Easton, Isle of Portland

[MrWolf]

Back to modelling indeed, as I don't think that we are going to find out if Stubby was the inspiration for Baldrick.

[Mick Bonwick]

A few Tamiya cotton swabs, a dish of white spirit and some elbow grease demisted the windows of an Anglia and a Vauxhall 10/4. They've been abandoned parked near an old shed.

 

Or is it a hut?

 

[MrWolf]

They look much better now, used rather than neglected. The Vauxhall looks like the 1947 model with horizontal grille slats and the spare wheel on the outside of the bootlid. 

I once owned a very early (1938) model, the spare wheel lived inside the bootlid, which still made the lid very heavy but also meant that you could only get a couple of bags of shopping in there. I regret selling it, because the buyer has never done anything with it, but won't sell it back. There will be a couple appearing on my layout as a result!

 

 

 

Edited July 5, 2021 by MrWolf
Miscellaneous ineptitude

[Mick Bonwick]

The modelling of a mossy roof.

 

By way of a response to a question asked by @MrWolf on the Shed Thread, "Anyone know how to model two inch thick moss?" I suggest the following:

 

A base coat of matt varnish, to ensure adhesion of following materials. In my case this will be Testor's Dullcote.

 

A thinly applied layer of pigment of a suitable colour. More later.

 

An application of pigment fixer, to keep the pigment in place without spoiling colour or texture too much. For moss a texture is just about feasible in 4mm scale, which is the scale for the worked example.

 

 

 

I was sure that I had some wriggly tin somewhere but, it seems, I was wrong. All that I could find was some Wills clear corrugated glazing that was no longer clear because of age yellowing. This is a vacuum formed material, so I removed the edges to give me a flatter sheet to work on.

 

 

Both sides of the sheet were given a good dose of Dullcote, just in case the first side was a failure and I had to start again. Be prepared.

 

A thin layer of pigment was then dabbed onto the sheet, deliberately making it uneven. The choice of colour is obviously down to personal perception of the source image.

 

 

 

To keep this pigment in place while further work is done, some pigment fixer was applied to the area. Capillary action will take this fluid very quickly into all of the pigment that is in place. Only a very small amount is needed.

 

 

Once this is dry, further patches of moss can be added as desired and then be fixed in the same manner. I applied two more colours to reach this stage , thinking that I had gone far enough.

 

 

 

In my example I have kept the moss in the channels of the corrugation, but there's no reason why you can't cover the material completely.

 

[Mick Bonwick]

Lifecolor produce a set of materials that purport to replicate moss and lichen. I had one of these sets to evaluate when they were first introduced and concluded that they were no better than some of the other products that I used at the time. While thinking about how to do this mossy roof thing, I dug out the set. I'm not suggesting that you would use these to replicate moss in 4mm scales, but they could be used for other things in the greenery areas.

 

I have applied each of the materials to the corrugated plastic, becuase that was what I had to hand, and here is the result:

 

 

They were all applied using PVA and, although they area all called powders, none of them are. POW 03, 5, 7, & 8 are coloured sawdust and POW01, 2 & 4 are ground up coloured foam. POW05, 7 & 8 are not partof the set, but are available separately.

 

If you are only wanting to do a small area or a small diorama then these materials could be ideal, but if you need materials to cover larger areas then it would be more cost-effective to buy ground foam scatters and/or pigments. Just my opinion.

[Gilbert]

21 hours ago, Mick Bonwick said:

 

Anyway, back to modelling. . . . . . . . . . . . .

I'd just like to say I found so many uniform images I could have posted but resisted.....

[Tony Teague]

4 hours ago, Mick Bonwick said:

Lifecolor produce a set of materials that purport to replicate moss and lichen. I had one of these sets to evaluate when they were first introduced and concluded that they were no better than some of the other products that I used at the time. While thinking about how to do this mossy roof thing, I dug out the set. I'm not suggesting that you would use these to replicate moss in 4mm scales, but they could be used for other things in the greenery areas.

 

I have applied each of the materials to the corrugated plastic, becuase that was what I had to hand, and here is the result:

 

 

They were all applied using PVA and, although they area all called powders, none of them are. POW 03, 5, 7, & 8 are coloured sawdust and POW01, 2 & 4 are ground up coloured foam. POW05, 7 & 8 are not partof the set, but are available separately.

 

If you are only wanting to do a small area or a small diorama then these materials could be ideal, but if you need materials to cover larger areas then it would be more cost-effective to buy ground foam scatters and/or pigments. Just my opinion.

 

Mick, from where I'm sitting some of those colours look s bit bold - if I used them I'd want to mix them or tone them down a few shades.

Tony

Edited July 6, 2021 by Tony Teague

[Mick Bonwick]

Tony, I agree entirely. The colours are far more suited to larger scales and military dioramas, and that, of course, is what they were designed for.

[Mikkel]

On 05/07/2021 at 22:58, Mick Bonwick said:

The modelling of a mossy roof.

 

By way of a response to a question asked by @MrWolf on the Shed Thread, "Anyone know how to model two inch thick moss?" I suggest the following:

 

A base coat of matt varnish, to ensure adhesion of following materials. In my case this will be Testor's Dullcote.

 

A thinly applied layer of pigment of a suitable colour. More later.

 

An application of pigment fixer, to keep the pigment in place without spoiling colour or texture too much. For moss a texture is just about feasible in 4mm scale, which is the scale for the worked example.

