Little Muddle

[MrWolf]

I have found over the years that true white or true black doesn't look right on a painting, a model or something old you are renovating / replicating, such as old handpainted vehicle number plates.

I use flat white (titanium) added to which is a tiny spot of charcoal grey (Payne's grey) and a tiny spot of yellow (Naples yellow) 

For that leaky paraffin lamp, whiter at the top and add a little more yellow towards the bottom.

Judging by the paintwork on the rest of Little Muddle, in @KNP s case I might just be preaching to the choir, but it might be of interest to someone.

 

 

 

Edited January 21, 2021 by MrWolf
PostScript!

[KNP]

 

Edited March 27 by KNP

[Ponthir28]

That’s a nice view I don’t think I have seen it before. Just lovely. 

[KNP]

Snowflake still in port, but might be getting ready to leave.

Tides right, cargo loaded, just need the crew to arrive.......

 

 

Edited March 27 by KNP

[NHY 581]

Exquisite. 

 

Rob

[Ponthir28]

Skipper is in the wheel house. The crew in the pub as always. 

[Winslow Boy]

Need reporting then as the pub shouldn't be open during lockdown and I hope the skipper has made the snowflake compliant with covid guidelines.

 

Oops sorry it's the 1930's isn't it so they didn't have to worry about such things.

[Limpley Stoker]

It’s only 17 years since the Spanish ‘flu - they’ve probably lost their facemasks by now. How lovely to see Snowflake again- I’m fascinated by the complicated rigging which looks really functional. 

[KNP]

13 minutes ago, Limpley Stoker said:

It’s only 17 years since the Spanish ‘flu - they’ve probably lost their facemasks by now. How lovely to see Snowflake again- I’m fascinated by the complicated rigging which looks really functional. 

Thanks

The rigging is designed to work and is based on much research on how they would move, lift loads and lower the main mast for real.

A few liberties taken but not many.

[KNP]

No.8 Railcar arriving at Little Muddle

 

 

Edited March 27 by KNP

[KNP]

Latest addition to the 'foreign' freight stock of Little Muddle brought for me by my son for Christmas.

A 12 ton Wood/Steel van (D1663 - corrugated ends) by Cambrian Models waiting for paint/transfers to dry before getting a coat of Dullcote.

S&W couplings to add when varnished.

 

 

Edited March 27 by KNP

[Neal Ball]

5 hours ago, KNP said:

No.8 Railcar arriving at Little Muddle

 

Afternoon Kevin @KNP interesting to see No 8 without its white roof. I gave in mind to do mine as well, but was going to go for a standard dark grey. What colour have you used please? It almost looks silver.

 

Thanks very much, gave a good Sunday. Neal.

[KNP]

11 minutes ago, Neal Ball said:

Afternoon Kevin @KNP interesting to see No 8 without its white roof. I gave in mind to do mine as well, but was going to go for a standard dark grey. What colour have you used please? It almost looks silver.

 

Thanks very much, gave a good Sunday. Neal.

 

Good afternoon to you to from a very snowy Bicester though it has now stopped and appears to have started melting.

 

As with everything I paint it sort of evolves, started off as a light grey with roof dirt wash added to give a tonal variation.

Then some matt uv varnish applied from side to side again with some grey in to give a streaky effect.

Varnished again with just clear, a bit of pencil graphite rubbed in on edges etc to make it look worn.

 

The problem I have is a lot of my stuff is a result of numerous sessions where I do one thing, leave to see the end result and then come back sometimes months later as another idea hits!!!!

 

 

[The Johnster]

Lunch on Snowflake definitely not recommended.  I spent some time during my formative years mucking about on pilot cutters in the Bristol Channel, the late 60s but the culture survived, indeed grew on things sometime.  Tea was made with Ideal Milk (condensed and 'orrible) and you could stand your spoon up in it, the lads claimed this was to keep it in the cup in rough weather, but I was not always good at keeping it me in rought weather, with the smell from the galley and the Ruston spindizzy, and preferred to use the chippy by the Marine Hotel (residential part of Barry Island) to risking pilot boat vittles.  The lads were secretly in agreement with me and I'd usually have 3 or 4 orders to walk back down the hill with. 

