Road vehicles for a blt

[The Johnster]

It is a very long time since I have bought any 1:76 scale road vehicles, but have picked up 2 in local shops overy the last 3 days as my 'detailing' phase of Cwmdimbath gets under way, and the spirit has moved me to share the experience on this thread.  Hopefully it won't bore you all excessively...

 

Cwmdimbath is a South Wales Valleys terminus serving a Mid-Glamorgan backwater in the 1950s (approximately, the period I've set myself is 1948-63).  There is a small goods yard with a single siding to a loading platform and an end loading dock, and at the other end of the layout another siding serving a distribution depot of some sort.  Space is very limited and the layout is only 10" wide, so there is little room to do anything other than vaguely suggest the world beyond the railway fence; no streets of terraced housing with the odd Morris Minor or Ford 100E parked up, no shops for delivery vans, no factories for big lorries, and no station forecourt big enough for a Western Welsh single decker, so scope is limited on the road vehicle side.

 

Nonetheless, I thought a lorry of some sort picking up from or delivering to the goods yard might look the part, and a railway vehicle of some sort might set things off as well. For the lorry, I went for a Commer Karrier low sided open, by Base Toys; never heard of them til Monday which probably shows how out of touch I am.  It's a 2 axle 6 wheeler, in Bradford Council blue livery; we'll come back to that in a minute.  Looks the part parked up just inside the yard gates.

 

Today I bough myself a BR liveried LWB Land Rover, Oxford Diecast, lettered for the Chief Civil Engineer, York.  This is parked up by the shunter's cabin and I haven't invented a back story for it yet!

 

I am pleased and disappointed simultaneously with my purchases.  They are not bad models, but spoiled by minor issues that are annoying because they are needless IMHO.  They both look like the vehicles they are supposed to represent, but the Karrier's clear plastic headlights are way better than the Landy's silver painted ones.  A fair bit of detail is shown, but I am a bit miffed at the painted indicators and sidelights on the Karrier.  The Landy loses out on the lack of sliding window detail, the door handles need picking out, and the bright steel axle ends are showing like a Dinky Toy.   Both easy to get into to put drivers and things in, but the Landy has the edge for interior detail, not that there ever was much in a Karrier anyway.

 

Both will have to be altered somewhat before I am happy with them.  I cannot have a Bradford Corporation lorry in a goods yard in South Wales, and the number plate shows it to be too new for my period.  A repaint, or at least a painting out of the Bradford printing and the suffix on the number plate is needed.  Similarly, the York based Landy is a bit off it's territory, and a bit of painting out will make things more anonymous and acceptable; I suspect the replacement of the 'N' on the cab doors with a 'W' will help!

 

But, why, why, why, do the manufacturers of 1:76 vehicles always finish them in such ridiculously high gloss?  Not the end of the world to have to tone them down with a bit of matt varnish and they need weathering anyway, but they stick out like, I don't know, something that sticks out a bit, highly glossed sore thumbs.  Ok, so now I've got alter them to suit my layout, well, fair enough, nobody's going to manufacture and market things just to suit me, and then tone them down as well.  Just as well there aren't going to be many road vehicles on the layout, it would soon build up into a backlog of work to do on them!

 

The Karrier is to have an open driver's window with a driver leaning out of it apparently talking to one of the goods porters as part of a cameo, 'where do you want this, butty?' and I was hoping to be able to remove the plastic glazing to get at it.  This looks like a non starter, and I will just have to drill and cut it out in situ.  Might be nice to have a go at the sliding windows on the Landy as well; I think the glazing might come out easier on this.

 

Another bit of work I want to do on them, certainly on the Karrier, is to set the front wheels as if the vehicle is being steered.  This is not as simple as getting a pair of pliers and mutilating the axles, as one wheel will then be set too far back and the other too far forward. The front wheels need to be at an angle, but the centres need to be maintained on the centre axis of the axle, if that makes sense.  I have not come up with a way to achieve this; any ideas, anyone?

Edited February 22, 2017 by The Johnster

[PhilJ W]

Most diecasts are now screwed together, Base Toys certainly are and most Oxford models so they shouldn't be difficult to dismantle, you just need a small screwdriver. Once they are dismantled to tone down the paint just give them a coat of matt varnish.

[The Johnster]

Most diecasts are now screwed together, Base Toys certainly are and most Oxford models so they shouldn't be difficult to dismantle, you just need a small screwdriver. Once they are dismantled to tone down the paint just give them a coat of matt varnish.

 

Yes, both mine are screwed and come apart quite easily, but the plastic glazing in the Karrier seems very firmly glued in.  Matt varnish is at the ready, job for tomorrow evening to take the shine off for now until I decide how far to alter the Karrier.  For all my moans they are much better than what we were used to 30 years ago and not expensive, also the printing, not bad on the Commer, is excellent on the Landy.  I am now trying to think of a reason for a Civil Engineer's vehicle to be visiting; perhaps there is mining subsidence just offstage somewhere, so soil samples need to be taken.

