jukebox

Two steps forward, one step back. Some lovely detail on that Oxford Diecast jag - the badge printed on the boot in microscopic font: A few minutes with a drill bit to open out the body rivets, and a scrape of the knife blade to loosen the windscreen: and she was ready for spraying. I was going to strip it back to bare metal, but as it's brand new, thought I'd have a go at simply over-spraying first. In the meantime, the Mk X became a victim of my own quality control. I wasn't going to airbrush it, and brushed a coat of green on. It looked dire, so I sanded it lightly, and had a go at topping that with the airbrush. It looked okay, but not great, especially next to the E-type... So it was back in the thinners to bare metal; It's a curious model - the Matchbox panel lines are raised, but finer than the current day Oxford car. The finish seems a lot rougher, too - unsure if that's play wear or the casting quality. Didn't notice that damage (?) on both front door uppers - though perhaps it's the feed for the mold? Looking at other samples on line (like the one above), they too seem to have varying degrees of "softness" in that same location... hopefully it won't be too visible under a coat of British Racing Green. Anyway, just wanted to make a point about being satisfied with your work: This is a car for a cameo in a backscene. The finish really won't matter, as it's not able to be looked at closely where it will be posed. But I am a believer that you set a standard and should try and keep to it. I wasn't going to be happy with it looking scruffy, so for an extra 1-2 hrs work, I'll redo it and make it better. No one else may ever have noticed, but it would have bugged me. Cheers Scott

Nice NSWGR AD60 Garratt there Gordon! They were a sight to behold around Newcastle (on Hunter, not Tyne) where I grew up: Cheers Scott

E-type Jags and flashy suits... Michael Luvaglio's E-type has arrived here on the West Coast: Brand new, it feels a bit of a shame to pull it apart, but it needs to be Carmen Red, so a respray is needed. Cheers Scott

In a perfect world, Dave Ellis from SE Finecast could be in a position to acquire the Alexander stud - there's plenty of NE themed subjects in that range that would compliment DA's, and it would go to a supplier with a genuine interest in producing for the modelling community, rather than buying up the molds and then having them rot away with nothing to show.... In the mean time, the very best wishes for a strong recovery to Mr Alexander.

Impressive, Shaun! Bet the liquid cement fumes were something to behold, too. I *do* like working with styrene - there's something about the way it can be layered to give depth that makes it feel "right". When you paint yours it will come to life. Cheers Scott

Fascinating! In doing a little snooping around on the www. now, and depending on your point of focus and distance to subject, I see that your lens can apparently go down as far as f57!!!! Unsure why the D3 would be different to the Df, but I'm a Canon user, so these things elude me... Amazing stuff for an off-the shelf piece of glass - you certainly got great value for money. Regards Scott

I know you said "don't ask me how", Tony, but that's like putting a sign on the control panel saying "Don't push the red button"! How did you get down to such a small aperture??????? - a very useful result for layout photography, so I'm curious. Cheers Scott

Or wax/oil on the cotton to give it a greasy shine, and slick down the errant bouffant?

I missed this post of yours last month, Gordon - curse the "new RMWeb" format - but I smiled at your spaghetti junction comment. I shudder to think how I would have gotten on with Stockrington in it's original thrice-round-the-room incarnation, and am even more in awe how far you actually took ET in the same vein... I'm sure we both had read "simple is better" a hundred times before we started, and yet some times you just have to head down the dead end road yourself before you learn the lesson. But what really caught my attention was something no one else commented on: the fate of Glasgow Highlander. What happened? And how bad was the outcome? Cheers Scott

Or indeed start a thread here on RMWeb - an audience which can (at times) be simultaneously both the harshest and diplomacy-free of critics, and the most supportive and rewarding of peers. Of course I enjoy the latter more than the former, but I post updates on my layout progress here first and foremost as a record of my work, but also as a way to "give back" to those looking for help, advice, or inspiration. So many people see the results of professionals, and think "I can't do that" - I'd hope that people see works in progress on threads here and are encouraged to push themselves to "do a little better". We all start somewhere, and RMWeb is a great place to learn - I don't think anyone can claim to be an expert and perfectionist in all areas that our hobby requires, so to have the ear of a wide variety of people who *are* very good in their individual areas of skill make life a lot easier. Cheers Scott

You're not going to believe this, Mike, but today whilst I was at work, a number of my Cobalts started randomly clicking! I have them connected and powered up, and they have been sitting dormant on the layout for 3-4 years. All of a sudden, at 2pm this afternoon, my son who was home at the time, heard a sound coming form the railway room. His bedroom is under the railway room, and he'd heard one go postal at 2am a few years back, so knew what it was, went up and got under the layout, turning off the 9V wall-wort transformers I have powering the accessory bus. How strange for mine to decide to misbehave at almost the same time as yours... Cheers Scott

It is indeed - part of the controversy is what happened to the car whilst it was impounded at Peterlee; it seems to have had additional damage done, to suit the case for the prosecution... For those interested in the background, the reference photos are: http://www.villain-or-victim.com/?page_id=56 Cheers Scott

I feel for you with the Cobalt conundrum, Mike. Did you check the voltage they are getting in the new configuration? In my experience, Cobalts don't enjoy seeing higher than spec - or even up towards the high end of in-spec - volts. Under-powering if definitely recommended. Won't help you with stripped gears, but may prolong the life of those remaining... Cheers Scott

Well spotted, John. Yes, this is going to be Angus Sibbert's Mk X. I don't have a suitable bridge to suggest South Hetton, so I thought I'd have him meeting up with Michael Luvaglio on one of the backstreets of Stockrington. Strictly business... Here's some of the reference photos of the motors involved: As my imagined meeting will be occurring some time before the fateful night Sibbert was shot, the Mk X won't need to be damaged! The Oxford Diecast E-type that is on it's way is brand new, but coloured cream, so will need a repaint, too: Cheers Scott

One of the narrow streets between the terrace houses is going to have a couple of cars parked near the end. You can suspect something will be afoot... I've had this for a couple of years - it was very tatty, and came in gold from the factory. A bath in cellulose thinners took it back to bare metal... And now it's primed, and ready for a coat of British Racing Green. The other vehicle has also now been sourced and is in transit. It, too, is a Jaguar, and it also needs a respray... Cheers Scott