blueeighties Posted June 4, 2013 Author Share Posted June 4, 2013 Today, I have been detailing a class 85. A very good model, but its missing a few bits in the bufferbeam department. First off, I had to make some horn covers from some scrap brass offcuts. You can see the circular horn grilles outlined in silver. Bending the brass around an appropriate diameter drill bit. Trying them for size. Perfect! Next, forming the missing triangular steps that sit under each buffer. I used Shawplan lamp brackets. And then the above buffer lamp brackets from the same material. I also added a missing ETH box, you can just see it in unpainted metal underneath the left hand buffer. The rest of the details have now all been added. After doing that little lot, enjoyable as it was, I thought that was it.But then the Western came out, I fitted the name and numberplates, and decided to attack it with the airbrush. I think it was worth doing. Its not finished yet, but the basics are there and I'm pretty happy with it so far. I think that's enough for today! 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBM37404 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Hi Guys. I think I'm back Apologies for my 'dummy out of the pram' moment earlier in the month, I have had some personal issues and have not been the happiest person in the World. Hopefully back to normal now, and more importantly, back to updates from the workbench. So here are a couple of updates. Now this is a bit different to my usual flavour of stock. I have to say this particular loco, ugly as it is, has a very strange attraction to it. Or maybe its just me! Not a lot done, front end detailing added, and a general weathering. Another lovely model to reach the workbench...Heljan's 128. It's an absolute pleasure to work on these things. Again this is slightly out of my chosen period of modelling, but on seeing it at my local model shop, I just couldn't resist. Heljan certainly seem to have upped their game of late. Dirty and dusty. A new technique tried here....I have tried to replicate dirt that has been rainwashed along the vehicle, and then dried. It's not that easy to pick out from the picture, but the engine and surrounding area is quite heavily oil stained. Greasy buffers to finish! Another 'different' vehicle to my usual stuff, an Inter-City Swallow dvt. Inspired I think after last months Inter City repainted 86! A particular area I wanted to get right was the cab roof. They have a characteristic streaking, where dirt is forced up and back from the sloped cab front, especially in the wet. I'm happy with the result. I must admit, I found these vehicles completely uninteresting, and totally lacking in character when they arrived in force on the ECML (they are completely silent!), but this Hornby one is a really nice model. Looks the business with lights and a dusting down. And back to my staple diet 37506.Had this sitting on the bench for way to long to do for a mate who I owed a big favour to. This is getting large white numbers, and the name 'British Steel Skinningrove'. I created a glossy patch for the new number, and also removed the plain white Thornaby Kingfisher on the engine room doors, and replaced them with the coloured ones. I ended up having to use Fox gauge 1 running numbers....the 00 large logo ones were too big. These are the same size as the oddly sized ones found on some large logo Scottish 37's and 47's. Hi, How did your 86 turn out in the end? I am torn over wether to an 86/6 or 86/2 with a Heljan one I have. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueeighties Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 Hi JBM. I was happy with the final result. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueeighties Posted June 6, 2013 Author Share Posted June 6, 2013 Varnish. The word that puts fear into the heart of grown Men. Well me anyway, as you all know from my previous pulling hair out sessions! everything had been going swimmingly, until a strange problem manifested itself a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was just me, so pressed on, but unfortunately it meant ruining a recently resprayed loco, and having to start it again. The problem was varnish turning almost white. It's called blooming, and is usually caused by spraying in cold conditions. The problem has still been with me this week, and it's much warmer, so I was starting to get concerned, as lots of stuff is piling up on the bench waiting for matt sealing coats. So, last night experimentation time. On the right, you can see the issue. This is Phoenix Precision matt varnish, which has always until recently worked perfectly for me. On the left, sprayed from a new bottle of Railmatch matt. It's gone on perfectly. Now this is the 2nd tin of Precision I have had do this, I have no idea why. I'm sticking with Railmatch for a while! I have also learned the valuable lesson to do a test spray on a piece of something dark first, before spraying the item being worked on. Next up on the bench, HST power cars. We have 2 new spec Hornby ones, and a Lima. Can you tell which is which? The blue grey and old Inter City ones are getting weathering, the Swallow one is getting repainted into old style Inter City. Quite looking forward to dirtying these up! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBE Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 I sympathise Lee. Varnish can be hit and miss. I recently had issues with phoenix matt varnish not drying. Ive had the blooming issue before too. Very frustrating as it is one of the last touches before finishing up. HSTs should be good. I recently had the chance to do some for my N gauge project. There was no call on Outon Road for any. The middle one is the Lima BTW. Cav Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon020 Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Lee... varnishing. Yes... never in the cool or slightly damp. And, what did I say about Precision - I've had problems with their paint too... and stand by my use of railmatch which so far has not given too many problems (or none that I can't sort). I've been practicing with some old coach bodies any my technique is improving; BR blue is quite a tricky colour to get evenly actross a body - one colour/big area, but I'm getting there - solved one problem by holding the airbrush slightly differently (Iwata Rev)... not holding the button squarely now holding it slightly to one side and pulling back on its edge - much more controllable and comfortable. Jon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin parks Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 (edited) Hi Lee, I have very much enjoyed looking at the pictures of your painting skills. By co-incidence, I was talking to a friend of mine this week re. varnishes. He said that some brands have a shelf-life, which could account for your troubles with blooming. I have also had the experience of Precision Paints' matt varnish not drying (similar to that problem mentioned by RBE). I suspect the tin, although new to me, had been on the shelf in the shop for a long time. I took four days to become touch dry. The same company's paints have always been reliable, so perhaps this is a problem peculiar to varnish products. Since that experience, I have used Humbrol varnishes which are pretty consistent, but the matt version does need to be stirred quite thoroughly before use due to settling of the contents. All the best, Colin Edited June 7, 2013 by Colin parks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric & Gripper Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Such are the joys of producing locos for other people- you put your name to a repaint to the client's specification (they might not have asked for certain details to be removed as this would add to the time involved), then if the model is sold on or displayed, it's you that gets the bad name for not following the exact prototype. You also have a choice of colour for the rear of the cab roof, either light or dark grey (to match the roof), yellow, or more commonly- dirt. Once had a customer who insisted I had mispainted his Hymek in Two tone Green.Since according to him all the Hymeks had white skirts and he had the Black and white photos to prove it. 100% genuinely true Great work keep it up. Best regards Eric & Gripper 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueeighties Posted June 7, 2013 Author Share Posted June 7, 2013 Lee... varnishing. Yes... never in the cool or slightly damp. And, what did I say about Precision - I've had problems with their paint too... and stand by my use of railmatch which so far has not given too many problems (or none that I can't sort). I've been practicing with some old coach bodies any my technique is improving; BR blue is quite a tricky colour to get evenly actross a body - one colour/big area, but I'm getting there - solved one problem by holding the airbrush slightly differently (Iwata Rev)... not holding the button squarely now holding it slightly to one side and pulling back on its edge - much more controllable and comfortable. Jon Hi Jon. I do remember you saying that you had also had issues with Precision. I can only presume, as others have said, that shelf life is limited on the stuff. I go through tins pretty quickly, but I guess there is no knowing how long it's been previously standing on the shelf prior to purchase. Touch wood, Railmatch is working for me now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueeighties Posted June 7, 2013 Author Share Posted June 7, 2013 Hi Lee, I have very much enjoyed looking at the pictures of your painting skills. By co-incidence, I was talking to a friend of mine this week re. varnishes. He said that some brands have a shelf-life, which could account for your troubles with blooming. I have also had the experience of Precision Paints' matt varnish not drying (similar to that problem mentioned by RBE). I suspect the tin, although new to me, had been on the shelf in the shop for a long time. I took four days to become touch dry. The same company's paints have always been reliable, so perhaps this is a problem peculiar to varnish products. Since that experience, I have used Humbrol varnishes which are pretty consistent, but the matt version does need to be stirred quite thoroughly before use due to settling of the contents. All the best, Colin Hi Colin. I agree with your thoughts entirely. I have always enjoyed using Precision, it is only varnishes I have started having an issue with. I tried Humbrol matt myself last weekend, it does indeed take an absolute age to mix! Ho hum. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueeighties Posted June 7, 2013 Author Share Posted June 7, 2013 Once had a customer who insisted I had mispainted his Hymek in Two tone Green.Since according to him all the Hymeks had white skirts and he had the Black and white photos to prove it. 100% genuinely true Great work keep it up. Best regards Eric & Gripper Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueeighties Posted June 7, 2013 Author Share Posted June 7, 2013 Good evening all. Weathering, weathering, and more weathering! A number of projects have been finished off today to try and get some workspace on the bench back again! First up, d1005. A littlebit of work on the cab fronts, with rust patches, and the headcode numbers have been added from Precision labels. Just waiting for a bass reflex speaker to arrive now and she's complete. I think I may have got the window masks slightly wrong. Easily corrected. The 85 has had all of the additional details painted, and a light weathering applied. I have to say this thing looks superb illuminated, especially with the engine room lights. She has also been given a new number, and had the metal arrows affixed. These 2 have had buffer beam detailing, and snowploughs added, and a light weathering to the chassis. At long last this beast has been completed, I had to start again with it after the issues with the Precision varnish :-angry And last but not least, 2 of the 3 hst power cars have had a dirtying down. I really enjoy creating the characteristic streaking on the cab roofs. I think the blue grey one looks best. I think that's enough for 1 day! 