Katzhagen modeling department
RhB ABe 8/12 3501 "Allegra" - Willem Jan Holsboer
About the Maerklin/LGB serial model's potentials
Paint work
To exert all of the model's existing details, one "just" needs to apply a prototypical paint to them.
Most of the related work is done best using an airbrush gun, some details require a fine brush. Apart from some ventilating grids which require acrylic paint, the paint jobs were done using enamel paint.
The roof's detail design
Some serious masking is strongly recommended before executing the first jobs around the roof and the dummy lines on the coaches' face sides between the units.
A first comparison - Pre (right) and post painting (left)
Game reloaded with fans, latchings and wholes in the pitched roof areas.
The same procedure once again - with the middle car. In addition some of the treat plates require an aluminum paint.
The lines' colouring was done according to prototype pictures. These suggest that there are differences between some of the prototypes in this regard.
Not very spectacular but time-consuming. The lines cannot be masked for using an airbrush gun - so it's torturing a fine brush by hand ! Of course on the tractive units' roofs as well ...
Redesigning the ventilation grids requires some patience and aptitude. First the big grids get an aluminum coloured coat from the airbrush gun which needs to dry out sufficiently. Next the grids' holes are filled with acrylic charcoal-grey, from the airbrush gun as well. Let the acrylic paint dry out a bit and use a damp cloth to remove the unwanted paint from the grids. The latter may require some corrective work...
The face
The fronts' small parts were removed from the model to simplify masking and painting. Due to the material's surface texture it is recommended to first apply a basic colour.
Further detail colouring (levers, hose clips, plugs) was done using a fine brush.
Inside the coaches
there is not much to paint...
The windows' rubber seals on the doors can be faked quite easily. Push out the window panes gently (may require some force though) and put them in place again using some glue after the paint has dried out.
Repeat the game... three coaches - eight doors.
Body shell and bogies
A further task for the fine brush - The hinges got some aluminum paint.
The yellow marks on the bogies are done quickly and make for an intriguing strong visual effect.
You either can do the yellow quarter marks on the nondriven wheels yourself - or you can use the RhB type Magnus ball bearing wheels already featuring this design and reduce the cars rolling resistance.
