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James Makin's Workbench - 1990s dirty diesels & grotty wagons


James Makin
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Wow thanks so much for all the likes and comments, that is really nice! I'm really looking forward to getting those 37s at the head of some grimy MOD or ballast train workings! Just need a load of faded VAA vans or some battered Barbels and we are away! 

 

On 11/07/2019 at 18:25, sb67 said:

Not much I can say, they look absolutely amazing James! Do you use plain old matt white to fade, sloshed on then wiped away? Then presumably the next step covers any white that might be lodged in the crevices?

Steve.

 

Thanks Steve, I do use matt white for fading, either that or a light grey depending on how much fade you're looking for! The initial finish after the paint-on/wipe-off is extremely ghosty and more suited to something that's spent it's entire career shunting in a china clay works but once the next coatings of browns go on after this then those white crevices are covered and normality ensues!

 

Cheers,

James

 

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8 hours ago, James Makin said:

Time for some lovely filthy old celebrities! Not Ulrika Jonsson or Carol Vorderman this time, but a pair of blue diesels..!

 

48273573792_80c3f2a80a_k.jpg47145 and 60006 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

47145 Merddin Emrys and 60006 Scunthorpe Ironmaster are the latest to join the fleet, both being based on standard RTR models but with a little twist!

 

The gorgeous British Steel Blue duo of 60006 and 60033 have always been favourites and remind me of my early days in the hobby, having gone to a real model shop and bagged a 60006 when Lima produced theirs, which coincided with the time I picked up my first Lima catalogue and realised that there was an amazing 'modern image' world out there alongside the toyshop items just found in the Hornby catalogues! 

 

As time went on, I was fascinated by weathering and dirtying my blue '60' to match a pic I'd seen in an issue of RAIL magazine around 1999. I was very new to airbrushing in 2000 when I plucked up the courage, and my old £9.99 Badger splatter gun kind of ruined it, but it was important practice that led on to better things eventually! So when I found a cheap, used, new-generation Hornby 60033 from Trains4U a couple of years back, I had to have it!

 

48273490376_83f2d21668_k.jpg47145 and 60006 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

The starting point was to strip off the old numbers, using enamel thinners...

 

48273567867_cf2b43f7c3_k.jpg47145 and 60006 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

...which as you can see, worked an absolute treat! 

 

The loco was then renumbered and new nameplates added to recreate 60006, complete with all of the cab details and fun from the previous Class 60s in the updates above, plus some funky bodyside weathering! I actually dug out that old RAIL Magazine I used as a kid (together with my 14-yr-old-self's painty fingerprints!) and tried again adding some streaking, and of course a good coating of traffic grime!

 

And here we go...!

 

48273560712_c083a82756_k.jpg47145 and 60006 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

48273559772_52745dd05a_k.jpg47145 and 60006 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

48273470671_310924499c_k.jpg47145 and 60006 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

I couldn't resist posting up a pic of my old 60006 for comparison, I was only 14 when I ruined this so please go easy!!

 

48273741041_50a02e34d5_k.jpg60006 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

I guess if there is anything I've learnt in the last 19 years it's that a little restraint is sometimes a good thing! :lol:

 

Next up was the other blue partner in crime; 47145 Merddin Emrys. I didn't actually see this loco until relatively late in it's career, stabled at Derby with 45112 in 2004, while at that time, the 'Duff' was deep in Fragonset ownership with dragon logos on the side!

 

But my mate Mark (owner of 60090 above!) gave me a great deal on his old Bachmann Rails of Sheffield Ltd Edition version, which coincided with me finding some nice snaps of it on MOD traffic at Didcot in 1998, having been recently treated to 'Crewe-cut' cab modifications, losing a few of the fancy plaques and picking up a bit of dirt since its days as a Tinsley celebrity!

 

48273483306_602bacfe8d_k.jpg47145 and 60006 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

Naturally, Dua Lipa is the ideal soundtrack for creating any ex-Tinsley '47s', and I set to work cutting off the bottom of the cabs and swapping the original chassis for a cutaway bufferbeam version. 

 

Other small details had to be changed to update it from the Bachmann version - the black doors had become blue, there was more yellow around the top door window, the orange 'elephant trunk' multiple working sockets were added to the headcode panel ends, as well as the ornate plaques surrounding the nameplate & Tinsley plaque making way for plain blue and rusty boltholes! 

