It has indeed been a long time, not only since I actually updated this blog, but also since the 37 project started, all those years ago. It was never intended to take quite so long and I still can't believe that nearly five years have gone by! There haven't been any updates as I didn't want to put any more pictures up until I was happy it was finished.
I'm pleased to say that the 37 is complete for now. It's taken a little while to get the lighting right, after its maiden running ses
I've put the bogie work on the 37 to one side for a minute as I wanted to do some actual modelling instead of sitting at a computer drawing things. After a gentle prod by another member, I've remembered that there has been a little progress on my tamper since the last update on RMweb 3, here:
http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=653897#p653897
It's made a visit to the paintshop:
I've replaced the etched handrails in the kit with some formed from 0.33mm wire - they look m
With the coming of Spring, almost, I've been able to get on with the class 37 bogies, with the key being the assembly of enough traction motors to test assemble the first one. It's been too cold to do anything in the shed!
Putting the 3 motors in place showed exactly where the cross-members needed to be trimmed, to prevent the reduction gears fouling on them. A bit of a design cock-up there! These have now had sections cut out with a piercing saw, which doesn't seem to have affected
There are probably more time consuming bits to come but doing the detailing bits is going to be the most time consuming part of the whole project, it certainly has been in the case of the DTS I've been focusing on today, even more time consuming than removing all the raised detail!
The first pic is here to highlight just how much of a difference the windows make. Admittedly it is additional expense on top of a rather expensive kit, but the difference is amazing - they really transform
Links for later parts of the saga:
2 - What do you do in the bath?
3 - Giving the Chopper a good workout
4 - D, I, Why?
5 - Interior design
6 - Interior design - too
7 - I'll be your number one
8 - Of weeny LEDs and orange
9 - The real slim Shady
10 - His name? Number two...
11 - Mikkel made me do it ;-)
12 - Wax on. Wax off.
I have probably just made a mistake, probably quite a big mistake - I've opened the big white box of joy...
For those of you who are not aware of the
As the pictures in the printed magazine haven't shown up some of the subtle effects that can be achieved with the oil paints as much as I'd like, I've taken the liberty of putting the pictures used in the article, plus a couple of bonus ones, here. I'm not including the words though - this is in addition to the article, not instead of it
Click each photo for a larger view.
Intro:
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13
I bloody love these water mixable oil paints that I've been using!
I thought gouache was the wonder stuff, well it still is really, but these oils are even better and much more versatile. It's taken a while to figure out how to use them effectively, it requires a slightly different technique to gouache, but I'm now glad that I've persevered with them after the initial disappointment that I had.
I've used them quite successfully, I think, on a couple of the TTA wagons that have gr
I've finally managed to get all the bits I need to start this little project together, so I've made a start today - I've only had the kit since June...
Opening the box (well, bag really )
The parts are sealed in a series of bags, within one big bag. Each of the 4 cars is comprised of 2 ends, one roof, one floor and two sides. The instructions are pretty good - there is a part list for each car and a basic exploded diagram, but no numbers to identify the parts (some of which don;t a
I've not really acheived much of late, I haven't really felt like doing much and the large scale 37 has stalled as there's a few expensive bits I need to buy for it before I can continue. Over the last week or two I've slowly started to feel like doing something, so thought I'd turn my attention to some of the unfinshed projects kicking around the shelves behind the workbench.
The quickest win was going to be the model of 37890, that I started nearly two years ago! It's been mostly complet
After what seems to be a very long time, the heavyweight 37 is finally finished. Unfortunately, I can't say too much about the methods used at the moment, as it is scheduled to appear in a future issue of BRM. So, all I can post at the moment is a couple of teaser pics to prove that I am actually achieving something from time to time:
I'll put some more pictures up once the magazine is out.
It hasn't turned out quite as well as I'd hoped as some of the materials and techniques u
Yes, it's been a while. It's been a very long while, in fact.
Following the completion of the 37, I didn't really feel like doing any modelling at all. I think that, perhaps, a part of that was me thinking about how I could top that, and not coming up with anything, so nothing was done. I've now come to the conclusion that I don't have to top it, I just have to do something I'm going to find enjoyable. As a self confessed tank wagon perv it seemed only natural to ease myself back in with
What better to do on a sunny Saturday, then to put some good music on and break out the water mixable oils:
So far, I've made a start on the No. 1 end nose and the roof, working along to the other end. This is just the initial colouring, there's more to come once this is dry in a couple of days. The whole weathering job is going to take quite some time, I think, as not only is it much bigger than anything I've done before, I'm going to have to put more in the way of details in, if it's
Slow progress continues with the bogie project, although the end of the first one is in sight, and as can be seen from the background of the pics below, the second is coming on quite nicely. It's taken me a little while to work out what I was going to do with current collection, but have settled on a fairly simple setup that picks up from 4 wheels on each bogie. I may add pick-ups to the centre axles at a later stage, but figured I'd try without to begin with, as it's easier!
