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Scratch Build of 1951 Pullman Carriage


hendie

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I really can't add anything to what they :ditto:said! Lovely to see it finally all coming together and all the mini-models making a bigger whole.

 

Ian

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On 5/21/2020 at 12:30 AM, TheBaron said:

Wasn't there a Greek myth involving these labours? Drillmenides and the Racks of Heaven or summat....

Dear Lord, he's been scale seasoning wood! 

Resigns himself to slumming it with something that would be career-defining for the rest of us. :laugh:

 

One of the pleasures of watching this phase of your work Alan is seeing the various interiors really starting to come to collective life; less a case of looking at them than wandering through them. Brilliant results from all those strenuous efforts.

 

 

:rofl2:

Thanks Tony.  It's really starting to come together now, though the downside is that I'm now down to the real finicky parts so everything is taking an eon to complete

 

On 5/21/2020 at 1:30 AM, kpnuts said:

Super hero effort going on here (I certainly dont have that kind of patience let alone skill)

 

thanks for the comments.  When you've gone this far down a build, patience is requirement - rushing things at this stage would negatively impact all the work I put in previously.   It can certainly be tedious at times (like today for instance) but the result makes the effort worthwhile

 

On 5/21/2020 at 2:57 AM, CedB said:

Wow, what a(nother) great update - good to see it coming together hendie :) 

 

Dyson? Good choice, love 'em…

 

Thanks Ced - and thanks for the prompting about the roof today.  I think you finally solved my problem

 

On 5/21/2020 at 4:05 AM, perdu said:

Out of this world and flying past several others now.

 

Just brilliant.

 

When I was a boy, (boy how many weeks ago was that huh?) I used to gaze in awe into the large cased ship models on display in Birmingham Science Museum and in the windows of certain travel agencies.

 

In awe did I say? My mom had to drag me away if there was shop with a display model in the window (we wouldn't ever be able to afford even thinking about sea cruises but!) that was where dreams and my delight of model making was born.

 

I see this delight developing from Alan and it takes me back there, I want to stand in that bathroom looking at myself in  the mirror and turning off the taps (faucets lads) when my  hands are clean.

 

Alan's Pullman is a transport to another place.

 

Thank you H, mate.

 

Thanks.

 

Ta Bill.  I'm really glad you are enjoying the build

 

On 5/21/2020 at 4:16 AM, GerryW said:

Words fail me, this whole build is just mind blowing. :worthy:

 

Gerry

 

like one ginormous brain fart ?

 

On 5/21/2020 at 1:26 PM, limeypilot said:

I really can't add anything to what they :ditto:said! Lovely to see it finally all coming together and all the mini-models making a bigger whole.

 

Ian

 

Thanks Ian,  the bigger whole gets bigger everyday - I'm starting to think I may even finish this build this year at the current rate

 

 

 

 

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I hope I make it through this post... the wife moved the computer to a new location and the network is lousy in this location.  I added an extender yesterday but am not convinced it's made a whole lot of difference.

 

As I'm progressing through this build. most of the 'big block' stuff has been done and I'm now moving on to the more finicky parts of the build. For finicky read extremely time-consuming. 

Today for instance: In the grand scheme of things, not a whole lot got done, but what did get done made a huge impact to the state of the build and is a great stride forward.  Unfortunately from this point forward, almost every part has to be rough cut, trimmed, multiple dry fits, then sanded, stained, then clear coated.  In the case of panels with decals, that's a gloss coat, the decal, another gloss coat, then finished off with a satin coat, and the inevitable wait in between tasks. In a lot of cases, I have to fit one panel before I can even begin to measure up for the next panel.  Did I mention this was time consuming?

 

Lets start with something simple though - the first corridor panel got a squiggly transfer stuck on, panel cut and fitted, along with the electrical cabinet.

 

P5230016.jpg

 

At the other end, I found the cistern tank I made 4 or 5 years ago.  I know I had a plan for fitting this but am damned if I can remember what I was planning. Better leave that for now, it may come back to me

Or I may need a plan B

 

P5230002.jpg

 

With the bathroom getting to a good point it was time to move on to the dinette.  I loved this feature on the actual car - a small private area where 4 travelers could sit back an relax to enjoy the ride. That's if you could actually fit in there of course.  It was a lovely feature but completely impractical.  How the person(s) in the window seats ever got in and out must have been a feat in itself.

