The developments in our hobby are astounding. The use of sound, DCC, lighting effects, and modern tooled freight cars has really brought forth some amazing models in recent years. The Rapido RR-56, RR-60, and RR-61 are an example.
In several previous posts, a review of the Rapido RR-56 left me considering the color of the models. I know it was expertly researched by many prominent Santa Fe modelers and historians, but to me the color just wasn't correctly rendered. I purchased John Moore's Santa Fe Mechanical Refrigerator Car book and the Santa Fe color guide by Morning Sun Books along with several images from Bob's Photo and the more I saw the color, the more I realized it was not suitable for me. I also located many images of these cars in color from sites such as Railroad Picture Archives, Railcarphotos, and private collections which confirmed the prototype shifted to a darker orange than as delivered as these cars were reconditioned during their service lives. Additionally, I learned there were only four examples of the Texas Chief scheme to include SFRP 2095, 2106, 2154 and 2157. In trying to determine which prototype to model, SFRP 2106 was located on G. Elwood's FallenFlags.org website showcasing both sides of the car. Ideally, this is an excellent prototype situation to have as it is not often modelers have the ability to see both sides on the same date. The reverse side of the image not shown is usually considered to be artistic license beyond what is seen in the image, so having both sides is a true benefit to the modeler.
Previously, I described how I struggled to determine the correct orange color for these cars and as such decided to use Tamiya Yellow, Orange, and Red in a 15:1:1 ratio. It was acceptable, but I never really liked the hue developed. I even went so far as to completely decal and finish the car before deciding that it still wasn't close enough and that I could do better.
These cars aren't easy to paint given the black sill tabs, the orange base coat, the silver roof, and blue doors, but I wasn't happy with my result. The scaling of color wasn't correct and trying to match a fifty-five year old image is a daunting task. The variation in film, scanning quality, and the brightness of the image can all be considerable factors to making a model look correct. The scaling of color is a mine field at times. I attempted to color match several shades of the desired orange hue using Tamiya Yellow and Orange. I decided that after 12 different combinations, it was time to get it close enough and compare all of the oranges in my collection. Ultimately, I found myself going back to an old 1/2 bottle of Floquil Military Colors Orange.
The car went into a container of 99% Isopropyl Alcohol and was stripped once more down to the bare plastic. Once devoid of the orange and other assorted colors, I grit blasted the model again and primed it using Floquil Primer. Once dry, the model was painted again with Floquil Orange.
The sills on this model are unique and contain a small continuous edge below the lower sill of the car. Visually, one can see the intermittent orange and black delineation when the car is on the side, so my next step is to mask the sills completely and paint the black continuously along the sill and tabs so that the eye cannot see these breaks of color. To properly do this, I removed the ladders completely so that masking tape can be applied below the lowest rungs and the ladder stiles. The corner braces where the sides and ends join will also be masked and painted black based on the prototype's appearance.
The other reason for repainting the model was the location of the passenger car slogan. The "e" in Texas was placed directly over the upper door stop. The image of SFRP 2095 shows a slightly different placement of the slogan.
Since deciding to rebuild the model, I am awaiting more decals and will attempt to render a better model than before. I was able to purchase a set of Plate C Models ASF trucks to remedy the model's only real issue being the truck side frames. The struggle of Orange is real and upon us....
No comments:
Post a Comment