Mick Bonwick

Many thanks for your responses. A plan has been formulated. Based upon experiences with the general ballasting process so far, and the thoughtful suggestions above, I have come up with this: Work on a short distance of track at a time. Decant one splodge of paint into a dish and work until it has all gone. Clean up and get a coffee. Remove Dullcote from one more vehicle's windows. Do some more greenery somewhere. With that plan in force I should be able to make general satisfactory progress and have something positive to show for it all at the end of the day. Here, then, is the state of play today: After doing about a foot along both tracks and the crossover, I moved on to window cleaning. The windscreen of the Land Rover was coming along nicely until my clumsy thumbs came into play. The edge of the canopy snapped diagonally from one corner, so I decided that I would have to be a bit creative. Out came the razor saw: Now I'm going to do some more greenery. No wine yet, it's a bit too early.

Not quite true. There would be one designated viewing side.

That implies the presence of a measure of self-discipline, Paul.

Painting rail sides is boring. It's got to be done, though. So is removing Dullcote from vehicle windscreens. I think I'll do something with Land Rovers. Or, maybe, a shed. A tractor? What do you think?

Oh no! Another thread that I will have to follow! If this one progresses in a similar fashion to its predecessors, Will, there will be much to admire. I don't agree with your observation that scratch buildoing is not (yet) your forte. Just look back at that sailing barge. Anticipation is rife.

Soooo predictable.

I have recently used Green Stuff World acrylic filler with success. https://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/green-stuff/1220-green-putty.html It may be that it is too expensive to be bought on its own, of course. There is an account of how I used it here: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/151137-easton-isle-of-portland/page/51/ It has been in place for a month now, and there is no sign whatsoever of any shrinkage.

Having been inspired by your outdoor layout photography, I have sought somewhere local to do similar things. All that I have found at the moment is either not open enough of full of s***p! Not to mention barbed wire fences and "Keep Out" notices. Still, plenty of time yet. The scenery modules haven't even been started.

Cellulose thinners. Outside!

Psst! Don't tell him the price until the very last minute. That way he'll be so surprised that he won't think of bartering. I know these things. C. Heeps-Kayte

Do those 3 decoders work correctly in other locomotives?

Differently will be smiling, then?

Just leaving this here . . . . .

Let's be 100% accurate about this. If you're going to take the Mick, do it properly.

Oh! Which ones were they, then?

If you'd like to read more about "American Pie" you can find some details here: http://bambrickstudio.co.uk/vehicles/ You'll have to learn a whole new language, though.

While on the topic of dragsters, this is what one of the Missenden Abbey Railway Modellers' tutors keeps in his garage.

That looks the business! Splendid rendition, @steveb860.

And somebody will be eternally grateful that you did.

Part of the attraction, for me at least, of building this 'ere model railway is the ability to bend real life to meet my imagination. All this stuff about Land Rovers (and tractors and sheds) has influenced my ideas about terrain to the extent that I have now decided to incorporate an area of land very close to Easton where there is a Land Rovers Owners' Club holding a meeting. This means that there will be the opportunity to display vehicles competing on a cross-country track, vehicles that are brand new (and thus very shiny) being displayed by a dealer and vehicles parked in a car park, belonging to spectators. There could also be an area reserved for owners to show off their latest restoration projects and another for specially adapted vehicles such as canopy nudging detectors. I'm not yet sure how I can include a dragster . . . . . . . .

Not quick enough. I've already ordered some. It may, of course, turn out to be completely the wrong stuff. We'll see. https://papercutz.co.uk/decal-water-transfer-paper

An anecdote relevant to Land Rovers but not model ones. I saw mention elsewhere of somebody passing their driving test in a Land Rover. It wasn't me, because I failed my driving test in a Land Rover. This event took place in Cyprus, and the main reason (there was another) for the failure was that I overtook a lorry going up a hill. You may wonder (or not) what was wrong with that and might be interested to know that the lorry was carrying grapes and the juice was pouring out from under the tailboard all over the road. I ought to have known that this was making the road very slippery. I've been whining about it ever since.

Sorry, my prejudice is showing. I promise to keep it hidden in future.

Inaccurate.

Looking forward to seeing your hat, Jay.