My Billy kits arrived!

As a tip for others, there is another way with the axle bearings. Plug them with something soft, like Blue-tack or Play-do, that can just be poked out afterwards, or a short piece of rod of the right size.
 
G-force1 said:
As a tip for others, there is another way with the axle bearings. Plug them with something soft, like Blue-tack or Play-do, that can just be poked out afterwards, or a short piece of rod of the right size.
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I thought of those possibilities but was concerned that paint might pool and run or contaminate the bearings and cause poor paint adhesion. I considered making small circles with blue painter's tape and placing those on the bearings also. There are so many options with this stuff that I figure I'm one step away from messing something up. Hopefully my ability to fix my mistakes will exceed my ability to "screw things up".... LOL.
 
Henri said:
Good read! Keep 'm coming!
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Thanks. I will try my best including slo mo installation and first runs etc. It's fun to share with fellow model builders. The feedback from everyone helps all of us learn from each other and to consider many possibilities. My wife calls those learning opportunities!
 
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No worries with what you've done so far. I just thought others might appreciate an alternative thought.
 
Today I soldered the Billy body together and painted the smokebox and cab roof. It should be exciting to see the cab and boiler cover get painted next since I will be switching from black paint to green paint. It's a good idea to make fixtures to hold individual parts when painting. For the cab roof I used block of wood and piece of music wire to hold that piece. Between that and the turntable it works great.image1.JPGInimage2.JPG
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Does the camera exaggerate the 'crinkly' paint finish?
In the last shot, the cab roof looks smoother than in the previous picture, but the smokebox seems to have quite a 3D effect to the paint.
 
Yes I believe it does. You have bits of ceramic incorporated in the paint for heat resistance and I believe that's what creates the effect. This paint is intended for car engines and gives what I would consider to be a utilitarian look. The rest of the model will be painted in usual smooth enamel.
 
I spent the day painting. I just needed to see how it would look in color. I loosely placed components together to give a general idea. It's rather involved but worth the effort with 3 coats of self etching primer followed by 3 coats of color and then 1/2 hour in the oven @ 175 degrees F. It is starting to look like a Billy now. I used Rust-Oleum Gloss Protective Enamel with their self etching primer for the color coats. image1.JPGimage2.JPGimage3.JPGimage4.JPGimage5.JPGimage6.JPG
 
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Looks like the Slo-Mo needs speeding up! :giggle:
 
G-force1 said:
Looks like the Slo-Mo needs speeding up! :giggle:
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I was thinking the same. I was told it could be one or two weeks into July. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. At least the paint will be cured. I have time for a protective clear coat, that's for sure.
 
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Rhinochugger said:
MMMm, oxymoron springs to mind :D:D:D:D:D

How long would it take a slo-mo to get across the pond?

Still, Billy's looking very dapper :nod::nod::nod::nod:
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Thanks. The paint job is working better than I could have hoped for. PSP (performance steam products) is located in Australia. He can only make about 5 units per month since he does this part time and has a full time job. When I made contact the May units were sold and I was placed on the June waiting list.
 
skycap said:
Thanks. The paint job is working better than I could have hoped for. PSP (performance steam products) is located in Australia. He can only make about 5 units per month since he does this part time and has a full time job. When I made contact the May units were sold and I was placed on the June waiting list.
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From what I've seen and heard, it'll be well worth the wait :nod::nod::nod:
 
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