ROSSPOP

Put my 35 year old Badger 200 into retirement...still in working order. Replaced it with a Badger Anthem 155 a few years back and does everything I have needed for coach and loco painting but always with enamels. Just forked out £25 for a China Iwata copy as I`ve been told they are finally a decent airbrush with three different nozzle sizes and cups ..... for using to weather locos and stock using various acrylic products. So with my new Fengda FE-183K I`ve airbrushed my first use with Railmatch acrylic...... I hav`nt been disappointed........... and very easy to clean.....

This is very similar .......

The only cheapo airbrush manufacturer that you can get spares are the Fengda products. I`ve just purchased a Fengda FE-186K for under £25 and spares are available from Fengda.co.uk. I bought it for a specific purpose ( they are cheapo copies of Iwata products) as I wanted a gravity fed airbrush to experiment with for weathering projects. Interestingly it works exceptionally well (as the UK based reviews led me to believe on Youtube) and the quality ( smoothness) of it`s needle is better than my Badger Anthem which is about the same quality as your Neo. Cheers John

Mean while.................. Having only used Acrylic paint for artwork in the early 1970`s, this weekend I have done a little experimentation on my one and only remaining RTR 4mm wagon from 2008. A leisurely hand painted experiment using Lifecolour railway acrylic colours omitting the use of anything else for now. Using Lifecolor thinners there was a first wash with Weathered Black, a second wash with Roof Dirt and the last with Frame dirt. Just to prove it works for a locomotive finish......... The PLEDGE wax..... on the planks only.

Thanks for that Chris, I`ll certainly look into those Mick Bonwick clinics John

So , I`ve researched weathering on the Wicked Web and read Martyn Welch`s The Art of Weathering together with collecting some very useful Hornby Magazine weathering articles by Tim Shackleton. I`ve come up with a cunning plan, at least, I think I have. Based on the little I already know and am use to, plus adding some new products (to me that is). I want to use an airbrush on my loco stud with the addition of a little weathering powder in addition to doing some hand painting using Acrylics as well as hand painting using Humbrol weathering powders which ,cleverly I think can be mixed as water colours or enamel finishes. I know there are many makes of ready to spray Acrylics, but I like to have the choice of mixing my own weathering shades. Plus I`m in my 70`s now so there is only so many,or fewer new tricks I can take in....... So based on my longstanding preference for enamels and to save time wherever needed I`ve collected the following sets of paint finishes based on availability and ready mixed weathering shades. ENAMELS. The complete set of Humbrol products as used by Martyn Welch. RAILMATCH GWR and weathering colours. ( I know I know, the caps are hard to unscrew. But they aint if you hold them in boiling water for 3-4 minutes , plus Railmatch thinners. ACRYLICS My own selection of TAMIYA colours plus there own brand of thinners. Railway Weathering shades by LIFECOLOR plus there own brand of thinners. WEATHERING POWDERS HUMBROL plus Decalfix (waterbased) or Matt Cote (enamel based) CARRS VARNISH TAMIYA flat matt for airbrushing. PLEDGE tile and stone wax for brushing and spraying. WASHES AND OTHER THINGIES MIG, AK, WILDER

I`ve never really been brave enough to get to grips with the skills of weathering rolling stock or buildings. Like many kit builders I`m hung up over ruining a hard kit build , never to love it again. It`s not that I hav`nt had a go at it. The last time was back in 2004 when I ventured into weathering my 4mm re-wheeled RTR locos using vintage Humbrol enamels . Back then it seemed `easy` to research 1960`s BR stuff in dirty unkempt condition. See ! I hav`nt always been into GWR stuff !! My trusty old Badger 200 and Humbrol mixes using No`s 85, 67,113 mixed for an overall weathering mist and clened off with a broad brush. Then the chassis with mix of No`s 67,113,186....then Railmatch 415 to the connecting rods etc. Nowadays I`m into 7mm 1930`s where locos and rolling stock were`nt that bad and it seems to me more difficult to weather stock in a used but reasonably well cared for condition. Anyhow , this journey is to upgrade my efforts , still into enamels but also moving into Acrylics as well (using both even on the same loco)

I`m 71 now and have been a railway modeller since aged 12......behavioural counselling is improving things....not. As a kit builder ...nothing impressed until Blacksmith Models and Brassmaster Models in 4mm. RTR has never impressed until the recent 7mm offerings from Dapol for both body detailing and chassis performance.... and pricing. In fact, most of the Dapol 7mm products are impressive. For 7mm kit building it has to be Finney and MOK at the top of the list for me. Quality sound decoders from Zimo with sound files from YOuchoos and Digitrains are icing on the kitbuilders cake.

