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


James Makin
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1 hour ago, James Makin said:

 

Thanks! Ironically I keep getting distracted by watching my collection of railway DVDs from the late 80s-early 90s sectorisation era with all the gorgeous BR liveries in full flow...in my late 90s era all I can get away with is the tatty, mouldy crumbs of leftovers on their last legs ready for scrapping! :lol:

Yer im the same if not listening to Techno music and weathering locos!!

I end up just watched classic traction vids on youtube James:good::senile:

Edited by saxokid
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On 08/04/2020 at 23:08, James Makin said:

 

Thanks! Ironically I keep getting distracted by watching my collection of railway DVDs from the late 80s-early 90s sectorisation era with all the gorgeous BR liveries in full flow...in my late 90s era all I can get away with is the tatty, mouldy crumbs of leftovers on their last legs ready for scrapping! :lol:

That's because your DVDs are telling you to start modelling a proper period James!

 

I think it utterly dreadful that you decided to model a time of so called "mouldy crumbs on their last legs"! 

 

Joking of course :mocking_mini:

 

Keep up the good work and stay safe! 

 

Cheers,

Wayne

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  • 2 weeks later...
On ‎28‎/‎04‎/‎2020 at 16:47, steve1023 said:

Just recently got my copy of RI through the post and read your article James - really good piece. Thanks.

Sounds interesting Steve,wil have to grad copy check out James work..

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James - love your work as always.  I definitely need to tone down my extensive fleet of wagons and I think your weathering on the OTAs just shows how good the model is when the "slightly plasticky" tones are toned down.

 

A quick question if I may.  I have bought some recent release Bach locos for identity changing and noted your technique for removing sub-sector logos above.  I want to remove factory printed nameplates and numbers from my purchases to change identity - does the enamel thinners work on nameplates and numbers too (I would assume so but wanted to check) and also is there any particular brand of thinners you use or will any have same effect?  Just wanted to check before I make a dog's dinner of things...

 

Matt 

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12 hours ago, James Makin said:

Hi all!

 

I've been spending a lot of time working on my latest batch of 19 diesel locomotives (that can't be normal?!) and so with that long Bank Holiday weekend the other week decided to take a brief break and embark on a cheeky wagon project to add some extra spice to the workbench!

 

49924411792_88772b8609_k.jpgOTA wagons by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr

 

I have always liked the OTA timber wagons and though most typically found somewhere beautiful and green in the depths of Scotland, they have turned up in Didcot Yard from time to time, so I've gradually collected a rake of the Hornby models over recent years, awaiting a sunny Bank Holiday weekend to start tackling them!

 

49924106861_92f15bfa2b_k.jpgOTA wagons by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr

 

First off is a matching pair of OTAs with maroon ends and the turquoise sides, looking nice but just a little too plasticky!

 

49923583853_173e185538_k.jpgOTA wagons by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr

 

Armed with some Jamelia (whooo!) a start was made on adding a layer of dirt and grime, Humbrols 113 and 32 being applied and wiped off from all surfaces, leaving dirt in the recesses and toning down the bright turquoise!

 

The chassis was painted using a mixture of Humbrols 1, 32, 33, 62 and 186, basically a dark grey colour with variations towards black or brake dust on certain areas of the underframe using prototype pics as a guide. Wheelsets were weathered with Colin Craig brake discs added too.

 

49924407147_be3c931924_k.jpgOTA wagons by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr

 

Some fun was had painting the wooden wagon decks, a range of varied browns, earthy colours and greys, with drybrushed tones of further greys over the top, before being treated to a wash of darker grey to highlight the plank gaps. The inner metal wagon ends are stippled with a range of weathering shades to simulate the damage from lots of logs!

 

49923580523_6f8792dca9_k.jpgOTA wagons by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr

 

It would've been great fun to model the wagons loaded with lots of mini logs, however the ones I've spotted at Didcot have only been empty, so empty it was to be! Though this gave the opportunity to model some of the load strapping, made from blue-painted masking tape chopped down to as narrow as I could get it, glued in place with PVA.

 

Finally, the wagons were given a thorough coating in matt varnish, the end wagon finished off with a Springside tail lamp, and they are good to go now, though they'd probably look much more at home on a West Highland line layout behind a classic Class 37/4! 