As always, things begin with the obligatory dry fit.  This was a bit more complicated than any of the other panels or walls. Not only had the panels to be square to the walls, but also to each other, and truly vertical as well, otherwise the dinette would end up all cattywumpus, and we can't be doing with cattywumpus on a luxury train can we?

Once I had everything square I marked it out with masking tape to use as a guide when fitting the panel, with the added benefit of the masking tape preventing any glue ending up on the newly vacuumed carpet!

 

P5220001.jpg

 

Both dinette walls are now glued in place.  This shot shows how I did the wood/styrene/wood lamination to prevent warping. Inside wall to inside wall is about 64 mm so there's not a lot of room to be working in there, and the more I add, the smaller it gets.

 

P5230003.jpg

 

Remember what I said about rough cut, trim, dry fit, stain, gloss, decal, gloss, sating coat earlier?   These were two of those panels.

Trying to get both of those squiggles to look symmetrical was a fun job

 

P5230004.jpg

 

Perseverance wins the day.  Both panels got fitted which meant I could then proceed with the panels above and below the window. Once again, lots of dry fitting, swipe with a sanding stick dry fit again.

Tedious.

 

P5230006.jpg

 

The view from outside is starting to look interesting though

 

P5230005.jpg

 

Another heater box was made up, and the two covering strips fitted either side of the window.  Why I bothered with the heater box is one of life's great mysteries.  There's no way on earth it's ever going to get seen once a table and chairs are in there.

All together now.... but we know it's there don't we!

 

P5230007.jpg

 

That prompted a quick coffee break to let the glue on the cover strips dry enough to begin the next task.  Now the cover strips were on I could measure up for the pelmet.

The pelmet was made, cut, trimmed, stained, varnished etc. etc. etc. So in between each of those monotonous tasks I fitted the curtains. Then finally, I could fit the pelmet to finish off all the woodwork in the dinette area.  I'm drawing the line at fitting the skirting boards.  (I think!)

 

P5230008.jpg

 

Okay, the wood work is done, but does everything still fit in there?

Remember what I said about it being impractical cosy ?   At least the corridor wall still fits - but there's still a table to go in there!

 

P5230009.jpg

 

At some point during the last week, or maybe the week before - I'm completely losing track of time these days - I redid the table lamps in SolidWorks and reprinted a batch.  I should really have taken a comparison shot with the other larger lamps, but completely forgot.

Anyhoos, I'm very pleased with how the reworked versions turned out. Trying to paint that little ferrule on top of the lampshade was a pure delight. Not.  I had to use a 000 Brush, biggly magnifiers and lots of eye strain to get those any way half decent.

 

P5230011.jpg

 

But what a difference those lamps make to the overall effect! (table just dry fitted for the moment)

 

P5230012.jpg

 

You can see what I mean now about the person who has to sit by the window

I'm very pleased with how this has turned out - that lamp is much more in scale then my previous effort.

 

P5230013.jpg

 

Well, I think we've passed the cattywumpus test there, at least in my book we have.

Then when the corridor wall is fitted, here's what you get - just imagine I've cleaned the dust and washed the windows.    You're still not going to see a whole lot from this side.

on the plus side though - I'm over the moon about how the dinette has turned out. There's still 4 lamps to be fitted, but I might leave all the lamps until nearer the end of the build, especially as I still haven't figured out how I am going to be fitting them.

 

P5230014.jpg

 

and here endeth today's session.  Bloody monotonous and incredibly tedious - until the end that is.  That's when it all became worthwhile.

 

Now for those folks wondering how I am going to approach the roof conundrum... my plan is:

 

Here's a shot of a 3D model that I built over 20 years ago now for this project. I've always loved the way this skeletal form looks.

 

Capture2.png

 

 

I think I am going to build the roof completely separate from the car and have it on display somewhere in the case beside Pegasus, perhaps on some kind of trestle structure?. 

I've always wanted to display the full roof with all the vents and other greeblies that adorn it.  This allows me to do that.  It will end up being a large case as the roof will need to be positioned far enough away for Pegasus in order to see the full chassis.

