Sandhills Posted June 6, 2012 Author Share Posted June 6, 2012 Thanks Dickie ! Found out about 7 & 40 about 10 minutes before they were due through Melton. 38 mile round trip for a red shed ! Not amused ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leavesontheline Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Your superb modelling and model photography should come with a Government health warning .....'Warning: Smoking can seriously improve your model photography' !! Or should that be 'Warning: Studying these pages can give you a serious modelling inferiority complex' ?! Inspired stuff. Catching up with the last few pages of this topic has really motivated me to at least try my hand at ballasting and weathering a short length of track for a display board even if I don't currently have the space for a full layout. Thankyou for sharing! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandhills Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Not a lot to report im afraid due to other commitments and a lack of time but I have managed a few pictures this weekend when the rain stopped for all of half an hour on Sunday ! 37506 from Bachmann received etched plates, new screw links, white metal pipes and a good weathering. Its a shame Bachmann didnt include the larger white numbers that 506 carried for some time however looking on Flickr it seems 506's image changed on a regular basis. With plates, without plates, with large numbers, without.......and so on and so on ! Im still deciding on how best to light images inside the shed at night and as soon as I can book myself a free night to set up outside in the dark i'll have a go at illuminating the shed and pits. A shameless line up ! My hodge podge 4 road effort using a plonked Bachmann shed.....take note Alex and push on with Boxenby, the same kind of image on your masterpiece will be mind blowing ! The sunshine lends a helping hand...... Must admit, although im happy with leaving the back end of the shed open for the on shed shots, im a little dissappointed the board wasnt made big enough to capture stuff at the front end really well. Goes to show that if you want a multiple aspect diorama you've got to think big ! In other words, build a layout and be done with it !! I tried stacking software on this one without much success. I took the image 4 times with various focus points and included the smoke on one. Lets just say CombineZP doesnt take kindly to the inclusion of clag ! Im about to start on 37251 from Bachmann (the one with the buffer beam skirts) and plan to finish it in a grubby state as per late 70's South Wales coal machine. I'll detail the process of weathering as I go and post a 'how I did' on stuff like the worn roof dirt, muck in the grilles and the buffer beam detail. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted June 18, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 18, 2012 You've just raised the bar again with those shots Jon Fantastic work. I'll go back to try to complete the corners on my 500 piece jigsaw meantime.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stehill1 Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 That 37 looks so good.. So much of an improvement!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jim s-w Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Hi Jon What's your thought process? Do you think of a shot you want and build the 'set' for it or do you build the set then look for the shots? Cheers Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandhills Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 Hi Jon What's your thought process? Do you think of a shot you want and build the 'set' for it or do you build the set then look for the shots? Cheers Jim Theres always an idea on where things are going to go Jim and I take dimensions into account and give them some thought to guarantee im not constantly having to avoid board edges and rails that drop off the end of the world ! Once built its a case of finding the best angle and discovering what works and what doesnt. Thats probably where I get the most enjoyment, trying not to be too rigid in what goes where, taking pictures and then sitting down later with 100+ images, fingers crossed that one will have been snapped at just the right time to capture all the factors correctly. With boards like the Eastfield mock up I was clear where I would want to stand and how shots would look before any construction began. That turned out to be a very easy board to work with, Stonebridge is still developing and im the first to admit shots infront of the shed are proving more difficult than I thought, I just hav'nt left enough room, however to compensate this, the images through and into the open ended shed from the right hand end wasnt something id even thought about until it was built and now, they've turned out to be the most effective so far ! Fancied a change today, so I rolled out ''the wall'' and captured a few of the new stock infront of it - Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian b Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 The shots inside the shed actually put a lump in my throat reminding me of seeing '506 and her sisters on the now extinct Thornaby TMD as a kid when my dad worked there. The first B & W shot inside the shed resembles the running shed so closely its frightening! Awesome work mate, can't wait for more!