This is the f
All four of the current batch of TTAs are now at the ex works stage. Now that the chassis and brake layouts have been changed, and all of the decals have been applied, no two are exactly the same! I was surprised just how different the placement of the various notices was, especially as the prototype tanks seem to have repainted at roughly the same time. Perhaps they were done at different locations? I don't know, but it makes for some interesting modelling.
I'm happy with the appearance
For those of you who asked about drawing up your own decals, yes you , here's a little info about how I've gone about it. I won't claim that this is the only or best way to do things, it's just how I've ended up doing it
I use CorelDraw for this, although any vector graphics program would do the job. Inkscape is free, but I can't vouch for how good it is, as I've never used it. CorelDraw X4 home and student edition can be picked up for under £100 on ebay, older versions for eve
This new blog format has deluded me into thinking that people may be interested in the reasons behind what I do, the inspirations and how it all started, really. They probably aren't, but I'm going to do it anyway
It really started with the introduction of the Hornby Class 50, back in 2003. I'd had a model railway before, but sold up in 1993/1994 to start modelling US prototypes due to the superior models available. That too soon fell by the wayside once girls, cars and beer were disco
Possibly not the best catchphrase to use these days , but I thought I'd start the next 7mm scratch build project with a little quiz. Although there's still a lot to do to the Cargowaggon Twins to turn them into an actual model, rather than a collection of bits, I wanted to get another project under way in the design stage.
I find that after a day at work, I often don't feel in the mood to do some actual modelling, and there's a good chance that I could cock something up through being tired.
I've made a bit more progress with the 455, with all four bodyshells assembled. The bodyshells go together quite well, but I have had to do a fair bit of fettling to get the ends to line up properly with the roof and the sides to line up properly with the ends. No major surgery was required, just a little judicious filing here and there, particularly the vertical section of the rebate in the sides, where it meets the end of the roof.
All 4 cars with filler applied around the ends, awaiti
An even greater lack of imagination with the title for tonights update, on the plus side it is a little more descriptive of what's actually occuring!
Since last time Hornby class 50 buffers have been substituted for the Bachmann ones, which are too spindly IMO. To do this, twist the heads slightly to the right and pull, the head should come out with the spring. Drill down the Bachmann buffer housing with a 2.3mm drill, which will loosen the bond of the adhesive holding them in place. A
Links for the final parts of the saga: 38 - A little pick-me-up 39 - He ain't heavy.....enough 40 - Tarmac Yer Drive Mister? 41 - The Current State of Play 42 - The Spaghetti Incident 43 - What a difference.... 44 - A Quick Update 45 - And So It Begins 46 - It's Been a Long Time
A further, small, milestone has been reached since the last update - the first bogie has been wired up and tested with an old Hornby controller. As shown in the photo below, it all works together! I did have two sw
leave it alone....
Having my Dad over for Christmas has been an ideal opportunity to give him a bit of tuition in weathering. Using one of his Christmas presents, I've demonstrated a few basic techniques using gouache.
Before:
After:
The clean patches on the Kernow models are just that little bit too clean. Both of the patches were brushed over with a grime mix made from raw and burnt umber and black gouache. When dry, they were brushed over with a large, soft flat brus
Said in best Victor Meldrew voice, as the first bogies is now 95% complete and all appears to work as intended!
The sideframes aren't glued in place yet, merely held in place by the spring pressure and the location of the axleboxes/equalising beams, but it performed successfully in a few hand propelled tests last night. I can run the bogie over an obstruction of 1.5-2mm, with all other wheels remaining in contact with the ground as demonstrated in these pics:
The bottle of flux w
Progress continues slowly with the 7mm 37, and I'm currently in the middle of adding all the wiring for lights etc. This is how things looked the other day:
It's all a bit tidier now, but I am running out of places to put all of the wires - and the ones for the cab lights, speaker and cooling fan aren't even visible in this picture!
I've given up casting the brake shoes from the kit - I'm now in the process of drawing up my own and will get those from Shapeways, or possibly give iMate
With the oil terminal on the forthcoming layout, I decided it would be a good idea to have a Railfreight Petroleum 37 or two on the roster for bringing the oil trains in. A search of fotopic found this photo of 37890 at Guildford in 1991:
http://crumb.fotopic.net/p49489748.html
Given that it's not a million miles from where the layout is set and the year is spot on, 37890 was decided upon. Research indicated that the Bachmann model of 37672, one of the first releases of the all-new refurb
An appropriate title in a couple of ways, one, that the first of the production primary springs have taken shape this afternoon, and the coming of Spring has given me a chance to get on with this madcap scheme.
So, for starters, a view of the first bogie with one of the equalising beams in place, on the first two springs:
To the front left are some more springs in various stages of completion. The long coil of wire behind the individual springs is how it starts. This is 0.61mm soft c
