Stuart Birks

inspired by a model on the Laser Creaton World YouTube channel I took a US Army lorry which is supposed to look like this - and modified it into a camper truck. The flatbed was removed and a small camper section built instead. It is a simple plasticard box covered with thin wood strips. The motorbike on the back is a Tamiya model and the air compressor came from Diorama World The roof rack was simply soldered from some copper wire and some foam blocks covered with some tissue. The rack on the cab roof has some simple plastic crates. Having made the truck I have created a small diorama for it to sit in. A good fun project. Stu

A long time ago on another forum I started a topic on exactly this subject. In that case it was about buildings but the same is true here. How do you make something look damaged or real life wonky without people thinking it is just poor workmanship. There is no real answer other than your own satisfaction that you made it that way deliberately. Stu

This kit of a Bedford OSBT 5 ton tipper lorry in 1:24 scale ismanufactured by a EMHAR which is a division of Bachman. I was a bit worried when I saw "Made in China" on the box but I thought I would give it a go. Perhaps I have been spoilt by the superb quality of the couple of MiniArt kits I have made recently (made in Ukraine) where the fit of the parts was superb. Every part needed quite a lot of sanding and filing to remove the mould lines but with a bit of work it builds into a really nice model. Stu

Another MiniArt kit. This is sold as a Ford AA truck made under licence in Russia. I decided to ignore that and pretend it is simply an American civilian truck. The bonnet (hood?) was left as removable so that the engine detail can be revealed. It has been lightly weathered to try and stop it looking like a plastic kit. Stu

I bought a cheap Tamiya Land Rover kit to hav a play with heavy weathering on the basis that it was a cheap kit so I had little to loose. In hindsite the weathering could be even heavier but it was good practice.

Basically two types. The most common are compressor types which dont work well in cold rooms. As 30801 above says it has a cold bit which needs to be quite a bit colder than the room to get the water to condense on a plate. If the room is already cold it just freezes up and doesn't work. The other type is desiccant which is a bit like the silica gel bags you get with some stuff. This absorbs the water on one part of the cycle and releases it on the next part. It still has a cold plate to condense the water but it is only as cold as the room so it works at any temperature. Desicant types tend to be quieter but that is not an absolute case. Stu

In all the articles I have saved that has only happend once so I photocopied the page. I also go through the folders occasionally and re-evaluate what I have kept and usually throw out some more stuff. Many years of magazines still only occupy 4 folders. Stu

I do exactly what you have suggested. Put the articles that are of interest in a plastic sleeve and bin the rest. Then store them in folders according to subject. Stu

What style of window are you trying to create. These are from Bradford on Avon station and are made from profiled plastic strip backed with a custom made etch. Whereas these are just done with white paint in a bow pen with some plastic strip added around the edge to give a bit of depth. Stu

It is by far the most challenging kit I have ever built. The fit of the parts is superb but many are very delicate. the hand rails would snap as I tried to remove the little nub where it is removed from the sprue and on a couple of parts I replaced the thin plastic with 0.5mm diameter brass rod. They give instructions on how to make spark plug leads but dont supply the material for them. This is just 0.3mm wire but needs a 0.35mm hole drilled in a terminal that is only 0.5mm in diameter itself. Possible but tricky. The end result is very impressive and looks good no matter how closely you look. It would benefit from light weathering but I didnt want to risk doing it too heavily and spoiling it so I have just left it clean. Stu.

Miniart 1:35 London bus from 1919.

At least you never got stuck with a flat battery. I still have mine and showed it to my son (age 30) recently. He has a degree in Physics but was totally baffled by it. Stu

Excellent and just the sort of thing I would do. Can I just suggest that one end needs a slight recess to create the lip that is on the real drum. Stu

The big problem with sheets of sandpaper is the joins always show. I have used 340 grit for a coarse gravel path but tarmac is much smoother so would need 600 or 800 grit for a scale roughness. If this is then painted or treated in some way the grit is filled and you might as well have not used it anyway. Plain MDF has quite a good texture in its own right and works quite well. It can need sanding after a first coat of paint as it actually has too much texture. Stu

On a previous version of my layout I had a small bridge over a stream. This was ok until the cats decided to remove the handrails. This section is now being rebuilt and so this is being replaced. After a bit of a hunt around I decided I liked the look of the Wills Decked Girder Bridge kit. After initial assembly I found the kit did not have anything under the track so it is possible to see right through. I didnt really like this even though it is probably prototypically correct. I inserted a layer of plasticard between the girders whih also allowed me to support the decking easilly at the correct hight. I am using C&L trackwork and so a small amount of packing was required on top of the abutments to make the difference from PECO track. I got part way through painting when I tried it on the layout. That section of track is on a slight incline which means the top of the abutments need to slope slightly. I can't determine if a bridge of this design would be used on an incline. Somehow I feel that it wouldn't as it probably would have expansion joints which might result in it moving downhill. I dont know the answer but decided that I would live with this potential error. Wanting to slope the tops I decided to make new abutments using some Wills coarse stone sheets. I also made them a bit taller than the originals. I was pleased with the way they turned out so I became a bit more critical of the bridge itself. It was ok apart from the scale 3inch diameter handrails. I wondered if I could just replace them but felt it wouls not be strong enough especially if the cats ever got on the layout again. I decided to make some sides out of brass soldered together. I was pleased with these and so support for the original decking was made and it was all painted. The surounding scenery is far from complete and the bridge might get a bit more weathering done on it but it is looking good. From the original kit I kept the decking plates, the rest was replaced. Not a good way to build a kit. Stu

