Buddy's HO Customized and Trains Emporium

Captain:

The investment we make into our hobby sure lends too many areas that I prefer to “outsource” rather than doing it myself.    Custom decal and painting is just one of those areas.   I am also looking for a reputable company/individual that specializes in that area.    Web searches are great; however, it is also best to get a recommendation or two.

I found three companies on the internet that I starting to contact.  I will let you know how my search pans out. 

What type of Units

What type of locomotives do you have in mind?  Do the locomotives need to be striped first?  What about superdetailing, i.e. replacing horns, rotary beacons, replacing fans etc.?  Weathering too?

TMB Custom Models

http://www.tmbcustommodels.com/

Mike Baker at TMB Custom Models does great work.

James

Try Muncel Chang

custom painting

Captain Jim,

I'd suggest trying one yourself and see what you think. It is a bit of a scary thought but you may find its easier than you thought it would be, and quite enjoyable!

I am doing a few myself, and they are coming out pretty nice. At the moment I am waiting for my custom decals to arrive so I can finish them off but so far it has been going well.

I would recommend buying a couple cheap old locos off ebay to try it out.

if you want to see pictures of the one's I am working on, click the link in my signature below and check out the Motive Power section. The 2 blue EMD units and the SW7 are about halfway through the custom painting process. Once I get my decals I will apply road name & numbers, then do some weathering and touchups.

A couple of tips if you decide to try it:

- use crafters acrylics: they are cheap and easy to work with and work great.

- get a couple of decent brushes in different sizes and use a really fine tip near any edges

(both of the above can be found at Michael's craft supply stores, or similar)

- use a small amount of paint at a time

- acrylics can be mixed on a pallet to get an exact color match, and there are many shades available off the shelf.

- for the weathering tips, join the rustbucket forum: http://theweatheringshop.proboards.com/index.cgi?

Cheers,

Ken Goudsward

Great Western Trunk & Pacific

http://www.wix.com/kengoudsward/gwtp

Weathering Forum

I just went there, answered a bunch of questions, activated my account with the key I got in email, and I still can't get in even to just look around, until I am approved by a staff member. That's a whole lot of hoops to jump through, just to see if the forum will be useful to me.

Already Approved

On the upside, you are already APPROVED here at MRH! [grin]

No hoops to leap through or approval to wait for.

Approved

Yes, I was one of the first to join here, and I haven't regretted a moment of it.