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1/35 Trumpeter BR86 Dampflok


bangle

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Hi,

I bought this model as an impulse buy in the hannants tent about 2 years ago at one of the Duxford air shows. At the time I had lots of models to build so I wasn't looking too hard at the kits but temptation seemed to find me anyway. When I got home I realised (yet again) that Trumpeter had very cleverly boxed the item to look extremly appealing, but of course as soon as I began to do some research I realised that work needed to be done to bring it up to scratch. Other than the usual inconveniently placed ejector moulding pin circles that you come to expect from most trumpeter kits, there was also the considerable problem of size. Many of the moulded on details are just plain chunky.

Fortunately for me (but not my wallet) Eduard came to my rescue in their Big Ed set. Now I had 8 sheets of photoetch to improve my model with. But still that wasn't enough, so back to the internet where I found Libor's fabulous build log of the very same model which ultimately led to me purchasing all of his 5 resin sets from LZ models for the loco (cue more misfortune for the wallet). Now this man is somewhat of a detail specialist and his resin sets are quite something. The only flaw being that the instructions on where to put all the parts still confuses me but I suppose that as these are his very first commercial resin sets that he produced so I can't expect them to be perfect. Below is a good example though of the improvement i'm going to get from using the resin instead of the kit parts, (this is a part of one of the domes on top of the boiler).

resincomparison.jpg

And here's all the resin sets

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I also intend to build a diorama base for it so I also bought a water pump and some scenic materials. All of this adds up to a LOT of stuff!

The kit

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All the extras together

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Anyway enough about all that and back to the actual build. I've done a few of my own modifications to the kit (mainly removing things and making holes!)

boilersofar.jpg

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After all that I eneded up taking a long break from this model. It stalled because I wanted to buy some metal rails and attach them to the diorama base so I could make sure that all my wheels were going to sit on the rails (I notice the little wheels at the front and back hanging in mid air in quite a few built versions!). I'd decided that it would be best to do any required adjustments before i got down to painting. Unfortunately of the 2 companies online that do what I want the one that I chose didn't seem all that keen on sending me only 2 pieces of track. I asked them for a price, they gave me one then I asked them about payment methods (it wasn't at all clear on their site) then I never did get a reply.

I was going to phone but I just never did, the model got packed into a box after a few months and there it lay for about a year and half. The model came back out of the box a couple of weeks ago and I became determined that this time it will get done! Ironically I still haven't got those rails, it's been about 2 weeks after David phoned in my order and gave his payment details and I haven't got an order and I haven't been charged for one! It's time to phone them up again....

Rail troubles aside I began by building the bunker at the back (at least I think that's it, railway terminology is not my strong point) and adding the photo etch. I also did a bit of work removing and thinning some over exaggerated detail. At the moment i'm beginning to work on the cab, I got my photoetch glued to my roof yesterday

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and i've begun to contemplate the boiler.

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At the moment it's pretty simple and in some places inaccurate, the photo etch and resin will add a considerable amount of detail but I still need to work on some elements and work out which of the extra parts go where, what I need to scratch build and what order I need to do things in. In short a lot of thinking!

Anyway I hope you enjoyed my introduction to my latest creation and that it isn't too long!

Amanda

Edited by bangle
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Will certainly be following this. You've got a lot of extras to go with the kit so should be stunning in the end.

And yes, bunker is the correct term for the coal space, well in English at least, no idea what it is in German......

As for the rail if you have a problem have a look here

http://www.ehattons.com/33443/Peco_Products_SL_800_1_yard_91_4cm_length_of_Code_200_Wooden_sleeper_nickel_silver_flexible_track/StockDetail.aspx

It's not quite the right scale and the gauge is slightly too wide but you might be able to use the rail on it's own or I believe its possible to cut a small bit out of each sleeper and re-join it to the correct gauge. Having seen the detail you putting in don't think you'd find it a big problem. And if you use this track you could use "real" ballast in stead of the dismal moulded Trumpeter track base.

