Jon Fitness Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Those conflats look amazing Brian. Well worth the effort. Jon F Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Although it looks like I haven't done much recently I have been beavering away at odd projects. One thing done recently was converting and weathering a Heljan class 31 to an ETH one for a friend. I painted the cab interior whilst I was at it and removed the front window molding and cut it into three windows . I filed the individual windows down a bit so as they fit better at the top when placed back into the body. Did the same with the headcode glazing so it sits inboard a bit. One thing I could not do though was to get a small diameter tube on the ETH sockets. It was driving me mad for half an hour before I gave up and used a piece of tube that's too big but at least it has something. conflats 5.jpg conflats 6.jpg I have now finished my 4 Mousa Models Conflat L's at last. I have never known a little wagon take so long to make. I had to get Simon Thompson to make me 12 3D printed containers for these wagons which required painting and weathering before attaching to the wagons with the etched chains. I weathered it with Model Mates weathering paints that require you to varnish it after one colour application to seal it for the next colour. This all takes time as did soldering up 48 of those chains! But in the end it's all been worth it as these are a very nice looking wagon behind my JLTRT class 25 just rattling down the main from Peak Forest? conflats 1.jpg conflats 2.jpg conflats 3.jpg conflats 4.jpg Hi Brian, Nice work - as always. The work that you have done on the windows of the Cl31 has made a big difference, it looks a lot, lot better for it (and the other work applied)! Kindest, CME Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post brian daniels Posted November 8, 2014 Author Popular Post Share Posted November 8, 2014 Looks like I have been sitting on my Laurels for a bit doesn't it. I have been busy painting Heljan stuff. I have just weathered a 40 that I converted to a four character headcode version. Heljan also sent a sample of their Dogfish and a Catfish to look at but they wanted them back But they did say we could have the sprues that they sent so I managed to get a running model of each by substituting some other axleboxes as there were not enough on the sprue. Also no end stanchions and brake/discharge wheels for the Catfish but you get the idea of what they will look like. Also used some JLTRT buffers on the Catfish. I used some Railtech transfers on both of these wagons. I also painted the Heljan 60 as 60006 in British Steel blue recently. And I have also made a start on a Westdale TCV double deck car transporter. Just making a start on painting another 60 into 60040 Army livery. 20 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltic17 Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 I see 40120 has appeared on your Flickr! - looks nice Brian assuming that one is yours? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium boxbrownie Posted December 4, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 4, 2014 Brian, the first picture of the 40 took me right back to wandering across Finsbury Park yard in preparation for another "boys wish come true" journey with my Uncle who was a top link driver at the X back in my teens (and even before but harder to disguise me as second man then ), magnificent work on that engine.......perfect. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted December 4, 2014 Author Share Posted December 4, 2014 Glad you like it Dave. 40120 was one I numbered and weathered for the owner of the layout, well he lets me play on it so I had to repay him! I will put some pictures up soon of my next project that I have just started (ok I must finish the car carrier first I suppose). 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltic17 Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 Brian - just a quick question re the dogfish/catfish - I presume those ballast loads are removable - it's just I saw an early review of the trucks the other day and the reviewer commented about the unrealistic ballast load in the truck? which made it sound more like permanent! I'm sure they can't be? - hopefully you can confirm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 They should be removeble, but you know how much the Chinese like their glue! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 Up-date on what I have been doing recently. I am having a bash at a PRMRP (or RJH to us old un's) class 73. As with all these old kits the shapes are variable depending on how flat you make the roofs. I have noticed on these kits that they don't appear to have the curve in the roof above the cantrail, most just fold over into an arc straight away. I made a couple of bulkheads to get the roof over giving a better roof line. A big fault on these is the fronts. The change from up-right to the angled windows is at the bottom of the window opening and not a couple of mm below it as per the kit. So I made a deeper front and cut the bottom of the upper window etch off to get it at the correct position. Also the tops of the windows are straight across all three and not angled on the outer two. I have cut the original etch to represent this but I will get an etch made so as to put the angle in the two window pillars as well as these windows do not curve with the front but are 50p shaped. The guttering across the front has been made into a better shape. The horns on the roof are MMP ones that now sit in a recess. All the whitemetal castings are not from this kit! I got a set from a friend who has had them for some years. The bogies are I believe what are in the old MMP VEP kits that Peter Clark does now. There are some better underframe castings to go with it as well when I sort out the underframe. I want to make a floor for this so we can remove the body in one go and leave the chassis/floor as a running stand alone item as per JLTRT. This will make it easier to DCC sound it later. I have used a Mashima with a Roxey 13:1 gearbox on both bogies so it will MU with all my other kit built locos. I am getting some new bodyside grills 3D printed as the ones on the body etch are a bit flat. So there you have it a long project that I have now put away again now I have got the basic body done and I can see what needs fettling, the ends still need work for sure! 