Superquick Revisited

[Spotlc]

Thanks for that, BH!  There is clearly a lot of info out there about these models, makes me feel very ignorant!  At least they are still around, and even some of the earlier ones turn up from time to time:

 

Cheers,  Mike

Edited April 24, 2021 by Spotlc
typo

[Spotlc]

Slowly making a New Roof

 

Most model buildings are seen from a higher viewpoint than is normal in real life, and so the roofs, chimneys and whatever are subjected to more rigourous inspection than usual!   The arrival of dowloadable texture sheets, in particular roof textures, has made it possible to greatly improve the appearance of any model, and Superquicks are no exception.

Possibly purists might object to altering the original, but I tend to think of it as an enhancing rather than degrading the finished model, much like curtains at the windows, or downpipes from the gutters.  So here is some progress on a new roof for B25:

 

The core is made from extruded polystyrene flooring insulation, (made from three pieces, because the roof pitch is less than 45°, and since no bandsaw will tilt to more than a few degrees beyond 45°, the angle must be set from a vertical face) Once glued and set, the end pitches were cut on a mitre saw, and the surfaces coverered with 0.35mm card to which Scalescenes tiling guides were glued.

 

The tiles are printed (here at 75%, like the guides) onto self-adhesive label paper and cut into strips which are then stuck on.  I cannot over emphasise how much easier this is than using glue sticks, spray adhesive or liquid glue!  You just invert each strip and lift the backing paper with the scalpel; some limited re-positioning is possible.

 

A hipped roof is more demanding to make than a gable roof, but quite entertaining to do, if you have the time!

 

Cheers,   Mike

 

Edited May 9, 2021 by Spotlc

[Spotlc]

Nearly There!

 

This restoration proved to be more effort than I thought at first.  The porch was beyond repair, the chimneys were missing entirely, and the roof had been badly damaged, so  I'm afraid this is more of a pastiche than a restoration of the original.  It's also become the Borough Engineer's offices instead of a police station.

 

I remade the porch from 2mmMDF, with the little roof done with Scalecenes slates like the main roof shown earlier, and the chimney stacks are  from wood with turned brass pots. It was obvious that the original stacks were as wide as the flat part of the roof and I thought that just two pots looked a bit meagre, so they got three each!

 

Otherwise, it's more or less true to the original as to proportions, glazing and material appearance. I did have few sheets of Superquick yellow brick for the chimney stacks and porch sides, but it doesn't match  - I imagine the original has faded a bit with time.  There are still the downpipes to do, and I'm sure the little annexe would have had a fire of some sort, so a stovepipe chimney will appear there in due course!

 

The boss's Riley Kestrel is parked outside, a fairly accurate model by Oxford Models, for which I have more than the usual affection, for the following reason.  The registration number of the model Riley is DLA 404, a number issued by London County Council in 1936, and I know this because for two blissful years in the early 1960's, I owned and drove a 1936 Lagonda Rapier, whose reg. number was DLA 121, so the rose tinted specs come out whenever I notice the Riley!

 

Sorry about the diversion!  I've greatly enjoyed bringing this building back to something like it looked originally, one of the nicest ones they ever made, great shame it was deleted!

 

Cheers,   Mike

Edited May 15, 2021 by Spotlc

[Colin_McLeod]

3 hours ago, Spotlc said:

I did have few sheets of Superquick yellow brick for the chimney stacks and porch sides, but it doesn't match  - I imagine the original has faded a bit with time. 

 

I had a similar problem with another kit. Solved by making a photocopy of the brickwork of the original (faded) model. 

[nikintheuk]

Hello all, just found this thread whilst I was researching dates. I've been collecting Superquick and Builder Plus since the 70's when I had a Triang Super 4 layout. I have nearly one of each model unopened and thinking about publishing a history but as some of the posts on this thread have shown some are difficult to date with any accuracy and the manufactures were not good at keeping records, also,  sadly Donavon Lloyd passed away a while ago. If anyone has an unopened A5 engine shed with black header I would be very interested in buying it or at least having some photos. Also there is an interesting link with  Clarewood kits with the signal box in particular being almost identical to the early Superquick one. As the Superquick models are not meant to be based on any prototypes my guess is this was designed by Mr Lloyd as well. Anyway it promoted me to join this wonderful group so I look forward to joining in from time to time.  Cheers Nik 

[BernardTPM]

Yes, the Clarewood artwork is very similar; I'd noticed that in some old RM ads some years ago and wondered if there was a connection.

[Chris Snowdon]

Hi, Nikintheuk

I really like your idea of identifying the buildings used by Superquick as their prototypes.  A couple of years ago, I read something (not here, but I can't remember where) that many are "interpretations" of real buildings which were, and hopefully still are, extant in market towns in England.  According to memory:  The railway buildings and country town buildings are supposed to be from different areas.  For example, IIRC then the signal box is ex-LNWR from somewhere in Cheshire, but the Market Building is from somehwere in Hertfordshire or Buckinghamshire.  Other buildings are from Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, etc.  Basically, whether by accident or by design, the architectural styles are all appropriate to within an hour from "Ambridge".  Apologies if you hate The Archers...

The Bilteezi prints were supposed to be photo-prints of real buildings, but I can't track them down at prsent.

regards

cs