 

I need to invent little back stories of this sort to provide plausible explanations for things to be where they are, which may tell you more about my insecurities and foibles than my modelling...

 

I think I know how to do the steering thing; if I pull the front wheels off the axle, fill the hole, and then drill through at the required angle before putting them back on the axle, that should give the effect I'm after, but it might be worth getting hold of a sacrificial vehicle first for doner wheels if I mess it up!

Edited February 22, 2017 by The Johnster

[SRman]

I do mutilate the front axles, but try to put the bends as near to the ends as possible. If you look at real vehicles, the wheels do end up offset slightly behind or ahead of the vertical centre line of the wheels. A few of mine were bent too far back but as the steering effect is only slight on these particular items, it doesn't look too bad anyway.

[BernardTPM]

Back in the 1980s I experimented with creating cosmetic 'steerable' wheels for 4mm scale cars using a Lima Fiat 131. As, along with their Ford Capri, they came with 'low-rider' style ride height they needed work anyway. Basically instead of a front axle the wheels were mounted on brackets with a hole and the floor rebuilt to have vertical rods on a tapered cross-member, allowing the wheels to pivot, though not roll.

I then adopted a similar arrangement when mastering my CARKIT-4 range.

Edited February 23, 2017 by BernardTPM

[The Johnster]

That's a very good idea, Bernard, and it wouldn't have occurred to me if I'd fallen over it in the street!  It'll work well on the Land Rover but the Karrier is a bit visible in that area and I may either just mutilate the axles a little as SRman suggests, or not bother. Real vehicles are often parked with their wheels not straight, but only a slight offset is needed to portray this IMHO, as very few are left with the steering on full lock either.  Your Fiat has just the effect I'm after!

 

Just had half an hour in the railway room putting matt varnish on them, and touching up a bit.  The difference is amazing; toys have been transformed into models, well, not quite but you know what I mean.  The transfers scraped off the Karrier easily enough and it is now a plain blue truck waiting for me to be in a lettering mood when 'Jones Contractor Tel Blackmill 853' or something might appear on it.  The Landy, which I want to remove the 'York' from, is proving more recalcitrant and may have to painted over.  It has also been considerably improved by painting the bright axle ends over in matt black. 

 

Good easy fun satisfying modelling!

Edited February 23, 2017 by The Johnster

[PhilJ W]

To remove lettering I use a dab of T-cut on a cotton bud.

[The Johnster]

I have cotton buds.  And tomorrow I'll have t-cut as well!

[crompton 33]

On oxford models and EFE  i've used nail varnish remover . Just a drop on a ear bud. Then just a light wipe over the transfers.You need to Change the ear bud a few times. 'DON'T try this on OOC models as it will remove the paint as well.

Edited February 24, 2017 by crompton 33

[PhilJ W]

On oxford models and EFE  i've used nail varnish remover . Just a drop on a ear bud. Then just a light wipe over the transfers.You need to Change the ear bud a few times. 'DON'T try this on OOC models as it will remove the paint as well.

It will also affect some plastics and can 'fog' glazing thats why I use T-cut.

[The Johnster]

On oxford models and EFE  i've used nail varnish remover . Just a drop on a ear bud. Then just a light wipe over the transfers.You need to Change the ear bud a few times. 'DON'T try this on OOC models as it will remove the paint as well.

 

Look, I'm not painting my bloody nails again just so that I've got to get remover.  I had enough trouble explaining it up the pub last time...

 

Good tip, Crompton, thanks!

[The Johnster]

Twisted the axles on the Karrier to give a slightly steered effect as per SRman's post, and it looks about right, as if the driver has just stopped half way into the goods yard just outside the office and left the vehicle to go inside.  A load of large planks that began life as Sainsbury's cafe coffee stirrers before being offered an exciting opportunity of a new career in the model railway lorry load industry has appeared in the back of it, which has been fairly heavily weathered; my theory is that the cab, being metal, gets washed, but the wooden body doesn't.

 

The steering effect needs to be a bit more drastic on the Landy, and I will be using Bernard's method, but not until I've got a round tuit...

 

I've had the idea of posing a vehicle with the driver's door left open, as if he's just gone into the office for a minute or is chatting to someone; this sort of technique implies the presence of life without you having to model it.  Clearly die-cast models are not suitable and I need plastic kits; any suggestions?  I am really trying to keep away from the Scammell Mechanical Horse; it is a cliche, and while admittedly very common in the 50s, was not really as common in remote Valleys mining villages as in towns or cities; it is very much a local delivery vehicle.

 

On the subject of drivers, I need a source of seated lorry driver types, in a perfect world with an elbow sticking out of the window and a fag in hand, preferably pre-painted.  Again, any suggestions?

