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Boulder Valley Models -- On30 Kitbasher's Delight Series
Kitbashing ideas using the BVM KD-06 cab with a Bachmann 70-ton switcher
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Idea #4 -- Add some "3-D" details ...
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I wanted this loco to have lots of chunky, free-standing detail & a variety of shapes/angles ... then I spotted the "plain" area just ahead of the exhaust and decided to add a little partially-opened hatch as shown here.
I marked & cut an opening with the Swiss cheese method, then outlined it with some thin styrene strip. Another little piece was set inside to create a lip for the open hatch, which was cut from styrene sheet ... fairly simple detail that adds a little more interest. (I used a chisel blade to remove the runners from the large, molded-on hatch and left that as a mysterious engine bulge with a headlight on top.)
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Idea #5 -- Build a funky exhaust ...
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Of course, it doesn't have to be THIS funky ... but this one was inspired by a prototype critter. Honest! I was browsing the North East Rail's Plymouth pages a while back and saved a photo of the Carbon Limestone loco from this page (4th row down). (You may be gone a while if you start browsing those critter photos!)
I figured that I'd have a chance to improvise on that Rube Goldberg design somewhere along the line ... and here it is. There's nothing especially difficult about the construction. It just takes a little practice to cut & fit the styrene pieces (easily glued to shell with styrene cement). To emboss the rivets, I sanded down the tip of a bulletin board tack and pressed it firmly into the back of the styrene -- takes a little practice, but works out nicely.
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The exhaust elbows were snipped from a piece of scrap sprue -- those runners included in plastic model building kits. A piece of styrene tube was slid over the end & the seams were sealed with gap-filling ACC.
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Idea #6 -- Add a bulky headlight ...
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First choice ... find an O or S scale headlight casting that suits you. In my case, I wanted to simply match the style used on my KD-01 and KD-05 locos, so I built up the platform as shown. The headlight housing itself is an 18" scale length of 1/4" styrene tube. I glued a piece of .010 styrene to the back and sanded down the edges, then added an MV Lenses L-209 lens to the front.
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The easy part ... cab, pilots & steps
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The KD-06 kit includes an easy-assembly cab made from our high-quality resin castings ... and it fits right against the end of the 70-ton shell, so you can make your kitbash as simple or elaborate as you desire.
Grab-irons can be varied to suggest a hinged door as shown at far left or a sliding door as shown at near left ... or you can cut out the door for an open vestibule cab!
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The KD-06 kit also includes pilots and corner steps as shown below right ... we made a special set of extended steps to fit below the cab to insure your crew can get in and out easily!
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Idea #7 -- Detail the side sills ...
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I decided to do "something different" along the side sills of this loco, so I looked through my parts bin and found a set of Grandt Line #18 2-1/2" nut on square washer castings. I placed one near each end, one over each bolster and one in between. A variety of other NBW castings can be used ... or you could add poling rods as shown on the KD-01 bash.
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Ready for paint ...
Here's a photo of "The Warthog" with a coat of primer ... ready for a coat of company colors and a bit of dirt and grime ... The air tanks are BVM parts available in our "Detail Parts" section.
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Final details ...
After the basic paint job was completed, I added a "canvas" radiator screen ... it's actually just a scrap of ordinary paper with a pieces of 010x020 styrene glued across the bottom. With a little bit of thinned paint, the paper curled just enough to suggest canvas. I also added a piece of thread and a Grandt Line #108 Eyebolt to create a tie-down. The brass mesh pieces (K&S #2709) were painted separately and installed after the basic painting.
The front grab-irons were formed by curling 020 wire around the shaft of a small screwdriver. They stand about 2'6" tall over the deck.
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Kit designs, photos & text copyright (c) 2003 Dallas Mallerich III
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