A few dents and weathering add “years” of hauling rough, heavy loads to the pair of gondolas on the right. Compare Tony’s well-worn older cars with his fresh, new car at left.
It’s relatively easy to simulate normal wear and tear on a plastic model of a steel gondola. I begin by clamping a medium-wattage soldering iron horizontally in a metal-jawed vise. Before plugging in the iron, I position a couple of blocks of 2 x 4 to support the gondola body on its side just above the hot iron. This keeps the hot tip from touching the side or floor, although an occasional nick in either surface adds to the realism. Just be careful to avoid damaging any safety appliances.
Tony uses a vise to hold the soldering iron and blocks of wood to support the carbody so the hot tip doesn’t actually touch the plastic gondola. Minor dents add realism to the car’s inner sides or ends, but don’t overdo the damage.
When the iron is hot, I slip the carbody into position so the heat softens a side panel between two of the exterior posts. I try to err on the safe side, as I don’t want the plastic panel to sag. I then slide the gondola body clear of the hot tip and use the round handle of a small hobby knife to push out on the softened panel from inside. Then I repeat the heating and pressing sequence as needed.
After heating the carbody, Tony applies pressure with a hobby knife handle to make a bulge between the posts. It’s best to avoid distorting the factory lettering on finished models.
The resulting bulged panels may distort the car’s factory lettering, so I go easy with reshaping the body near any printed panels. For repainted cars, I add the wear-and-tear effects to the carbody before I apply its decal or dry transfer lettering.
I spray the interior of most gondolas with a rust-colored paint or use weathering powder; I use grimy black to weather gondolas painted boxcar red. Last, I scatter some debris on the floor and secure it with a heavy spray of Testor’s Dullcote.
