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We might be getting a new MG5 estate later this year as well. Looks a lot better IMHO and is a lot more capable. MG Europe News idd

I must admit I was originally pretty underwhelmed by the Mazda Mx30 when it was announced, put perhaps they are onto something with a range extender option? EV Man MX30 Review Idd

Interesting use of repurposed Leaf batteries. You can even see “trains” in the video! Nissan Robots Enjoy Idd

This is seriously good news. New chargers being rolled out now and throughout this summer. Kudos to both companies for doing it, and wish them well. idd

Hydrogen ferry project up in Orkney is making progress. They’ve got so much power that they cannot export making hydrogen becomes very economic. Think the Fully Charged show has done a couple of programs on Orkney and it’s impressive as to what is going on up there in terms of renewables. Orkney Ferries idd

One of the grounded coach body holiday homes we saw in Aberporth. I seem to remember Phil did an article on creating a “building” such as this in BRM. idd

Thanks, in many ways it’s sad to see so many of these grounded vans as just wrecks these days. But not surprising I suppose given how long ago so many were taken out of service. I think I found only one or two pictures of vans in reasonable condition when I was googling for inspiration. In stark contrast when on holiday a couple of years ago in SW Wales we found quite a number of grounded coaches that had been turned into very smart holiday homes. The BRM cottage is I think a really nice kit from Metcalfe. The only “weakness” in the design is the join you get between the ground floor extension can be a little too obvious despite the accuracy of the exemplary die cutting of the card. But a little greenery up the wall and it’s easily hidden. Cheers idd

Porsche have done quite a nice job on this one I think. Bit out of my price range, but hey one can still dream! https://electrek.co/2021/03/04/porsche-taycan-cross-turismo/ idd

Some more good news on the charging front. To have more chargers at motorway services and from another provider is very welcome! Especially those were you don't need an app on your phone to use. InstaVolt at Corley Services idd

So some final detailing to complete the scene as kind of envisaged when I started. To add further interest to the lane I decided to make the verge in front of the cottage a "kept area" as part of the garden. It is not unusual to see rocks or posts marking out these areas placed by whoever is keeping the verge to discourage parking. Originally I was going to use some chopped up sprue as rocks (more recycling) however the "rocks" still looked like bits of plastic. I was cleaning a pair of shoes and noticed there were some OO sized rocks caught in the sole. So they were carefully dug out, washed and placed on the scene. Initially I didn't have quite enough, but after a few daily lockdown walks in these particular shoes my supply of landscaped rocks had grown considerably! The rocks were painted white and stuck down to preserve the verge. The figures have been added using Tacky Wax, which I have been very pleased with, into positions to give a bit of a story. The Landy is parked (not on the verge obviously) and the driver and cottage owner have a socially distanced chat over the garden gate. With the family dog and a curious chicken watching on. That's about it really. I've enjoyed putting this little scene together and have been surprised just how much time just 64 square inches of space can absorb! Is it really the end though? I kind of feel it needs a tree, perhaps some garden flowers, a backscene, a TV aerial for the cottage and the list goes on... Thanks for looking and the kind comments again. Cheers idd

Thanks to all for the encouraging posts. I was a little disappointed at how flat and boring the grass on the verges and in the field looked having just used some different colours of blended turf. So decided to have a go at using static grass and purchased the Gaugemaster/Noch puffer bottle starter set with another packet of darker green 2mm grass. I will admit that I was somewhat sceptical that something as simple as a plastic puffer bottle would work, however I've been really chuffed with the results! The 3D effect of the fibres have really lifted the whole scene, which is probably not quite so apparent in the new photos. What I also found interesting is that you can effectively "paint" with the fibres to have more of the darker turf show through by applying fewer fibres. Thus creating different shades and heights in the grass and making for a far more realistic ground cover. You'll notice I've kept the verge in front of the cottage the same as the garden lawn so that it has a kept appearance. The reason being I had an idea to use a bit more recycled material in the scene. More anon! idd