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddys-blues Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Looks great Brian, but I take it that it is one of those projects that becomes like a monkey on your back ? Best regards Craig Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 Yes I am opening a can of worms for myself but now and again you need something to get the grey matter working again. Forgot to say those front MU and pipes are from JLTRT as the ones in the kit are Gauge 1, well they look like it to me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 I am having a bash at a PRMRP (or RJH to us old un's) class 73. Or, for us REALLY old'uns, Post War Prototypes........aka PWP. Interesting, to be followed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 Another job I started yesterday as I had to strip my Heljan 47 down to replace a split gear was to make the MMP replacement water tanks and battery boxes. They look ok but the bogies that are fitted with MMP sideframes won't now turn! I have built this as the kit comes but will now modify it to get the details correct. There are some details that are a bit iffy as there should be an h shape ontop of the middle of the tanks for the water to flow down from the bodyside filler into both tanks but there is nothing supplied. Thankfully I have a DJH set from one of their kits to add. Should also be a step under the middle of the tanks inline with the cast whitemetal one. But the main problem is that the bogies don't turn now! Something will have to get removed from the back of the bogie or the tanks. It looks likely to be the brakegear that gets removed. As you can see we also added a gusset behind the bufferbeams that fills the gap in there nicely. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 Or, for us REALLY old'uns, Post War Prototypes........aka PWP. Interesting, to be followed. Quite right Jeff but I was trying not to show my age Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 The Westdale car carrier is nearly done, just need to add some micro strip where the score lines are on the body to represent the body panels. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 On the 47, could you mark the "swing area" at the rear of the bogie with a sharp scriber, then remove material in an arc, so as to leave as much of those gorgeous fittings as possible? Any material removed from INSIDE the outer line won't be that obvious when painted and from normal viewing angles. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 Yes Jeff will have a look at it. I seem to remember having to do this sort of stuff to get the bogies to move in the RJH models years ago, oh well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancer1027 Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Hi Brian, I remember the same problem with the MMP class 47 that i built. This had the full fuel tanks and restricted the bogie s from turning. I ended up removing some of the fuel tank and i think i even cut something off the brake linkage too. Even after all that it still struggled to go round some curves. Rob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve fay Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 I hope you can make it work the under floor detail on the 47 looks superb as does the bogies, it makes a huge difference to the stock Heljan model. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Harvey Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Both front and rear MMP 47 tanks are 5mm to long and need the two (inner sections) reducing this should give you the clearance you meed to get the bogie swing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 Too late Pete I have removed a bit of the etch at the ends to get a bit of swing at the ends. I thought this MMP stuff was supposed to be good Although I assume these are just lifted from their class 47 kit rather than measured up specially for the Heljan one? One things for sure, it is going to fit as I have removed the cast lugs hanging down from the chassis for the Heljan one to go back on! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Harvey Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Quite right on both accounts Brian but they do descend from the very old RJH kits which were never 100% accurate and some things were never corrected. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium boxbrownie Posted December 21, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 21, 2014 Quite right Jeff but I was trying not to show my age That horse has bolted matey Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 I have cut away the ends to accommodate the rear of the bogie when they swing. On one end this left a rather thin stretcher so it is reinforced by a piece of L angle. These end stretchers are the only thing holding the tanks to the floor! I lifted up the air cooling pipes but had to loose the filler above them. Added the conduit from one end to the floor. I will have to tape it to the floor to check it runs ok on track. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 I thought this MMP stuff was supposed to be good It is...build an MMP kit and tell me it's not? Good doesn't even start to describe it, brilliant is better....... Although I assume these are just lifted from their class 47 kit rather than measured up specially for the Heljan one? My money would be on the Heljan being wrong, NOT the MMP stuff. Quite right on both accounts Brian but they do descend from the very old RJH kits which were never 100% accurate and some things were never corrected. I don't think that's quite right, either. Other than the fact that the same guy did the artwork for both, there is little relation between them, the newer MMP stuff is all-new artwork and etchings and uses none of the older PWP/RJH/PRMRP bits....that was part of the deal when the original PWP stuff was sold to RJH afaik. As mentioned above: try an MMP kit, then tell me it ain't brilliant. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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