Sagawa truck terminal on the Yukari layout

[Madsing]

Two weeks ago, I sold my layout’s truck terminal to Sagawa, and they immediately started with expansion, renovation and rebranding works. 
They have used the Greenmax 2187 kit (https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10193663) to add office space on top of the warehouse. A little bit of kitbashing was necessary.

 

 

The signboard on top of building was built from Evergreen styrene strips and sidings. They had a lot of fun!

 

 

Now it's time for lighting. These spotlights are so tiny!

 

 

Renovation works continue this weekend!

 

[cteno4]

Nice! Neat space for the paper pushers that came along with the buyout! What did you make the little spot light arms out of?

 

jeff

[gavino200]

That's awesome. I also plan to build a Sagawa depot, for my Super Rail Cargo train. I was actually just looking at the vehicles I've collecting for it and wondering if I've overshot the mark. Previously I thought that "more meant better" but I'm rethinking that approach. I also bought that Tomytec truck depot for the project. I was planning to sort of reverse engineer it, and try to make one with more truck bays. Your extension looks great. If you need any Sagawa vehicles, I think I could spare some.

 

 

This was a previous little play mock-up.

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by gavino200

[JR 500系]

Oh WOW! That building LOOKS SO NICE! Excellent work as usual Madsing, esp with those tiny spot lamps on the giant sign board! A grand add-on to the truck terminal may i say!

 

@gavino200 What a fleet of Sagawa trucks! Amazing! I think you might have as many Sagawa trucks as i have Toei buses!!

 

 

[Madsing]

2 hours ago, cteno4 said:

What did you make the little spot light arms out of?

 

1. Cut Evergreen #261 .060" / 1.5mm Channel at 1mm length

 

2. Glue the pieces (using Tamiya Extra Thin Cement) on an Evergreen #102 strip

 

3. Cut them apart and glue the mast made of Evergreen #218 .5mm rod at 45 degree angle

 

4. Cut the mast to length and attach the bracket made Evergreen strip #102 cut to 2mm

 

5. Glue prewired (using magnet wire) 0402 LEDs. The magnet wires are glued around (below if possible) the mast.

 

6. Paint black

 

Note: I have tried using these tubes but the inner diameter is a bit small for two wires, and cutting them while leaving the inner hole open is really difficult! I have to try more.

 

 

[Madsing]

2 hours ago, gavino200 said:

If you need any Sagawa vehicles, I think I could spare some.

Thank you Gavin. I have two Tomytec Sagawa Express sets, total four trucks, I don't have space for more.

In addition I am rebranding two vans (from other Tomytec kits), a Nissan NV350 and a Toyota HiAce (also used by Sagawa).

Your Sagawa Express freight terminal will look great! I like the mix of trucks, containers and the freight train! The M250 will be re-released soon and I am wondering if I should buy it or not!

 

Marc

 

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by Madsing
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[gavino200]

5 hours ago, Madsing said:

 

 

Note: I have tried using these tubes but the inner diameter is a bit small for two wires, and cutting them while leaving the inner hole open is really difficult! I have to try more.

 

 

 

I read about a technique where you can pass one wire through the metal tube, and solder the second wire directly to the tube. The tube itself becomes the second wire. I haven't done it myself.

 

I made some sign-lights a few years ago by soldering LEDs directly to resister-leg wires and then painting them black. Next time, I'm going to attempt your technique.

 

I love what you've done with the van. The decal, and lighting are amazing, but opening the door is off the scale. What blade did you use to cut out the door?

 

My attempt at sign lighting:

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by gavino200

[Madsing]

20 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

I read about a technique where you can pass one wire through the metal tube, and solder the second wire directly to the tube. The tube itself becomes the second wire. I haven't done it myself.

Yes, I think this was on @Kamome442's Yūrakuchō thread. I'll have to try that one day.

I like you sign lighting. Using the resistor's leads is a good idea!

 

23 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

What blade did you use to cut out the door?

Standard X-Acto #11. The key is to do it slowly, cutting is multiple passes. This one is rectangular, not too difficult, just need good lighting and a good magnifier. I'll post other examples later. 

[Kamome442]

I am loving this thread, some really interesting ideas for creating atmospheric lighting. The sign and van look amazing.

 

2 hours ago, Madsing said:

Yes, I think this was on @Kamome442's Yūrakuchō thread. I'll have to try that one day.

This is indeed the technique I have been using to make my street lights. One wire fed through 0.6mm (0.4mm ID) brass tube then using the tube as the return wire. I have found it to be very effective. 

 

I also find cutting fine brass tube difficult, I used to insert a brass rod down the tube before cutting to keep the end open. It seemed a little wasteful when I had little bits of brass rod building up. Now I just cut the tube 1mm longer than I need and file off the crimped end.

 

Lovely work on the sign lights @gavino200, I have a bunch of little spot lights to make for my shops. I have just ordered some 0201 LED's at 0.65mm wide I am hoping I can glue them into the end of short sections of 1mm brass tube to get the look I want.

 

I am looking forward to seeing what you come up with next @Madsing

 

Joe

[cteno4]

Thanks madsing, simple and clean design! I guess if you are fine with a square arm you could use the channel stock for the arm as well and run the wires down the channel on the underside. But I really don’t see the wires once painted!

 

cutting metal tubing is a @#$&*. One technique I’ve used with fine brass tubing is to tape the tubing down on a piece of wood and use a roto tool with a fine cut off disc and cut off thru the tape. Seems to help give a cleaner inside end.

 

i have a tiny tiny baby’s firs pipe cutter, the kind with a clamp and disc blade you rotate around the tubing and tighten slowly as you do rotations. Hoped it would give clean ends and it does but it kind of leaves extra on the inside of the tubing end which you still have to then ream out or file off the end some.

 

jeff

[Madsing]

I'll try brass tubing again in the future, but the magnet wires are (almost) invisible after painting so I'm happy with the current look. Another good surprise: the styrene is opaque enough simply after being painted black. I was prepared for having to glue some aluminum foil behind the LEDs but this wasn't necessary.

[cteno4]

Somewhere I have a few dozen like 4” lengths of some plastic tubing that is very thin walled and super tiny in diameter (like 0.5-0.6mm). I was totally amazed that it could have been extruded with such thin walls. They were fragile. I can’t for the life of me remember where I got them but it was something totally non modeling and I just looked at them and thought now that’s something for the modeling parts box! I’ll rummage around and keep trying to remember where they came from. I guess the super thin walls impressed me so much at the time that’s the only neuron impression that was left behind, which is weird as my memory tends to be very associative.

 

jeff

[SL-san]

I have used K & S 1/16" brass tube as light poles and fed the two wires of pre soldered 0402 LEDs through.  I cut the tube with a fine toothed saw blade and reamed the tube out.

Graeme

 

[JR East]

Very nice and realistic ambiance. 

 

JM