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Aston On Clun. A forgotten Great Western outpost.


MrWolf
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That is a PROPER shed! I would guess at a pre WWII build date. I could do with something like that in my back yard! I'm assuming that my garage would be 15-20 years old by the time period Aston is set, even so, the paintwork wouldn't be pristine.

I'm still toying with the idea of a full interior, which in this case would mean a removable roof, two in fact.

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A view the opposite way showing the open space between the cattle dock and the river. (Also my unfinished control panel.) At the real location, this is little more than a bumpy field and a few sheep. I will be keeping the area as open as the real thing to balance out the features of the layout, create an illusion of space and hopefully get it done quickly!

 

IMG_20210717_114457.jpg.8fcf11d49cf17d562a900db430cfac5c.jpg

 

image.jpg.60f7854809b3a18938c2108e54b0351a.jpg

 

 

 

 

Edited by MrWolf
Picture no load!
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4 hours ago, MrWolf said:

A view the opposite way showing the open space between the cattle dock and the river. (Also my unfinished control panel.) At the real location, this is little more than a bumpy field and a few sheep. I will be keeping the area as open as the real thing to balance out the features of the layout, create an illusion of space and hopefully get it done quickly!

 

 

 

 

Photo Rob? Like the rest of us, the heat must be getting to you.:heat:

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19 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

FIXED IT!!!

 

Any suggestions for modelling fields that don't look like bowling greens?

 

Do a "first-fix" of static grass in small patches, before you add your main layer. That will give you the clumpy look you can see in your photo above.

 

Al.

Edited by Alister_G
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6 minutes ago, Alister_G said:

 

Do a "first-fix" of static grass in small patches, before you add your main layer. That will give you the clumpy look you can see in your photo above.

 

Al.

 

Forgot to say the important word "short". 1mm or 2mm fibres.

 

Al.

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Thanks Al, I am going to prime the whole area there with neat PVA to give a good key before applying a thin layer of plaster that can be then made slightly uneven with a wet paint brush. I will follow up with earth coloured paint, thinned to soak in.

Then as my first experiment with the static grass machine I am expecting to get uneven clumps first. So I don't think that it will be too hard to follow your idea.

@Stubby47has already guessed potatoes, but they are the other side of the neat hedge on the left of the field.

 

 

Edited by MrWolf
Sudden bout of illiteracy
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A few yards beyond the neat hedge is what can only be described as Eeyore's boggy patch, not quite a pond, but waterlogged. Modelling the cracked willow alongside it should be an interesting challenge. It will make a nice view blocker though.

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The folks at World War Scenics have videos on static grass techniques. The video pages 2 and 3 are best.

 

https://www.wwscenics.com/category/videos/page/2/

 

They put a base layer of 1-2mm and while still wet crunch it with fingers. Makes a right mess of your hands, before layering with longer grass. Never tried it myself but when they do it gives a tussock effect.

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5 hours ago, Rowsley17D said:

The folks at World War Scenics have videos on static grass techniques. The video pages 2 and 3 are best.

 

https://www.wwscenics.com/category/videos/page/2/

 

They put a base layer of 1-2mm and while still wet crunch it with fingers. Makes a right mess of your hands, before layering with longer grass. Never tried it myself but when they do it gives a tussock effect.

I tried this technique after watching Martyn’s WWS video on the one field I’ve made so far and it works quite well. I was also worried about the bowling green appearance and as Al has mentioned, layering with different lengths and colours is key to this. Maybe worth trying out on some scrap wood before committing to the model?
 

Jay

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Personally I’ve also found with the WWS grass applicator the closer I’ve worked to the subject’s surface the more upright the grass is. Also avoid shaking the thing too vigorously as you can end up with an excess of uncharged grass dropping out. 

Edited by JustinDean
Poor grammar!
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Thank you all for your advice and encouragement. I have primed the board with a coat of neat PVA which is now thoroughly dried so it's time for a little bit of landscaping before I get the static grass machine stoked up.

I've also ordered some Dark Stone No3 from Precision Paints, so that will keep me busy (and the chapel swear box bulging.) for a while.

 

Better go and mix some plaster.

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IMG_20210718_180522.jpg.b329c48f2638ec448d0d59c9e2502b7a.jpg

 

Plaster / filler PVA mix spread on with an old bank card and then smoothed out with a flat artist brush, varying the pressure on the brush to create an undulating surface. The filler is not more than 4mm thick. Whilst I was at it I created the bigger hollow for Eeyore's boggy patch.

 

image lost.

 

 

Edited by MrWolf
Stupid autocorrect
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This video by Marklin of Sweden is great for techniques about static grass.  

 

His style is a little quirky but he has some great techniques. Check out his video about using toilet paper to make waves:blink:, seriously though he does some really nice modelling. Simon

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IMG_20210718_183110.jpg.97eb2d203a68777b0c8b928831dfa6fa.jpg

 

Other things were happening whilst I was busy making mud pies. I have cleared a lot of stock which needs work from the west fiddle yard. SWMBO asked me what's with the white coach?

It's actually an old K's kit for a 40' full brake. I got it cheaply from eBay at a time when unmade or nicely made examples were making good money.

The problem is that it was unpainted, unglazed and had no floor. The metal parts had been neatly soldered, but the parts that needed finishing should have been done before the roof was fitted .

 

The roof had of course, been very firmly glued on with a lot of balsa cement, so it sat in my long term project file. 

I told her that the roof needed to come off and the whole thing would probably shatter like eggshell.

Have a go if you like, it's probably only fit for parts anyway.

 

So she did.

 

 

Edited by MrWolf
Typing with hind paws again...
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About five minutes of perseverance with an old pen knife and it was off, unscathed. You can see now that I have managed to upload the picture how much balsa cement was holding it down. 

I might just leave her to it with the rest of the cripple siding. 

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