Anyhow will be following this.

Cheers

Stu

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yeah nice! I have the BR52 ready to start next along with Libor's resin upgrades, the Eduard PE set and even 1/35 scale coal (yes, I know - weird but much better than that molded excuse Trumpeter would have you use)

Like you, I find Libor's instructions a little hard to follow and it seems he stopped mid way through, but there are heaps of photos online to help out. his craft is very high quality.

Whilst they aren't the same engines, I'll still be following along on your build all the same.
Si

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Even 1/35th coal

Aaagh! Please don't use moulded coal, it's usually far too regular and difficult to get looking right. Use either real coal or barbecue charcoal, stick it in a plastic bag and pound into irregular lumps. It "scales down" surprisingly well and looks real.

Stu

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Yes I plan avoiding the trumpeter base altogether and using real stones and i've also bought some imitation coal for the bunker so you're not alone Si! I wish i'd have thought of bashing up actual coal though, it probably would have been cheaper, the stuff i've got seems to be made from rubber bark or similar, I can't really expaln it. It's really light and kind of bouncy. If it's under or over scale I could still use that idea though. The BR 86 doesn't come with anyting to fill the top of the bunker so I had to find something anyhow.

I've also made some sleepers out of walnut already (see the pic with the photo etch on) and a rail guide (the comb like thing next to them) so i'm all set apart from the rails themselves. I suppose I could buy some complete track and tear it to shreds to get what I want if this company don't want to get their act in gear. I did find a 1:35th scale track section from this company

http://project.armor35.ru/product/accessories.html

but I couldn't seem to work out A if it was actually what I wanted B how much and C whether you could get them in the UK. As a result I just went for the rail and some rail chairs. Although if they're rubbish then I may end up doing some experiments with resin casting as I have already gone as far as to try and make a workable prototype to cast.

Even though the BR86's are much smaller than the 52's I notice there's a lot in common between the two. I think the Germans like to keep things all uniform and practical.

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Oh this is so nice! I very much look forward to following this! I have been very tempted by one of these, and almost bought one with most AM-parts going with it a year ago (as if I didn't have enough in my stash and on my project shelf...). I still regret that I didn't... That intro is absolutely not too long, please show us more as you progress. :thumbsup2:

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I've got this, the BR-52 and BR-57 in the stash, so will certainly be watching this build. I didn't know about the LZ upgrades, unfortunatley my credit card just found out as the BR-86 and BR-52 sets are now on their way. :frantic:

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Thanks :)

Well I think i've finally worked out where most of the resin bits go, apart from the 4 mystery flat D shaped things, I still don't have a clue about those! It should be obvious if I ever see them at least. I decided the best plan to find out where it all went was to blu tak them to the model then number them up. I realised after I made my pretty picture that parts number 7 go above the boiler :blush: but never mind, I think i've got the rest.

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I also did a little bit of scratch building, I need to make a handle with a pipe going round the boiler to go on the square plate at some point. I also assembled the photo etch regulator and made a part for the bit at the top, the one on the kit is moulded to the boiler which is pretty unrealistic as parts of it are clearly stops for the regulator. Eduard do do a coloured photo etch part for this as well but it's more realistic to make my own, particularly as they managed to get the O and the Z the wrong way round! They have the O on the left and the Z on the right. It should be the other way round.

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I'm going to work on what I presume are the water level indicators next. I think i'll make some paper stripy bits eduard give you etch for the frames so there shouldn't be too much to do. I think I might just put a clear gloss coat on the photo etch so that they don't dull over time as they're nice and brassy already. It does mean i'll have to put them on after spraying the bit behind then probably mask them off but i'm sure i'll manage. Below is the reference photo i've been using for some parts, it's not quite the same as what I want to create but it's close enough. I also have Libor's set of photos that I can use.

boilerrefmodelused.jpg

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I think those mystery D plates are for the buffers. They go behind the smaller lights if used.