 

49923579383_9ccd0e94d3_k.jpgOTA wagons by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr

 

Cheers,

James

Yeah yeah, the wagons are great..but when are we going to see the locos :dance_mini::yahoo_mini:

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7 hours ago, Matt said:

James - love your work as always.  I definitely need to tone down my extensive fleet of wagons and I think your weathering on the OTAs just shows how good the model is when the "slightly plasticky" tones are toned down.

 

A quick question if I may.  I have bought some recent release Bach locos for identity changing and noted your technique for removing sub-sector logos above.  I want to remove factory printed nameplates and numbers from my purchases to change identity - does the enamel thinners work on nameplates and numbers too (I would assume so but wanted to check) and also is there any particular brand of thinners you use or will any have same effect?  Just wanted to check before I make a dog's dinner of things...

 

Matt 


Thanks Matt!

 

I’ve always used Humbrol thinners for everything but mainly just as it’s easy to get hold of from Hobbycraft and model shops! 
 

The thinner should tackle any printing that’s not the Bachmann base colours, so most numbers, nameplates and any stripes or logos will come off pretty easily, the newer the release the quicker they come off!! The silver of nameplates takes longer than the black background interestingly! The most stubborn locos I’ve encountered so far are some of the earlier triple grey Bachmann 37s, but then you get newer locos and the printing just bubbles up and comes away with barely any scrubbing work needed! 
 

Then the key part of renumbering I’ve found is no matter how glossy a surface you’re left with after scrubbing the old numbers off, always worth coating with gloss varnish just to be sure, nothing more soul destroying than later getting the dreaded silvering of the decal carrier film between your number digits after the final matt varnish layer! 

Cheers,

James

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Thanks James for your tips - I have in the past ventured into full resprays (Lima times) but since recent hi-fi models have never plucked up the courage to have a go.  One of the things that does concern me about varnishes is that I have had several examples of wagons and locos I sprayed with varnish that have gone yellow over the years - no idea why and obviously don't want to happen again... as such I was actually planning to use rub-on transfers to avoid the carrier film issue but if the finish post number/nameplate removal is glossy I may have no choice but to crack open some varnish and overcome my fears...  Anyway I have to have a go now as I've bought 2 identical locos that never ran anywhere near my area of the country that need identity changes!  

 

M

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On 22/05/2020 at 22:55, James Makin said:

Hi all!

 

I've been spending a lot of time working on my latest batch of 19 diesel locomotives (that can't be normal?!) and so with that long Bank Holiday weekend the other week decided to take a brief break and embark on a cheeky wagon project to add some extra spice to the workbench!

 

49924411792_88772b8609_k.jpgOTA wagons by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr

 

I have always liked the OTA timber wagons and though most typically found somewhere beautiful and green in the depths of Scotland, they have turned up in Didcot Yard from time to time, so I've gradually collected a rake of the Hornby models over recent years, awaiting a sunny Bank Holiday weekend to start tackling them!

 

49924106861_92f15bfa2b_k.jpgOTA wagons by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr

 

First off is a matching pair of OTAs with maroon ends and the turquoise sides, looking nice but just a little too plasticky!

 

49923583853_173e185538_k.jpgOTA wagons by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr

 

Armed with some Jamelia (whooo!) a start was made on adding a layer of dirt and grime, Humbrols 113 and 32 being applied and wiped off from all surfaces, leaving dirt in the recesses and toning down the bright turquoise!

 

The chassis was painted using a mixture of Humbrols 1, 32, 33, 62 and 186, basically a dark grey colour with variations towards black or brake dust on certain areas of the underframe using prototype pics as a guide. Wheelsets were weathered with Colin Craig brake discs added too.

 

49924407147_be3c931924_k.jpgOTA wagons by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr

 

Some fun was had painting the wooden wagon decks, a range of varied browns, earthy colours and greys, with drybrushed tones of further greys over the top, before being treated to a wash of darker grey to highlight the plank gaps. The inner metal wagon ends are stippled with a range of weathering shades to simulate the damage from lots of logs!

 

49923580523_6f8792dca9_k.jpgOTA wagons by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr

 

It would've been great fun to model the wagons loaded with lots of mini logs, however the ones I've spotted at Didcot have only been empty, so empty it was to be! Though this gave the opportunity to model some of the load strapping, made from blue-painted masking tape chopped down to as narrow as I could get it, glued in place with PVA.

 

Finally, the wagons were given a thorough coating in matt varnish, the end wagon finished off with a Springside tail lamp, and they are good to go now, though they'd probably look much more at home on a West Highland line layout behind a classic Class 37/4! 

