A Look At Building The LX039-OO Industrial Extractor Fans Kit

A Look At Building The LX039-OO Industrial Extractor Fans Kit

In this article we’ll take a look at how to go about adding a scenic detail to your layout / diorama industrial buildings. The LX039-OO Industrial Extractor Fans kit for OO / 1:76 scale models is a quick & easy kit to assemble, paint & weather up. Making it an an ideal kit to do on an evening. The kit comes in clear packaging complete with instruction sheet & the kit component parts which make up a 27 extractor fans. There are three different laser cut fan sizes included in the kit. Each fan consists of two parts the extractor fan & the external grille.

Opening the kit

In the photo on the right is what comes in the kit. The kit fret containing the kit component parts & supplied instruction sheet.

Tools You’ll need

To build this kit you’ll need….

• Craft knife (preferable with a new sharp blade)
• Roket Card Glue (or similar)
• A pair of tweezers
• A sanding stick or small file
• A Cutting Mat
• A Paint Brush
• Acrylic Paint of your choice ( i’m using Revell Aqua Colours paint for this project)
• Weathering powders (optional)

Lets get started

First job is to paint up the parts. Here i’ve started off by painting the fans in a yellow colour to make them stand out behind the grilles. You may find it easier to paint the fans whilst still on the kit fret. I’ve given the fans two thin coats of paint.

Painting The Grilles

Next paint the grilles in a dark colour such as black or a grey colour. Again i’ve given the grilles two thin coats of Revell Aqua Colours black paint, whilst still on the kit fret.

Weathered the fan blades (Optional)

Next if you so wish add some weathering to the fan blades. This is easily done by either applying some dark / dirt coloured weathering powder. In my case i’ve used some Tamiya weathering pastels as you can see here.

Remove the parts from the kit fret

Next place the painted side of the kit face down so the rear unpainted side faces upwards. Using the sharp craft knife firmly press the blade through the four nodes that hold the grille to the kit fret. Once removed from the fret lightly sand flat any raised bits of the holding nodes from the part sides.

Touch up the grille sides

After sanding any raised remains of the holding nodes, touch up any parts along the edge with the paint.

Glue the fan

Having painted & given time for the paint to dry it’s time to glue. Using the Roket Card glue (Ideal for card, wood, plastics etc) add four small drops of glue in each corner on the fan part as shown.

Fit the grille

Next carefully place the grille on top of the fan making sure all the painted surfaces are facing up as shown. Be sure to keep the edges of both parts in-line & square as you put them together.

Put to one side to allow glue to dry

The assembled fans in the three different sizes that the kit provides put to one side for ten minutes or so to allow the glue time to set. Roket Card glue sets quite quickly.

Weather the grilles (optional)

If you so wish weather the grilles to your taste & seal with a matt varnish coating. I’ve used again Tamiya weathering pastels & sealed the weathering with an aerosol matt varnish spray.

Install fans on to your buildings

Using Roket Card Glue or similar apply a little glue on the back of the fan & stick into place on your building. Depending on what glue you use you may have to hold the fan in place for a few mins whilst the glue sets. And that’s it….job’s a good un!!