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon020 Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Hi Jon. I do remember you saying that you had also had issues with Precision. I can only presume, as others have said, that shelf life is limited on the stuff. I go through tins pretty quickly, but I guess there is no knowing how long it's been previously standing on the shelf prior to purchase. Touch wood, Railmatch is working for me now. Hi Lee, yes that's right, but it might have been me, and I'm getting better now (practice!). But I do have my doubts; I've two cans of airbrush cleaner from them, both full: one hardly works and the other doesn't at all... maybe shelf expired; last time I saw them at a show (ally pally) I asked about these but they had none and couldn't help - I was feeling a bit off that day and didn't pursue it further but I'll carry on with what I have and maybe try their paints again one day. I think you do need to take care with the thinners - so slow drying thinners for varnish and ordinary for their paints... although wasn't it Ian Rathbone that said don't bother with these and just use white spirit????? Jon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueeighties Posted June 7, 2013 Author Share Posted June 7, 2013 Hi Jon. He did indeed say that, I have tried white spirit with Humbrol, and it seems to work absolutely fine. I'll try it with everything else when I get the chance. Precision is now about 7 quid for a 250ml tin, white spirit is a fraction of that! Well worth trying being the skinflint that I am..... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poindexter Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 That 85 looks really nice mate. Nice to see a few full length pics as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon020 Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Edit: Oh and Lee... I love those HSTs! Can't fault any of them, but really like the old Blue/Yellow HST. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueeighties Posted June 7, 2013 Author Share Posted June 7, 2013 Cheers boss, thought you would appreciate them :-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueeighties Posted June 7, 2013 Author Share Posted June 7, 2013 Edit: Oh and Lee... I love those HSTs! Can't fault any of them, but really like the old Blue/Yellow HST. Cheers John, they really do look the business weathered. It's just a shame the Hornby blue grey ones are slightly out of my era, no smoke deflectors etc. I keep meaning to try scratchbuilding some for mine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon020 Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 no smoke deflectors etc. I keep meaning to try scratchbuilding some for mine. Ha ha... with the Valettas sometimes I think they could have done with some though... once they'd thrown their turbo into the exhaust Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBE Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Some really nice work there Lee. You seem to be getting through a lot of stock. May I also suggest a little further exhaust to the hst cab roofs. HSTs tended to have a very characteristic three dark patches caused by the exhaust baffle. The blue one not having one fitted probably wouldnt show the symptoms. Cav Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueeighties Posted June 7, 2013 Author Share Posted June 7, 2013 Hi mate, thanks. The lighting in the modelling room always seems to soften things a little in the photographs...They are actually a bit darker looking in real life. I didn't want to spoil it and go over the top Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBE Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 (edited) I know what you mean. It can go on a bit heavy sometimes. I may have gone a bit heavy on my 2mm hsts tbh plus the airbrush was being a $@#& for some reason and giving me a slightly spattery edge to my work which is really bad in 2mm scale. I may well knock the soot back and do it again. I wast meaning for you to go heavier just to add the 3 almost soot stripes to the roof that you often see on them. Cav Edited June 7, 2013 by RBE 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin parks Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 (edited) Hi Lee, I might have missed an explanation somewhere, but how did you achieve the streaking effect on those cab roofs? Edit: Oops! I've just read back and found your description of how it was done. I shall be copying your method for representing the greasy patches on buffers. A very nice touch that. All the best, Colin Edited June 7, 2013 by Colin parks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueeighties Posted June 7, 2013 Author Share Posted June 7, 2013 Evening Colin. I airbrush a light coating of dirt over the whole cab roof area. Most of this is then taken back, using cotton buds soaked with thinner. Another overspray and repeat of the process can be performed as many times as necessary until one is happy with the effect. I then mist a little bit more on with the airbrush along the rear edge of the cab roof to simulate a build up of dirt constantly blown back by wind, rain etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Hi super skills, but then you don't need me to tell you that. Another fantastic thread to follow Regards Kal 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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