Monday, June 28, 2021

Weathered Walthers CFC Forklift


An iconic and truly representative scene of CFC back in the days was the transloading yard in Wieland, Clermont. Among CFC innovations when they took over CN was this particular service geared toward lumber mills who wanted to ship their wood all over North America. For producers on the North Shore and Charlevoix, it was a good occasion to save on fuel and trucking fees in a mountainous area. Unsurprisingly, the queen of the yard was a Vallée forklift operated by CFC.


For such reason, Jérôme was extremely eager to replicate that particular scene and purchased a Walthers/Kibri Kalmar forklift. While not the correct prototype, it was the right size and captured the general vibe of what could be seen in Wieland.


The model was dry assembled years ago and sat on the layout undecorated until I picked it up a few days ago to finally paint it as it should have always been. Learning from my snow plow extreme weathering project, I was excited to try my hands on a vehicle seeing constant abuse in a yard. It didn't take me long to build up a gallery of prototype pictures, ready to take inspiration and move forward with my work.


The model was painted with a very faded yellow to replicate years under the sun, then various paint chipping effects were added. Custom decals were made and applied, then pin washes and finishing touches were added.


To replicate polished steel on the stair threads and forks, a HB pencil was used. I'm really starting to love this technique!


*** Edit: Someone pointed out the double wheels should be at front. I will reassemble them in the right position next time.






2 comments:

  1. This looks fantastic, the weathering captures the look of a hardworking machine, and shows an attention to detail that sets a layout apart.

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  2. Hi Matthieu
    Great looking weathering job...very realistic...George

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