 

49923579383_9ccd0e94d3_k.jpgOTA wagons by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr

 

Cheers,

James

 

Wow, James, your weatheing job is absolutely stunning, I really like the filthy planking you have repesented...and the rust on the ends. Reminds me, I've got a Cambrian OBA to attend to!

 

Jules

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On 26/01/2015 at 23:47, James Makin said:

Sixteen years dreaming and two years in the making...here's my latest and most favourite project to date..!

 

28915511715_aa05ced105_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

As regular readers may know, I've got a bit of a fetish for First Great Western HSTs and have spent the last couple of years modelling a set in the much-missed 1999 "Fag Packet" livery. Based on the original green & ivory 'Merlin' livery of Great Western Trains, the takeover by First Group led to gold, white and green pinstripes being applied to the sides of almost every vehicle in the FGW fleet.

 

I'd managed to acquire an entire Lima HST set in FGW colours, but the problem was always going to be the power cars - a great livery, covering an ageing model that neither looked or ran particularly well. The new Hornby HST power cars were the natural answer...but how to get the jazzy FGW livery?

 

FGW coaching stock stripe vinyl stickers are available from a supplier whose name rhymes with 'Derision' but I was told it was categorically not possible to do a set for the power cars as the stripes wouldn't bend round the cab. So I decided to have a bash at making my own!

 

I set about drawing up my own artwork on CorelDraw, gold striping, with green and white stripes of the exacting thickness required to create the jazzy effect, along with a full range of First logos, gold tops panels and green numbers. However, I couldn't find a way to print the metallic gold transfers - so I approached the very helpful Steve at Railtec Transfers http://www.railtec-models.com/- and the rest is history! 

 

28839791631_682a8baa58_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

Starting with Hornby's Virgin HST set, I looked to model two of my favourite power cars from my spotting days - 43134 County of Somerset and 43149 BBC Wales Today. Bizarre choice of names you might think, but to a young self standing on my usual Sunday platform 5 haunt at Didcot Parkway, the thought of hopping on one train and ending up in either Wales or Somerset seemed pretty exotic - how sad!!

 

As per usual, things aren't always that easy, and both of my Hornby Virgin HST donors had a different type of cooler vents to 43134 and 43149. They are the same type as on the Intercity Swallow release show above. I really like Intercity, so I wasn't going to ruin one of those for a FGW repaint!

 

28299952483_8216a71266_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

The superb 'Artpop' album accompanied my attempts to scratchbuild a replica of the louvres in the roof of the power cars... 

 

28297789504_0e8c3d5da0_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

The models were then stripped and painted into the base colours of Great Western Trains green, with yellow and ivory end detailing.

 

28839797801_9e2e311e01_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

Steve at Railtec very kindly took my PDF drawings of the livery and turned them into metallic waterslide transfers which are now on sale to the general public. This in itself is incredible - as a youngster once looking to recreate this model once the Lima HST had sold out, the thought of the livery every being 'modellable' was ridiculously beyond comprehension! 

 

And to further plug Steve, they're really good transfers! All you need to do is apply them over glossy dark green and they're sufficiently dense to achieve a full white stripey effect, with a superb metallic gold finish as well. I have also worked with Steve to design decal images for the Class 47 and Mk2 and Mk3 coaching stock sets as well - have a look on the Railtec website.

 

28915580235_08a4447c4b_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

Underneath the transfers, the body itself has a lot of fine detailing, that you wouldn't normally notice at first glance. This includes the Batman-type black window surrounds, and it's worth paying attention to the variations in the ivory paint around the front light clusters. 43149 (left) exhibits the 'less yellow' variation with white-framed headlights, while 43134 has a larger area of yellow and chrome-framed lights. 43149 still has a roof-mounted aerial.

 

The next stages were to gradually apply the transfers over the green body, following prototype photographs. Railtec does TOPS panels in gold print now, all found on the FGW HST pack.

 

28883965406_f1ca5dd6f8_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

Determined to prove that it was possible to bend stripes around a curved cab, I made a series of cuts to the decal to get the required bend - firstly the lower white striping was removed from the upper gold band, and gradually teased round the curve, with the lower stripe then applied at a more horizontal angle. This leaves slight gaps between the gold band and the lower striping, which can be filled with white paint. Job done!

 

28883967186_ed047c4779_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

28915586155_96f3fdd4a4_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

28630434480_5abff202da_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

Those 'exotic' names...! 

