Airfix/Dapol/Kitmaster engine shed

[boxbrownie]

I find often a very thin mortar wash will stay in the joints when wiped off the brick surface after a few minutes to let it “key”.

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

You could paint the whole shed mortar colour and pick out each brick individually?

 

Mike.

Just suggesting like.

[Il Grifone]

20 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

You could paint the whole shed mortar colour and pick out each brick individually?

 

Mike.

Just suggesting like.

 

The way to do it, but life's too short IMHO. 

[PatB]

19 hours ago, Il Grifone said:

Mortar gaps aren't very deep on the real thing.

Quite so. This is one of those areas where an inaccurate rendition often looks better to the observer. If you actually scale the depth of a typical mortar course (maybe 1/8" when new, and 1/4-3/8" once acid rain has chewed it away a bit) you end up with a maximum depth of about 0.005", which really isn't a lot. A flat, 2D printed brick paper is probably closer to scale than most embossed styrene. 

 

Edit: I've just measured the depth of the pointing on the wall outside my shop, which is 1970s brickwork in a sheltered position and so is in good nick. It's a fairly uniform 1/4", so 0.003" in 4 mm scale or a literal hairsbreadth.

Edited October 20, 2020 by PatB

[Il Grifone]

I believe the recommended practice is to taper the mortar from flush at the bottom to inset at the top, so that rainwater will drain off. Good luck trying to model this....

About 1/4" seems reasonable, though it does vary. Conversely flush brickpaper always looks wrong to me.

Edited October 21, 2020 by Il Grifone

[5050]

On 19/10/2020 at 21:37, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

You could paint the whole shed mortar colour and pick out each brick individually?

 

Mike.

Just suggesting like.

Using coloured pencils rather than paint?

[Steamport Southport]

Paint on the mortar. Leave to dry for a little bit (few minutes) and then wipe it off. A tiny bit at a time. Then repeat.

 

Enough paint should be left in the grooves. It soon builds up after a few goes. Leaving it to dry a bit between attempts.

 

Long time since I've done any scenery building though. So that technique might be a bit dated.

 

I also don't know how other types of paint might work as I tend to only use enamel. My only experience of acrylic was with fantasy figures.

 

 

 

Jason

[The Johnster]

Matt acrylic is perfect for this technique, as you can water it down for even more control over the amount of paint that goes on.  Watered down paint will stay wet longer.

[Steamport Southport]

4 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

Matt acrylic is perfect for this technique, as you can water it down for even more control over the amount of paint that goes on.  Watered down paint will stay wet longer.

 

The idea I was having was for it not to be wet. More slightly dry for it to "key", but still wet enough to then be wiped away from the surface without leaving any residue on the bricks. But enough in the crevice.

 

If it's too wet it just runs away from where you want it. Which seems to be the problem Brian was having.

 

 

Jason

 

[Steamport Southport]

Found this whilst looking for something else. Definitely had a look of the Airfix kit, it even has the extractor fan and the door in the shed doors.

 

 

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/t/tan_house_lane/index21.shtml

 

 

 

Jason

[boxbrownie]

On 21/10/2020 at 17:16, The Johnster said:

Matt acrylic is perfect for this technique, as you can water it down for even more control over the amount of paint that goes on.  Watered down paint will stay wet longer.

Yes, I use this technique.....and oddly the latest was an old Airfix Loco shed, the very subtle mortar lines are perfect for this technique, a colour wash brushed on liberally left for a minute or so (definitely no longer) then dry wiped off with a paper towel or some such, repeat until the mortar looks good, this also nicely tones done and adds a bit of weathering to the brick colour, easy peasy.

[kevinlms]

16 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

Found this whilst looking for something else. Definitely had a look of the Airfix kit, it even has the extractor fan and the door in the shed doors.

 

 

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/t/tan_house_lane/index21.shtml

 

 

 

Jason

A good find, obviously the Airfix kits were based on something.  The labels sometimes supplied, gave a false impression though. 

[The Johnster]

Just built one, literally yesterday, for my colliery Peckett.  I’ve left one of the windows off on the excuse that it went rotten and has been taken out for replacement, the real reason being that I want to see inside better!