 

On Pegasus itself though, I am going to build just the framing - i.e. all the carlines in place, along with the bulkheads that you can see in this screen grab.  That way you get to see the interior in all it's glory, and I think the carlines will add another element of visual interest.  I may include a portion of the roof over just one or maybe both vestibule ends - minor details still to be worked out.

Just how I am going to do the carlines is another issue yet to be resolved.  If I can get brass T section I may try forming them myself.  If all else fails I can always 3D print them.

 

At least that's my idea for this week, until I change my mind again.  Overall, I think that concept will work, and it answers all the dilemmas posed by removable roof, clear roof, lifting roof etc. which all had a down side as large as the plus side.

 

All in all, a good days work

 

until next time - stay safe

 

 

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Why not place the roof behind the body, on a framework so it is slightly higher than where it should sit?

I think that would look better than plonked on the floor, and wouldn't take up as much floorspace as leaving enough room for the underframe to be visible.

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Great work again Hendie. As for the heater boxes: personally I think they add a lot to the carriage! The dinette (nice word) looks cosy indeed 🙂 The lamp is perfect. The table though: yes, the people sitting at the window are there for the duration of the ride, but at least they have the benefit of a decent bit of table to eat from. Or is this not the table's final position?

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1 hour ago, JeroenS said:

The dinette (nice word) looks cosy indeed

 

1 hour ago, JeroenS said:

the people sitting at the window are there for the duration of the ride

Not if they break wind....

 

12 hours ago, CedB said:

Beautiful. 'nuff said :) 

I concur.

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I love this thread and your amazing build! I've been following along silently for quite some time, but now my curiosity got the better of me. It concern the cistern tank. Why two pipes in and one out/down? Just an example of peculiar British plumbing? 😀

22 hours ago, hendie said:

Why I bothered with the heater box is one of life's great mysteries.

No, it is not a mystery. You just had to do it. We, including you, all know and are for ever thankful!

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1 hour ago, Svedberg said:

two pipes in and one out/down? Just an example of peculiar British plumbing?

One hot, one cold, for a warm flush feeling when you're in there?

I like the separate roof idea, Alan. That interior deserves to be on view 24/7. Perhaps the Dinette was designed when the majority of the population were svelte.

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23 hours ago, CedB said:

Beautiful. 'nuff said :) 

 

awwwww, you can say as much as you like Ced.  I won't be hurt.

 

15 hours ago, limeypilot said:

You could try here for T-bar. I think there is a minimum order though so you may have to find some other stuff you need.

 

Ian

 

thanks Ian - I'm checking into it.  I don't like how you have to actually place an order then they say they'll get back to you with shipping - could be nasty!

 

14 hours ago, Bigdave22014 said:

Why not place the roof behind the body, on a framework so it is slightly higher than where it should sit?

I think that would look better than plonked on the floor, and wouldn't take up as much floorspace as leaving enough room for the underframe to be visible.

 

I've got several ideas floating around in my head at the moment - one of them being very similar to what you just described.  Plenty of time before I need to make a decision though

 

12 hours ago, JeroenS said:

Great work again Hendie. As for the heater boxes: personally I think they add a lot to the carriage! The dinette (nice word) looks cosy indeed 🙂 The lamp is perfect. The table though: yes, the people sitting at the window are there for the duration of the ride, but at least they have the benefit of a decent bit of table to eat from. Or is this not the table's final position?

 

Believe it or not Jeroen, that is the tables final position, though it's not glued into place just yet.   There is another table in the dining area directly outside the dinette, and it has exactly the same problem - someone is going to have to balance their plate on their knees.

I have no idea why it is like that, but on checking photo's, both of the current Pegasus and a bunch of historic photo's, that is how the tables/chairs are configured.  We held as much to the original design as we could.  I seem to remember there being a discussion around should we increase the length of the tables, but it would only have worked for the table in the dining area, and not in the dinette as you need that extra room to squeeze in there. So we kept it all.  As far as I can remember, those are the original tables.  They were one of the few items we could just give a quick polish and throw back in there.

 

10 hours ago, Clogged said:

My wife loves 'Cattywumpus' its going to be our Word of the Year now!

 

It's a favorite expression of one of my colleagues.  If you had to see him, you would know exactly what cattywumpus means

 

10 hours ago, harveyb258 said:

 

Not if they break wind....

