Athearn bluebox projects

In a recent topic discussing Athearn bluebox kits, someone gave the idea of an assignment to build a bluebox kit, maybe reviving some interest in the kit-building part of the hobby. I never saw anyone follow up on this, but it sounded like a good idea to me, so here are my results!

I found a bluebox kit for a railbox boxcar (the older paint shceme), and decided to make it look really old and beat up. I started by painting the roof rust brown with thinned acrylic paint. When that was drying, I used a rag to blot and smear it in certain areas. This helps remove brush strokes. Then I went back with a lighter, sunbleached shade and added that in places using the same method.

Then I painted the whole car with thinned black acrylic paint (in case you can't tell, I don't own an airbrush), and wiped and blotted like I did on the roof.

I added small scrape marks with a small brush, and I painted some graffiti on the car with the same small brush.

Then I remembered a railbox car I had seen very recently that had a door partially open, with cardboard bails inside. So I made some of my own bails out of pieces of a brown paper bag & colored paper.

Then I painted the wheels & trucks with a rusty color, and I called it done! Here's some pictures:







This is now one of my favorite boxcars on the layout!

I gotta also say that when I bought this boxcar, I also bought a couple other boxcars- specifically, the two cars (rust and blue) next to the railbox car in the above photos. They are also Athearn bluebox cars. What I was surprised to find was that the kit included grab irons, stirrup steps, a detailed brakewheel, detailed underframe parts, a new coupler box, and some other great details that I had not seen before in a bluebox. With all the talk and worry about the direction that kits will go, I was happy to find a kit that Athearn had taken the time to improve upon and give the detail parts that you usually find in more expensive cars. Each kit (even the railbox) was around $7.50.

Well, let me know what you think, and please post some of your own pictures of bluebox cars! Let's make it interesting.

Dave

 

Wow! Great job on the weathering.

I am currently working on about 5 blueboxes and will post them when they are completed.

Also I will go through my collection (75% are blue boxes and MDC kits) and post a few that I have not previously posted.

 

Great weathering, and a great-looking load of bales.
That's one of the advantages of 'modern' railroading...you can show recycling type operations.

In the 'good old days', such stuff went to garbage dumps or got burned,... not good.
regards / Mike

 

If I didn't read the post before the photos I would of sworn that first picture was the real thing!!!! Great job

 

Dave that's a really great job with that boxcar, I love what you have done with the load, it looks amazingly convincing, I may have to try that myself!

The boxcars to either side are Athearn's PS5344 boxcar, these are the most recent new model in the bluebox line, (it immediately predates the RTR range) the separate grabs are quite an improvement on them.

Oh, BTW we thought the kitbuilding idea was a great one and we do have a "kitbuilding" thread in the works, if you want a sneak preview we will have several folk working in at least two scales, from several different kits, and dealing with various projects from building simple kits "stock", some quick detailing projects and then right through to some fairly major kitbashes, I think it could be a very fun thread and I hope folk will join in and show us the things that they are working on.

Now, you can take this as an advanced warning if you like, to give you a bit more of a chance to think of a project, just don't tell anyone else, it's still meant to be a secret for a couple of days...

 

Thanks for the compliments guys! It's good to hear that it looks realistic.

Boxcab- I took these inside on my layout at nighttime. For the lighting setup, I had 1000 watts of light aimed up at the ceiling, illuminating everything fairly evenly. Then I aimed a small box light I made at the boxcar, smoothing out some light & shadows. Then I used a cheap floor lamp to light up only the sky backdrop, which was printed on the computer. The colors didn't print very well though, and I forgot to correct it, which is why the sky looks purple. But it's not a large or permanent backdrop. It's just a piece of paper attached to a piece of foamboard, with a piece of balsa wood acting like a handle. I just set up a picture, then hold the sky in the frame where it looks best. Instant sky!

 

Dave,

Great job on both the model and the photography! Thanks for sharing--it is an inspiration.

Dutchman

 

If this has inspired you (and it has me!) then the "project" thread has just been launched...

Lets see what else you guys can do!

 

<font color="336633">BTW it is in the "pit"</font>

 

Dave
I like to go thru' Trainboard on a weekend-just me, the computor and a six pack(or more,usually more).
When I saw your model and eventually realised it was a model,I was tempted to go tee-total...very tempted.
Excellent work!!!
Best wishes
Steve

 

Awesome job on the boxcar. I might have to go get some bluebox kits from the hobby shop and take a shot at it as well.

 

Dave,
I must join the group in complimenting your efforts. I too, had to look a number of times to determine if the first photo was of the prototype you mentioned seeing. I agree that the low angle, incidentally eliminating the less realistic roof, is an important factor. I have been using low angle in selling on eBay. What also caused my question concerning proto or model, was the absolutely prototypical ballast (bet you have forgotten how good this is), and the color and texture of the greenery. FABULOUS, all around!
Denis