I thought I had a workbench thread somewhere but cannot find it, so maybe I simply added these things to my layout thread before ... or maybe I am going completely loopy!!!

Anyway, I have been fiddling with a few more projects lately.

On the railway side, I have an Ayjay models resin kit for a post-war 2HAL unit, also known as a 'Tin HAL'. Some of the detailing is a little on the heavy side but it looks like a 2HAL should. I have removed the moulded jumper cables from the DTC end and will do the same at the DMBS end soon, with separate wire cables to be added. I also filed down the over-thick secondman's window surrounds. Both coaches have been primed but I still have to remove some flash from the bogies.

Sorry about the blurry driving ends - I must stand back a little further to improve the depth of field in the future.

With a view to the upcoming Model Bus Association of Australia's modelling competition in December, I have been pushing a few bus kits up the production line. I can only enter two models in each category so 4mm kit-built items for this year will be the Southdown Leyland Tiger Cub with Marshall BET style body, made from a Westward Models/ABS Streetscene white metal kit with a few minor modifications. I am flush-glazing the windscreens and rear window (not happy with the driver's screen right now as I got some glue on it) but I have yet to do the side windows and doors in these photos. I am also not yet happy with the shape of the cream 'V' at the front. The other entry is the Little Bus Company resin 5Q5 of London Transport, as it appeared in the pre-war period. I haven't glazed any part of this model yet.

For future entries, I have started on further bus kits. The next four are all Little Bus Company resin kits. In order of the pics:

1. An all-Leyland Titan PD2/12 'Farington' as run by Southdown in the early 1950s with an open rear platform. Thos one is partly painted but still needs tidying up before glazing.

2. A Southdown 1957 Commer TS3 coach with Beadle Rochester body.

3. A southdown Leyland Leopard coach with Duple Commander body from the mid-1960s.

4. A Southdown pre-war Leyland Titan TD5 with post-war East Lancs body.

Also shown with the Leyland TD is a Royal Blue Bristol LL from Weico Models. This is also a resin kit but comes locally from Melbourne.

04/11/2011

I have been doing a little more work on the 2HAL. I fitted the wire replacement jumper cables to both driving ends.

Next, a few thin coats of my specially mixed BR(S) green. It is not quite a match for the Bachmann 2EPB green (seen in the third pic of this sequence) but it is close enough for me. I have not picked out the jumpers in black, yet, nor added the handrails. Underframe and headstocks and buffers also yet to be painted.

There is also an interesting contrast with the pre-nationalisation malachite green on the Lord Nelson in the foreground of a few of these pics.

Now to the buses and coaches. I have now painted the first coat of Southdown light green on the Beadle and Duple coaches while tidying up the 'V' on the Marshall bus. The BR(S) green mentioned earlier also works well as Southdown's darker green! The first coats have been applied to the Duple coach skirts but, of course, there is a lot more tidying up to do before these will look presentable.