Don't Fear Resin or Building a Westerfield Sawtooth Boxcar

I've heard mention of some folks who shy away from resin kits because they are unfamiliar with them. I started building the Westerfield sawtooth boxcar kit circa 1912. I don't mean to flood the site with project threads but I'll keep this as short and as simple as possible. Here's a photo of what's in the box. A one piece body, floor casting, weight, detail parts, Titchy styrene brake set, grab irons and decals. You have to supply your own trucks, Andrews, and couplers.

Here's the tools I mostly use. Self explanatory but I must add: use several new #11 blades during the build to ensure good, safe cuts.

The methods are similar to building a styrene kit but use CA glue for everything. Also the resin is a little bit softer than styrene so be careful when cutting. Now the first step is adding the grab irons but wait! If your like me, I like to modify things. I used a #11 blade to raise and damage some of the boards on the siding to add some personality and I wanted to model the doors open. This is where it sucked. I went through two different fresh blades cutting out the door openings but take your time if you choose to do this. Most probably won't care to do this. Anyway, after the door opening is created you have to remove the extra thick roof material from the inside. The photo will show what I mean. I used a dremel and a chisel blade to make it look thinner from the side. Once the ceiling is painted painted black it will look better.


Next I added the grab irons. I used a #76 drill to open the grab iron holes and then trimmed the grabs before installing. The holes along the edge of the body are shallower so trim the grab iron leg shorter on that side. It's a drag drilling all those holes but watch some TV or something while you sit in your recliner and it won't be so bad. Here's how they look once installed. If they aren't perfect you can straighten with pliers or leave them as is for more of that personality.

I'm done for the night. Next time I'll talk about removing the small detail parts from their resin sheets and

 

No, it's an older kit. It's my third sawtooth and they've all been one piece. Two of my SS boxcars are one piece but I do have one SS boxcar that is not one piece. That one remains unbuilt. One of my wooden gondolas, the coal gondola, is from the new owner. Nice guy.

 

Tonight I added the roof walk and end platforms and detailed a section of the floor. This car will be used to haul ties and will probably be positioned on the siding at Zalama for a tie loading scene. Cutting out the door openings really increases the versatility of the model.

 

Howdy Jim,

Nice build thread. Thanks for that.

I like your work; you are making the car really look extra special. I'm encouraged to tackle one soon.

Best,
mike

 

Thanks, guys. The part I'm really dreading is the brake rigging. For some reason it's one of my least favorite things to model.

 

I almost forgot to talk about removing the detail parts from their resin sheets. I'll explain the best I can so bear with me. Most of the resin parts, except for the body, are still captured in their sheet of resin which must be how these kits are formed as part of the molding process. Nevertheless, removing the smaller, fragile detail parts requires a unique method. They are removed by rubbing them back and forth over some fine sandpaper until that excess "sheet" of resin is separated from the part itself. Make sure your sanding surface is flat. As you can see in the photo the kit provides eight stirrup steps but the car only uses four so there's room for error. Cut each one out with the razor knife before sanding. Be sure the raised, detailed side is up and the flat sheet side is down when sanding. Common sense I know but I'm just sayin'. Take your time and the part will survive intact. I'll use the extra steps on my early era easy boxcar project if all goes well.

 

As much as I dislike taking the time to add all the brake detail I still do it. The train line runs through the cross braces and holes have to be drilled through them to allow the wire to pass through. Pain in the butt in my opinion but I wouldn't sleep well at night knowing that I left it undone. The rest isn't so bad really but it's just not that highly visible from normal viewing angles and you all know how I like to cut corners. I had to finish the brake detail because I'm ready to airbrush the boxcar red paint onto the body and the under frame as was the prototype. I have to paint the body and frame separately since I've added an interior and don't want any overspray to get onto the floor. You must wash everything with warm soapy water and an old toothbrush to remove oily residue left over from the release agent used during manufacture. If you don't the paint won't adhere well. Next time I'll paint it and add decals. Lastly I'll add trucks and couplers and weathering. Thanks for following along and I hope at least one person is getting something out of this.

 

The floor is actually sitting on a black foam pad and some stray black paint on the floor edge creates an illusion.

 

Welcome back, friends. Tonight was airbrush night so I'll just touch on some main points and share some photos and tips on painting with this "must have" hobby tool. You veteran modelers and MMRs chime in at any time with any better methods or personal tricks of the trade. Now for the fun.
I began with a light supper of smoked meats and cheeses and a couple of bottles of ale brewed in Kansas City, MO. This is optional but always works for me.

You just can't beat an airbrush when it comes to preserving fine detail on a painted model. Plus you always have the option to mix your own colors as opposed to rattle can spray paint which covers tiny details and can't be mixed. I also prefer water based model paint. (Disclaimer: This is NOT a guide to airbrushing techniques.) Now any airbrush is better than none at all and my Pasche VL has served me well for over 20+ years. I use a bottle with siphon cap as opposed to the color cup so that I can save my paint for a later step. Also, I keep bottled water handy which I use to thin paint and clean the airbrush. This is just something I do. Remember my disclaimer.
Heres a picture of my old soldier and the main components.

I taped sticks to the parts so that I could easily hold them and reposition them as I sprayed. Having handles makes it much easier. I used blue painters tape just because it was in reach.

I spray the first coat and let it dry. Then I look at the parts in different lighting to reveal any missed places like behind beams and under grab irons then I give it a second coat making sure to cover everywhere. After the second coat dries I spray it with gloss coat in preperation for decals. This is as far as I got tonight so tomorrow I'll add the decals. Should be a real blast. Thanks for following along and I hope someone out there got a little something out of this. Stay tuned.

 

Thanks, Manny. I used to use grey primer first but I stopped doing that a few years back and I just go straight for the color. With modern paints I personally find it an unnecessary step in my opinion and I'm in a hurry to get done and move on. I thin the paint with a few drops of water and use the airbrush jar shown in the photo. I can't remember the needle size. It's the only one I've used for over 20 years. It's pretty fine though. My coverage is smooth and even and is weathered in the final step anyway. But yes sir you are correct, the proper way is use primer first, then add the color coat. Good call. I'm the king of lazy modelers!

 

Thanks, George. As you can tell, I'm a very relaxed model builder

 

The label design may have early origins but the beer is fresh. I really think the label is just designed to look old fashioned.

 

Got a late start because I was glued to the news tonight watching that cop killer burn in a cabin. Nuff said. Tonight was decal night which is fairly fun and easy to do. Here's what I use to accomplish this: a sharp #11 blade, toothpick, micro brush(or any small paintbrush), good tweezers, decal softening solution, cutting surface( I used the back of a cheap pad of paper), and a bowl of water. Some only use distilled water but I use tap water. Remember my disclaimer.
Cut out the decal as close as possible and soak it in the water. I do several pieces at a time, about 4-5 or so. Soon the decal will float off the paper backing. I grab it gently with the tweezer and place the wet decal onto the back of my left hand. This will make it easy to see that small lettering is not reversed and it will remove excess water and keep the decal at hand(get it?). Quickly put a puddle of decal solution on the model with the micro brush and use the tweezer to transfer the decal from your hand to the puddle. Lifting the decal from your skin is much easier than getting it off a hard flat surface. Just something I do. Use the toothpick to position it. You have about a minute or less to position it before the solution makes it hard to move it without tearing it to pieces. Be sure you know exactly where the decal belongs before you apply it. After about 20 minutes or so I add more solution, carefully, to the decals and sometimes a third application. This stuff snugs the decals down over rivets and other details. Handle things carefully until they completely dry or they will smear and ruin. Tomorrow I'll blend the decals and add weathering.