Another 2 steps forward, 1 step back day. Drilled the holes in the chassis to attach the undercarriage detail, and actually got them in the right places! Unfortunately, the resin the detail is made from is rather brittle, and didn't take well to #4 screws. I can obviously just glue on the one with the air tanks, as it'll never need removed, but I'd like to have the fuel tank removable, as it has the speaker in it. Back to the drawing board...
Was going to use cardstock for much of the side detail, as thin styrene tends to curl when cut from sheets. Unfortunately, the cardstock was too thin. Doubled up, the thickness is fine, but after attempting to glue 2 sheets together, it's all wavy, and I haven't even tried to cut it yet. Searched for brass strips as a possible replacement, but none were thin enough, widthwise. After a bit more searching, I found that Evergreen Scale Models makes styrene strips in just about every size imaginable. Measuring the detail on the engine, it seems their .030 x .080 strips are just what I need! So, the side detail is on pause until they get here...
Running number board shown is just a prototype, the actual ones are shorter, and have longer pegs to connect to the tubes which hold them and the LEDs.
We have a remedy (hopefully)! Since I can't screw into the drilled resin detail pieces, I'll reverse the process. Cutting the heads off some bolts, going to glue them into the holes (producing threaded studs on the detail pieces), and then attach them to the chassis with nuts.
