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| Near Silenen |
So imagine my surprise when I found them available on Shapeways.
Very nicely modeled (and well printed too, Mr Shapeways). Until they release a clear plastic material for printing window inserts, I'd have made the windows filled-in, but this shouldn't be a drama as they are in a black panel anyway. Given the small scale, I'll probably pop a sandwich of black plastic and glazing behind the window openings.
As for power, this is yet to be determined based on testing, but the two contenders are:
- A Rohukan three-car Shinkansen - surprisingly, the middle car is powered and not the ends as expected
- Three Rohukan 'shorty' power cars (the wee black one below). Given the low price of these, I figured they were unpowered trailers that I'd harvest bogies off for the other three cars, but it turns out they are powered...
The original plan was to use two powered Shinkansen cars and have the rest of the cars unpowered (but as I say, it turns out I only have one power car).
Depending on how these types play together and how much power I need to get up my grades, I may use the Shinkansen on its own towing unpowered Shorties, or just the Shorties, or a mix on the train.
The Shorties will be lengthened of course, and the Shinkansen sets (or the car shells above them) need to be adjusted a little too. The Shinkansen chassis is surprisingly wide too, so needs a bit of thinning. I had hoped to use the undersides as they are, as they came with some nice side skirt detail that looks about right, but they are two wide for the Shapeways tops.
I'll leave you in suspense for a few weeks here, as I am being forced to go to Europe for some more 'field research'.