 

I intend to have some fun with the interior of this.  

[Il Grifone]

27 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

Just built one, literally yesterday, for my colliery Peckett.  I’ve left one of the windows off on the excuse that it went rotten and has been taken out for replacement, the real reason being that I want to see inside better!

 

I intend to have some fun with the interior of this.  

 

I admire your courage. I leave the windows dirty to not see the interior....

 

 

The above linkt certainly looks like the Airfix kit, just shrunk a bit vertically.

Edited January 29, 2021 by Il Grifone

[boxbrownie]

3 minutes ago, Il Grifone said:

 

I admire your courage. I leave the windows dirty to not see the interior....

The problem with the windows on the newer versions (Dapol) of the Airfix shed is the moulds are so worn the windows are diabolically poor moulding, it needs hours with a needle file to make them even square.

[Il Grifone]

1 minute ago, boxbrownie said:

The problem with the windows on the newer versions (Dapol) of the Airfix shed is the moulds are so worn the windows are diabolically poor moulding, it needs hours with a needle file to make them even square.

 

It looks like I was lucky then. Mine are all Airfix*, making a two road, double length shed.

The moulds have every right to be worn, as they are now over sixty years old.

 

* Some I've had for ages (as in decades) and others are recent second hand acquisitions

[Philou]

Very interesting comments regarding the engine shed. I found that when I did mine (years ago) and using enamels, was to use various shade s of brick colour, let dry and then run a diluted concrete (or black depending where your model is supposed to be) colour run by capillary action into the mortar lines. Wipe off as necessary - it doesn't matter as weathering of the joints is not uniform - particularly where the brickwork is protected under corbelling or under a roof - that area will always be darker as the rain won't get to it to wash off the grime. Repeat the dilute wash as required.

 

I can't show you mine as the dog ate it - yes, seriously!

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[Enterprisingwestern]

37 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

The problem with the windows on the newer versions (Dapol) of the Airfix shed is the moulds are so worn the windows are diabolically poor moulding, it needs hours with a needle file to make them even square.

 

Caveating your emptor, never buy anything but Airfix original kits.

Dapol are taking the proverbial with the quality, or lack, of current mouldings, they should have been humanely put down years ago.

I doubt Airfix ever envisaged such a long life span of these moulds, a testament to their standards back in the day that they are even capable of producing a half decent kit.

 

Mike.

[boxbrownie]

25 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

Caveating your emptor, never buy anything but Airfix original kits.

Sometimes there isn’t a choice.....original Airfix kits when you can find them are often quite expensive compared with the Dapol version, and usually the Dapol kits (or at least the basic ones) can be made into a very good model with a bit of work.

 

Dont get me wrong though, I am no fan of Dapol and yes, they are screwing the last vestige of usefulness out of the moulds.

[Il Grifone]

I've acquired a level crossing kit on eBay. I trust it's OK (it should be it's listed as Airfix), not there is a lot to go wrong and the raised grooves on the planking need attention anyway.

Lockdown means I have yet to see it and it appears that I'm stuck in Sardinia at least until the end of March. The few flights before that are expensive (Alitalia) and involve a long stopover in Rome (no way).

Incidently can someone please give me the dimensions of the gates?

 

Most of my collection of  BR 16T mineral wagons are Airfix. One is Dapol and while the moulding is OK, the plastic is not all it could be. Some sort of recycled rubbish?

 

Edited January 29, 2021 by Il Grifone

[The Johnster]

The plastic on my shed is shiny and not as good as the last one I built, but the last one I built was more than half a century ago, so I wasn't expecting the tooling to be as good,  It actually isn't bad, but has lost some of it's  'relief'.  There was a bit of flash but not anything that didn't succumb without resistance to an Exacto.  The kit went together without much fuss, everything square and fitting, but one of the windows was a little warped and had to be clamped while the glue went off.  I believe Dap are using recycled plastic and it isn't very good recycled plastic at that.

