Train - Aoshima 1/45 EF66 - Japanese Electric Loco from the 60s

[cor]

Started this monster of a kit.

30+ sprue sheets. 60 page instruction booklet, all in japanese, with the usual Aoshima ambiguity.
The undercarriage is highly detailed. The body has parts for LED lights in the headlights and interior, but probably wont light this one.
Theres a few PE parts, including a name plate in Japanese.... metal stickers for the ID registration on the body, a bunch of metal parts including springs for the suspension.

The train will have a light weathering to look realistic. Im trying to make it look as realistic as possible, as the kit supplies so much detail that this is looking like one of the best models I've yet has a crack at. I want to do it justice as it is very large and will have a lot of presence.

The undercarriage paint callout is for black, but I'm doing it a very dark grey, otherwise it will a massive shadow under the body, and you wont see any of the amazing detail.






Aluminium foil pasted around the wheels and along the rails on the display base, which I painted up to look like concrete

[digger303]

Looks a really good kit. Are these meant to run around a track layout ?
1/45 is a weird scale mind you I have a tractor that is 1/43. You bought this direct from Japan ?

[cor]

Looks a really good kit. Are these meant to run around a track layout ?
1/45 is a weird scale mind you I have a tractor that is 1/43. You bought this direct from Japan ?

Hi digger. I got this from Hobbyco in Sydney. The instructions have a few options pointed out in english at the begining, but the entire build has only Japanese comments. The phone translates it ok, but its a bit silly - its easy enough to whack in some english french german etc... for the international customers.

This is a static display model. It wont run.
There is a running model train scale call 'O' scale, which I think is the same as this kit, perhaps that's why its 1/45, to match that scale. All I know is its big.

[digger303]

Looks a really good kit. Are these meant to run around a track layout ?
1/45 is a weird scale mind you I have a tractor that is 1/43. You bought this direct from Japan ?

Hi digger. I got this from Hobbyco in Sydney. The instructions have a few options pointed out in english at the begining, but the entire build has only Japanese comments. The phone translates it ok, but its a bit silly - its easy enough to whack in some english french german etc... for the international customers.

This is a static display model. It wont run.
There is a running model train scale call 'O' scale, which I think is the same as this kit, perhaps that's why its 1/45, to match that scale. All I know is its big.

Thank you. I didn't want to run it, just curious. Curious enough to look on scalemates and Plaza unless I'm mistaken a lot of these kits were tooled a very long time ago. Is this your first one ? Scalemates says this kit of yours is fairly modern, but a lot of the others are from the 80's and beyond. I was looking for steam loco's. What's your thoughts on it ?

[RangerNeil]

This looks like being a very nice build!!

[cor]

Thank you. I didn't want to run it, just curious. Curious enough to look on scalemates and Plaza unless I'm mistaken a lot of these kits were tooled a very long time ago. Is this your first one ? Scalemates says this kit of yours is fairly modern, but a lot of the others are from the 80's and beyond. I was looking for steam loco's. What's your thoughts on it ?

Yes my first one. There is another in this series, a diesel japanese engine, that you even pull the engine out for display after completion.

This is a new tooled kit, 2018. There are a lot of very finely detailed parts, lots of small bits, over 1000 parts. Its a complicated build.

To me it looks like it will build up into an almost exact replica with no added parts or detailing necessary. It cost a pretty penny, I did get it at half price, which contributed to deciding to build a train, and which says not many people are buying this kit, but this is a specialist model, not for everyone, and will require a lot of skill to get all the tiny parts in the right place.

My thoughts - its a top quality kit, and with a bit of patience, will provide a good few months or more building experience, and the end result has the potential to be a real eye catcher. However I've only just started building it, so all that may change after getting into it, but I dont think so.

Follow along if you want, and see if you like how it looks. If you're thinking about a train, this electric loco could be an interesting option.

Cheers

[LudvigN]

What a lovely and different subject! Looking forward to this build for sure! 1000 parts??? I could not do that! Too much sanding

[Twokidsnosleep]

Super interesting project. Have not seen a kit like this before
Along for the ride

[BigWall]

I'm along for the ride. This will be cool.

[cor]

Some pics of the wheels. This is the center of the three wheel assemblies. The thick arm at the bottom center actually sways sideways.









Also a couple pages of the instructions to show the detail, and the frustrating Japanese only text.




The body - about 40cm long

[digger303]

Looks very detailed like you said previously. I suppose most of the building work is under the upper carriage. You've certainly piqued my interest.

