What I do

Those little latches can be a pain.  I've found that the best way for me is to make sure I know how it's supposed to go in there, put a drop of MEK on the hopper, and then set the latch into place.  The surface tension of the MEK keeps it from taking flight, and as it evaporates (pretty quickly) I can adjust it as needed.  The whole process takes a few seconds, and is not as bad as it seems at first.

Thanks Ken

I will try that on the next one. Sounds like a  pretty good idea.

Michael

Hope it helps

For what it's worth, I have found that the latch mechanisms will sit in place fairly well once you have them in the right orientation.  Of course, finding that orientation is not trivial, since it's hardly obvious, but once you get it (use a car that you've built to check) things go fairly smoothly.  If that's the worst thing to deal with, you're doing well.

Try building a P2K Mather stock car kit!  I built one of those when they first came out - decorated, even.  That may be the most challenging kit I have ever assembled, though it went together nicely.  Lots of fiddly little parts, though.

I have some Tichy boxcars I'm not looking forward to....

Drilling holes for grab irons and such. I mean, I'm capable, I've built intricate stuff before but it does put my nerves a bit on edge and I need a pretty quiet house to do it.

Michael

Tichy not so bad...

Dear Michael,

Having just production-lined 6x Tichy 50t flatcars, and having production-lined fleets of their shorty ore hoppers and boxcars previously, my experience is that their castings are nice and crisp, requiring minimal cleanup, and fit very well in their intended locations.

I re-drilled all (cast in) holes for the stakepockets on the recent flatcar builds out of paranoia that orienting and fitting the pockets (pins> holes) was going to be painful. While having the slightly larger holes did make things slightly easier, assembling the last pair of cars without the extra drilling revealed that the extra drilling wasn't really necessary...
(no handrail hole jigs or suchlike required, all holes are already cast in/thru ).

FWIW, I enjoyed "taking my time" building the fleet of 6 cars, but once I got into the groove, a pair of cars could be completed ready-to-paint in under 2 nights-worth of worktime. (A small workbench in the livingroom allowing me to work while watching the idiot-box and conversing with my wife helps.... ).

When assembling a set or even fleet of cars, I like to try and assemble pairs at-a-time,
so I can "leapfrog" between cars.
(IE assemble the chassis for Car1,
set it aside to dry and assemble the chassis for Car2.
by the time Car2 is ready to "bet set aside to dry",
it's time to start the deck on Car1,
etc etc)

Keeps the flow of action moving, and allows reasonable progress thru the build...
Having a stock appropriate metal wheelsets already mounted in the supplied trucks,
the truck/wheelset assembly already pre-weathered,
and enough packets of #5s onhand to "just grab and go",
also helps immensely...

Personally, I've found the Tichy instructions in every kits I've built to be very well done,
this is IMHO a case of "follow the bouncing ball and everything will 'just work' ".

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Mather stock car

I have 4 of those in waiting. Now you have me apprehensive about them. Oh well, wouldn't be my first disaster nor I am sure they won't be my last either.

Second on Tichy...

Tichy are by far some of the finest plastic kits I have ever assembled.

Tichy

Yes indeed, but stock up on #79 bits before you tackle a six-pack of boxcars :={

David (who can give you a real deal on #79 shanks)

HSS "jobber" numbered drill bits...

Dear David,

Ah, I use SS "jobber" steel bits in a manual pinvice, not a broken drillbit in sight,
(and darn if they can't support the weight + sideways force of the pinvice sticking out of the hole, all on their own...)

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

P2K kits

Fear not, Alan.  Bear in mind that that kit was the first I ever built, except for a few Athearn shake the box kits, and that I was only about 15 when I built it, working on my parent's freezer.  As I recall, the kit was not bad, and went together well enough, but the grab irons and sill steps were thin and easy to break.  Plus, there seemed like a lot of little parts, though perhaps now I would not think as much of it.  One thing I remember noting was how well the MEK glued the parts onto the painted surface of the car without damaging the paint.  It softened and wrinkled the paint, but when it evaporated the paint went back to being perfect.  I've used MEK ever since, and never had cause to regret it.

Good magnification is key

I tried some of those magnified visors, but they made me have to either hold my face 5 inches from my work table, or hold the work up to my face. I hated them. So they have been retired to a drawer somewhere, and I went ahead and spent the money on one of those very nice round magnifiers with the round floresent bulbs around it on the boom arm. I clamped it onto the side of my bench, and have never looked back. I find myself looking through it at work that probably doesn't really even need it, just because the view through the lens is so pristine! and the absolute lighting it gives cannot be ignored either, no shadows on your work, light all around. I first used one of these magnifiers where I used to work, soldering surface mount devices, and believe me the work was impossible without it. So it's worth the $50 or $60 bucks to invest in one of these super magnifiers with the round light. and cheaper ones are out there, but I worry about the quality of the optics in them. Mine even has a small dime sized dot that is super magnified, comes in handy when soldering leads onto an N scale decoder. Or those LED lights the size of a sesame seed. Ever since I bought this lighted magnifier it has put the fun back into N scale modeling! And I'm promoting these lights and I have to add that I'm only 50 years old and don't even wear glasses! It makes that much difference. Worth every cent.