 

The main problem is that it's shiny and soapy, and will need priming before I attempt to paint it or the paint will pool.  My only other complaint is that the front doors, which could be made to close and open on my 1960s shed, cannot now be closed properly as they do not fit into the reveal.  A bit of trimming might have solved this, but I couldn't be *rsed, and modelled them open.  Plans for the interior; brick paper for the walls, lighting (for which the whole thing will need to be lined with card to prevent bleed; the Dap plastic makes a pretty good lampshade), 3D workbench, Modelu shed details, and general 'stuff', notice boards, fire hose reel, lubricant oil drum, ladder for extractor fan maintenance, that sort of thing.  The little lean to office at the back has been built with the door open, so maybe a desk and filing cabinet in there, and a door into the main shed.  Planks between the rails to suggest boards over an inspection pit.  I may put home made slates on the roof so that I can introduce a bit of 'distressing'. 

 

I have a small hand coaling stage somewhere, and ash can be dumped in the 4 foot outside.  Water is the next thing; a proper railway column doesn't feel right for an NCB shed, and I'm thinking of running a hose (piece of wire) up over the doorway and let it hang down, the loco taking water half in and half out of the doorway and taking a longish time over it.  Practice is to move her into this position as soon as there's sufficient pressure, open the filler cap, turn on the water, and get on with the rest of the prep while she's filling up and coming to full pressure, with time for a cuppa before the off.  By this time the first empties of the day have arrived from Tondu and been set back on to the exchange road ready to be propelled down to the washery sidings off stage, then  a set of loadeds brought up, at which point the Peckett uncouples and draws forward on to the shed road while the BR loco attaches the van and draws them out on to the running lines.  The Peckett is now released to go about it's business back at the pit head until the next load of empties arrives from Tondu. 

 

Variations on this can be bringing more loaded up before the empties arrive (South Wales collieries occupied valley floor or mountainside sites and space was always at a premium, so it was important to the working at the faces to keep a flow of coal outwards to release space for empties to service the washery), or exchanging vans or opens with pitprops or ot supplies (a new pithead baths is being built), and of course returning the empties with the pickup.  The shed transforms this rather dead and bland loco spur into a feature, and despite it's small size dominates this central area of the layout, and draws the eye, hence the detailing.

 

[cctransuk]

4 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

Sometimes there isn’t a choice.....original Airfix kits when you can find them are often quite expensive compared with the Dapol version, and usually the Dapol kits (or at least the basic ones) can be made into a very good model with a bit of work.

 

Dont get me wrong though, I am no fan of Dapol and yes, they are screwing the last vestige of usefulness out of the moulds.

 

I have been on an Airfix lineside building kit spree recently and have found that, via Ebay, the original kits can be picked up for around the same price as the current Dapol / Kitmaster versions.

 

The sharpness of detail and the quality of the plastic in the original kits are streets ahead of the current versions from the worn-out moulds.

 

John Isherwood.

[boxbrownie]

1 hour ago, cctransuk said:

 

I have been on an Airfix lineside building kit spree recently and have found that, via Ebay, the original kits can be picked up for around the same price as the current Dapol / Kitmaster versions.

John, that’s interesting....I haven’t been looking for a while I admit, I do enjoy an old “Airfix kit” for a few hours relaxation though, take me back although I do miss the aroma of the glue from back then, bloomin’ H&S knomes!

 

 

Although the modern glues are sooooo much better. 

[DCB]

I have been listing some Airfix and Kitmaster kits we found in the loft on eBay, they have probably been there for 50 plus years, Some have been started so I have to check each one to see if it's actually complete or not.  Some boxes are marked 2/6  (Half a crown or 12.5p) It is noticeable how much crisper the and how much squarer the Kitmaster ones are than the same model branded as Airfix and then the Airfix seem to use crisper and more rigid plastic than Dapol.

People also pay more for Kitmasters, but that's probably for the box, but they are worth the extra money if you want to make a detailed model not just something to fling together to while away the lock down. People actually buy empty Kitmaster and some Airfix boxes, maybe you should buy the kit, build it and flog the box....

[boxbrownie]

Oooo I’ll have them for 2/6d.