 

I concur.

 

oi!  this is a posh train this is.  No flatulence allowed.  Should I make a sign for that?

 

3 hours ago, Svedberg said:

I love this thread and your amazing build! I've been following along silently for quite some time, but now my curiosity got the better of me. It concern the cistern tank. Why two pipes in and one out/down? Just an example of peculiar British plumbing? 😀

No, it is not a mystery. You just had to do it. We, including you, all know and are for ever thankful!

 

You know, I had never noticed that.  I simply copied the original design.  I can only imagine it's for some kind of overflow, in case the valve in the cistern packs in.

 

2 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

One hot, one cold, for a warm flush feeling when you're in there?

I like the separate roof idea, Alan. That interior deserves to be on view 24/7. Perhaps the Dinette was designed when the majority of the population were svelte.

 

Well, Her Madge and Phil the Greek got in there without apparent damage so it must be possible.

 

 

Today's work was of the monotonous type once again.  Lots of measuring, cutting, sanding, staining etc. so I won't bore you with any photo's since you've seen it all before.  In between bouts of boredom I did some searching for brass T section.  The carlines work out at 1.5 mm x 1.5 mm x 0.2 mm thick.  My first port of call was a company that I've used multiple times in the past - they have all the different sections available and the great thing was that they had everything in 1 m lengths.  In what seems to be a recurring theme in this build - they appear to have gone out of business and the stuff is no longer available.

I checked Eileens Emporium, which lists that particular size of brass T section but only sell it in 250 mm length for about 3 GBP.  A 250 mm length will give me 2 carlines.

I need 30, plus all the stringers in between. The site you listed Ian has 2mm x 2mm T section which would work at a pinch, and at least they have it in lengths of 1 meter, but expecting that to arrive from across the pond still straight and undamaged requires an act of faith somewhere along the line.

1.5 mm works out close enough to be 1/16" in this antiquated measurement system they have here, but do you think I can find any in the US ?  Not so far I can't.

I considered 3D printing it. Have printer will print.  I know the printer can handle printing something that fine and would probably look amazing, but something that fine will not survive the subsequent handling by a big oaf like myself, especially once it's fully cured as it can become very fragile.

I think it will have to be brass, but then that presents another interesting problem - I have to bend the T section and make 30 carlines all exactly the same. Then just to make matters interesting, the roof is not a simple curve - there are something like 7 or 8 different radii through that cross section. I can anneal the brass but there will no doubt still be some spring back.  Even with a jig it's gong to be a mammoth task. 

 

 

 

 

 

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After my great experience with Albion Hobbies replacing my Touch-N-Flow applicator I wonder if they could help find a US suppliers for the Maquett styrene?

They do a 1.5mm x 1.5mm T beam in 1m lengths.

Might be worth an email?

HTH

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You could try here. It's a list of brass train manufacturers and suppliers. Even if they can't supply it they may well be able to point you in the right direction. There are quite a few in the US.

 

Ian

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On 5/24/2020 at 9:51 PM, Jo NZ said:

Re the T section - have you thought about putting two angles back to back?

 

One of the first thoughts that went through my head Jo.  The down side is that angles and Tee sections are priced about the same so I'd need to buy twice as many - which would work out about the same as buying the Tees from the UK

 

On 5/25/2020 at 2:53 AM, CedB said:

After my great experience with Albion Hobbies replacing my Touch-N-Flow applicator I wonder if they could help find a US suppliers for the Maquett styrene?

They do a 1.5mm x 1.5mm T beam in 1m lengths.

Might be worth an email?

HTH

 

I considered styrene Ced, but trying to replicate those curves and getting the styrene to stay put would be a Herculean task, and I'm a wimp.

 

On 5/25/2020 at 2:56 AM, limeypilot said:

You could try here. It's a list of brass train manufacturers and suppliers. Even if they can't supply it they may well be able to point you in the right direction. There are quite a few in the US.

 

Ian

 

Thanks again Ian.   After much consideration, I think I am going to go with Eileens Emporium.  I found that they do 500 mm lengths which makes things a little easier.  It's going to be expensive but there's no point in scrimping at this stage of the build is there?

That's assuming I can actually make 1 accurate carline, let alone 30 identical carlines.