Also, I made me one of those "Jeweler's Aprons", I took an old BBQ apron and secured the bottom hem under the bench, so if I drop anything it catches it and I'm not crawling around on the floor with a flashlight looking for it. I've gotten so accustomed to having it that I drop tools into it on purpose when I need a free hand suddenly. It's almost like having extra work space! I decided I needed one after I detailed an Atlas GP38 and I had about 12 pieces to put on it, and I dropped every single piece on the floor at least once! Now that's frustrating!

And quality tweezers, I have an extensive collection of tweezers, I have a fetish of sorts, if I see a neat pair of tweezers I have to have them! And having decent quality tweezers that are made for the job at hand really makes a huge difference in trying to work with super tiny objects. Even the best made tweezers are still only a few dollars each.

I used to be just like you, I regretted going with N scale often, and the fun of working on some of the smaller details was fleeting and my frustration was mounting, but since I have properly equipped myself to work on these tiny details, the fun is back and I enjoy the work again, and I am very pleased with the work I do! After all, hobbies are supposed to be fun right?

Russell Kingery

I think sometimes the idea that HO is bigger and therefore

easier than n is a misnomer.  I like HO because the models themselves are bigger and easier to operate, but that is a personal preference.  As you are discovering, HO may be bigger, but that only allows for small details that would just be cast on in N-scale!  I don't think it necessarily gets better if you go even bigger.  The larger the model, the more small details that can be modeled, so you really never get away from small parts!

An Optivisor with (Quasar)

An Optivisor with (Quasar) LED illumination is my constant companion at my workbench, but to answer your question about the web cam, there are companies that sell electronic microscopes. Not electron microscopes, but electronic microscopes. I've seen them talked about in home machinist forums for the past couple of years. eBay and Amazon searches will reveal several. Take a look at the Celestron 44302 of a prime example (I have no experience with these - just an example of what's available):

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-44302-Handheld-Digital-Microscope/dp/B001UQ6E4E/ref=sr_1_13?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1345556558&sr=1-13&keywords=electron+microscope

Problem with a webcam is that few will focus close enough, but if you already have one that does, why not use it? It might take a bit of getting used to working in 3D and seeing in 2D. If you can get around the lack of depth perception, it should be very workable.

Old Age and Details

I use Athearn blue box or modify Bachmann, Older model Power, and what ever I have laying around. I can no longer see the small details much less put them on. The 3 foot rule applies to my freight cars! The good news is the older I get the less detail is required. Yep Just paint the car, add metal wheels, and install Kadee couplers.

Regards,

John

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Modeling is all about compromising, and only you can decide which compromises are worth it, and which cause too much trouble. Ken Rickman

DinoLite

We use DinoLite AM4013 USB handheld microscopes for in-field evaluation of paint defects. A box car grab iron will more than fill the screen with one of these babies. Pricey, but the ultimate cure for the seeing small parts dilemma.

On a bit of a tangent, but...

I ended up with a pocket microscope somehow too.  It's pretty high power.  I actually use it to read microscopic lettering, like car classes on my European equipment (the real lettering is only about an inch high on the prototype, so it's really small on the models--and yes, it is legible, under magnification...)  I use it for cataloging my stuff, the information is useless for operations since no one can read it anyway.

Magnification Lighting

Dear MRHers,

Just make sure you use the lighted magnification systems for detail work, and turn them off when you're doing weathering, painting, or any other "color related" work. Having different color-balance light sources at the bench and on the layout can result in a model that looks fine at the bench, but looks very odd on the layout...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Dinolite Question?

I can see how such a device would be very handy to see and verify small parts and details. But is it possible to work under one of these magnified cameras? To me it would seem awkward, or like trying to cut your own hair in the mirror. Does working under a camera, instead of a magnifier, cause hand to eye coordination problems? Just curious.

Russell Kingery

Work Like a Surgeon

No difference between a camera and a magnifying glass other than the camera image is on a LCD screen instead of right in front of you. Right is still right, left is still left. Only difference is a small motion is a large motion.

Small parts

 As I have always said the smallest part you are going to use is the same size no matter what scale your in be it Z to 1/2 inch. The larger the scale the smaller details can be seen and be modeled. A detail we trick the eyes to think they see in N scale has to be there in HO.

rich