[Twokidsnosleep]

There are phone apps that let you point the camera at printed language and get the translation
Photo Translator is the one I use on my Apple phone

[RangerNeil]

There are phone apps that let you point the camera at printed language and get the translation
Photo Translator is the one I use on my Apple phone

Google Translate does too. Used it here during the ongoing Stingray build.

[DRUMS01]

I person after my own heart, another train... and a high quality kit too. I'll be following with immense anticipation.

[cor]

Seems there is a lot of interest in this kit. It certainly is something different and special.

Heres a dedicated page about this model from Aoshima: Click here

And here's the diesel train from the same series of models: Click here

[cor]

I person after my own heart, another train... and a high quality kit too. I'll be following with immense anticipation.

I enjoyed looking at your steam train. The interior was so well done.

[cor]

There are phone apps that let you point the camera at printed language and get the translation
Photo Translator is the one I use on my Apple phone

Thanks scott. I am using it, its just a drag to do it all the time when it should be on the page in the first place - 60 pages of instructions.

[cor]

Looks very detailed like you said previously. I suppose most of the building work is under the upper carriage. You've certainly piqued my interest.

Mostly the under bit, but the body is superbly detailed as well.

[RangerNeil]

Looks very detailed like you said previously. I suppose most of the building work is under the upper carriage. You've certainly piqued my interest.

Mostly the under bit, but the body is superbly detailed as well.

Sounds like a candidate for having a mirror as the display base!! Be a shame to hide such excellent detailing.

[cor]

Sounds like a candidate for having a mirror as the display base!! Be a shame to hide such excellent detailing.

Yes it would be a shame, but that would show my laziness on the underside... Having it raised up on a higher stand or displayed at a good height may bring the undercarriage to a level that can be seen better.


Heres some pics of the first finished wheel unit. 2 more to do. Gave it a bit of a matt black wash. The dark grey worked well, allowing the individual components to stand out from each other.

The brake pads even move into the wheels, with the pistons moving the arms.

So this unit has working brakes, working(ish) suspension, and a working balance arm under the center. Interesting for a static model.


And in case you missed this:

Heres a dedicated page about this model from Aoshima: Click here

Better photos of the finished model on Aoshima's site: Click here

And here's the diesel train from the same series of models: Click here

[digger303]

Interesting size comparison and a very complete looking boogie set up.

[DRUMS01]

Looking real nice so far.... how about another update?

[cor]

Looking real nice so far.... how about another update?

Here you go.

Been going slow because I dont like repetitive modelling, had to make two identical wheel assemblies, so took it slow. They are not completed.
The foil on the wheels works very well, showing the metal off against the dark paint.

The size of this thing is starting to reveal itself. That thing on the end of the last photo is a brake assembly yet to be fitted.



















Couple of shots from the instructions. I think this is a nice looking train. The Showa Era, 1960s, when this train was made, is considered a golden time in japan.

[digger303]

Did not know this...
"The Showa Era, 1960s, when this train was made, is considered a golden time in Japan".
Seems strange at first when thinking about that as the end of the war wasn't that long before, but I guess with all the money and technology put back into rebuilding fostered that era.
The boogie builds are impressive.

[cor]

Did not know this...
"The Showa Era, 1960s, when this train was made, is considered a golden time in Japan".
Seems strange at first when thinking about that as the end of the war wasn't that long before, but I guess with all the money and technology put back into rebuilding fostered that era.
The boogie builds are impressive.

The Showa period was from the 20's to the 80s, but the sixties was booming because of the war receeding from the minds and new generations discovering themselves, and new techlogies like you said, their economy really took off towards the end of the fifties. I dont know much about it, but am learning because of this project.

Showa info

I have read a lot about the end of the war for Japan, and especially about japanese POWs, and I believe that the japanese were preparing to fight the americans even after the bombs were dropped, because they had already lost 66 cities to conventional bombing, the loss of 2 more wasnt any particular enticement to surrender. The only reason Tojo agreed to surrender was that the emperor would be spared execution as a war criminal. The americans had him slated for trial, but with this agreement, let him live.

The Japanese government were arming women and old men with sharpened bamboo poles and training them to fight a nuclear armed america. There were going down to the bitter end. Hirohitos surrender address didnt even mention he was surrenduring - in it he said that the Japanese were the worlds saviour because they were ending hostilities, and therefore stopping america from going nuts and bombing the rest of the world to ruin.

[cor]

Undercarriage finished.

Theres not much to be seen of the wheels, and only the sides of the assemblies will be visible, but its still a pretty realistic looking bunch of parts.

