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Will Vale

Entry posted by Will Vale

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(click pictures for big versions)

I spent time on Whitemarsh last week so that I could enter in the NZAMRC 2012 Convention competition. I opted to just take the bridge end - nothing's been done to the other module which is definitely lagging behind now :(

 

My main aim was to try and fill in various unfinished or messy-looking areas. The worst offenders were the last-minute patches of grass I added before Railex in 2010 which were applied straight over the ballast, and didn't have any "reinforcement" from earth or weeds. They looked a bit odd as a result, so I've been sprinkling on various mixtures of scenic fluff to fill in around the grass, and tamping it down with a dry brush before wetting and applying matt medium. I also pulled up some of the grass and thinned it out near the bridge.

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You can see the results around the buffer stop and ballast/grass edges which I think look a bit more "faired in" than they did. I also replaced the (prototypical, but odd-looking) single Rosebay Willowherb between the two lines with some more subtle weeds:

 

 

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Another job was finishing off painting the concrete trunking. Once that was done I added some shadows on the ballast with a dark wash (not everywhere, but patchily) to define this a bit better. Also on the concrete front, I nicked the four lamps I made for the other end of the layout and added some new pads for them to sit on. They aren't wired up yet, and I need to get some more brass tube to make proper sockets for them, but they look nice and help reinforce the connection between layout and prototype.

 

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I noticed (only after a while...) that the neat alcohol I use for wetting the fine textures had faded the paint on the bridge girder, which was a bit annoying. Luckily it wasn't hard to recover it by drybrushing with the original colour, keeping a little bit of the faded paint in places for variety. On the other side of the girder I've painted some details on the footpath and weathered the road.

 

 

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Lastly I filled in the empty spot with a rusted Little Grey Fergie (TE20) since we used to see them around when I was growing up in the fens. The weathering job is very simple and comprised three steps - Dullcote, MIG washes, and MIG pigments. It's not subtle but I think it does the job OK. I also removed the overscale steering wheel.

 

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I'm afraid these pictures look rather strong and punchy, and the white balance is off in a couple. I think that my colour calibration isn't set up properly somewhere since they look more subtle in Lightroom. I'll try and sort that out before doing too much more.

 

I've also done some quickie experiments with focus stacking, which is cool but tricky to get right, so I don't have anything to show yet.

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Pugsley

It's all coming on nicely Will, the little touches you're adding are making a big difference. The buddleia looks good in the picture of the 60 - did you say how you did that anywhere?

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James Hilton

Will, awesome, great to see more of Whitemarsh. I'd seen a photo earlier in the week on Garden Railway Club, of all places. John (screen name JRinTawa) was one of the judges I think, he's got a lovely atmospheric garden line! Anyhow, awesome palette of colours and subtle weathering and feathering toning the colours together.

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Mikkel
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Superb. I especially like the embankment vegetation!

 

(PS: Some pics are missing as I write, looks like a flickr issue.)

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Will Vale

Thanks folks!

 

The buddleia looks good in the picture of the 60 - did you say how you did that anywhere?

I don't think I did actually - I was rushing towards the show deadline and didn't do as many updates as I should have. It's a bundle of wires twisted together for the branches, then painted with matte medium and dipped in/sprinkled a mixture of static grass and shreds cut off a plastic Christmas wreath. (They're flat matt green plastic strips supposed to look like pine needles, and have a bit more of a leafy texture than scatter). For the flower heads I left the last bit of wire without foliage, and when the green bit was dry glued and dipped that in purple flock.

 

From what I recall the only really tricky bit was handling the plastic "leaf" shreds - they were ridiculously static and jumped like fleas.

 

I'd seen a photo earlier in the week on Garden Railway Club, of all places. John (screen name JRinTawa) was one of the judges I think, he's got a lovely atmospheric garden line!

Thanks for the pointer James - I'm guessing that might be John Robinson? I've seen some of his rolling stock but not the layout. Was brave of them to try and take a photo longways - I've tended to chicken out although I'm going to have another go with stacked focus soon.

 

 

(PS: Some pics are missing as I write, looks like a flickr issue.)

I think it's because I updated a couple of them - the one that didn't link for me was the tractor at the bottom which should now be fixed. Let me know if you still have any problems.

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Mikkel
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Thanks Will, all working now. The tractor is so nicely weathered!

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Will Vale

Thanks Mikkel, I'm pleased it came out well since it really was a "30 minutes the night before" kind of job. The MIG pigments are very good - they dry extremely matt and the way they clump and streak is just right.

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bcnPete
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all working now.

 

Apart from the first photo for me...which seems to show the Flickr logo :O

 

From the other pics, its all looking very nice though. Lovely attention to trackside detail.

 

Still loving that planted retaining wall - a nicely modelled, rarely seen detail.

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Will Vale

Clearly I'm not very good at this Flickr link thing. I think (hope, pray) I've fixed the first one now too.

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