A New Start

[Jaz]

Looking good

[C&WR]

Nice job, It's really coming together.

 

The cameras, definitely the left one. Have you got some 1mm round rod to cut a sliver off for the lens?

 

Thanks, Al.  Certainly have - it's mounted on 1mm rod which was part of my little parcel today!

[Kal]

Looking good. Did you get the masking tape?

[C&WR]

Looking good

 

 

Looking good. Did you get the masking tape?

 

Thank you both!  Unfortunately TLHC was delayed at work so I wasn't collected from mine until far too late for a foray into Hobbycraft.  I'm hoping we'll go on  Saturday morning.

 

To be honest I think the standard painter's tape cut into strips has done what I wanted for now.  It's supposed to be a bit bashed and streaked.

 

For finer work I'll get the Tamiya stuff - it's not as mindbendingly expensive as I'd feared bearing in mind how much I will use.

[Kal]

Hi

 

We saved on the cost by not buying the dispenser, just the refills

Edited January 10, 2014 by Kal

[C&WR]

I think in my case, as the Hobbycraft is huge but the modelling section fairly small, I will buy what is available!  I seem to recall they also had weathering powders, so I may give them a whirl...

[C&WR]

I've edited post #230 with the basic instructions for the factory.  There were some inaccuracies about putting the glazing bars on.

[C&WR]

Right, enough messing about.  I am determined to finish 5 INNIS DG. Therefore I cut out some clear plastic to make the missing windscreen & put it in place with Glue 'n' Glaze on the basis that should dry relatively clear & fill any gaps:

 

 

If this ends up OK it'll be on with the windscreen wipers & nameplate, a picture or two outside if the weather's good enough & if I'm lucky with time a quick test run before we go off to support Irish...

[Kal]

Irish?

[C&WR]

London Irish RFC. TLHC, TSC & I are season ticket holders, it's our main form of entertainment together & howw I met TLHC.

 

I've even been know to turn out to play Sevens for the supporters' team & once even skippered it:

 

 

That's me on the left. pretending to play Rugby...

Edited January 10, 2014 by C&WR

[Kal]

Cool

 

But the photo has come out funny, it looks as if your playing in pink

[C&WR]

Easy, tiger, there are loads of us:

 

 

We could empty your fridge and wine cellar in seconds

[C&WR]

Here goes, 45143 The Fifth Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards.  Is's a bit of a gluey mess with wonky handrails, patchy paint, awful glazing and a lumpy finish, but it's my first ever renumber & I love it.

 

With trepidation:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never again!  I subsequently served with the Royal Corps of Signals in the Territorial Army, and if I want one of them I will jolly well buy it!

[Kal]

 Bleep!          

Edited January 11, 2014 by Kal

[C&WR]

I've only just got your post, Kal.  Good one!  I did find a niche in HF Comms, although not morse.  The boys found it rather odd that an Officer understood it and rather disliked occasionally as they couldn't bluff me that comms wouldn't go in and that they should get their heads don until the morning...

[C&WR]

Long and Rambling Preamble to a Build Post

 

As I'm now without space to build a new railway & because I live a way away from Wallington-Super-Mare I've decided to call a bit of a halt to the specifically railway stuff once I've finished off the low relief factory.  I need to be focussed about what I am going to put on my potential shunting plank rather than making loads of random stuff then trying to find a home for it!

 

My main love as a lad, as far as building went because the railway was purely a non-scenic operating thing, was plastic kits.  The ceiling of my bedroom was covered in 1/72 aircraft hung carefully from thread rather than blown up with illicit bangers brought back from French exchanges which was the fate of most of my friends' models.  I'm told that these models now live in the eaves of the Aged Ps' house as they couldn't bear to chuck away the work when I left home.

 

I left to go to Sandhurst and then start an 18-year "career" as an Officer, Regular & TA, full-time and part time.  Strangely enough the longest single period I served full time I was technically still TA.  My first Regiment was a fine but now gone Irish Cavalry mob (see above for 45143 in homage to The Fifth Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards) & I have had a great desire to build a model of the first tank I commanded for a very long time.  The only problem is that Tamiya make a Chieftain, but it's way too early a variant.

 

Having got back into railways almost exactly two years ago I have been looking about other modelling sites to pick up ideas and techniques.  While on a military one (where I discovered salt masking) I discovered that there is a conversion kit for the Tamiya model to bring it to the Mk10 spec which I commanded.  However buying the donor kit, the conversion resin & probably a set of etches wasn't going to be a cheap affair (well about the same price as doing 45143) and having botched the loco I thought I would need a bit of practice at kit building before jumping off.  Therefore I give you...

[Jaz]

wait for it........................

[C&WR]

Building a Hard Top Landrover 110 FFR RRB

 

(Apologies, this is OT, but could fit on my railway.  Also apologies that some of this has already appeared on Jaz & Kal's Arboretum Valley thread).