However, that's an "I THINK", not an I know

That sounds plausible. If it is, it means i'm not using them. I'm making 86 333, the restored version. It runs on the Sauschwänzle bahn in Baden-Württemberg.

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I made quite a bit of progress yesterday, even the photoetch hasn't been safe from a bit of modification. Fist off i got distracted from the water level regulators when I found I needed to put two instrument dials above the left one. Then I thought I might as well do the rest (actually scrap that i've just remembered I missed one, looks like i've got more bits to do today!). So i hopped on my nice simple cad program and made myself a shape for the larger set, then salvaged the dials from the kit. The blank one has a sort of cover over the dial so that didn't need a rim.

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Next I decided I needed to edit the eduard photo etch a little, from the pictures i've seen you tend to have two steps not one large one so I cut the piece in half and shaped both bits to make a step each. I've never really attempted to edit photo etch in this way but I was surprised at how simple it is as long as you have a fresh blade and a hold and fold to clamp it whilst bending the bit you want to remove back and forwards till it snaps. overall the effect was very pleasing on a test fit. The original part is sitting below the boiler in the last pic.

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There's still lots to do, so I've got plenty to keep me busy today so bye for now and thanks for reading!

Amanda

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Hi Amanda

Here's a link or two that you may find useful:

http://translate.google.com.au/translate?hl=en&sl=cs&u=http://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php%3Ft%3D7764&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php%253Ff%253D664%2526t%253D7764%26biw%3D2400%26bih%3D1184

http://translate.google.com.au/translate?hl=en&sl=cs&u=http://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php%3Ft%3D7764&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php%253Ff%253D664%2526t%253D7764%26biw%3D2400%26bih%3D1184

these guys are unreal when it comes to trains. You'll find some good pics in there I think

Si

**Edit: I was partially right about the D shaped plates. They don't go on the buffers, but they do sit behind the lights. You'll see what I mean if you look through the first link to about page 7 or 8 I think it is. You can see the finished lights that show those plates in place

Edited by Madhatter
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Hi Amanda

Here's a link or two that you may find useful:

http://translate.google.com.au/translate?hl=en&sl=cs&u=http://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php%3Ft%3D7764&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php%253Ff%253D664%2526t%253D7764%26biw%3D2400%26bih%3D1184

http://translate.google.com.au/translate?hl=en&sl=cs&u=http://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php%3Ft%3D7764&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php%253Ff%253D664%2526t%253D7764%26biw%3D2400%26bih%3D1184

these guys are unreal when it comes to trains. You'll find some good pics in there I think

Si

**Edit: I was partially right about the D shaped plates. They don't go on the buffers, but they do sit behind the lights. You'll see what I mean if you look through the first link to about page 7 or 8 I think it is. You can see the finished lights that show those plates in place

Thanks for the link, I looked through most of the pages. It's given me a few ideas and also put into pictures a few things I planned to do. My work will be of a more modest effort though, I just don't have the patience to spend all that time researching and casting!

Along that line of thought, I found a really good picture just now of the interior of 86 333's cab. I've looked and looked for hours and hours before and have only found a very unrevealing side shot. However this is not quite the good news it appears to be. If only I had found it yesterday before I split that step in two! Then of course then there's all those other bits and pieces that are completely different! But seen as I like my models to look accurate, but for me ironically it doesn't have to be 100% accurate as long as it looks good (now there's a contradiction!) then i'm going to let it slide.

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It's always like that isn't it. You research and research and don't quite find what you need. Then you make that well informed decision and go ahead. And they day after, well, there comes that answer you have been praying for earlier... :shrug:

Keep up the good work, it will be great model when finished.

:goodjob:

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I so know how you feel.

Looking forward to seeing more. I made a start on my BR52 last night. You've given me the added inspiration to get me started.

Thanks for that! :)

Si

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It's always like that isn't it. You research and research and don't quite find what you need. Then you make that well informed decision and go ahead. And they day after, well, there comes that answer you have been praying for earlier... :shrug:

Keep up the good work, it will be great model when finished.