 

48273475776_de9ea77612_k.jpg47145 and 60006 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

Another subtle modification was the change of the running number decals, by 1998 it was applied in a small style, matching that of Res locomotives, and the BR arrows had changed to mini RfD Channel Tunnel roundel stickers. It was one of those models that became a 'Where's Wally?' job spotting the small detail changes that certainly aren't obvious at first glance - I planned this as just a quick weathering job at the outset!

 

48273557402_3201ca2bd7_k.jpg47145 and 60006 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

On one side the removal of the Tinsley depot plaques has left a nice silhouette of damaged paint on the end, while the ornate plaques that were once above and below the Merddin Emrys plate have long since gone.

 

48273473711_f0cc6b12a6_k.jpg47145 and 60006 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

Stainless steel door kickplates were picked out in silver, together with the odd yellow axlebox (but not all of them!) - definitely keeps you on your toes! And the smart white-wall wheels from the 1994 Tinsley Open Day are nothing but a memory!

 

48273555932_1cfa86cf96_k.jpg47145 and 60006 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

47145 sits nicely at home next to 37518 on Wells Green TMD

 

48273468766_513943afd7_k.jpg47145 and 60006 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

48273467471_2c3e0603e6_k.jpg47145 and 60006 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

It was great fun bringing these two models to life, and a good dollop of nostalgia too! I bet you must be wondering what's coming next..?

 

Cheers,

James

 

Funny enough James I have techno music on when weathering up locos,

great work above my frend...

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Techno Neil ? You’d have to have Eiffel65 for 98 then !da da da da da bee

 

great work as ever James. It’s all a bit too much for me , filthy celebs ( locos) and carol Vorderman  all in the same sentence.

 

Im going for a lie down in a dark room.

 

 

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Next up is a cheeky pair of '67's!

 

48330945206_47d2282246_k.jpg67002 and 67008 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

These locos are very much cutting edge and coming in right near the end of my modelling period, you can keep your '68's; this is as new as it gets!

 

67002 and 67008 have joined the fleet, both of course being based upon the newer Hornby model, subjected to a spot of renumbering and light service weathering.

 

The EWS 67s had a troubled start, with pioneer 67003 being delivered from Valencia but subsequently found to be overweight and requiring modifications before they could start, I remember it being many months after reading in RAIL about the first one being delivered before ever getting to see any on the network with my own eyes!

 

48331077212_318a6e0d58_k.jpg67002 and 67008 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

Both are from the original Hornby 67001 release, the lower one having already seen several years' service on Loftus Road pulling former Res Railnet postal vans and PCVs in its original guise until the long-overdue renumbering finally occurred. 

 

Choosing the numbers was easy, 67008 was a Didcot spotting regular, meanwhile 67002 established itself as my absolute favourite from early doors...I'm sure many here will recall the infamous Lawrence Hill crash in 2000; the spectacular sight of a gorgeous brand new loco perched precariously atop a broken HAA coal wagon having smashed into the rear of an Avonmouth coal train, and been carried along before piling into a road overbridge! 

 

Similar to my model of 67017 Arrow a few years ago on this thread, the Hornby printed lettering and numbers were tricky to remove using thinners and other solutions, so I repainted the EWS Gold stripe, and gave the loco a good gloss varnish covering ready for the transfer application stage.

 

48330939486_5a04cccbf2_k.jpg67002 and 67008 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

With help from a bit of HAIM, the Modelmaster decals were individually cut and applied to the heavily ribbed bodysides, and plenty of Microscale Microsol & Microset were used to soften the decals to sit properly in the ribs. In the photo you can see the difference between the completed 67008's decals sitting in the ribs compared to 67002's decals that have just been placed over the model. While applying the softening solutions the decals will often crinkle, but the key is not to panic too much as they normally uncrinkle once the solution dries!

 

48331068972_c812029e1b_k.jpg67002 and 67008 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

A coating of Railmatch Matt Varnish was applied after, and then the traffic weathering applied over the top, including attention to the silencer to get a slightly textured rough finish prior to the weathering taking place. The airdams and pipes were added, with a wire loop fitted at one end to allow it to continue hauling the Railnet trains on Loftus Road

 

48331068652_fe95858939_k.jpg67002 and 67008 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

You can see here just how heavily ribbed the sides of the Hornby model is! It is amazing also how good the Microscale products are at getting the decals to sit right in those deep grooves.

