Pennsylvania RR 4-8-2 M1 and M1A Project coming up


It took Minuteman Scale Models (Scalecoat paint) a week to ship my order and they refused to answer my emails. I won't use them chumps again. I don't care if I have to use latex paint. A company who won't reply to emails is worthless and should be avoided. Yep.... I'm pissed

If you guys use any other quality paint by a company that CARES about their customers, let me know.
Just a week? I ordered mine May 29th and just got my shipment notice today. Two phone calls and one email ignored. I’ll just order from Walthers going forward. They go to shows all the time, which means long periods of nobody in the office. Sucks but they’re not the only small manufacturer with this issue.
 
Just a week? I ordered mine May 29th and just got my shipment notice today. Two phone calls and one email ignored. I’ll just order from Walthers going forward. They go to shows all the time, which means long periods of nobody in the office. Sucks but they’re not the only small manufacturer with this issue.


Shawn (Minutemanscalemodels) finally sent me a reply and explained how he was a "One Man Show" and how he had gotten 200 orders over the weekend. I was under the impression that his company bought Scalecoat paints a while back but I don't consider a One Man Operation a "Company" so I will be finding a better supplier for paint. If I have to wait that long for a couple bottles of paint, it's time to shop elsewhere. If there are issues with timely handling of an order, you owe it to your customers to reply and assure them that you are being taken care of.... NOT ignored. But hey, maybe it's just me but there other fish in the pond that sell paint as good or better. Just need to check it out. Funny though, out of the 2 orders I made on the same day, one shipped immediately, the other took over a week just for a reply.
 
Shawn (Minutemanscalemodels) finally sent me a reply and explained how he was a "One Man Show" and how he had gotten 200 orders over the weekend. I was under the impression that his company bought Scalecoat paints a while back but I don't consider a One Man Operation a "Company" so I will be finding a better supplier for paint. If I have to wait that long for a couple bottles of paint, it's time to shop elsewhere. If there are issues with timely handling of an order, you owe it to your customers to reply and assure them that you are being taken care of.... NOT ignored. But hey, maybe it's just me but there other fish in the pond that sell paint as good or better. Just need to check it out. Funny though, out of the 2 orders I made on the same day, one shipped immediately, the other took over a week just for a reply.
Well, Perry you're sure free to spend your money wherever you like, but let me warn you. Brass guys are not a huge part of this hobby. The more into the "craftsman level" stuff you get, the more you run into the "one man show" situation. Most of these small businesses are one man shows or family run. NWSL, which we're losing, Jordan, which we've already lost, Foscale Models, Bar Mills Scale Models, BEST, Sierra West Scale Models, Sunshine Models (long gone!) Westerfield, and a bunch more are/were all tiny outfits that have a specialty that fills a niche. You're not wrong to be irritated. I was too, but if it's a product I like without a ready substitute I just take a deep breath and wait. It didn't cost me any project time. Yeah he should have communicated better. But...I love that paint. I'll just order from Walthers going forward. Same price and they have more folks to do the grunt work :) If you're going to try a different paint I suggest Tru-Color. It's an acetone based system, and their thinner is expensive, but the RR colors are great. I thin paint with their thinner and clean with acetone. You have to prime brass.
 
Well, Perry you're sure free to spend your money wherever you like, but let me warn you. Brass guys are not a huge part of this hobby. The more into the "craftsman level" stuff you get, the more you run into the "one man show" situation. Most of these small businesses are one man shows or family run. NWSL, which we're losing, Jordan, which we've already lost, Foscale Models, Bar Mills Scale Models, BEST, Sierra West Scale Models, Sunshine Models (long gone!) Westerfield, and a bunch more are/were all tiny outfits that have a specialty that fills a niche. You're not wrong to be irritated. I was too, but if it's a product I like without a ready substitute I just take a deep breath and wait. It didn't cost me any project time. Yeah he should have communicated better. But...I love that paint. I'll just order from Walthers going forward. Same price and they have more folks to do the grunt work :) If you're going to try a different paint I suggest Tru-Color. It's an acetone based system, and their thinner is expensive, but the RR colors are great. I thin paint with their thinner and clean with acetone. You have to prime brass.

Prime????
 
Prone to dry spray and I’ve had issues with color accuracy. Make sure you use their retarder. I squirt a dropper full of it into every new bottle of Badger I open. I don’t care for them. YMMV.


WOW, this is a pain... I just went to Walthers and many of their colors (For Scalecoat) are out of stock. So you order, and sit back and wait until it eventually shows up a month or so later??? I don't have the patience for that. Maybe I'll think about doing these brass models (the 2 I just bought) and call it good. This sounds like the Navy's supply system I dealt with for so many years. Order the parts, stick it up on the shelf, and pray that the parts show up this year.
 
