# First project. Engine paint Job



## jlassen (Dec 5, 2013)

So I want to convert an old Bachman amtrack F40PH to a local commuter Rail scheme. Cal Train cars Look like this:










and this









Bascially, I haven't painted model for a long long time. When I did, I used testor Oils.

I have no airbrush. I have no current investment in any paints. 

I'm trying to figure out if this is something I can try with a brush (basically, repaint it silver... blacken out top. add red strip, and red/white pattern on nose... Find some place to do up some Cal Train decals.

Any suggestions on 
a) type of paints, and paint color matching pointers? 
b) brush or airbrush?
c) One off decals? or by some laser printer decals, and try and figure out a way around the white background or no white decal problem.

For c... I think I can do a duel layer... white background one for the white bits of the cal train logo, and then a clear background one for the red and the black of the Cal train logo. Or, you know... maybe find a one off place that lets you submit designs for a 1 off sheet, that has cmyk as well as white ink.

Also... that front bit... can that be done with paint/stencil or is it easier/better to just paint it white with some red decal to go over it?

LIke I said... I haven't done any model train painting...or any modeling for a long time. Interested to see what has worked for folks.

Also... seems I have an earlier model F40 amtrack... Any chance of an easy modding/boxing of the back tail, to more fully resemble the F40PH-2C... basically looks like it was extended to the back rail, and an extra vent was added for the extra V8 stuck back there...


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## MRLdave (Nov 1, 2011)

Microscale has the decal set for the F40 in both HO and N which contains the lower red stripe, the red and white nose stripes and the side logos. So you just need to worry about the silver and black. http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=CDTX


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## jlassen (Dec 5, 2013)

MRLdave said:


> Microscale has the decal set for the F40 in both HO and N which contains the lower red stripe, the red and white nose stripes and the side logos. So you just need to worry about the silver and black. http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=CDTX


Thanks. This looks to be exactly what I needed. I'm going to hold off on the rear conversion until I figure out how to work up a 3d printed piece that I can just fit/glue in and paint. 

Now off to find the right paints, and a cheap airbrush system.


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## MRLdave (Nov 1, 2011)

I have one of these http://www.testors.com/product/137223/8821ES/_/EZ_Airbrush_Set_with_Propellant and it's about the cheapest airbrush you'll find. Mine works well for doing what you are trying to do. It definitely doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but I have no complaints about the quality of the work.....you just need to remember the limitations. I like it because of it's simplicity......if I want to do a fast paint job, set up and cleanup are super simple. The paint actually feeds from bottles.......the set comes with bottles, but there are 2 sizes of lids, one size fits bottles such as floquil or modelmaster and the other size fits testors size bottles, so I tend to leave my paint in the original bottles, which makes ID easy. The feed tubes that fit into the lids are the same size as coffee stirrers, which is what I use. So to set up, I grab my paint and the proper lid, stick a coffee stirrer in, trim it to length with scissor and screw it onto the paint bottle, then screw the bottle onto the brush. When done, I screw the bottle off the brush, screw the lid off the bottle, throw the tube in the garbage, give the lid a quick squirt of cleaner, and screw the original lid back on the paint. It's not a high end brush, but it's 100 times better than a brush or a rattle can, and I use it for about 75% of my painting.


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## I Am Fasha (Apr 2, 2013)

Did you ever finish this?


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