Upgrading the Kokudens

[Welshbloke]

My second Kato Kokuden 103 Series arrived yesterday, and I've just spent a couple of hours doing some detail painting. Thought a guide might be in order.

 

As it comes, along with the materials you'll need for the work. Paints are a matter of personal choice, you'll need white, silver/aluminium, pale grey and red. Also a fine brush and a piece of fine wire:

 

 

Start by painting the destination boards in white. This might need a couple of coats depending on the base colour:

 

 

While that's drying, move on to the sides of the MoHa. The large window crossbars in silver and the frames of the smaller windows in grey. Don't panic if a little paint gets where it shouldn't, the acrylics will scrape off without leaving a mark. Use something like a cocktail stick cut to a chisel shape to remove it:

 

 

Do the KuHa and KuMoHa next as that should give the white a chance to dry, then give all of them some drying time before the next part. Apply silver paint to the frames of the destination boards, and a dot of red paint in each tail light (use the fine wire, as a brush won't be fine enough). Fit the tightlock couplers, clipping the side arms with the dummy MU cables off the ones on the cab ends:

 

 

Done! It's a bit of work but I think this fairly simple process works wonders for these sets. They don't look glaringly different next to the more expensive Kato 103 Series now.

 

I know the windscreen frames, the lower crossbars on the big windows and the bars at the top and bottom of the cab side windows should be silver too, but my skills aren't up to getting the paint exactly where it's needed and nowhere else on those. IMO it looks better like this than it would if I tried to paint those as well.

Edited November 17, 2015 by Welshbloke

[HantuBlauLOL]

This one is my Kokuden, its based on Indonesian prototype 10 years ago :)

 

 

 

[Welshbloke]

Yep, I was slightly tempted to use the outriggers on the coupler to attach some dummy MU cable sockets. That's the only part I'm not entirely happy with, although it's a worthwhile compromise in order to be able to couple to the cab ends of the set. It'll probably spend a fair bit of time running with my yellow 103.

 

The couplers come in packs of twenty for a shade under £2, if you add them to an order from the likes of Plaza Japan's ebay shop.