All thumbs

IMHO Hornby's publicity photo this morning for the A2/2 shows the effect to aim for i.e. dirt up to level of sleeper tops, chairs standing proud and daylight under the rails. Of course, any of these A2/2s or /3s would be perfectly acceptable retail therapy! Is there any cure for locoholism (but then again, why would anyone want to be cured...)?

Nice to see the loco yard is laid in bullhead - IMO chaired track really makes a difference even if later you do smother it in ash, clinker etc.

The stabling roads and positions of turntable, coal hoist and engine men's bothy all appear to be a mirror image of KX Bottom Loco. Have you used commercial structures for the bothy and if so, which?

Thanks everybody for your hints and suggestions. Builder Plus - there's a name to conjure with and I've still got one or two of theirs to play with. I like the suggestion to create a scan and then use Photoshop or similar to manipulate the colours etc. The only trouble is that I can see myself getting immersed in that exercise and losing a whole weekend in doing nothing else! Thanks for the roller tip and not gluing back the window fold backs until the rest has dried completely. I'll certainly post pictures to chart progress. In the meantime, I have come across two YouTube videos showing how "Tony North Eastern" re-skinned the Superquick station building (#2) to create his take on High Shields. The links are https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC6zYQ7QY1Q and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ3SGiq_g2g - Tony makes it look straightforward plus his lintels and sills elevate the typical flat appearance of the underlying Superquick base.

I have some Metcalfe terrace house kits which look nicely straightforward to put together. However, unlike the online offerings from Scalescenes which allow the buyer a great choice in specifying brick colouration etc., I am stuck with the red brick ones. My own interest is in London (specifically GN out of Kings Cross) and I wondered if anyone reading this has ever "re-skinned" an existing pre-printed, pre-cut, pre-scored kit like the Metcalfe (or Superquick) ones? I'm thinking of using something like the Scalescenes London stock or similar brick paper to do so. I've searched in this forum but can't find anything referenced. I feel sure that someone must have done this before. Any pointers welcome!

Seemed to be working when I checked a moment or two ago - http://www.marcway.net/.

Agree with all the comments - wonderful modelling! Your work is an inspiration to us all... Perhaps a little lost in translation - what do you mean by "deluded" colouring materials?

Leaden, even...