Have you got the missing cab handrail?

no... constant air pressure but needle adjustment for paint flow. In my opinion these airbrushes are not for painting loco`s. But wagons and possibly coaches would be OK. Not really for a novice. I use mine for scenic work and for airbrushing trackwork as being cordless is a great advantage. John

Mine works fine for the tasks I use it for. But you need to be proficient in airbrushing particularly on the cleanliness side of things. Works best with enamels in my opinion

Sorry for the poor quality pics..... I`m pleased that my Gataneal 7mm kit hold up well next to Dapol`s 7mm version. I built mine back in 2015 , so glad that Dapol agree with my roof livery.......😎 So now I have No 12 in 1930`s livery and Dapol`s No 10 in 1940 livery. Dapol`s has opening sliding luggage doors which are a little stiff at first and I managed to knock out a glazing panel whilst playing. Dapol`s is an ultra smooth runner.... mine is a little bit of a growler in one direction.... I`m very pleased with the Dapol product

Yep! Mine arrived today from ROSh Brilliant 7mm version. Runs smooth as silk from the box. Excellent rendition of upholstered seating and prism free glazing. I've got No 10 with Gwr roundel but has 1940's buffer steps and below window handrail ( not sure about that) BUT WON'T detract from a very very good Dapol product. Being super super picky ,the bogie side mouldings are a little shallow for me like the 4mm version. Breaking News! Just grabbed a photo from Ebay... of Railcar No 10 in Dapol`s exact livery date 1940so ignore the above comment....

View Advert 7mm Dapol GWR 8750 Class Pannier tank Loco. Unused. No longer required and never used other than a test run. Runs perfectly. Complete and undamaged with original box and instruction sheet. DCC Ready 21Pin . Advertiser ROSSPOP Date 09/01/23 Price £150 Category Other scales  

I Agree , Clean and level track, quality controller and quality loco chasis being they RTR or kit built and a well set up electro-magnet controlled auto coupling device ( mine are Marc Dobson`s `Flippem` based on upgraded Dingham system in O Gauge. I used DG couplings in my 4mm days. ) All in all it`s all got to be well set up whatever system you use.

Thankyou very much Neil, Both projects are winterised until the new year as domestic projects have raised their heads. T he first half of next year hopefully will see completion of Buncome first.... Cheers John

`cours there`s Cordless for an old codger.... Portasol Superpro 125 butane gas soldering. Costs a bit more £45 on ebay. 25watt to 125 watt temperature controlled. So far it has wired a whole O gauge layout and built the trackwork ...you just need to be aware of the exhaust port when soldering. Cheers Johnny Boy

I have a similar cordless air brush that in my opinion has been very useful. I use enamel paints exclusively and as long as the paint is on the thin end of `milky` mine works well. I only use cheap white spirit as paint thinner and airbrush cleaner as I would imagine that the seals on this kind of airbrush will most likely melt away with stronger cleaners like Acetone and Xylene. like all airbrushes you need to follow the cleanliness code.....

It,s actually Youchoos 64XX sound file which is better than their 14/48XX sound file. These days I choose realistic chuffing over actual types.

Layouts are now in-situ for Wintering....... Buncombe has got it`s lighting unit sorted...... ...and the platform surface construction has begun.............

Just testing you all... 3600mm x 600mm My final offering 🤪

Oops ! Many thanks. Of course it should be 1200mm x 600mm . Age again🙄

Feeling pleased. Started this project with track making on December 31st with the aim of achieving 75% completion by end of summer. Mission completed ahead of schedule !! Lighting unit to be built next......... ...but a brainwave has ensued and I`m going to reinstate Sarsden project and display Buncombe on the top of it like a `double fish tank display. ............watch this space

John Go back to Duncan,look under structures and gas lamps, there is a wooden and rail built version. John

Duncan models is the place to go John. Next would be Invertrain models. John