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Enfys_Rainbow

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Everything posted by Enfys_Rainbow

  1. Interesting thread! I saw the original photo on FB too. My wife is from Bargoed. Matt
  2. Although going away was a good thing, and a good time was had, it wasn't such a good thing for my modelling! That break, even though it was only a week, completely derailed [excuse the pun!] my enthusiasm and flow and I've struggled to return to the bench ever since. That said, I have made some slow progress, and here's how the CCT currently looks. Numerous tiny triangles [36 in total] have been cut from plastic and fitted individually to the solebars. This was as much fun as it looks. I've also sanded down the prominent roof ribs and then drilled, and fitted replacement vents. If the roof looks a bit strange, it's because it's moulded in transparent plastic. Matt
  3. Are the Brassmasters rods still available?
  4. I've built several buildings from foamboard (bought from the Range). I used superglue to attach the parts together with no issues at all. I also used the Range equivalent of evostick to attach embossed plastic to the shell and despite reservations, have had absolutely no issues in the 3 years since these were built. Matt
  5. Very nice layout full stop James. This era and location (Scottish Highlands) are also a great inspiration to me. My next layout will be something similar-ish, although 4mm rather than 2mm. Matt
  6. Hi all, I'm about to go away for the week, so progress will inevitably slow. The battery boxes have been transplanted across and a start has been made on adding some of the other bits and bobs - all from the spares box so far. I've also made a start on sanding down the roof ribs. Also, note the buffers aren't glued in position yet hence the crooked one visible here! Matt
  7. With the SPV almost finished [apart from painting], my thoughts have turned to the next project, again an item of Parcels stock. The layout I'm planning in the distant future will need a few items of Parcels stock, hence the recent focus. I picked up a couple of Lima CCT's second hand, and actually first started this over 5 years ago but soon lost interest. One of the "modifications" I made back then was to replace the original wheels and graft some spare [although incorrect] Parkside w-irons to the solebars in an attempt to improve the Lima originals. When I picked this back up, I was tempted to ignore the incorrect w-irons and just detail the model and then repaint it. Unfortunate handling mishap A led to the destruction of the w-irons so Plan B was required. My next step was to cut sections of the chassis/floor to accommodate etched w-irons. I knew what needed to be done but a lack of concentration resulted in me sanding the solebars too thinly, and then snapping one of them in unfortunate handling mishap B. So Plan C is now to completely replace the floor and solebars and rebuild using the battery boxes and parts from the original. Matt
  8. I'm hoping some of the Mk2's may yet become available because I could be tempted by at least one!
  9. Hi all, The SPV is completed - construction wise at least [apart from couplings and axle boxes]. The underframe and brake gear parts are a mixture of Parkside bits [from left over sprues], scratchbuilt and etched odds and ends. The last few evenings have been spent assembling all these bits and I've thoroughly enjoyed it! And a low level shot to highlight the underframe parts: Please note that the roof is still loose at this point - hence the visible gap above the door. Matt
  10. Baslow was the same author, same Prototype buildings (as appeared in the background above Heysham Harbour) but much smaller - it was mounted on an ironing board!
  11. What a lovely looking van! Something about your kits just make me want to buy them - even though this is of no use to me! Wonderful stuff! Matt
  12. Not sure about average, but I was also a big fan of Heysham Harbour, plus it's successor Baslow (or Barlow).
  13. Hi all, The SPV has been progressing nicely, although it's taken a little longer to get to this point than I'd hoped. As mentioned in my first post on the subject, everything from the solebars down has had to be fashioned - mainly from scratch. So what you see here is a mix of re-purposed plastic spare parts, odd bits of etched detail and scratchbuilt items all cobbled together to give something approaching the underframe of one of these vans. There are quite a few more pieces to make, but it's getting there slowly! Matt
  14. I've built a few Parkside ex-Blue Spot Fish Vans over the years, and nothing really wrong with any of them - it's a kit I really like. I've got a couple of Parcels related projects either on the go, or waiting to be started as I will need the odd few bits of stock for a future layout. For some unknown reason, I had one of these kits minus any of the underframe parts - absolutely no idea why, or where the parts have gone. So this means fabricating my own underframe from plastic section - the wheel irons are obviously etched, but that's simply because I had some to hand rather than for any other reason. Other than new buffers, the only real modification I've made to the body is to replace the door grab handles with wire. The prototype vans also have a grab handle each side of the door reveal frame, but I've omitted these because fitting them is more work than it's worth. The underframe parts and brake gear will be whatever I can salvage from the bits box, so is likely to be a motley collection of bits! Matt
  15. I knew I should have ordered some Class 08 coupling rods several months ago...my own fault I suppose!
  16. And here is what an evening of sanding accomplishes these days... Phew! One down, on with the next... Matt
  17. To be honest Mike, sanding everything off and then replacing the vents seems like a reasonable idea to be honest!
  18. If there was anything worth watching, that might be an option! The first roof is now completed, aiming for a coat of primer tonight to see what needs further attention...
  19. Thank you for the replies, most informative. Given the (lack of) availability of the later, flush roofed Mk1's and the high cost when they do pop up, I've decided to tackle this the hard way on my own models by sanding them down. Progress can be followed on my workbench topic if anyone is interested. Matt
  20. Hello all, First up, I'm absolutely no expert when it comes to coaching stock. I've barely ever taken any interest in them, prototype or model. Over the years I've accumulated a couple of (4 in total!) Bachmann Mk1's and 2's, although not in any real order - just bought if I found a bargain with no more thought than that. Apart from being taken out of the boxes periodically to look at, they've never even been run. I bought the first in 2010 so you can imagine how little use they've had! Anyway, while doing some very early research for a potential future project, I started looking at them, and prototype coaches, more closely than ever before. In my inexpert opinion these are, and will be, good enough for my needs however I couldn't help noticing a few bits that could potentially be improved without too much effort or, more importantly, expense. The main thing that caught my attention were the prominent ribs moulded onto the roof. The real coaches don't have them, and neither do the later Mk1's released by Bachmann. And the more I looked, the more they bothered me. Having looked around online at pre owned later release blue/grey Mk1's, they're either not available, or worth a small fortune, so I decided to do it myself, the hard way. Thankfully removing the ribs isn't too difficult, but you do have to be careful not to damage the ventilators. It's just really boring. Incidentally, this is an CK - I decided to give this a go with my least favourite coach (how very shallow of me!) however it's very much a case of once you start, you have to see it through! If this goes well, it will hopefully give me the confidence to repeat it. All being well, I'm planning on making a few basic improvements to my coaches - but nothing too involved! Matt
  21. Hi all, First a disclaimer - I know nothing about coaches, prototype or model. I've never paid any attention other than them being somewhere to sit when travelling! I've started looking at the Bachmann models recently, especially the Mk1 and Mk2's. The various models have a letter, eg 39-025A (MK1 SK) as part of the product code with others being labelled B, C, D etc. Do the letters denote different releases or something else? In the case of the SK, the only difference I can spot is the "A" version has visible roof ribs and the "E" version doesn't. Is it just the case of the model being updated with each release? Matt
  22. Hi all, Happy new year. To start 2024 off, I've built a 4mm scale wagon scrapyard diorama! Joking aside, I've had a clear out of multiple built wagons from my stash - some have been sold on and some, like these, have been stripped of useful parts and have been consigned to the bin. Why? Simple - I no longer consider them up to standard and I lack the time or inclination to strip and rebuild/repaint them. My goal for 2024 is to build fewer wagons, but instead to build what I do to a higher level where possible. Having said that, I'll probably still do a fair few random projects! Matt
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