 

OTOH a trip out to the Breaksea LV with magazines (always welcome there) usually resulted in one's partaking of Trinity House cooking, which was a much better bet, as was their tea (they diluted the Ideal, which made all the difference).  You'd come home with a fresh cod or mackeral (too deep for sole).  And they kept thier generators spotless, having nothing else to do but polish things, so there were no unpleasant fumey wafts of them.  Pilot cutter engines got cleaned once a year.

 

Fresh fish were a feature of working to Aberthaw power station a decade later when I was on the railway.  Aberthaw had a salt water intake and desalinisation plant as it's water supply, the intake being a concrete structure about half a mile offshore with a decaying steam crane stranded when it was built in the mid 60s, and this intake came into a sort of moon pool in the desal plant's basement as the pre filiter.  This was filled with sea water, and fish wot 'ad been sucked up the pipe; you could go down there with a bucket and be given live dabs, plaice, sole, crabs, or skate to take home and kill to eat fresh.  Fresh skate grilled with a bit of seasoning and tomato is seriously good eating; you scrape the flesh out from between the cartilidge of the pectoral fin rays.  Dabs, juvenile plaice and other flatties, are good eating too but you need about half a dozen for a decent meal, fried in butter.  Conger as well, cut into space invader steaks.

 

This brings us back to Snowflake, and proves that I am not in the least off topic. the Pier Hotal in Ilfracombe where the pictures potted history and little poem about her are, does (or used to do) a fine battered skate'n'chips which, weather permitting, is not a bad thing to partake of on the terrace overlooking the harbour; one could be in the Aegean somewhere, but with a pint of proper beer in front of you.

[autocoach]

Like those Cambrian kits. The can be built into superb models.

 

I still have a small box of UK plastic wagon kits including many Cambrian and some going back to the good old days of Coopercraft pre 2010. If I ever run into a younger early 20th century GWR 4mm modeler in the SF Bay area, the Coopercraft kit remains will be an encouragement gift. 

[Neal Ball]

16 hours ago, KNP said:

 

Good afternoon to you to from a very snowy Bicester though it has now stopped and appears to have started melting.

 

As with everything I paint it sort of evolves, started off as a light grey with roof dirt wash added to give a tonal variation.

Then some matt uv varnish applied from side to side again with some grey in to give a streaky effect.

Varnished again with just clear, a bit of pencil graphite rubbed in on edges etc to make it look worn.

 

The problem I have is a lot of my stuff is a result of numerous sessions where I do one thing, leave to see the end result and then come back sometimes months later as another idea hits!!!!

 

 

Thanks Kevin, as ever the effect is very good.

 

Hope the snow has thawed now. It was strange seeing everyone’s pictures yesterday of snow in the UK....at one point here yesterday it was 26 in the shade :-)

[KNP]

Still there, planning!

 

 

Edited March 27 by KNP

[Ponthir28]

But what are they planning. Surely not the door.

[Mulgabill]

For a moment I thought it was odd. Swindon making the new door too big.

 

Then I realised there was 2 Ns.

 

TONY

[Oldddudders]

Just adoorable.

[Mick Bonwick]

Just now, Oldddudders said:

Just adoorable.

 

"GROAN"

[Benbow]

12 hours ago, KNP said:

Still there, planning!

 

 Think it would be quicker to just take the other one off. No doubt the Pannier driver could oblige!  

 

[KNP]

Another view down the platform but from a slightly different angle.

 

 

 

Edited March 27 by KNP

[checkrail]

1 hour ago, KNP said:

Another view down the platform but from a slightly different angle.

There's a very spacious look to that one, with the approaching train seemingly some way in the distance.  A very pleasing view.

 

[KNP]

Meanwhile back in the goods yard the morning freight train is being readied.

Slight delay as there was a problem with the chains on the container wagon with one of them appeared to be loose.

That's been sorted and now ready for the off.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 27 by KNP