OK, so having not completed a previous challenge I thought I'd hold off entering until I was pretty certain that I'd finish this one. To ensure I will finish, Chook Lane is very simple in concept. Basically a cottage located on a small lane with an adjoining grounded van used as a chicken coop. It is I suppose only my second serious go at doing a proper bit of scenic work so is very much a learning exercise. The cottage is the freebee Metcalfe kit from BRM that has been enhanced with a Scalescenes slate roof, flashing, gutters and drainpipes from plastic strip and wire. The grounded van is another freebee kit from RM (there's a trend going on here!) with a couple of chicken sized holes in it for the chooks to get access. For the recycled materials; the base is 2mm MDF from an old picture frame that was miraculously exactly 8 inches square! The cottage gates are cut from a cereal packet. The five bar gate is an old Airfix lineside fencing item and was rescued from a box of old odds and ends found in the loft of the ancestral family home. I think it dates from my first trainset and must be about 50 years old, so makes me feel a bit vintage! I was a bit stuck for the second railway item for my scene, then realised that a Network Rail vehicle in the lane would meet the requirement. Bit easy perhaps, but hey rules are there to be interpreted! The picture shows where I'm at with the first pass of the scenic elements: idd

Oh yeah! Only real EV drivers use CHADEMO, CCs is for wimps. You can probably still find them in the far flung corners of the Ecotricity charging network! idd

Yup perfectly feasible, but there is a further party trick EV’s can do and that is Vehicle 2 Grid. So some of the EV’s could “loan” their batteries to the car park to take power when it is cheap and help supply power when demand is high in the car park. For a fee of course or more likely reduced parking charges. Scale this up for some of the huge car parks we have around here for Manchester airport and you would have one mahoosive grid storage facility without having to supply the batteries in the first place... Business opportunity!!! Only slight problem is that only the Nissan Leaf and NV200 can do this at the moment in the UK. However there are a number of sizeable trials going on at present with Leaf drivers to prove the concept of V2G with the likes of OVO and Octopus. Cars with CCS connectors cannot do this at present but will be able to soon if suitably equipped. Nissan is also working on V2G using the AC Type2 charging port, as this could be cheaper to do. You would not have the cost of the whacking great CHADEMO connector to contend with for a start. Gas might get a second chance. I’m sure I read something about it being used to help carry hydrogen around the grid, but you would not burn the gas, which we’d go back to the grid, only the hydrogen. Idd

By way of a timely example: York Charging Hubs The storage batteries can also be used to make money for the council, by taking electricity when it is cheap and selling it back when demand is high. This is already done at the existing hub(s) run by Dundee council I believe. However, I think they should be installing a shed load of 7kw chargers in there, surely more applicable for a park and ride? Cheers idd

I am a big fan of Deluxe Materials and second the above. I would also suggest you try another of their glues called RC Modellers Glue. It is very "PVA like" but dries clear and is brilliant at fixing canopies to airframes so would probably stick paper and plastic very well. It does take a while to dry though. HTH idd

You should not have to. You just have to have the same google account on both devices, or share pictures and documents via a shared folder. If you use chrome browser on another PC logged into the same google account all three devices should sync to include passwords, documents, etc. It really is quite handy. HTH idd

Agreed. Fundamentally when you buy an EV you are buying a computer on wheels. Having worked for 30 years in IT I am now having to apply my first rule in computer purchasing when it comes to cars; never be first. I think in 12 months VW will have a good product(s), they’ve got to. But its going to be painful. What is also interesting is that PSA have launched 6(7?) vehicles in the time that VW has launched one. I’ve not seen much criticism about their systems. But I think they’ve lost the publicity battle to VW. Interesting times without a doubt. idd

It will be interesting to see what happens after this landmark case ruling on pollution. Pollution Case It is distressing enough when either of my kids has an attack, but this must have been truly awful for the poor lass. Hopefully some good will come from it for all our sakes. idd

More evidence that VW needs to try harder with its dealerships: VW Dealers & EV’s Idd

Well if you take that up a notch and turn it around you could have one of these! Arcimoto Both look good fun imho. idd

Just Cheap or the future of urban public transport? The 2CV is strong in this one.. Idd

That might just happen. Interesting perspective on renewables here: BBC Article idd

More nuggets of EV charging news: Get 'em while they're hot! idd PS Sorry just couldn't resist

Oooh harsh! OK my moan. Blooming Tesla charging at a universal charger when they’ve got their own, almost as bad when they use their Chademo adaptor! idd