Entry posted by devondynosoar118
766 views
Wow, its been a long time since I did a blog entry!
I recently decided to start work on Kingsbridge again, as it has been living in crates in my workshop long enough. Sorting through the spares box and rolling stock I came across a Python kit from Chivers Finelines. This was the second one I bought, as my dog, then young, had chewed the first one the minute it arrived on the door mat. I have since trained my excellent postman to leave the parcels somewhere else and trained my dog not to eat them!
Why a Python? Well my layout is set in the autumn of 1943, when the Kingsbridge branch was playing a vital role in preparing the allied forces to land on the coast of France.
This gave me the opportunity to model a variety of things that would never usually be seen on a quiet branchline in the prettiest county in England. One of those things is General Eisenhower's personal train. He used it to tour training camps across the country. I was keen to model a Python, as it had one marshalled in it, to carry the Generals own massive American car, naturally.
Easing myself back into tiny N gauge models seemed like a good idea and this one was relatively simple! I started with the walls and floor,
Next I fitted the sole bars and brake shoes.
Reaming the holes out for the buffers needed my second smallest drill bit. There was some casting flash in a few pieces.
The nicely scaled white metal buffers then went in very neatly.
I decided to get the paint on too, starting with a black Citadel primer, then a dark brown base for the chocolate livery. I very much doubt there were any left in crimson lake by this stage, but if there were, then mine has been hand picked by the general's staff for its tidier appearance and more recent paint!
The black under frame was given a light dry brush of dark grey to start the weathering process and show off the surface detail. Seeing it this close you can spot the moulding flash on the axle boxes which I missed, easily cleaned off with a sharp knife, which I shall do before finishing it.
I then let the planking dry, whilst I had a brew. The next stage was to highlight the planking and lighten the brown at the same time.
I competed the brown with a final highlight, then a coat of matt varnish in preparation for lettering etc later. Once that had dried (I helped it in the warming oven) I was ready to glaze the windows, with some clear sheet, bars added with a fine CD marker, not perfect but I was happy just to see them! Cruel close up...
Now it was time for adding the roof, a grey Halfords primer and a dry brush with light grey, then white. The surface is now all ready for transfers and weathering, which I will do next time as I have to look at the detail for that and find my transfer stash.
That left the General's Buick with a nearly finished vehicle to be transported in and reminded me I could still work with stuff this tiny.
Thanks for reading. I am building up the courage and parts to tackle (after about 4 years!) the control panel of the beast.
-
2
5 Comments
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now