allan downes Posted February 14, 2017 Author Share Posted February 14, 2017 (edited) Some more colour shots today showing a little more progress and the terrier in action. Tomorrow will be hoovering up the surplus grass fibres then laying down a further coat of same. For this I'll just spray over the first layer with a heavy coat of varnish then apply more 12mm fibres through the electronic applicator. Did a few bushes today as well by spraying clumps of sea moss with varnish then sprinkling on Noch leaves. Seems to work. What do you think? Cheers. Allan Edited February 14, 2017 by allan downes 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted February 15, 2017 Author Share Posted February 15, 2017 A few more piccies this morning before I hoover up. Cheers. Allan 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
freebs Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Like it Allan I've just started playing with Static grass. How did we ever manage without it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted February 17, 2017 Author Share Posted February 17, 2017 What grass applicator are you using Freebs ? Cheers. Allan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted February 18, 2017 Author Share Posted February 18, 2017 Model Railway Folk. Why do so many modelers ruin perfectly good models with god awful abortions in white metal when, for the same price, you can get figures like this ? Beats me. Preiser. Why would you use anything else ? Cheers. Allan. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brylonscamel Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 "Why do so many modelers ruin perfectly good models with god awful abortions in white metal" Oh dear - I have used a lot of white metal figures (among the Preiser and Dapol / Airfix mouldings) and I've looked at them again to see if they really are as bad as you say! The conclusion I've come to is they vary a lot in quality but they offer variety and I've been happy to be mix them up to form an interesting scene. Also - close-up digital photography can be very 'cruel' - when viewing the castings in the flesh (or metal) I'm unaware of their shortcomings - turn the camera on them and they can seem a bit clumsy. The Preiser figures do have a sort of European flavour about them - a lot of the figures look more 'Bahnhoff' than 'County Terminus' - or appear to be strolling towards a Berlin cafe or busying themselves in the yard of a BASF factory. But that might just be me!! 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted February 18, 2017 Author Share Posted February 18, 2017 Hi Brylon. I must admit, but your figures look very well painted and very impressive and, although sort of clumsy and stunted looking, I have to say the best offering in white metal I've seen yet. I do agree that the Airfix figures (plastic injected) are also excellent and every bit as good as Preiser - except that you have to paint them and not everybody, and most certainly myself included, is as good at it as what you obviously are. Anyway, how do your figures stand up to close up photography ? Cheers. Allan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted February 18, 2017 Author Share Posted February 18, 2017 Here are a few shots of Preiser folk in 'action' Not only are the proportions right, but they also stand up quite well to close up photography and as for the dress style ? Well, I can remember folk dressing exactly like that when I was a kid and even so in the 50's when I was let loose into the World and especially when let loose inside of Burtons with thirty bob to spend on a snazzy suit ! So, maybe the're of German influence but - is there really that much difference ? Cheers. Allan. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullie Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 Here are a few shots of Preiser folk in 'action' Not only are the proportions right, but they also stand up quite well to close up photography and as for the dress style ? Well, I can remember folk dressing exactly like that when I was a kid and even so in the 50's when I was let loose into the World and especially when let loose inside of Burtons with thirty bob to spend on a snazzy suit ! So, maybe the're of German influence but - is there really that much difference ? Cheers. Allan. PREISER FIGURES CATHING TRAIN 001.JPGPREISER FIGURES CATHING TRAIN 002.JPGPREISER FIGURES CATHING TRAIN 003.JPGPREISER FIGURES CATHING TRAIN 004.JPGPREISER FIGURES CATHING TRAIN 005.JPG They do look good but could do with a bit of shading. I usually dip figures in Indian ink, or a wash of thinned acrylic black then wipe off the excess (i don't work in oils because of the fumes). Some dry brushing of lighter shades could also help. Great work as usual with no mention of bathrooms, windmills or cows! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted February 18, 2017 Author Share Posted February 18, 2017 Your valued opinions please gentlemen. This, with a cottage backdrop or with the brewery as shown earlier ? Thanks guys. Allan 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgman Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 Hi Allan, I hope you are well. The brewery is quite a unique building and an excellent model. I feel it would lend itself to a separate scene or dare I say layout / diorama. From a previous posting I placed a picture of Hook Norton Brewery which is actually in a rural setting and about three quarters of a mile from the original GWR line ( no longer there ) . What I'm trying to say is that the cottages give a more realistic feel to your work in this situation without "towering " over the scene which may be the case with the brewery ( I can't believe I've just said that especially about a brewery! ). Either way whatever you decide I'm sure you will be happy with the layout. ATB Grahame (Hic ! ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridgiesimon Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 Personally, I prefer the cottages with the difference in the building materials and the less overpowering size of them. The brewery buildings although superb over power the rest of the scene a little. just my opinion. Love the scene though, the greenery etc is looking most excellent! Best wishes Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted February 18, 2017 Author Share Posted February 18, 2017 Thanks gentlemen. As you say, the brewery was rather overpowering especially when in such close proximity to the railway and that was the reason why I replaced it with the row of cottages. So, that then is the brewery retired to the stock room - two shelves and a rack ! Cheers and thanks again guys Allan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRat Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 The cottages seem to give the layout a better balance, bit like a painting where composition is everything......almost! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Dave John Posted February 19, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 19, 2017 Hmm. I'm not a good figure painter, but my friend took one look at the Preiser figures and said " But, women of that age would not have glowing pink legs like that in the 50s. Stockings would be worn! " Or since they are Preiser perhaps "Die alte fraus ". I then got a lecture about stockings' from which I learned that if they were not available ladies would ink a line up the back of the leg to look like a stocking seam. At which point I dived for cover muttering about rivets. As ever , its not modellers that spot the obvious, its non-modelling observers. I have followed your work for many years Alan, and it is top class. So, the above is not critical in any way. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony Teague Posted February 19, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 19, 2017 A problem in 4mm, as opposed to 7mm, is that the Preiser figures are HO rather than OO and so whilst they look good - they are all vertically challenged... There is one particular manufacturer of white metal figures in OO whose models all look to me as though their heads are way to big - more like caricatures than models of real life, and these look particularly bad if placed near a Preiser or Noch figure. Like Allan, I am not a great painter of figures and so I prefer to acquire them painted but this is not always possible, however, again in OO one needs to see a lot less detail which is helpful in some ways. Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridgiesimon Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 agree about the figures, maybe there is an argument for scale colour as well in our hobby, using subdued colour palete for the figures and leaving out the garish/bright shades, same goes for vehicles, I still think that any vehicles rail or otherwise gloss varnished look wrong in all but the larger scales and even then I am unsure. I mainly model in N and always matt varnish vehicles before they go onto the layout. Sorry, side tracked there. When painting figures, esp in smaller scales, I use a matt black base coat and then dry brush from then on building up from the darker shade to a final highlight. in oo the shading is less needed. have a look through the web, there are many figure painting tutorials, especially in the wargaming/military modelling fields, and the process can be very rewarding. Best wishes Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted February 19, 2017 Author Share Posted February 19, 2017 Here we are again with a little more progress ( this detailing lark takes longer than it does to build the layout ! ) Anyway, the cottages now all have gardens but the road needs texturing so not many pics of garden walls, lawns and garden flowers. Cheers. Allan. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
batrapyr Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 Allan - I have to take my hat off to you. Those cottages are absolutely stunning. I had to look twice because I thought that you might have 'snuck' in a picture of real cottages. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted February 20, 2017 Author Share Posted February 20, 2017 Cottage Gardens. Cheers. Allan 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brylonscamel Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 (edited) Hi Brylon. I must admit, but your figures look very well painted and very impressive and, although sort of clumsy and stunted looking, I have to say the best offering in white metal I've seen yet. I do agree that the Airfix figures (plastic injected) are also excellent and every bit as good as Preiser - except that you have to paint them and not everybody, and most certainly myself included, is as good at it as what you obviously are. Anyway, how do your figures stand up to close up photography ? Cheers. Allan Thanks Allan! .. In reply, here's a small selection at close quarters - from some Hornby loco crew (plastic mouldings - stand up OK to close examination) through a couple of blokes in a dinghy (white metal castings that look OK to my eyes) and finally to the coal yard workers (white metal mouldings at the 'lumpy and clumsy' end of the spectrum!) Edited February 20, 2017 by brylonscamel 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted February 20, 2017 Author Share Posted February 20, 2017 I certainly wouldn't like to meet those two characters in the last photo down a dark alley and if our coalman had looked anything like that I would have locked my daughter up when he called ! Cheers. Allan 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brylonscamel Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 I certainly wouldn't like to meet those two characters in the last photo down a dark alley and if our coalman had looked anything like that I would have locked my daughter up when he called ! Cheers. Allan .. they certainly look "rough around the edges"! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted February 21, 2017 Author Share Posted February 21, 2017 Getting off the bus. This was supplied and built by Scalelink that's why it hasn't fallen apart at the seams as it would have if I'd built it ! Ignore the half built building in the background - I'll finish it tomorrow. Cheers. Allan 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted February 25, 2017 Author Share Posted February 25, 2017 A derelict plate layers hut, water crane and more Preiser folk that look like folk and not visitors from Mars ! Cheers. Allan 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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