WOW, this is a pain... I just went to Walthers and many of their colors (For Scalecoat) are out of stock. So you order, and sit back and wait until it eventually shows up a month or so later??? I don't have the patience for that. Maybe I'll think about doing these brass models (the 2 I just bought) and call it good. This sounds like the Navy's supply system I dealt with for so many years. Order the parts, stick it up on the shelf, and pray that the parts show up this year.
You just have to adjust for longer lead times is all. Once you get your initial stash you keep an eye on inventory and order enough in advance to keep things moving. I was in the Navy too.
 
Personally ... I haven't painted anything since the Floquil days, but if I were, I would probably go the Trucolor route.
Priming only adds another day to the project.
 
How’s it going Perry?

WELL...... I finally got my paint and I played with the airbrush too. You make it look easy.... IT AINT... :)

I blasted and cleaned the loco body and the tender, cleaned it real well after and put a coat (2) on them and they came out OK. I was wondering what you used for the little tiny hex nuts that hold the wheels and linkages together. It's way small and I don't have anything even close. I got a couple paint flaws but this is definitely a learning experience. What kind of tape do you use since I wanted to tape off the smoke box as it is a different color. You must take EVERYTHING off the body but I don't think I'll take it that far. I'll try to get a couple shots and post them, got a busy week with a couple harleys I'm working on, my truck, and I'm just finishing up a Carver Preamp for a customer which I finished this morning and I'm listening to it right now and will run it across the test station tomorrow before shipping it Tuesday...... I don't know how I got anything done before i retired working 60 hours a week and deploying to Iraq/Kuwait/Afghanistan being a UAV Contractor. Anyway, I started with the M1 which had been taken apart a few times by looking at the screw heads and stuff, I'm not sure if I'll dick around with the M-1A since it looks to be pristine. Maybe I'll pick up a couple bomber units to practice on (more). I chased a few of those tiny springs around the shop too. Didn't know the trucks had those little buggers which they used for suspension. Next time, I'll use a tiny dab of RTV to hold them in place. I used a small drop of grease but wrestling 8 wheels which were still connected with linkages was a pain and wished I had about 3 more hands. Gotta look at another way to anchor the brakes. The little plastic pieces are not very robust and some of them won't snug. I'll probably take this loco apart again and use it for more practice. I got a little (more than a little) paint on the face of the wheels and I may be able to clean it up with q-tips and a dab of acetone, I know any paint on the wheels will cause issues for sure. Anyway Alan, I'm looking at a couple of the loco's on BrassTrains to use for practice. They have some cheap ones listed so I may grab a couple. The ones with "Running Issues" may be the ticket. Onward and upwards...


Perry
 
Personally ... I haven't painted anything since the Floquil days, but if I were, I would probably go the Trucolor route.
Priming only adds another day to the project.
You have to prime brass before painting with Tru-Color. Guess how I know that :)
WELL...... I finally got my paint and I played with the airbrush too. You make it look easy.... IT AINT... :)

I blasted and cleaned the loco body and the tender, cleaned it real well after and put a coat (2) on them and they came out OK. I was wondering what you used for the little tiny hex nuts that hold the wheels and linkages together. It's way small and I don't have anything even close. I got a couple paint flaws but this is definitely a learning experience. What kind of tape do you use since I wanted to tape off the smoke box as it is a different color. You must take EVERYTHING off the body but I don't think I'll take it that far. I'll try to get a couple shots and post them, got a busy week with a couple harleys I'm working on, my truck, and I'm just finishing up a Carver Preamp for a customer which I finished this morning and I'm listening to it right now and will run it across the test station tomorrow before shipping it Tuesday...... I don't know how I got anything done before i retired working 60 hours a week and deploying to Iraq/Kuwait/Afghanistan being a UAV Contractor. Anyway, I started with the M1 which had been taken apart a few times by looking at the screw heads and stuff, I'm not sure if I'll dick around with the M-1A since it looks to be pristine. Maybe I'll pick up a couple bomber units to practice on (more). I chased a few of those tiny springs around the shop too. Didn't know the trucks had those little buggers which they used for suspension. Next time, I'll use a tiny dab of RTV to hold them in place. I used a small drop of grease but wrestling 8 wheels which were still connected with linkages was a pain and wished I had about 3 more hands. Gotta look at another way to anchor the brakes. The little plastic pieces are not very robust and some of them won't snug. I'll probably take this loco apart again and use it for more practice. I got a little (more than a little) paint on the face of the wheels and I may be able to clean it up with q-tips and a dab of acetone, I know any paint on the wheels will cause issues for sure. Anyway Alan, I'm looking at a couple of the loco's on BrassTrains to use for practice. They have some cheap ones listed so I may grab a couple. The ones with "Running Issues" may be the ticket. Onward and upwards...


Perry
Sounds like your experience is much like my first one. Patience grasshopper. The skills will come with practice and experience.