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandhills Posted June 21, 2012 Author Share Posted June 21, 2012 The last 2 days has seen me make a start on detailing and weathering 37251. Investigation through Flickr revealed some interesting periods of 251's career and during the early days before refurbishment it worked hard and stayed grubby, mainly as a South Wales coal field machine. First job was to strip down, remove glazing and bag up screws and detailing parts. Bachmann seem to have added black to most of the bodyside grilles however the nose grilles at both ends are finished in blue. As far as I can see, after lots of use, its these grilles that often collect more soot, grime and filth than the bodyside ones so this was the first job to address. Grilles masked off ....and with the nose ends and bodysides protected i'll leave the nose tops and roof to catch some weathered black and roof dirt spray aswell. I swear by spray cans for ease of use and price compared to using an airbrush however I have learnt my lesson when it comes to poor performance from cans, so before every spray I stand the required colours in hot water for 5 minutes, shake each one for the desired 3 minutes and keep all the nozzles in a sealed bottle of thinner when not in use. When finished its important to turn the can upside down and spray out any excess paint in the tube. After spraying the nose end grilles now match the bodyside vents and grilles. An overall spray of the roof and nose tops looks drastic but when dry, careful removal of overspray can be carried out using thinner or a fibreglass pen. With the nose end tops partly shielded at the corners by masking tape and then subsequently tidied up using the scratch pen the effect left reproduces the look of the nose ends being brushed clean on A exams and service checks but the build up of traffic film remaining on the out of reach bits along the top. Rather than replacing the horns i'll just improve the look of the factory fitted ones by drilling out the centres. A tricky operation with a tiny drill bit that usually ends in disaster and replacement ones needing to be ordered anyway ! Lucky.....this time ! Bodysides next. Now, to me, a grubby looking engine has two levels of grime. Theres long term staining, the black/oil based muck that collects in the nooks and crannies, the top to bottom bodyside streaks, the faded paintwork and the build up of muck inside sandbox filler flaps and steps. This is usually a weathered, mucky and matted black colour. More often than not this first level of grime stays with an engine and doesnt wash off to easily on the rare occasions that locos get to see soap and water. The second level is a more brown based traffic film and its this layer, gained whilst out in traffic on wet days that I will add later on when the body is reunited with the bogies. Again, this lighter brown muck is usually confined to the bodysides from bottom to top rather than the darker long term grime that should be added from top to bottom. I'll keep this layer away from the cab ends to recreate a look of a loco thats been serviced and had these areas cleaned but the bulk of the bodyside from cab door to cab door ignored. Weathered black is used whilst the loco body is revolved around on a decorators mini roller, the sponge head fitting inside the loco body perfectly. The spray is general and only lightly applied from a distance. Ive always said its not about how much you put on but about what you remove after its dry. My old method of cotton buds dipped in Isopropanol has been replaced recently after I discovered scratch/fibre pens and after an hour or so sat with the pen slowly taking dirt away (done under a good strong bright light) the results so far are what I was aiming for - The nose ends have a faded appearance after a bit of work with the fibre pen but I still need to work on further removal of the muck from the window surrounds. Ive given the buffers a base coat of silver paint adding a small amount of gun metal weathering powder before they dried completly. Most of the silver will vanish under black oily marks but the suggestion they were once clean and silver will remain around the edges. I know we all have our own ways of doing stuff and whether my results are as pleasing to others as they are to me is un-important but ive been asked to document my workbench activities a bit more recently so I hope this photographic breakdown covers this request. I'll hopefully return with part 2 and the ''snowplough or not to snowplough'' debate and some detailing work to the buffer beams by the weekend. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stehill1 Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 That is a very useful "blow by blow" breakdown of how you manage to get such pleasing results. Very interesting and looking forward to further updates and progress. Regards Ste Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimleygrid Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Great photos Jon, love the ones taken looking into the shed. Quality! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandhills Posted June 25, 2012 Author Share Posted June 25, 2012 Further work to the body of my unrefurbished Bachmann 37 carried on over the weekend and after trawling through pictures on Flickr I decided to make a couple of changes to one side and one end that would reflect the locos change in look between '79 and '84. I removed the oversized brackets above the headcode panel at one end and also fitted the rad frost grille cover to one side. Heavy grime was removed from the window surrounds and further work was put into fading and whitening the bodysides. The bogies were treated with a base layer of frame dirt spray and a mixture of the four weathering powders below came up with a good colour to go over this base. I decided on the inclusion of snowploughs however they aren' t too prominent as they have received a heavy coat of muck to tone down the yellow. Glazing was returned to the shell without the need to glue, most pieces reassuringly clicking back into place and staying secure. The pipes added to the front are the normal white metal pieces from Shawplan, each one receiving a base coat of rail black, followed by the appropriate dab of red or yellow and then once attached to the bufferbeam they received a further coat of sleeper grime. Once altogether the last step was to add to one side a second layer of lighter brown traffic film just between the cabs. To achieve this I masked cab ends and roof line and only spraying in the general direction of the model, whilst outside in a strong breeze, a fine mist of sleeper grime was added. The difference between the to body sides can be seen below in the final 2 images. Apart from a few tweaks and a little tidy up i'm really pleased with this one and cant wait to picture it surrounded by some suitable wagons on a small scenic board. Ive also started a little 2x1 photo board this morning. Ive ordered a roll of the excellent Mini-natur Spring pasture grass and at the minute i'm thinking 4 sidings complete with buffer stops and a 2 sided dwarf wall which retains a grassy bank just to hide the board edges. More on the ballasting and scenic work on this mini-project in the next few days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted June 25, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 25, 2012 That looks awesome I like the sound of this new small project too - these step by steps are incredibly helpful - thanks Jon... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oggy1953 Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Excellent, This project you are sharing is VERY helpful. Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 love that 37, wonderfull stuff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tase Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 More excellent and inspirational work there John! Looking forward to the step by step write up of the new scenic board idc. T. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Rail Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Yes Jon - such an artistic skill - brilliant - no contest compared to the two colour quick sprayovers offered by some traders. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullie Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 This is brilliant stuff! Keep it coming; so helpful and inspirational Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jim s-w Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Hi Jon Have you ever seen this - http://twistedsifter.com/2010/02/how-to-make-small-scale-super-realistic-model-landscapes/ It's very similar to your approach. Cheers Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandhills Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 What a fantastic read, thanks Jim. I hadnt seen it before. Very impressed by the volcano ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandhills Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 Ive cracked on today by going back to basics with the board you saw a peek of yesterday. A chap down the pub works at a 'modern style' wood shop with computerised cutting machines which produce MDF units mainly for the shop display industry. Turns out he chucks away in off cuts more MDF a day than I use in a year ! So, for the price of a pint of Everards Tiger I now have an endless supply of these sturdy, precision cut 2ftx1ft boards ! This is module one and my plan going forward is to knock out several of these linking them by one or two tracks each time with each board depicting a different theme each time. They wont make much sense as a 10ft section all together but i'll be able to run locos all the way through the scenes (play trains !) and use each one on its own as a manageable photo diorama. As I said yesterday, this one to start off with is just a basic 4 road dead end siding with the standard stop blocks, retaining wall, grass bank and trackside debris etc..... Yesterday I painted the board edges black and I will add some white lettering along the lines of 'Sandhills Module Project #1'. Four roads of C&L ready made track was laid, stuck and sprayed with a base coat of sleeper grime. Using a Dremmel for a tidy clean cut ive snipped off the excess and i'll fit copper plates and a power system to transmit power to each board individually or as a group of linked modules. For the retaining wall I dont want anything too tall or overpowering so im using 4mm Slaters red brick sheet stuck onto thin strips of balsa. Ive coated the strips with Halfords grey primer...... ....and shortly after it was removed by lightly wiping the surface with turps and a soft cloth. The result is nice clean mortar lines which i'll lightly weather once the wall is in place. Metcalfe curb stones have been added to the top of each section to represent topping or flag stones. Before the grass mat arrives from International Models ive built up the genaral shape and height of the grass bank behind using a cut up square of laminate floor underlay. This will provide a green coloured base to stick the pasture onto. Ballast is Carrs light grey, a mixture of 2mm and 4mm grades this time however secured with scenic cement rather than Johnsons Klear ! Using a soft make up brush ive been careful to remove as many grains as possible from the sleepers and sleeper ends before glueing. I also controlled the amount of ballast I added to the board by drilling holes in the ballast pot and only lightly sprinkling to just below the sleeper tops. Ive treated each rail side with a brush of dry red oxide weathering powder. I'll tone this down with washes of thinner once the ballast is dry and hopefully as the colour thins it will also spread onto the sleeper tops and chairs. As the ballast started to harden up later this afternoon ive started to add patches of oily black, again these areas will be blended with powder and thinner once the ballast is secure enough. Ive gone for Hornby buffer stops mainly because I had four unused ones in the Sandhill Store Room ! Sprayed black with washes of rusty brown ive recreated the oily lump on each buffer pad using a tiny blob of flattened out Blu-Tac which is then painted with a shiny enamel black - Thats all for now until everythings dry then I can clean off the rail tops and get an engine on there to see what the proportions look like against a loco. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandhills Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 No sign of any grass being delivered today so ive not been able to crack on with the bank. I have managed to clean the rails, add some blended turf and ive also played around with some foilage to see what looks best down on the ballast.. Ive cropped out the bare embankment for now and this afternoon ive come up with these 3 arty shots - Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandhills Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 207 shots later.........and finally I got lucky ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Harvey Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Good photoshopping Jon lol Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandhills Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 Good photoshopping Jon lol Pete 100% NO photoshop Mr Harvey ! I'll post the original straight off the camera if you want ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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