 

Like most of the First Great Western fleet of the early millennium, they still had the early-'90s former Intercity stainless steel plates with a dated selection of both location-based and commercial names, which I particularly love.

 

28810343342_434b7ce802_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

Weathering was fairly restrained for the pair of power cars, being limited to a light spray of frame dirt and the usual build up of roof weathering. I've added a tinge of blue into the exhaust weathering for a subtle look, though not so clear in the photographs!

 

28839813331_697f766785_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

The scratchbuilt vents look almost as good as Hornby's ones once painted up... lots of empty space for sound to creep through once my pair of Legomanbiffo Paxman sound decoders arrive...hellfire!!

 

28297811254_edb6e25425_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

28839817381_07965fc744_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

Cab blinds were made from little pieces of black card, with curved corners and silver painted edging.
 

28839819011_8428fbcfd9_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

The classic full frontal HST look!

 

Here's the full set! 43149 is the lead motorised power car, followed by a full 8-coach rake with the larger buffet. All of the Mk3s have had interior detailing as per the rest of this thread, but lots of work remains to be done on the exterior. This includes a complete renumber, varnish and lettering up with the correct A-H using my new Railtec transfers. The bogies will be detailed, along with some rubberised/elastic pipework running between carriages, temporarily attached using magnets.

 

28299971813_ff2b613496_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

The coaches have all been Shawplan 'lazerglazed' and now looking the part! 

 

28883995726_3e96c1e5b1_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

28883997186_8a7cab4111_b.jpgFGW HST by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr

 

And ready to go! 

 

The HST will be appearing on Worthing MRC's Loftus Road at Stafford this weekend, it might have even have sound if my decoders arrive on time! Unlike my other items, this is an ongoing piece and will gradually be more detailed over time, possibly with carriage lighting too.

 

Readers might have noticed the massive nostalgia trip with my recent modelling, this is all part of a wider project - this HST is the mainstay of the layout and the absolute daddy of all the things I've ever wanted to create!

 

This definitely won't be the last 'Fag Packet' HST on the 'to-do' list, and really ought to be accompanied by some 'Thames Turbos' and a few HAA coal rakes next! 

 

 



This project is superb! It's been one I've wanted to look into for some while and after seeing this I have got the ball rolling with buy the donor stock to get repainted.
I've got quite alot of HST powercars but nothing really pre-FGW blue!

Once again amazing job on these.
Jacob

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On 01/06/2020 at 16:45, MRC_Jacob said:



This project is superb! It's been one I've wanted to look into for some while and after seeing this I have got the ball rolling with buy the donor stock to get repainted.
I've got quite alot of HST powercars but nothing really pre-FGW blue!

Once again amazing job on these.
Jacob


Thanks Jacob! Always be good to see more ‘Fag Packet’-liveried stuff in model form!

 

It seems a long while ago now but the FGW project was such a fun one to do! I was convinced it could be done with transfers and Steve at Railtec was kind enough to take my designs and bring them to life in delicious gold print!! They’re still on sale even now, I’ve recently got a load more for future jobs as for balance my Didcot layout needs a good volume of ‘Fag Packet’ stock to counterweight all the tatty freight stock already completed!

 

Cheers,

James

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They look brilliant! 

47270 still survives today and it has a great name on It too ;) 

Never ceases to amaze me the quality you put out. The attention to detail is superb!

Edited by Swifty11
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Again stunning work on the duff’s James! Tried hard to replicate your work on my blazer 37’s for the Cornwall layout but now this is good inspiration to get my Hampshire shove duffs done too!

 

Thanks

 

Rhys

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On 14/06/2020 at 13:06, Swifty11 said:

They look brilliant! 

47270 still survives today and it has a great name on It too ;) 

Never ceases to amaze me the quality you put out. The attention to detail is superb!


Cheers Tom! Haha I did smile when I searched for what the loco looked like these days after you said that! It’s always interesting doing the history searches on what happened to the past locos and where they are now, bit like when you find what old mates are upto on Facebook..!  

 

On 14/06/2020 at 22:33, Rhysb said:

Again stunning work on the duff’s James! Tried hard to replicate your work on my blazer 37’s for the Cornwall layout but now this is good inspiration to get my Hampshire shove duffs done too!

 

Thanks

 

Rhys


Thanks Rhys! Look forward to your updates on that as you go, the layout looks good fun to work on and any excuse for some more 47s right! 
 

Cheers,

James

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