An On30 Diesel 'Critter' Locomotive Kitbash

An On30 diesel "critter" locomotive kitbashed from an HO Bachmann GE 70 ton switcher.
Music track "Ebon Cay" by Habersham Hall provided courtesy of the artist and used by permission.

[@jimschumacher6116]

Makes my kit bash attempt look like a joke. BUT, I have hopefully learned a whole lot about how to rebuild mine, after I rip it apart. Thanks for sharing this !!

[@bokkensuburi2621]

FAIL First Attempt In Learning, don't give up, learn from your mistakes

[@skywatcher3133]

Excellent job - sheer technical artistry!

[@andrewway3404]

Great job on this build, I 'm attempting my first On30 layout.

[@jorgesabater8640]

Very very nice!

[@JAILRail]

That is a very cute locomotive! Nice work!

[@daylightbigboy]

That's a really nice kit bash. I've actually learned a lot from this. Glue rivets, GENIUS!!!!!

[@oscalescratchbuilder]

daylight hic A little trick I picked up from RC aircraft modelers. Thanks for the comment!

[@shayengineer10]

Beautiful!

[@johnbrown7858]

Terrific detail! Very smartly done!

[@rjl110919581]

great bill HO30 LOCO did great job put together. thanks for video

[@BoylermanCT]

Excellent job! Love it!

[@oscalescratchbuilder]

Thanks!

[@johnrobertfox7775]

A Kit BASHERS DREAM Come True !

[@fredtedstedman]

I love the idea of up-scaling hO to On30 by building bigger cab etc . I have built an English 03 class shunter in 00 kitform and widening it . I can sympathise with the damned varnish problem ! Just when you had almost finished -isn't it always the same 😫😫😫😫 this is a great job anyway ! best wishes from Wales .

[@tomellis4750]

Fun and instructive - well done

[@allanegleston13]

eggscllent modelling skills . loved the music.

[@meliketrolleys]

Nice

[@hughhughlee3123]

Nice job, well done!

[@rustyolson79]

Stellar loco and video. Good work.

[@oscalescratchbuilder]

Grain Train Thanks!

[@CarmineRC]

VERY nice kitbash! You could go as far as calling it "scratchbuilt", because except for the drive, you DID with the entire body! I too, have been doing this for about 40 years (18 if you only count scratchbuilding!)😜 I love it when someone can show me something NEW! Thank you. I'm about to do an On30 Critter, starting with a B'Mann 45 tonner... Like a pint sized Whitcomb!

[@mxferro]

Spray green. Then dry transfer number at location...put outside masking for the dot edge. Spray white. Peel masking and rub off dry transfer. Done.

[@robertblack3452]

Great job, this really came out nice. I have an HO Atlas S2, I was thinking of using it to scratch build an On30 box cab. I like your ideas for all the bits you scratch built, the Forney cab for a pattern was a great idea and its just the right size. I really like the the rivets, I have seen the Micro-Mark decal rivets, I think yours look better. Also the next time you need to strip paint, use "Purple Stuff", its for cleaning mag wheels and it works great. It's available at the Dollar General (a gallon for $5), it's much better and faster than brake fluid.

[@carmium]

I sure hope you don't run across a flat finish like that again, OSSB, but if you do, you can avoid some grief by using something other than stinky, greasy, brake fluid to strip your finish. I use a heavy duty cleaner/paint prep containing sodium hydroxide and a couple of other ingredients. My local brand is from Ducan Industries and called "The Duke," but you could find similar, I am sure, at any DIY/building supply store. It's meant to be diluted, but works well full strength for stripping paint and will not touch styrene. A big bonus is that you can wash it down the drain afterwards and give your kitchen sink a terrific cleaning in the bargain! It's completely water soluble, and if you get any on your skin, just rinse it and, if you like, use a small splash of vinegar to completely neutralize it. Gloves are recommended, but unlike with brake fluid, you can re-use them next time!

[@abelwayne9613]

+carmium I professionally build/paint model locomotives and buildings and I have used "stinky, greasy brake fluid" for years when I don't have scalecoat or better yet, Chameleon. It works just fine. Just don't strip with it more than once or twice because it will not actually leave a "greasy" film, it will actually pull out the oils in the plastic making it VERY brittle. I have been doing this for well over 20 years, so I speak from much experience.

[@carmium]

+abel wayne My worst brake fluid experience was with an N scale Rapido (Germany) body shell, back in the days when N was pretty crude. I ordered a shell to fit a loco I had picked up for $5 because its shell had *warped* in a hobby store window! That should have been a warning. I dropped it into a glass loaf pan of brake fluid, only to come back to find the shell "arching its back" and the consistency of rubber! Someone who knew about plastics made a wry comment to me about "third generation regrind" which I thought explained what had happened fairly clearly! Anyway, I'm sure brake fluid is safe enough in most cases, but I also had cases where the plastic came out with the flow lines from filling the mold in different finishes, i.e., gloss and matte, which I think bears on your comment about pulling plastic components right out of the shell. By contrast, I've never so much as dulled the gloss on a shell with "Duke," so I'm going with the "if it ain't broke..." principle!

[@BlaxlandRidge3]

Wow! Looks great! Shame that had to happen with the dullcote. What brand was it so I know to not purchase it for future projects?

[@nicholmansgarage3501]

This came out really nice! May I ask what clear coats you used?

[@BattleshipOrion]

Nice engine, but am I the only one who thinks a engine that small (relative to O scale) needs a smaller engine, like a Detroit, Cummins, IFX or Cat C5 Acert?