Here we look at my basic methods for sprucing up an older Walthers hopper, these techniques can be used for many different models that may lack in some detailing!
Only a model railroader could use the phrases "Rust up..." and "...make look kinda nice" in the same breath - yep, I've found the right channel for me for weathering tips.
An idea i thought of while watching is maybe cutting off those ladder steps with an exacto blade and using the wire to make new separately applied grab irons
I like your videos. I have been upgrading and detailing rolling stock and more since the 1980s. Always like the part when someone asks, where did you get that? We can say, we made it.
Nice job Dan. I have been going back through some of my old tank cars and adding the brake and air lines underneath. I noticed in my videos how exposed the under bellies of tank cars are. Appreciate your weathering videos, gained a few tips from you.
Nice Dan, you do a great job detailing these cars out. I usually would drill holes for grab irons for a cleaner look but mostly so your not fumbling with it waiting for glue to set. Great video though.
This gives me some hope for the 139 freight cars (mostly Con-Cor Hoppers and Athearn Blue Box hoppers) that I will need to detail, which I got for about 50 cents each.
Hi. I enjoyed watching your video. I noticed that the weathering effects are something to be really proud of. Great job. I searched your previous videos and noticed that you offer many weathering videos. I know things change over time and I would like to ask you if there is one of these weathering videos that best fits with how you achieved the effects on this hopper? Thanks for your time to produce these videos and share you skills as a modeler.
Look at some of his covered hopper videos for the exterior rust, and the gondola videos for the interior. I don't recall him making one specifically on open hoppers.
My eyes are always drawn to the ladders and how chunky they used to make them. Absolutely hate them. Your heavy weather and patch job drew my eyes away though.
Well I know there are a few ways to change the couplers out but the issue is the Tyco models have couplers fitted to the trucks so to actually change them, you would have to get new coupler boxes and modify the trucks by removing the couplers. It is one of those things where you have to decide how much work is really worth putting into models like those, especially for beginner level trains.
Actual functional brakes? With air flowing through little tiny tubes? I want to laugh at the idea,but hopefully in 20 years this hobby will be so advanced with HO scale locomotives running on real diesel motors. Since we humans can make micro processors and do surgery on blood vessels, the idea doesn’t seem that far out. 😎
What's the point? You wouldn't be able to see them work in HO scale, and they're not functionally necessary as the locomotive's "brakes" (i.e., running the motor slower) are plenty enough to stop any train. So you'd just be adding a near-invisible way of making your cars go wrong.
Looks great! Quick question for ya I'm working on some custom shortline SW1200s but this shortline was obscure so I cant find any decals for it anyone you know of make custom decals for people?