 

The kit I hit on for practice was the 1/76 Airfix Long Wheelbase Land Rover and Trailer.  I had been looking at this before with the view to spraying it yellow & bunging some Network Rail transfers on but not got round to it.  At about £7 this was going to make more sense to practise on than jumping off into £50 or £60 worth of 1/35 tank.

 

As another part of my service was with the TA Royal Signals where I had most fun commanding a Radio Troop (the people who used steam wireless and wiggly amps to keep communications going while all the complicated trunk & satellite stuff was engineered in) I thought I would have a bash at making a Fitted For Radio (FFR) Radio Rebroadcast (RRB) vehicle.  The idea of a RRB is that the methods of communications can be spread wider and further.

 

Anyway, enough of my yakkin', let's model.  Kit set out & given basic base layers of paint to allow for weathering later:

 

1.

 

 

I was concerned about painting the back section as it was a transparency:

 

2.

 

 

Thank goodness I discovered Tamiya tape.  The bars across the hard-top are to represent the angle irons bits of radio kit hung off.  Technically this should be built into the body.  The blocks on the shelf across the back of the body are to represent a VRC 353 VHF Radio:

 

3.

 

 

I added another radio with some crude dots of paint to represent the control dials & sanded down some Evergreen strip to make seat cushions:

 

4.

 

 

This all became rather addictive, so I added a representation of a VRC 321HF set with a SURF (Selector Unit Radio Frequency) and TURF (Tuning Unit Radio Frequency) on top to the off side:

 

5.

 

 

The map board was made from some scrap plastic suitably painted & the map itself is a miniaturised scan of one of the Soltau-Luneberg Training Area in Northern Germany.  I was quite please with the Radio Operators' Log Book on the fold-down table:

 

6.

 

 

 

A good old Lakeland duvet peg held the sides on to dry:

 

7.

 

 

Looking more like a 'Rover with severely overscale tie downs added to the side:

 

8.

 

 

All the bits & pieces in place in the back:

 

9.

 

 

The cab was a bit bare so I decided to add some extra controls:

 

10.

 

 

11.

 

 

12.

 

 

Then I put the top on.  Last couple of views of the inside in full glory:

 

12a.

 

 

I'd added a supporting cable to the map desk:

 

14.

 

 

Masked up for spraying the black bits of the camouflage:

 

15.

 

 

16.

 

 

Out of the spray booth:

 

17.

 

 

Then disaster, the masking hadn't worked:

 

18.

 

 

19.

 

 

So I stripped off the bad paint so the finger mark was removed:

 

20.

 

 

Finally got it looking better again:

 

21.

 

 

22.

 

 

Then it was time to make a cam net.  I used some bandage from the first aid kit which is sitting in the assault vest I haven't yet got round to giving away:

 

23.

 

 

This was dyed with watercolour:

 

24.

 

 

A bit more work on the kit itself & some extra dye for the net.  Cam poles are bits of twig to represent the branches we used to use:

 

25.

 

 

Cam nets have bits of green & brown plastic scrim on them.  I rolled my little net in from the sides & then front & back as we used to, covered it in PVA, and then improvised with tea & dried coriander leaf to make the scrim:

 

26.

 

 

I actually preferred this side, but pressed on as planned.  The real thing would have been wrapped in hessian which we used to use to minimise the shine from bits of the vehicle below (I loved being a Surveillance & Counter-Surveillance Instructor) anyway:

 

27.

 

 

And here it is all together.  The antennae (heat-stretched sprue) look great in the flesh, but like big sticks in the picture.  The TUAAM boxes on the wings are conversely too small.  I also had fun making the antenna pots:

 

28.

 

 

Mud spatters are done by flicking paint off stiff-bristled square-edged brush.  I also have number plates & Union Flag transfers to put on yet:

 

29.

 

 

Overall I'm pretty pleased with my first model kit in 20+ years:

 

30.

 

Edited January 19, 2014 by C&WR

[Jaz]

Excellent stuff, love the coriander leaf and tea (used teabags dried? or new ones?) idea, and with the size of my spice rack..........Did you consider dyeing it in cold tea?

 

The colouring and tone and going to look really good once on a layout, for about £5 you can probably source a quarter sheet of PIR and make a small piece for photographing.

 

You took off the trailer ball that was shocking, have you made a replacement?

 

Don't forget to try maskol next time instead of blue tac (we had this conversation already of course)

 

I like the bandage too.

 

I know you have finished, and you want this to be more about trains, but I think this deserved several posts, because it is then easier to speak a bout. If you do a large post like this can you number the pictures 1,2,3, for ease of reference. 

 

Great stuff, a good train layout deserves good diorama content to make it really great, this would look good on a country lane leading past the station, or on a nice little aerodrome 

[Kal]

Hi

 

I personally do not think it is off topic, it is about modelling, so why is a Landrover any more off topic than a crane, or a bench?