Front and rear assemblies rotate, and middle one sways sideways. Quite impressive. Train could be displayed on a curved track.

[digger303]

It looks like the painting of the inside of the carriage might be troublesome. I'm thinking the interior colour will be different to the outside ?

[cor]

It looks like the painting of the inside of the carriage might be troublesome. I'm thinking the interior colour will be different to the outside ?

The drivers cabin is a bright yellow green. The main bulk of the train wont be seen though, as there will be some kind of grate on the inside of the windows that stop any interior view. The windows are the top holes, the lower holes are vented.


Im thinking of lighting it now, and will put interior lights on both ends cabins to show off all the detail of the controls.

The cabin has no floor, so not all that tricky... The floor is glued on after a fair bit of detail is stuck on.


This is mostly for my reference, but I didnt realise there was a lot of detail that could be added, in particular the brake lines. Wish I saw this photo earlier.

detail of wheels

[digger303]

You did well not to sand off the weld mark on the beam that supports the air bag suspension.
It would be nice if the manufacturers of these kits provided the pic's that they use to create these kits. Then you
could choose what details if any to add at your own leisure. The pic's could be posted on there own website so no real extra cost to them.

[cor]

You did well not to sand off the weld mark on the beam that supports the air bag suspension.

Thanks, I almost took off the weld mark on the bogie main chassis. It looks like a seam. .


It would be nice if the manufacturers of these kits provided the pic's that they use to create these kits. Then you
could choose what details if any to add at your own leisure. The pic's could be posted on there own website so no real extra cost to them.


Yes, good idea. They said they took thousands of pictures. That would be a great source of reference. There's not a whole lot of detail photos of this train that I can find.

Heres a start to the brake lines. Like the rest of the undercarriage, they will be almost invisible.

[digger303]

You did well not to sand off the weld mark on the beam that supports the air bag suspension.

Thanks, I almost took off the weld mark on the bogie main chassis. It looks like a seam. .


It would be nice if the manufacturers of these kits provided the pic's that they use to create these kits. Then you
could choose what details if any to add at your own leisure. The pic's could be posted on there own website so no real extra cost to them.


Yes, good idea. They said they took thousands of pictures. That would be a great source of reference. There's not a whole lot of detail photos of this train that I can find.

Here's a start to the brake lines. Like the rest of the undercarriage, they will be almost invisible.

Looking at the with and without pic's I think the brake line you added adds a huge amount of realism that belies it's size as a component part. I find that both strange and enlightening. I suspect it's because it adds depth and everyone expects tubing and wiring on today's machines so it makes you take that extra couple of seconds viewing than you might have.

[cor]

You did well not to sand off the weld mark on the beam that supports the air bag suspension.

Thanks, I almost took off the weld mark on the bogie main chassis. It looks like a seam. .


It would be nice if the manufacturers of these kits provided the pic's that they use to create these kits. Then you
could choose what details if any to add at your own leisure. The pic's could be posted on there own website so no real extra cost to them.


Yes, good idea. They said they took thousands of pictures. That would be a great source of reference. There's not a whole lot of detail photos of this train that I can find.

Here's a start to the brake lines. Like the rest of the undercarriage, they will be almost invisible.

Looking at the with and without pic's I think the brake line you added adds a huge amount of realism that belies it's size as a component part. I find that both strange and enlightening. I suspect it's because it adds depth and everyone expects tubing and wiring on today's machines so it makes you take that extra couple of seconds viewing than you might have.

I agree. I really wish I saw that pic earlier so I could have done a better job. Its made me focus a bit more on this project.

[digger303]

I think you did a pretty good job adding the lines in.

[cor]

I think you did a pretty good job adding the lines in.

Thanks man.

Here's the end result. The cables certainly fill the space and give it a realism I'm always searching for.


















brake line with without comparison

[BigWall]

Nice detailing!

[cor]

Nice detailing!

Thanks. Bit of an afterthought, but looks pretty good.

Got the undercarriage completed, and the ends started, with the couplers and lots of detail behind the grey scoops but cant see it. Each bogie is attached to the upper platform using pins and poly caps, like a 1/24 car wheel.

The couplers work, with moving lockable bits, and the whole coupler assemble moves. They will be chained to a rail so they move sideways. Its impressive how lots of parts move like the real train.

[digger303]

Lovely.

[DRUMS01]

Very nice indeed!

[cor]

Lovely.

Very nice indeed!

Thanks guys

Heres a bit of weathering work. Im going for a light weather and bit of rust.