 

On 5/25/2020 at 3:16 AM, Massimo said:

ASTONISHING!!!!!:yikes:

 

Thanks M!

 

Things are continuing to move in a forwards direction.  A lot of the stuff over the last few days has been of the cut, sand, stain, repeat persuasion. Infinitely boring. 

 

A break from the monotony arrived when it was time to fit a few more transfers. This lot is for the bar area

 

P5240001.jpg

 

Yet more heater boxes - this time in the dining area. I surprised myself by managing to make the heat box in one continuous section and still get it to fit

 

P5250002.jpg

 

Followed by more measuring, cutting, staining, etc as I needed the heater box for the bar area as well.  I realized that I couldn't cut any of the cover strips to length without having the heater box in place.

Brass got fitted to the dining area heater box - my very last section of that particular brass mesh - which is now OOP.   I had to end up buying a selection of meshes to try and get something similar, or rather, not too obviously different.

 

P5250003.jpg

 

Also started making up the pelmets - and now I've got to try and keep track of what all the different pieces are for - not easy for an old sod like mesel.

 

P5250009.jpg

 

A small disaster struck when I was putting the gloss coat on top of the transfers - I got a run on one of the panels.  Easy I thought - just sand it all back and re-gloss and stick another transfer on (luckily I was sensible enough to order extra).  However, when I re-glossed the panel, there was and obvious defect which showed up if you caught the light - you can just see it here if you strain.

I toyed with the idea of carrying on, but after a few milliseconds, it was Nope!, make another panel or I'd forever be staring at that defect.

 

P5250004.jpg

 

This evening I managed to get all the main panels glued in place.  Still a lot of work to be done though - heater boxes, window cills, cover strips, then pelmets have still got to be fitted.

 

P5260022.jpg

 

One of those jobs I'd been putting off was the TRIANON BAR sign on the art work behind the bar.  As far as I can tell, the real sign has Chromed letters mounted directly on the frame.

I tried printing out a sign (top) and painted it up, but it was too large. I tried another (center) but trying to paint the letters was difficult - they are only 2 mm high.  Then I came across a piece of photo etch (bottom) I'd made a couple of years ago and wondered if I could use that.

 

P5260016.jpg

 

I painted it using the same brown I used on the side frames.  When the paint had dried, I put a piece of micromesh on top of a piece of granite, then very gently placed the painted Trianon Bar sign face down on the micromesh.  Even more carefully I rubbed the photo etch back and forth on top of the micromesh in the hope that I could remove paint only from the letters and not the rest of the signage.

I'd call that a success!   Okay the letters are now brass and not chrome as I believe they should be, but this is by far the best Trianon Bar sign I've made so I'm sticking with this.

 

P5260017.jpg

 

Nothing ever goes according to plan does it?

When I came to fit the sign, I noticed that a bunch of dust had somehow got behind the glass and was very visible down the left side of the artwork.  As much as I didn't want to do this, I felt I had no choice but to try and open it up again to remove the dust.  I removed the minimum possible number of pieces to let me in - once I had got this far, I could prise up the edge of the clear sheet and blow under it to remove the dust

 

P5260013.jpg

 

Then glue it all back together again!  (I had to take the photo at this angle so the light would catch the text

 

P5260020.jpg

 

As you can probably see in the photo above, I also got the bar heater box made up and brass fitted.  The mesh is slightly different but close enough to the original mesh I was using.

 

P5260018.jpg

 

Downsides again - the new mesh is so unbelievably thin that when the heater box is in place you can actually see through it and see the carpet on the floor. I'll need to add a dark strip of wood behind the mesh so that you can't see the carpet - a fairly easy job.

 

now to figure out how I can purchase a whole load of brass tees without SWMBO asking awkward questions

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This is a build of epic proportions and has shown your very evident skills at every stage. 

Loving it so far, and looking forwards to the finale! :)
On a side note, I have a link to a spreadsheet for resin cure times in the Photon printer.

I've found that the Translucent Green has significantly faster timings due to the UV penetrating the material. I've used both translucent and solid resins and found that although the grey gives a good indicator of the quality of the print, once they've had a shot of primer, you can't tell one from the other.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1crvzMnt_8NJXAsABinoIhcOjE8l3h7s0L82Zlh1vkL8/edit#gid=0


Good work on the lamps: that's an eye-strainer for sure!

