Starscream

Hi there! Tonight at 8pm (UK) I'll be doing a Q&A Livestreeam (and probably talking too much!). If you have a question that you'd like to ask, yoiu can ask me during the lifestream below. The livestream will be found here starting at 8pm If you don't get to watch it live, you can leave questions... I do these things every month, so I can answer next time I do a livestream! Hope to see you there! Laura If you don't get to watch it live, you can leave questions... I do these things every month, so I can answer next time I do a livestream!

Just posted Part 3 of my project upgrading a Heljan Class 33/2. This shows how I prepare the roof for the roof grills and remove the mislocated roof ventilators. Cheers Dave

Hi there. I just finished a new video renumbering a rake of Network SouthEast Mk1 coaches. This is a part of the hobby few people do, but can really place your fingerprint on your railway! Hopefully this will inspire people to try it for themselves! Cheers Dave

There's plenty of D&E subjects than AC electrics. Class 104, 114, (new)155, 165, 175, 185 DMU's, Southern EMU's such as the 4BIG/CIG, 455, 456, 442, 465.... and many many wagon opportunities.

As I said... that's last year's announcements.

Well... Hornby's 2018 announcement was a colossal let-down! No new models for the D&E modeller, just a few repaints and the IEP/Class 87 delayed from 2017. Locos: Steam: 34 (3 new) D&E: 10 (0 new) Coaches: Steam: 53 (1 new) D&E: 10 (0 new) Wagons: Steam: 36 (1 new) D&E: 14 (0 new) Definately feeling that D&E really doesn't matter to Hornby!

Hi Ken This was the 7th one of these I've made.... and I have one more to make up. Just one more and I'll have all the roof fans I'll need to cover all the 33's I own so far. As for the next installment, I'm planning on filming it today, so it should be next week that it appears on my youtube channel. I'm waiting for Shawplan to make the bodyside grill, because having a see-through roof grill will look odd with a solid bodyside grill. Fortunately, chatting to Brian, I know it's up near the top of his list, with a couple of failed test etches already being attempted so far, however, PPD have got a new way to transfer the drawing to the brass at a higher resolution, so it won't require him redrawing the design for the etch (which take up time that he has to prioritise for other things). What I'll do, it prepare the inside of the grills so when they come out, they can just be overlaid over the hole and inner framework. There's plenty of other work to be done before that though, such as doing the chassis and bogies, and electronics. The next 33's I'll be doing are the 5x Class 33/1's which willbe backdated to 33/0's. I bought them before the revised 33/0 came out, but they fixed the roof dome on the cab while adding new errors on the roof itself.... so the work is relevant. By the time I have all my 33's finished, I'll have a fleet that looks like this: 33008 'Eastleigh" in BR Green (1992 condition) 33019 'Griffon' in Civil Engineers 33046 'Merlin' in Civil Engineers 33050 'Isle of Grain' in RF Construction 33053 in RF Construction 33109 in BR Blue 33114 'Ashford 150' in Network SouthEast 33118 in Civil Engineers 33202 'The Burma Star' in Civil Engineers. Cheers Dave

Hi there. Over the last month I've started rebuilding a Heljan Class 33/2. The work consists of fitting new bodyside grills, roof fan and grill set, modifying the chassis, altering the bogie springs, new electrics, repainting and renumbering. I'm doing it stage by stage on my youtube channel, so fellow modellers can follow what I'm doing to be able to replicate it for themselves, if they wish. Stage 1: Disassembly: Stage 2: Soldering the roof fan etch: The next part will be creating the tube for the roof fan. Hope you'll follow it, and feel free to ask any questions about it, here or in the comments. Cheers Dave

Hi there. Just thought you might be interested to know... I just uploaded the 2nd part of my class 33 upgrade. In this one, I show how I solder up a Shawplan roof fan etch. I have several videos up now, including a couple of 'Hangouts' with fellow DEMU members. Cheers Dave

One thing I forgot to add.... is that I'll be holding google hangouts with other modellers from DEMU. The first will be tomorrow night between 9pm to 10pm. Cheers Dave

Thanks very much. Probably won't see any WCRC locos.... my modelling period is the late 80's to mid 90's Sectorisation period of British Rail.

Hi there I've just started my own youtube channel, which will be about a variety of railway modelling.... painting, detailing, weathering, renumbering, etc... and later I plan to start a new layout too. I only have two videos so far, but I have a couple more in the editing phase, one of them should be finished later today. My channel is called; "UK Diesel & Electric Railway Modelling" https://www.youtube....28EWJ1z7UUN9-8A Don't be put off by the name.... even if you don't do D&E modelling, the techniques are universal. Feel free to leave comments and opinions Cheers Dave

Hi there I've just started my own youtube channel, which will be all about modelling, painting, detailing, weathering, renumbering, etc... and later I plan to start a new layout too. I only have two videos so far, but I have a couple more in the editing phase, one of them should be finished later today. My channel is called; "UK Diesel & Electric Railway Modelling" https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLpt6a8t28EWJ1z7UUN9-8A Feel free to leave comments and opinions Cheers Dave

Looks very very nice DapolDave. there's 5 small things that I think could be improved on. 1: The fan on the roof could do with the blades being thicker.... the blades should be around double the width at the root, thinning to about 2/3rds of the width at the tip. They're also not flat blades, they have a curve to them at the root flattening out slighty as they get further out. You can just about make it out in this picture: 2: The vertical bars on the bogie steps are a bit chunky, and if they're plastic, it'd be hard to achieve a prototypical look. If the bodyside and rood grills are to be etched, then perhaps the bogie steps could be too? This isn't too much of a problem... most people won't care, and those that do can buy aftermarket parts. 3: The high level brake cables look a tad too high. There's a little bit of flesh between the edge of the window frame and the top of the brake cable mountings. 4: There's a short step on the side of the bufferbeam bracing, effectively a line between the extended step on the bogie and the buffer beam area. This step has a hole in the back of it, which allows the wiring from the ETH plugs to go through it and up into the body. 5: This one is a bigger one. 73's have a brightly painted bufferbeam, and there's a thick white pipe that coils under the left-hand buffer (looking at the front). There's also ETH and a multitude of other cabling that decorates the front. It could be that numbers 4 and 5 are seperate components that can be added later, so these may be irrelevent. With the need to have tensionlock couplers moving, I can understand why these may not be aparent on the CAD drawings. Whatever the case, the CAD images looks for a very fine model. The fuel tank, compressor and other details between the bogies look exceptionally good, so please don't be disheartened by my feedback comments. Cheers Dave

If you're really after some wild thinking..... Imagine the mid 1860's Gauge Commission had decided that BROAD gauge was to be the standard gauge!! Several years ago, I had a great idea of a modern mage layout based on the decision going the other way... Imagine Broad gauge HST's (possibly called 'InterCity 150' or 'Intercity 200' due to the faster line speeds possible due to the better stability) with 3x3 seating! You could argue that the haulage capacity would've been higher due to the larger engine compartments, but since the width/weight of coaches and wagons would also increase, it would probably even out. In the Nottinghamshire coalfields we might have seen Class 58s where the skinny middle is as wide as a regular loco today, and the wagons may have been 50t HAA's..... The possibilities are huge! Cheers Dave