Modeling Air Slide Hoppers

My first air slide model completed is an Eastern Car Works kit that I sprayed with a gray primer spray bomb. Peter supplied me with the decals and once done some acrylic tube paints are added along with some PanPastel weathering.

One of the projects Peter and I have been working on over the winter are a group of Air Slide hoppers. Air slides are one of Peter's favourite pieces of rolling stock. We will show you some of his fleet in the future. Peter picked up a couple of undecorated Athearn kit air slides that we thought would be a nice winter project. These cars included CDS CN dry transfers. I have seen built Athearn models which look really good with lots of fine details added. Well here is a word of advice, buy a built Athearn model. All those nice fine details found on the finished models are all there in the kit and are a real pain to apply. In the end many of them did not make it onto my model. Peter is still struggling with his. I am really happy how it turned out but was far more work than I expected. I also built an E&B and Eastern Car Works air slide kits this past winter. A part two will follow with finished models...George Dutka

On one of our winter Monday workshop's Peter and I are working on our Athearn models. The third air slide is also an Athearn model that is sold built. We used it as a guide as our models did not come with any instructions only a poor exploded parts drawing.

Another view of our Athearn airslides as we struggle along.

My finished Athearn air slide is on the left while my E&B kit is to the right. They both are painted with gray primer.

From left to right are a Eastern Car Works kit model completed, Athearn kit ready for lettering and an E&B kit ready for lettering.