I replaed the plastic one with brass. When it was new it was very shiny. But after a couple of years it naturally toned itself down So I would totally recomend replacing safty valve covers with real brass ones as the plastic is never even remotely convincing then have a bit of patience . Stu

A score of 36 would indicate a case of Aspergers but I do not have Aspergers or Autisim. What I do have is "Social Anxiety Disorder". It is easy to confuse the two as some of the symptoms are the same but there are some significant differences. I avoid social meetings as much as possible and have no friends that I meet socially. That is a deliberate decision on my part and I am happy with it. As mentioned previously you need to be very careful with any assesment as it is very easy to come to the wrong conclustion. Stu

I remember dad getting this second hand about 50 years ago. It seemed old then so I have no idea of its real age. I modified it to hold a standard 42mm collar when I inherited it. It is superb, rock solid and absolutely no play in the column with a very smooth action. I dont think any modern one would match it. Stu

I used a Expo tools 1" razor saw balde which I have just measured at 0.5mm. Its a bit wider that I would like so I have just measured a 0.5" X-acto blade which is 0.3mm. Better but will not work in a mitre box. Perhaps a 1" X-acto would also be 0.3mm which would be the best option. Stu

Have you tried this type pf relay board https://www.umtmedia.com/collections/relays They have opt isolators so the Arduino is totally isolated from anything the relay or solenoid do. Stu

Have you considered using an Arduino driving an H Bridge shield. The Arduino can produce a PWM output and can also read many different types on imput for speed control. The H Bridge just bumps up the voltage and power. It can also control direction. You can supply the whole thing with 12v as the Arduino has its own built in 5v regulator. Stu

I bought mine from Eileens Emporium where they sell it as individual sheets or in packs of 10. If you are anything like me I would get a couple of extras as I wrecked some cutting them slightly wrong. The Evergerrn strip I use is 1.5 x 4.8mm (.060" x .188") code 158. Sorry I rounded it to 5mm as I just work to that size. Stu

Here are a few lineside buildings I have made for Acorn Wood The first is a cattle dock based on the diagram in "A Pictorial Record of Great Western Archtecture" Next is a plate layers hut based on the diagram of Watlington hut in "Great Western Branch Line Termini" And finally a coal stage also from Watlington based on a photo. This photo shows it with the ground at approximatly the right level. I always make buildings with walls/legs longer so that they get set into the ground. I was not happy with the coal which is ballast painted black so I removed it and replaced it with real coal. This shows the long legs. Stu

Hi homer3uk. The paving is 4mm code 0414. The paving slabs measure 6 x 8mm. They look vacuum formed and have a ridge on the back matching the groves on the front. I sand this off to give a good glueing surface and it makes it 0.5mm thick which is easier for matching the edging. When glued down (I use Evostic Timebond impact glue) I also sand the front face as the slabs are not quire flat. The edging is Evergreen strip and I just run a razor saw one light pass accross it to create a groove. A simple mark on the mitre block gives consistent spacing. This is very flexible and will go round curves easily. Making the vertical strips out of 6mm MDF gives quite a lot of flexibility. It wont go round a 3rd radius curve but can bend quite a bit. My platforms have a slight curve but really not very much. If you do need a sharp curve a series of saw cuts will allow the MDF to bend more. Put the saw cuts in the inside of the curve or the MDF will delaminate. You can simply switch to 4mm MDF. Stu

I am in the process of making my platforms. They are made from 6mm MDF. The top is cut to the required shape and then put on top of 12.5mm strips of MDF. Any timber would do for the strips. In the top corner I have routed a 2mm wide by 1mm deep recess. This is to hold a 5 x 1.5mm strip of plastic for the platform edging. The top is covered with Slaters paving which is 0.5mm thick so ends up flush. The front is covered with strips of Wills dressed stone sheets. These are 1.5mm thick so gives a nice 1.5mm overhang. The wills sheets do not need to go all the way to the bottom as the last few millimeters are buried in ballast. The result looks like this. Dont look at the paint job. It is only partially painted here. All my buildings have the walls extended below ground level. I then cut holes in the platform to sink them in. Some more 6mm MDF is glued under the hole and then plastic strip added as packing to get the building to the required hight. When the building sits in the hole there is never a gap underneath it. Stu.