:goodjob:

It's just typical, all other evidence suggested the route I chose, it will at least look like some kind of BR86 cab. It does get to a point where it's better to build than begin to stall on a project though. I had tried all the search terms under the sun that I could think of English or German and the thing comes up when i'm busy looking for something else entirely! Now i've just got to decide which of the other bits that are different stay on or go. I'm going to have to decide whether certain parts of the back wall that I have very firmly glued on are going to be coming off, and if i'm going to add in some of the more modern elements. It looks like they've replaced the older water level indicators with some more modern ones which are rather prominently situated beside the old ones and there are some dials absent. It's all things I have to decide on. I think the dials are going to stay though though i'm still not sure if i'm going to make the other parts, I may not have room to fit them.

I so know how you feel.

Looking forward to seeing more. I made a start on my BR52 last night. You've given me the added inspiration to get me started.

Thanks for that! :)

Si

Ooh how exciting Si, are you going to be doing a WIP thread? I'd love to see some pictures! You may be cursing me later though, it seems trumpeter only design such fascinating subjects to encourage impulse purchases and cause frustration among modellers!

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Well funnily enough, I was thinking about doing a parallel build to yours. I thought it would be quite cool to have the two trains as WIPs,

I won't be cursing anyone but myself if things go to pot. I've read and heard a lot of horror stories about these kits, so I'm prepared for it. Besides, patience isn't something I'm short on :)

Sorry to read you've got off to a ripping start only to find the modern version has stuff in places where you don't. Maybe build a WW2 version of the same engine? Or somewhere in between refits? It would be a shame to rip out the good work

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Thanks Mark :)

Well the modification has begun! I decided having the bottom doors open so the bottom doors had to be removed and a hole made. It looked really good in the photo with a pile of coal spilling out so I just had to do it! Luckily they came off without incident so I could re-attach them in the open position. I've decided to leave the top panel with the door detail and the hooks as they are. Even though on the real thing it's just a bare panel with two hooks of the same size I didn't want to make a mess out of it so that's staying.

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I think I am going to have a go at making the modern parts on the boiler but i'll make sure they look good before attaching them. If they don't work out they won't be added.

Before I found the photo I had just scratch built the water level meters (scratch part left, original part right). I wish I hadn't destroyed the other trumpeter part as I could have used these as a starting point for making the more modern version but never mind. I'm probably going to raid my random spare parts box to see if i've got anything I can work with.

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I've also begun on the boiler (again started before the photo, indeed it was looking for pictures for a part I couldn't see properly in my photos that I came across it). I haven't got far yet, I have lots of filling on the domes to do first.

IMG_8400.jpg

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Thanks Dave, nick away! :D

Well today i've encountered a photoetch shaped mystery. I was adding etch to my domes and I came to part 46 which appears to be a small strip. I found number 46 but all the parts around it definately weren't what i was looking for. I thought that it was a little odd but maybe there was a typo, so I looked at the rest of the two sheets, number 77 could be it but I still wasn't sure. So I looked on eduard's pictures of the built model with all the etch on. The parts weren't there! Then I looked on a plan image of the fret. Where I had only square holes there were the parts! I can't see any evidence of them ever being there on my fret either.

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Link to the eduard pic.

http://www.eduard.com/store/out/pictures/z1/36174_1.gif

I've now sent an e-mail to eduard to see what they say, hopefully they'll send me a replacement or something. If not i'll have to see if I can scavenge a similar part off another part of the etch, there may be something i'm not using that's suitable. Until then it looks like i'm working on other elements. At least there's still plenty to do :)

UPDATE

Eduard have already replied to my e-mail that I sent this morning, it seems there was an error and the parts are indeed missing from the fret. They're going to get a fret made up with the missing bits on and when it's ready they'll send them to me :) Apparently i'm the first to let them know even though the set's been out since 2011.

Edited by bangle
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