 

48330932976_1108ab98e1_k.jpg67002 and 67008 by James Makin by James Makin, on Flickr

 

A good quick project to get these looking how they should, and ready for action representing the newest beasts out there in the red empire!

 

Cheers,

James

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Super job as ever ! Well impressed to see loch awe . This took me to fort William in 1998, so became my fav jockanese 37. I’ve posted these before but...here it is. I contemplated doing a layout based on the area, but with just 37s , 2 freights and one loco hauled a day it had limited operational interest.

 

 

5A010CE9-12FB-440D-B976-DE6BE7925896.jpeg

371D9162-47F6-492D-9448-63890F2F2381.jpeg

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Fantastic work James! You really should bring out a book, I love the way you show the method using photo's and your attention to detail is stunning. I love the ''hot dog'' label and the stain diverted by the nameplate.

Have you ever tried using acrylic paints for weathering and what do you use for your overall traffic grime mix? 

Apologies if the questions have been asked before.

Steve. 

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Love the pics of ‘409 Rob!

 

On 23/07/2019 at 06:01, sb67 said:

Fantastic work James! You really should bring out a book, I love the way you show the method using photo's and your attention to detail is stunning. I love the ''hot dog'' label and the stain diverted by the nameplate.

Have you ever tried using acrylic paints for weathering and what do you use for your overall traffic grime mix? 

Apologies if the questions have been asked before.

Steve. 

 

Haha thanks Steve! 

 

I’ve got some reason never got into acrylics yet, mainly as I’ve always had a big collection of Humbrols since I was a kid doing my first messy Airfix Spitfire kits and just kept adding to it ever since! I keep meaning to have a go with some of these other products you see guys using online, these Mig things and special powders etcs but just never got round to it yet haha! Seems easier to stick with what you know but guess always good to experiment!!

 

For the traffic grime mix I’m mainly using Phoenix weathering shades or whatever similar I’ve got in the collection, I’ll typically start with a light rusty brown on the chassis and base, then go darker with their Phoenix “track dirt” “sleeper grime” and so on, then on the roof I’ll start with “roof dirt” shade followed by “dirty black” and then for the actual immediate exhaust port area I’ll make my own mix of very dark grey with a dab of dark blue for that final oily exhaust effect!

 

Hope that helps!

James

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Cheers James, some of the products are very appealing but if you're getting the effects you get using plain enamels there's no need to change. I'd like to move away from enamel paints, I've dabbled a bit but for things like washes I've yet to find good alternatives. I want to try using your methods and colours but try it with purely Humbrol acrylics, might have to work on smaller areas though as the drying time is quicker.

Steve.

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Acrylics are great for detail work and for resprays, but just don’t have the control you get from enamels or oils, and can stain when using techniques like James’ I’ve found - you just can’t wipe them off the same way!

 

James, those 37s are wonderful. Always something inspiring in your thread - thanks!

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I don't know what it is about the Class 67 but I still rather like them.

 

I think a model of 67003 in ex works EWS might just slip into my autumn plans, all be it a model using a Lima shell as a basis along with my custom etches.  Winter 1999 isn't too far out of my time frame...

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On 22/07/2019 at 22:03, rob D2 said:

Super job as ever ! Well impressed to see loch awe . This took me to fort William in 1998, so became my fav jockanese 37. I’ve posted these before but...here it is. I contemplated doing a layout based on the area, but with just 37s , 2 freights and one loco hauled a day it had limited operational interest.

 

 

5A010CE9-12FB-440D-B976-DE6BE7925896.jpeg

371D9162-47F6-492D-9448-63890F2F2381.jpeg

This is what I call a proper enthusiast picture!

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Fantastic work James as always! 

 

Interestingly enough, the real '081 is now up for sale. Sadly it's tipped by quite a few to be one of the first to meet its maker, having already been stripped by EWS/DB and the local chavs. 

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28 minutes ago, Swifty11 said:

Fantastic work James as always! 

 

Interestingly enough, the real '081 is now up for sale. Sadly it's tipped by quite a few to be one of the first to meet its maker, having already been stripped by EWS/DB and the local chavs. 

 

Oh if only I had the money and space...new 70ft metal layout room in the back garden..! ;) 

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