 

Fantastic, effort, but I am a bit afraid to build mine now, with the bar set so high.

[MikeOxon]

I think there are many lessons for all modellers in your post.  In particular, I think it is good that you have made all the extra bits yourself. 

 

So many railway modellers never think of doing this but try to find white-metal castings for everything!  I'm not trying to put all those 'cottage industries' that support the hobby out of business but, sometimes, a little initiative can solve a problem. 

 

As an example, I've found that the ratchet bits of nylon cable ties can make excellent sand boxes

 

Mike

[Jaz]

MikeOxon...that sounds interesting can you pop up a picture?

[emt_911]

Some cracking work there. Pity about the size of the TUAAM boxes but many probably wouldn't realise and the 353's look spot on.

 

So the question is, what's the next small project?

 

Duncan

[C&WR]

Right, back from Rugby.  Boots and The Small Controller scrubbed, time to reply! 

 

Excellent stuff, love the coriander leaf and tea (used teabags dried? or new ones?) idea, and with the size of my spice rack..........Did you consider dyeing it in cold tea?

 

The colouring and tone and going to look really good once on a layout, for about £5 you can probably source a quarter sheet of PIR and make a small piece for photographing.

 

You took off the trailer ball that was shocking, have you made a replacement?

 

Don't forget to try maskol next time instead of blue tac (we had this conversation already of course)

 

I like the bandage too.

 

I know you have finished, and you want this to be more about trains, but I think this deserved several posts, because it is then easier to speak a bout. If you do a large post like this can you number the pictures 1,2,3, for ease of reference. 

 

Great stuff, a good train layout deserves good diorama content to make it really great, this would look good on a country lane leading past the station, or on a nice little aerodrome 

 

Thanks, Jaz.  The tea leaves were fresh, used would have been too big. I didn't consider dying anything in tea as the nets themselves are made of an almost black green string.  What's the PIR you recommend?

 

The tow hook looked nothing like anything I have ever seen on a Land Rover so I cut it off.  THis is the replacement, made from stryrene & a lolly stick.  It's still overscale, but looks a bit more like the real thing & has the advantage I can attach and detach the trailer:

 

 

I joined the Hobbycraft club as they promised 15% discount.  It turned out that this was only valid for two weeks from joining so I had a little trip yesterday so Maskol was on the shopping list.  I also succumbed to a Humbrol airbrush - at £14 before the discount I thought it orth a trial.

 

Photos now numbered.  I get the impression you are a lady who gets what she wants  

 

Hi

 

I personally do not think it is off topic, it is about modelling, so why is a Landrover any more off topic than a crane, or a bench?

 

Fantastic, effort, but I am a bit afraid to build mine now, with the bar set so high.

 

Cheers, Kal.  I'm just a bit wary - remember in the other place where there were restrictions on the number on non-railway photos which would be tolerated?  

 

Judging by the rest of your work I expect your Land Rover will be lovely.  I look forward to seeing it.

 

I think there are many lessons for all modellers in your post.  In particular, I think it is good that you have made all the extra bits yourself. 

 

So many railway modellers never think of doing this but try to find white-metal castings for everything!  I'm not trying to put all those 'cottage industries' that support the hobby out of business but, sometimes, a little initiative can solve a problem. 

 

As an example, I've found that the ratchet bits of nylon cable ties can make excellent sand boxes

 

Mike

 

Much appreciated, Mike.  I will admit that I try to make a representation of things rather than actual things, with the exception of my pub which was admired by the regulars when I took it to show the landlord who was fascinated to know why I had been pacing up & down outside and taking pictures!  When people look at acg_mr's stuff they will say, "that's Bakewell station".  When they see mine they say, "that looks a bit like..."  This suits me fine!

 

Some cracking work there. Pity about the size of the TUAAM boxes but many probably wouldn't realise and the 353's look spot on.

 

So the question is, what's the next small project?

 

Duncan

 

Thanks, Duncan.  It's been a lot of fun.  I could have amended the TUAAM boxes but just couldn't be bothered.

 

Next project is this:

 

 

Thanks for looking, everyone!

[Jaz]

A full sheet of PIR say Celotex or Kingspan or even the cheap Recticel will put you back 20£ for a 1220x2440 4x8ft will set you back say 20£ min for a 50mm depth. The 25mm is far too thin to support buildings, and the 100mm probably only needed for larger projects.

But B&Q particularly of the big supermarket DIY style stores has attendance to damage stuff, then they might cut it to smaller 1/4s and sell it off. One big B&Q near do this from time to time. So for about a fiver you can get a piece in and try it out, plus it is enough of a size (2ftx4ft) to fit in s small station style diorama. 

Hope this helps.

 

Looking forward to the tank.