[PhilJ W]

JB models did a 1/76 plastic kit of a Land Rover that was later continued by Airfix.

[crompton 33]

Will this Driver do MSV 62 http://www.dartcastings.co.uk/montys/MSV62.php There are bus Drivers as well if you look down the list.

Edited February 28, 2017 by crompton 33

[PhilJ W]

Twisted the axles on the Karrier to give a slightly steered effect as per SRman's post, and it looks about right, as if the driver has just stopped half way into the goods yard just outside the office and left the vehicle to go inside.  A load of large planks that began life as Sainsbury's cafe coffee stirrers before being offered an exciting opportunity of a new career in the model railway lorry load industry has appeared in the back of it, which has been fairly heavily weathered; my theory is that the cab, being metal, gets washed, but the wooden body doesn't.

 

The steering effect needs to be a bit more drastic on the Landy, and I will be using Bernard's method, but not until I've got a round tuit...

 

I've had the idea of posing a vehicle with the driver's door left open, as if he's just gone into the office for a minute or is chatting to someone; this sort of technique implies the presence of life without you having to model it.  Clearly die-cast models are not suitable and I need plastic kits; any suggestions?  I am really trying to keep away from the Scammell Mechanical Horse; it is a cliche, and while admittedly very common in the 50s, was not really as common in remote Valleys mining villages as in towns or cities; it is very much a local delivery vehicle.

 

On the subject of drivers, I need a source of seated lorry driver types, in a perfect world with an elbow sticking out of the window and a fag in hand, preferably pre-painted.  Again, any suggestions?

MTS produced three plastic van kits in1/76 scale. A Bedford CA, a BMC LD and a Morris J type. All three types had sliding doors but the easiest to model open would be the Morris J as the door slid into the bodywork, just remove the door leaving a thin strip to represent the door slid back. These kits ceased production a few years ago so might need a bit of searching out.

[Stubby47]

The LWB landrover wasn't introduced until Series 2, in 1958.

[laurenceb]

The LWB Landrover was introduced in 1954 with 107 inch wheelbase adding 2 inches in 1956

[Stubby47]

Ah, thanks.

 

(Bl**dy Wikipedia...)

Edited March 3, 2017 by Stubby47

[autocoach]

I cut and filed open the door on an Oxford Bedford OB to represent it waiting for passengers in my model of Padstow station forecourt. I created a representation of the open door using sheet plastic.

 

Unfortunately the Dart/Monty's bus driver and conductor look a little to late 1950's with a scruffy attitude to stand by my bus in August 1947.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/uploads/monthly_11_2013/post-6958-0-06790100-1384735840.jpg. 

[The Johnster]

The LWB Landrover was introduced in 1954 with 107 inch wheelbase adding 2 inches in 1956

 

 

My Ox one is a series 2 and I assume is a 1958-at-the-earliest beast.  Within my period, so fine.  I'd originally thought of it as an S & T vehicle but am quite happy with it being branded for Civil Engineers.

[The Johnster]

I cut and filed open the door on an Oxford Bedford OB to represent it waiting for passengers in my model of Padstow station forecourt. I created a representation of the open door using sheet plastic.

 

Unfortunately the Dart/Monty's bus driver and conductor look a little to late 1950's with a scruffy attitude to stand by my bus in August 1947.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/uploads/monthly_11_2013/post-6958-0-06790100-1384735840.jpg. 

 

 

Standards slipping as the modern era approached!  I suspect that removing the door on my Karrier and replacing it with an open one showing the correct profile will be a bit beyond my skillset level, so shut it will stay.  But removing the window and leaving the vehicle with a closed door but an open window also suggests that it has only been left for a short time and that someone will be coming back to it soon is well within those same skillset levels; all part of the concept of suggesting human presence without actually modelling it in stiff frozen action poses!

 

There is very limited space and scope for modelling road vehicles on Cwmdimbath, and I am close to reasonable saturation; maybe a taxi  and/or a station supervisor's parked Morris Minor/Austin A35/Ford 100e Popular, or a Morris Minor Post Office van, but not all 3!

[BernardTPM]

I'd play devil's advocate and suggest a Standard Eight for the stationmaster. Just to be different

[The Bigbee Line]

Any idea of a good vehicle to deliver sugar beet to a small goods yard in the late 50s early 60s. Small tipper?

[PhilJ W]

Any idea of a good vehicle to deliver sugar beet to a small goods yard in the late 50s early 60s. Small tipper?

Tractor and trailer?

[37114]

Any idea of a good vehicle to deliver sugar beet to a small goods yard in the late 50s early 60s. Small tipper?

Beet is very seasonal so a lot of the vehicles used tend to be old as they are only used a few months of the year. Either a tractor and trailer or really old lorry, probably demobbed MOD wartime variant?