Article 2 – Artitec - Dutch Model trains

This article is from before 2012 (photo from Artitec)

Artitec model kits and the making of the Rhine motor vessel.

The kits from Artitec are different compared to the more classic plastic kits from Walthers, Faller, Kibri and the like. Instead of molded colored plastic parts, it is made from cast resin.

Working with resin is done much different then with the classic plastic kits. Once build, the kits have to be painted as well. Even though it appears to be hard to build a resin kit, it actually is rather easy. The detailed result will be better than that of a classic plastic kit. The Artitec kits come with detailed instructions for working with resin in general, the structure itself and painting instructions.

This article is about how to build Artitec kits, or any other manufacture (like Tilly products) cast resin products, for that matter.

Artitec has a huge assortment of kits, structures and ships.

When you have made a selection for a model kit, and open the box, you notice their are not that many parts.

Most kits do come with a few fine etched brass details that have to be carefully attached.

This is due to the fact that most of the details are cast in its place. The procedure of building a resin kit is about the same for any kind.

I advise to work in a well-ventilated area, since working with resin, especially sanding, creates a powder resin dust, which is probably not good for your health.

Check out some of the details:

The parts are bonded together with super glue, so I use a flat surface and machinist squares, to keep the parts in place when applying the super glue.

Personally I like to work outside on the patio.

Later in this project I show the making of an Artitec ship.

When I subscribed to the Dutch railroad magazine Rail Hobby, I received a free Artitec welcome kit, which was custom designed, and only for sale at the Rail Hobby magazine. This was a model of a signal tower from the city of Doetinchem. By now this model is out of stock and replaced with another Dutch model, block post 13.

If these will still be available trough the Dutch Rail Hobby magazine I don’t know, you can best contact Rail hobby them self. They do sell their kits to non-subscribers, with a slightly higher price. This is a nice way to start with Artitec kits, when subscribing to the magazine, but since the magazine is in Dutch, you probably won’t go that route. I started with Artitec that way myself.

These are pictures of the signal tower and block post 13:

This signal tower was my first Artitec kit. When I opened the box, I was a little surprised with the contents. How do I turn this into a nice structure? And how to paint those colors, as seen on the box? I think it turned out all right, by looking at these pictures. Check the details that are casted in the resin.

As mentioned earlier, when you do decide to purchase an Artitec kit, it comes with a detailed set of instructions. A manual for working with resin in general, a manual for the model it self, as well a manual with clear painting instructions.

Following is a brief description how I make my Artitec models.

First the parts are not molded like the plastic counterparts, but are laying next to each other, on a flat surface.

If some of the parts are warped, laying the parts in hot water can true them, this will soften the resin. Also with the use of hot water some small parts can be removed from the carrier, as it softens up and is then easily cut with an X-acto knife.

I attach two sheets of sandpaper, one fine and one course, to a smooth flat surface sheet of wood. Cast resin parts are separated one from another by sanding them. Some parts can be cut with an X-acto knife, but this have to be done with care, since it breaks off easily.

You can sand the resin with a light and even applied pressure on the part. When quit a bit resin has to be removed I start with the course sandpaper and when I get close to the measurements, I continue sanding on the fine sheet.

This process takes most of the time and controls the proper fit of each individual part, so a little care and patience is advised. When all the parts are sanded and finished, I check to see if they fit nicely with each other. They may need further attention with a small file or careful sanding.

When sanded according to the provided instructions, the openings for windows and doors are clean from resin. They may have to be filed with a small file, but this can be done later, after the parts have been glued together, study the provided instructions first.

When all the parts fit nice, I clean them in water with liquid dish, and as they dry, I clean the worktable from its resin dust, so I have a clean area when I start gluing the parts together. Resin is glued with super glue. First I hold the parts against each other, mostly with my fingers, but sometimes with some tape.

Carefully one drip of super glue and check to see if the two parts are fitted together properly. The use of just one drip of super glue allows me to move the two parts in a better-fit, if need to. When it fits perfect I add a few more drips of super glue and it is tight.

With the classic plastic kits you have more time to make changes, if it don’t fit as nice as it should. Incase the parts have to be separated and re-glued, the old super glue will have to be removed from the resin, otherwise the new glue will not hold.

When all the parts are glued together the model is almost finished, there is not as much gluing to do as with the classic plastic kits. The result is visible…a plain simple model?

Now the fun of working with Artitec kits starts. After washing the structure again, it needs to be painted, and believe me it is not as hard as it seems.

During the painting you notice many details, they will make the model come to live. At some models small fragile brass parts have to be installed also.

Now the making of the Rhine motor vessel.

After learning, and getting some experience with, building some Artitec houses, I started with a ship. Viewing photo’s on the Artitec website, it promised to be a rich selection of different Dutch ships and all with plenty of details. Finally I choose the Rhine motor vessel. A typical Dutch model which can be found at every harbor, channel or river in the Netherlands and abroad.

There are not that many resin parts, the vessel is almost casted in one piece. The steering hut, the roofs from the deckhouse and the cargo area, as well as the masts are individual resin parts, and are to be prepared as described earlier.

This model, like the other ships, contains a lot of small brass parts. For me this was a something new, except for a brass/white metal train car, but that I build in the early to mid 1980’s

The two photo’s on the side show the small part, an eyehook, which is installed into the resin ship, with the tweezers. The mounting hole is prepared with the drill as mentioned earlier. When the eyehook is installed straight and deep enough, it is secured in place with a drip of super glue. The super glue is on the toothpick.

After installing five eyehooks on each side, a thin steel wire is installed trough the eyes. In my kit the steel wire was bend and twisted, which I could not straighten any more. I replaced this with another steel wire.

By super gluing the wire in the first eye, and continuing with the other eyes while applying some tension on the wire, you get a straight, tight wire.

Also the brass rails is glued with superglue on a toothpick. When the superglue is applied directly out of the tube, it will dispense too much glue and close the cap from between the ship and the rails. This is extremely noticeable after painting.

Some small resin parts are to be mounted on the roofs, in the same way, as shown on the photo at right.

The roof of the deckhouse has to be shaped in a curve. The way to do it is by placing the roof under hot water and bend it in shape, as it soften the resin. However it kept going back out of shape.

When I took this picture I had not yet filled the sink with hot water, but afterwards I did and kept the roof under water fort a while to get the shape I wanted.

Finally it reached the proper shape, as you can see in the photo at right. This will not be glued yet, like the other roofs.

The cargo area can be modeled closed or open. I don’t know yet how I will model a scene on my layout, loading in a harbor, or traveling in a river. Therefore it is still open.

Now the model is ready to be painted. When it is cleaned and free of grease, I spray a coat of primer on the model. See the following pictures, blank and primed.

What can’t be seen on these pictures is visible after spraying primer on to the model. Defects or damages can be seen and fixed.

After priming and examination, the real painting can start. Usually I start with light colors and then the darker colors. I started with the inside of the ship, this way I can hold the ship in my hand. When the inside is finished I painted the outside. The white sections at front and back I painted at last, over the black paint.

After many (evening) hours of painting the model finally looks like a real ship, as seen on these pictures. However, the model is not finished yet. With rub on letters I have a placed my mom’s name as the ships name on the front.

This is the hardest job, to place the individual letters perfectly next to each other and with the right pitch. Since my mother is born in Rotterdam, the ship is registered in Rotterdam, which I placed on the back of the ship.