I stood and watched a freight train roll slowly past near the footpath I was walking on today and got a good look at the wheels and couplers.
Went straight to the hobby shop and got this:










Top bogie without weathering
Bottom bogie has a thinned white wash, then the rust wash - its subtle, and the photos dont do a good job, but the white breaks up the uniform dark grey, and the rust adds to the layered depth of color. Trains are pretty rusty.

[digger303]

Some pigments I use more often than others are....VMS Dark iron Oxide old rust ( 07) and the (09's) Track brown in the 3 shades. Perfect for this.

[cor]

Some pigments I use more often than others are....VMS Dark iron Oxide old rust ( 07) and the (09's) Track brown in the 3 shades. Perfect for this.

Thanks Digger. I know nothing about pigments. A darker rust looks like it could be useful.

Heres some better pics. Only the front bogie has been weathered.

[BigWall]

Very nice! There's lots of opportunity for detailing and weathering

[digger303]

I think VMS might have changed the numbering on the labels since I bought mine. It goes a long way and lasts a long time.
Just think of pigments as a wash that you can manipulate hrs afterwards or even completely remove if your not happy.
https://www.vms-supplies.com/pigment-no-17
https://www.vms-supplies.com/vms-video-tutorials
https://www.bnamodelworld.com/hobby-mod ... (45ml-jar)
They add another layer of depth. You can mix it like paint, apply dry then add fixer or cover with fixer then dust it on to give more texture. Warning though dusting it on does get messy.

[cor]

I think VMS might have changed the numbering on the labels since I bought mine. It goes a long way and lasts a long time.
Just think of pigments as a wash that you can manipulate hrs afterwards or even completely remove if your not happy.
https://www.vms-supplies.com/pigment-no-17
https://www.vms-supplies.com/vms-video-tutorials
https://www.bnamodelworld.com/hobby-mod ... (45ml-jar)
They add another layer of depth. You can mix it like paint, apply dry then add fixer or cover with fixer then dust it on to give more texture. Warning though dusting it on does get messy.

Thanks for that

[cor]

The brown wash, representing rust and dirt. It's fairly subtle, but a big improvement on the uniform dark grey.
It still needs some tweaking, but the bottom half of this train is looking like it has some tonnage.

[digger303]

The brown wash, representing rust and dirt. It's fairly subtle, but a big improvement on the uniform dark grey.
It still needs some tweaking, but the bottom half of this train is looking like it has some tonnage.

"the bottom half of this train is looking like it has some tonnage"

It certainly does it's a great effect you've achieved. Most of those trains that I see have heavy castings and is of the type that doesn't rust hugely, but accumulates a lot of black dust maybe from the brakes and yet has a deep violet black showing through from under the dust. Maybe it is flecks of iron from the tracks and wheels. It's a interesting colour.

[cor]

It certainly does it's a great effect you've achieved. Most of those trains that I see have heavy castings and is of the type that doesn't rust hugely, but accumulates a lot of black dust maybe from the brakes and yet has a deep violet black showing through from under the dust. Maybe it is flecks of iron from the tracks and wheels. It's a interesting colour.

That sounds cool. These pics show different colours.

The top pic is kinda what I've been going for.

The middle pic shows the evenness of the rust colour whcih makes me think its mostly dust, but the train I saw yesterday was definitely covered in surface rust on the running gear. As long as the weathering looks realistic I'll be happy.

The bottom image has some streaks that look like rust running down. Whatever it is, those things are filthy.








And one of the front to show the rust accumulation there.




And to give an idea of the size




And a cool japanese train I'd like to see as a model...

[digger303]

Yes the running gear on the top pick is what I see mostly and what rust on the running gear is usually like you said just light surface rust. It doesn't get all pitted and flaky....the carriage is a different matter.

Personally I prefer the old steamers rather than the modern electric or diesel. But if the above pic's were all available as kits I would go for the bottom one too because of all the stuff on the roof and the messiness of the couplings and stuff on the front.




Ps ......I've got 2 WW2 loco's to build sometime and I'm really hanging out for the Br-80 that's supposed to be in the wings...maybe next year.

[BigWall]

It's amazing how much dirt and grime that the undercarriage picks up. Yours is looking nice

[cor]

It's amazing how much dirt and grime that the undercarriage picks up. Yours is looking nice

Thanks joe

Ps ......I've got 2 WW2 loco's to build sometime and I'm really hanging out for the Br-80 that's supposed to be in the wings...maybe next year.

Nice. A big scale steam loco would be cool




Heres a couple better photos of it in the sun. You can see it more subtle than the previous pics taken in harsh lighting