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On 5/27/2020 at 4:58 AM, CedB said:

Nice update hendie - love the sign! :) 

 

me too Ced, me too.

There's a couple of things in this build that I'm really proud of - the sign obviously, the bar top, and the heater boxes for some obscure reason - they seem to add a lot to the overall appearance

 

On 5/28/2020 at 9:20 AM, Tinners said:

This is a build of epic proportions and has shown your very evident skills at every stage. 

Loving it so far, and looking forwards to the finale! :)
On a side note, I have a link to a spreadsheet for resin cure times in the Photon printer.

I've found that the Translucent Green has significantly faster timings due to the UV penetrating the material. I've used both translucent and solid resins and found that although the grey gives a good indicator of the quality of the print, once they've had a shot of primer, you can't tell one from the other.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1crvzMnt_8NJXAsABinoIhcOjE8l3h7s0L82Zlh1vkL8/edit#gid=0


Good work on the lamps: that's an eye-strainer for sure!

 

Thanks Tinners.  I wish someone would start listing settings for things like a 0.01mm layer height and what the exposure times would be.  I'm doing a lot of guesswork in that area but luckily things seem to be turning out okay so far.

 

On 5/28/2020 at 2:37 PM, TheBaron said:

Heater box mesh: *chef's kiss.

Still only page 55 - loads more to go still. :evil_laugh:

 

but in comparison to where I was just a few months ago

 

192ba6cc79b8bc30637dc161b7d75f29.jpg

 

 

Today's update doesn't bring much in the way of yer actual physical construction process, but it does give me a massive leap forward into knowing how this is all going to come together, more of which later.

 

The dining area was fitted out. Heater box installed, curtains and pelmets installed, which leaves just the lamps, luggage racks, a mirror, table brackets, and chairs and tables. 

(The white is just the diluted PVA before drying - it disappears nicely when dried.).  Oh, I also need a few signs and some other trinkets such as passcom etc.

 

P5290011.jpg

 

Paneling was finished off in the bar area. As per dining area - lamps etc still to be fitted.  In addition, in the bar area, there are two small wall mounted bench seats which I still have to make and figure out how to do the covering though that shouldn't present much of an issue.

 

P5290010.jpg

 

Here's an overall view of how things stand at present. Still a few panels to fit in place, vestibules to finish off, doors between compartments to add, so still a reasonable amount of work to be done.

It's really taking shape now though.  Working at home has given me a lot of opportunity to move this thing forward.  It's amazing how much those lunch-breaks and time not spent traveling has added up.  I reckon I get about an additional 60 - 90 minutes per day on this compared to pre-CV19.

 

P5290012.jpg

 

Now on to something exciting - sort of. A problem that has presented itself on and off throughout the build is how on earth am I going to display all this when it's finished?

All sorts of solutions have been proposed and explored and for every solution there was one or more downsides and I just couldn't figure it out... until last week that is!  The conversation that spouted the Carlines option.  I can't remember exactly how it came about but I'm pretty certain Ced had something to do with it (and apologies if anyone else contributed to that conversation too!)'

The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like the perfect solution. I can still do a full roof, and I can do carlines, cant rail and bulkheads over the car which will still allow everything to be seen. In addition the carlines will add a real element of visual interest.

 

I then spent several hours trying to figure out just how to achieve that. Using styrene was out as the carlines consist of around 8 radii and I would never be able to get styrene to hold its shape - and I needed 30 carlines to be exactly the same.  I ruled out 3D printing as I thought it would be too fine to withstand my clumsy handling, which left brass. Brass Tee section in the right dimensions is widely available - just not here in the States :wall:

After some research I found a supplier who would ship to the States, but it wasn't going to be cheap - and given current restrictions, it could be some time before it arrives. I'd also have the problem of making 30 carlines exactly the same.  I knew I could create a fixture/jig, but the brass would have some spring in it and even after annealing the brass, bending a tee section isn't the easiest thing in the world.

All that combined to set me thinking again - I have the 3D printer so what would I have to lose by trying a test print just to see how things turned out?  A few hours of my time and nothing else - so I gave it a try.