 

 

 

I was sure that I had some wriggly tin somewhere but, it seems, I was wrong. All that I could find was some Wills clear corrugated glazing that was no longer clear because of age yellowing. This is a vacuum formed material, so I removed the edges to give me a flatter sheet to work on.

 

 

Both sides of the sheet were given a good dose of Dullcote, just in case the first side was a failure and I had to start again. Be prepared.

 

A thin layer of pigment was then dabbed onto the sheet, deliberately making it uneven. The choice of colour is obviously down to personal perception of the source image.

 

 

 

To keep this pigment in place while further work is done, some pigment fixer was applied to the area. Capillary action will take this fluid very quickly into all of the pigment that is in place. Only a very small amount is needed.

 

 

Once this is dry, further patches of moss can be added as desired and then be fixed in the same manner. I applied two more colours to reach this stage , thinking that I had gone far enough.

 

 

 

In my example I have kept the moss in the channels of the corrugation, but there's no reason why you can't cover the material completely.

 

 

Thanks Mick. I can see this method being useful for other things, e.g. hiding joins and cracks with dust and dirt. Must try out that pigment fixer.

[bgman]

37 minutes ago, Mikkel said:

 Must try out that pigment fixer.

 

Definitely recommended.

[Mick Bonwick]

My pleasure, Mikkel. Yes, you're right, the effect can be used for all sorts of things. I have successfully used it for representing a build-up of mud on a 1/43rd tractor, for example. Apply one layer, wait for it to dry (a few minutes) and repeat.

 

Edited July 7, 2021 by Mick Bonwick

[Zero Gravitas]

26 minutes ago, Mick Bonwick said:

My pleasure, Mikkel. Yes, you're right, the effect can be used for all sorts of things. I have successfully used it for representing a build-up of mud on a 1/43rd tractor, for example. Apply one layer, wait for it to dry (a few minutes) and repeat.

 

 

Even by your very high standards, Mr. B - that tractor is outstanding!

[Mick Bonwick]

3 minutes ago, Zero Gravitas said:

 

Even by your very high standards, Mr. B - that tractor is outstanding!

 

Thank you, Mark, very kind of you.

[MrWolf]

That tractor is incredible, it looks just like the old tractors that we were let loose with in our early teens, all it needs is a cow muck scraper hanging off the back! The tyres I have to keep looking at, with that mud / cow muck / mildew look to the walls and the slightly shiny corners on the rubber strakes. I'd be certain that ploughing light won't work anymore, probably only the shell still clinging to the mudguard.

 

Absolutely wonderful job!

[Mick Bonwick]

20 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

That tractor is incredible, it looks just like the old tractors that we were let loose with in our early teens, all it needs is a cow muck scraper hanging off the back! The tyres I have to keep looking at, with that mud / cow muck / mildew look to the walls and the slightly shiny corners on the rubber strakes. I'd be certain that ploughing light won't work anymore, probably only the shell still clinging to the mudguard.

 

Absolutely wonderful job!

 

Thanks, Rob. These effects are not that difficult to achieve. What is require is an understanding of the materials you're working with and perception of the way the real thing works.

 

In this case, I had established that where the tractor worked on muddy ground a lot of it had stuck to the wheel and tyre, but had subsequently  been worn off (tyre strakes) or fallen off in dried lumps (wheel centres). Knowing how pigments and fixers work with each other it was then a case of applying the right quantities and colours in the right places. There is a bit more about using weathering powders here:

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blogs/entry/21469-a-land-rover-series-1-109-according-to-oxford-diecast-introduction/

 

For the Land Rover I used white spirit as the fixer for the pigment, but time has revealed that it can dry up too much and eventually flake off. If the model is only to be displayed then this would not be a problem, but if it is to be 'played with' then the fixer is a better bet.

[Mick Bonwick]

I found some of this in the garage, so I need to think of something to do with it.

 

[Stubby47]

You've got weeds outside....

[NHY 581]

1 hour ago, Mick Bonwick said:

I found some of this in the garage, so I need to think of something to do with it.

 

 

I suspect that if used very....very sparingly some interesting peely paint effects could be arrived at if left to dry out...........mmmmm

 

Rob

[Mick Bonwick]

 

Is that a familiar shape in that dish?

[Mick Bonwick]

I was amazed that it only took 5 minutes to reach this stage. I knew that Nitromors was good stuff, having used it on full size door and window frames, but the speed at which it did this small **** ***** still surprised me. Must remember to keep it well away from everything else!

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2021 by Mick Bonwick
More random insertions.

[Alister_G]

Nice work!

 

That tractor is really very good indeed.

 

Oh, and I know someone who needs a bare bodyshell for a L*** R*****

 

 

Al.

[Mick Bonwick]

That worked so well that I was tempted to strip a couple more. These used to be English China Clays and British Railways liveried SWB versions. I don't yet know what they'll end up looking like, mind you.

 

 

The lack of thick paint reveals much in the way of detail.

[Fishplate]

4 hours ago, Mick Bonwick said:

I don't yet know what they'll end up looking like, mind you.

 

Land Rovers? 

[Mick Bonwick]

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 . . . . . . . .

 

 

Edited July 10, 2021 by Mick Bonwick
Belatedly noticing three spelling/finger errors.

[MrWolf]

How to include dragster. On LR dealerships stand, as an eye catcher and piece of PR with sponsorship (and methanol at something around £15 per gallon.) provided by said dealership?

 

It's your railway.