really hate to take a good expensive model and try to add more prototypical details for fear of screwing it up. I have this p2k rio grande SD50 that I tried to add some details to, and the results were less than satisfactory and irreversible. So having the worry free factory details is great in that regard. However I recently went on a ditch light and mu Hose spree on a bunch of my locomotives and it really is quite fun.
And like Braxton I'm in the middle of a project making a NS tophat dash 9, there's nothing more gratifying than doing your own work to a model that no one else really has. That's the fun in kit bashing for me.

I feel similar to ConrailMan5. I'm not going to cut up an expensive model to build something else since my funds are limited, but if I want something that no manufacturer makes in plastic, I'll get the stuff I need to build it. I'm planning to do some accurate NS Dash 9s (wide and standard cab) after I get done with this. Now take SD70ACes for example. The Athearn ones look amazing and are very accurate, so no reason for me to do anything to them other than maybe a paint job if it's not in a scheme I like.

I have determined that I'd rather have a Blue Box than a RTR SD40-2 or GP38/40. Those things are a ton of fun to detail.

[TrainWatcher]

I guess you can call me a middle of the road modeler. Some of the RTR is lacking or needs something to make it more prototypical, and the Bluebox needs quite a bit more. I recently just did a CR GP35 from Bachmann DCC On Board, adding the Sinclair Antenna, a 3 strap Details Assoc cab signal box and doing some minor decal work. As Jon said, I am NOT the best modeler, but I a all for small projects until I can handle something close to this. The SD60E cabs from Shapeways (3D Printing company) I hear are good, but need some work and will need added things to make them look right. I have been thinking about working on something like a cab replacement project in the future as my first one (a SOO SD60M Triclops) didn't come out great.

There is one kit/modification I want to build and that's a CN C40-8M or a CP SD40-2F. There is a Canadian company offering the kit for $100 and I think it might be the next full blown project I will buy and attempt to tackle.

[legostudios34]

Almost finished by lego-studios34, on Flickr

[j_c1987]

Wow! Just plain Awesome!

[legostudios34]

Finally got this finished this afternoon. Here are the shots I took today of it.

NS 6920 HO Scale by lego-studios34, on Flickr

NS 6920 HO Scale by lego-studios34, on Flickr

NS 6920 HO Scale by lego-studios34, on Flickr

NS 6920 HO Scale by lego-studios34, on Flickr

NS 6920 HO Scale by lego-studios34, on Flickr

NS 6920 HO Scale by lego-studios34, on Flickr

NS 6920 HO Scale by lego-studios34, on Flickr

[ConrailMan5]

What's going on with the frame Baxter?

[legostudios34]

Not exactly sure, when I push down right over where it is bent it sits down fine. I think I may have weakened it a little when I cut it for the cab to fit.

[ConrailMan5]

Did you cut the frame clips? I just finished an NS HH sd40-2. If I didn't cut the frame clips and glue the sill, hood, cab etc all as one piece it would sit similar to that. This was on a Kato base though. My other thought is that the frame is too tight on the shell. I read online that when doing a kitbash like that you need to file a little bit of frame off each end near the coupler. Could be that too.

[legostudios34]

No frame clips were there in the first place, the coupler boxes hold it on. I may try that about filing down the ends of the frame, I knew it seemed a little tight on there.