Have you lost parts? The crankpins are small and can get away from you. Some model ship builders use a white shop apron that you wear and anchor to the front of your bench. Anything that falls drops into it. Micromark used to offer one. Some guys spread an old white sheet under their work area. I've spent my share of time chasing parts around the shop too. My wife and I once spent three hours looking for a valve gear screw in the carpet. It was a customer's model and I had nothing like it in the spares box. She finally found it. I knew there was a reason I keep her around! I get frustrated as well. Once I was working on an articulated that wouldn't cooperate and I used language that made my wife scold. She took the kids and left for the afternoon :) To your questions:

Were there spare parts bags in the boxes? Remove the foam and look for them. There is usually a small selection of spares in a bag. If not, Precision Scale sells them. They have a presence on e-bay, or at least one of their big distributors does. I may have a few around here as well, but I'd need to see pics. The shoulders may be different lengths on them. compare the left and right sides to see which one(s) you might need. There's also an outfit called Greenway Products that has saved my life on occasion. They can be found here: http://greenway-products.com/

If I'm understanding you correctly, no I don't remove any detail parts That's not for beginners!. I mask the firebox and smokebox using one of these: Tamiya yellow masking tape. 3M Drafting tape (may be hard to find). Green masking tape from the auto paint store (expensive but the adhesive is designed not to harm paint). Blue painters tape is a last resort. Don't bake the model with tape on it. That'll cause a do-over. I cut the tape into little strips and mask. It's fiddly work but doesn't take terribly long once you get started. I use larger full sized pieces and typically cover everything black. Beware of overspray! Piping and details like number boards will get painted the wrong color. I have a selection of good small brushes and repaint details black as needed.

Are you talking about driver springs? One under each driving wheel? Yep, they can get away. If you've permanently lost any let me know. I have some spares around here & I can send you a couple. I have 27 years worth of accumulated spare hardware & bits & pieces around here, so I can toss you a life ring if you get in trouble (since I got you into this :) )

If you really get hung up, let me know. I'll PM you my phone number and we'll see if we can't get you over the hump!
 
You have to prime brass before painting with Tru-Color. Guess how I know that :)

Sounds like your experience is much like my first one. Patience grasshopper. The skills will come with practice and experience.

Have you lost parts? The crankpins are small and can get away from you. Some model ship builders use a white shop apron that you wear and anchor to the front of your bench. Anything that falls drops into it. Micromark used to offer one. Some guys spread an old white sheet under their work area. I've spent my share of time chasing parts around the shop too. My wife and I once spent three hours looking for a valve gear screw in the carpet. It was a customer's model and I had nothing like it in the spares box. She finally found it. I knew there was a reason I keep her around! I get frustrated as well. Once I was working on an articulated that wouldn't cooperate and I used language that made my wife scold. She took the kids and left for the afternoon :) To your questions:

Were there spare parts bags in the boxes? Remove the foam and look for them. There is usually a small selection of spares in a bag. If not, Precision Scale sells them. They have a presence on e-bay, or at least one of their big distributors does. I may have a few around here as well, but I'd need to see pics. The shoulders may be different lengths on them. compare the left and right sides to see which one(s) you might need. There's also an outfit called Greenway Products that has saved my life on occasion. They can be found here: http://greenway-products.com/

If I'm understanding you correctly, no I don't remove any detail parts That's not for beginners!. I mask the firebox and smokebox using one of these: Tamiya yellow masking tape. 3M Drafting tape (may be hard to find). Green masking tape from the auto paint store (expensive but the adhesive is designed not to harm paint). Blue painters tape is a last resort. Don't bake the model with tape on it. That'll cause a do-over. I cut the tape into little strips and mask. It's fiddly work but doesn't take terribly long once you get started. I use larger full sized pieces and typically cover everything black. Beware of overspray! Piping and details like number boards will get painted the wrong color. I have a selection of good small brushes and repaint details black as needed.

Are you talking about driver springs? One under each driving wheel? Yep, they can get away. If you've permanently lost any let me know. I have some spares around here & I can send you a couple. I have 27 years worth of accumulated spare hardware & bits & pieces around here, so I can toss you a life ring if you get in trouble (since I got you into this :) )

If you really get hung up, let me know. I'll PM you my phone number and we'll see if we can't get you over the hump!


I didn't lose any hardware. I was wondering what you used for the wheel screws (crankpins?). I don't have anything that small. Where did you find a wrench that small?
 
Ah! There is generally a wrench (nut driver) in the box. If you don't have one, try your LHS. It will be metric. I'm not sure of the size, but I'll see what I can find out.


Yeah, the bolts are 2mm. Walthers has some nice drivers but the say size 00, 1, 2, 3 HUH????? doesn't say whether they are metric and I have no earthly idea as to what those sizes are. Lucily, my M-1A NOS loco has the 2mm nut driver in the plastic bag.

https://www.walthers.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=nut+drivers
 



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