50 mm x 50 mm Tee section was used on the actual build which worked out to a nice 1.25 mm at 1/32 scale. That seemed just a little bit on the light side so I beefed the tee up to a whopping 1.5 mm x 1.5 mm and hoped it would not be obviously over scale.

Apologies for the quality of the photo, but you can still make out the Tee section of the carlines and the cant rail turned out way better than I anticipated.

 

P5280004.jpg

 

The first print turned out to be just a little on the large side - the width was too great by about 0.5 mm but enough to cause fitting issues.

 

P5280001.jpg

 

However the next couple of shots prove the concept.  The tee section doesn't appear out of scale at 1.5 mm and the skeletal structure still lets you see clearly into the interior

 

P5280002.jpg

 

The only down side to doing it this way is that I have a limited print area.  The width is no problem but I can only manage about 60 - 65 mm in length with each print.  I could print in a different orientation but that would create more issues with the number of supports required and the subsequent cleanup. 

It works out that I'll need to create about 10 different prints as the carline spacing isn't constant.  That is no big deal and easy enough to account for and should only be around 2 hours CAD work

 

P5280003.jpg

 

The only real issue to overcome is warping as the structure cures.  When the print first comes out of the bath, the plastic is very soft and pliable and it's very easy to remove the supports.  However, removing the supports allows the part to warp as it cures as there's nothing to fix the structure in place.  Even with the supports still attached there's a certain amount of warping so I came up with this little contraption to clamp everything in place while I placed it outside for half an hour to cure under natural UV light.

This is print number two with dimensions tweaked slightly and I reduced the number of supports to make clean up a bit easier,

 

P5290006.jpg

 

Ouch!  Even after just half an hour in natural UV, the plastic became very brittle and a couple of the Tee sections broke off while I was trimming the supports.  Just that small amount of flex while the snips cut through the plastic is enough to make things fly.

 

P5290007.jpg

 

But the good news is that it fits perfectly!  Creating the rest of the roof is going to be a doddle now.

 

P5290008.jpg

 

The next question which arose was what color should the skeleton structure be?

Staying true to the 1:1 build, all the roof skeletal structure should really be red oxide.  Is white an option though?   The finished roof is white so I can see a case for either color.

I was a bit concerned that having a white skeleton over the car may detract from the interior as the brightness of the white may catch the eyes but a quick test shows that not to be the case (I think)

 

P5290009.jpg

 

I've ordered some red oxide paint so I'll do a side by side comparison when that arrives, but I'm pleased that I now have a definite path forward to complete this build - just a few minor issues to resolve first.  Its obvious from my two prints so far that I need to remove the supports before the final cure on the plastic so I need to figure out a clamping method to fix the structure after the supports are removed and while it undergoes final curing.  I'm sure I can figure that one out easily enough.

I think I've also figured out the final display - the car itself will be on a raised plinth inside the case with the full roof in front of, and at a lower level than Pegasus.  That will allow the full chassis to be displayed without any obstruction.

 

I like it when a plan starts coming together

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fantastic progress! Great stuff and I think the solution for the roof is perfect. The red oxide seems a better choice to me but a side by side is necessary to make a decision on that. The white looks a bit too modern to my eyes when compared to the interior's atmosphere. 

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7 hours ago, hendie said:

Even after just half an hour in natural UV, the plastic became very brittle and a couple of the Tee sections broke off while I was trimming the supports.  Just that small amount of flex while the snips cut through the plastic is enough to make things fly.

Stop me if you've heard this one before....I've found a way to avoid those situations where the snips (great though they are) are a bit too brutal on the structure by making the contact diameter (not the support diameter!) 0.15mm* in the support settings in Chitubox, which let's you gently use a scalpel to cut away the joints on the print instead of using the snips. 

 

* I didn't believe such a small value would work and still provide enough support but it does.

7 hours ago, hendie said:

think I've also figured out the final display - the car itself will be on a raised plinth inside the case with the full roof in front of, and at a lower level than Pegasus.  That will allow the full chassis to be displayed without any obstruction.

Alan, what about a mirror floor to the plinth as well so that all your work on the undersides is not lost to view?

 

Lovely to sense your aura of  satisfaction at how well things are drawing together in this phase of the build. 👏

 

 

 

 

 

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