alanbuttler

Thanks for the feedback Chris, glad you like them!

Hi Will, I've been meaning to adapt the prints for fibre optics to avoid drilling them and possible breakages. If you let me know the details of where the mods are needed I'll add a new fibre optic ready product to the range (when I get time!).

Thank you for the kind comments and recommends. I've some new PW figures in the pipeline for inter-war, pre-WWI years. They are relatively generic workmen poses originally commissioned for a quarry layout, but I can adapt their tools for PW poses.

Thank you for the recommends and thank you for your order Hippo!

Reflective strips are ok thankfully, but mirrored surfaces such as chrome are not. I won't be at Doncaster unfortunately, my next show is at Ally Pally in March. The nearest shows I have vaguely near Doncaster are Liverpool in April and the Great Central at Quorn & Woodhouse in June. For a full list see - https://www.modelu3d.co.uk/diary/ Cheers Alan

I hopefully have a solution lined up for the headwear with the GWS at Didcot

Here you go Justin - these are not the final designs, some need some modifications and may be different to these images, head wear on the guards and station masters in particular.

Hatton's 3D Scanning Event - February 1st, 2nd, 3rd Hatton's will be hosting Modelu at their store in Widnes for a 3D Scanning Event on the following dates: 9am-5pm Thursday 1st February Friday 2nd February Saturday 3rd February The full Modelu Exhibition stand will be situated in the Hatton's shop, with 3D Body Scanning taking place at the discounted rate of £20 per scan, plus figures. Stock of figures and components from the Modelu range will also be available in N, OO and O gauge. For more information and directions see Hatton's website event page New Loco Fitter & Cleaner figures Thanks to Grahame and Dave from the North Norfolk Railway there are now two new Loco Fitters and two new Loco Cleaners added to the range. These are the first of some new shed staff figures that I'll be working on this year. The new figures are now live on the webshop and I'll have stock with me at Bristol O Gauge show on the 28th. https://www.modelu3d.co.uk/product-category/finescale-figures/railway-and-lineside/1922-1967/shed-staff/ New Exhibitions There are some new events in the Modelu calendar: Severn Valley Railway Open House Weekend - 7th & 8th April, Highley Engine House NEWGOG - Newport O Gauge Show 14th April (Note that because I can't read a calendar, I won't be able to attend ScaleFour North this year!!) Liverpool MRS Show - 21st & 22nd April Taunton Railex - 27th & 28th October In the pipeline Edwardian Loco Crews & Station Staff - CAD complete, waiting on stock production & addition to webshop. Estimate in time for BRM Ally Pally all being well... Seated Passengers - Looking to produce a new range in conjunction with Pendon Museum, scanning to start in April Additional Rain water details - new rain hoppers CAD completed, waiting on stock production and addition to webshop. Some time in March. Platform Lamps - still on the back burner unfortunately!

Hi John, I'll follow this up again as there was some talk of possibly adding them to the XTC merchandising range!

Happy Christmas to all my friends and ever patient customers! Thank you for making 2017 such a great year for Modelu and for taking time to give feedback and to share photographs of your work. The workshop move has been postponed until January as I've lost a week to flu, but it is a relief to have the pressure off a little! Next year I have some exciting collaborations on the cards, some new exhibitions and some new products. As ever the biggest challenge will be keeping new things coming whilst keeping on top of orders and shows, but I'm hoping that the move to larger premises will help. The attached image is the 9 best liked photos from this years Instagram, featuring the superb layouts Clutton (Tim Venton), 1920's Westcliff (Richard Butler) and Barmouth Junction (Geoff Taylor). Have a great Christmas and all the best for 2018! Alan

This new book created by 3D Hubs is a great resource for anyone looking to get into 3D printing themselves, or people who have components they would like to print and are not sure of which 3D printing technology/material is most appropriate. It has a wealth of information on materials, technologies, design guidelines and gives a balanced view on the positives and negatives and costs of each technology. If anyone would like a look I've a copy which I'll bring along to Warley this weekend at the NEC, I'll also add it to the library of 3D printing / CAD books for the Missenden Abbey CAD course https://www.amazon.co.uk/3D-Printing-Handbook-Technologies-applications/dp/9082748509/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1511184514&sr=1-1&keywords=3d+printing+3d+hubs

I had a good chat with Geoff Taylor today about adapting the artwork I have already for the works for the Cakebox challenge and using some of the test cuts from 2014 (!!) to try out some painting methods. The works walls were whitewashed and relatively clean, with just a little grime where the walls met the floor. Colour pictures from inside the works are hard to come by, but this one from Flickr should give an idea: Oswestry Works by David Faircloth, on Flickr Before I do anything else I thought best to check I comply with the rules! As I thought the 3 bays were a little too wide for an 8" base, so I've pulled the North West wall in and moved the traverser pit closer to the erecting shop wall. Whilst trying to dig out the colour photo by David Faircloth I came across a couple of others I'd forgotten about. These give another perspective on the kind of details and photograph angles I'll be looking to recreate: 48289 + 6879 by Peter, on Flickr 75053 by Peter, on Flickr

Hi Robin, yes that's the plan, I've got some measurements and reference photos of the one at the Manchester Museum of Science & Industry which was almost identical to the one at Oswestry. I've not forgotten your turntable stops btw! https://www.flickr.com/photos/cambrian_al/albums/72157641667887453

I might have a little something up my sleeve the whole reason I got into scanning in the first place was to make figures of the guys who worked at Oswestry in the 1950's & 1960's, so with a bit a luck I can finally make that idea come true

Thanks to Phil's Challenge I might actually do some modelling this side of 2020... It was October 2013 when I first posted about Oswestry Works, my first serious diorama/project since returning to the hobby in 2012. Researching a model of Oswestry Works took me on a long journey which ultimately led to me starting Modelu in 2014, at which point progress pretty much ceased! So my vague plan is to create a corner of the works in 8" square, which is enough for about 3 bays of the erecting shop. Something of this scale will be less daunting that blowing the dust of the full size model and might even get me making a bit of time to model now and then! Here are some CAD screen grabs from Sketchup and a Photoshopped real life image with a Bachmann Prairie to give an idea of what I hope to create. The original thread is here on the diorama forum!

Haha yes good question Mick! Well for the first 2 and half years or so it was by having no life.. it was the only way! Now I get a little more balance, still not as much as I'd like but an end is in sight when I get moved into the new workshop in Shrewsbury, hopefully in early November before Warley, otherwise it will be well into December. Once I'm settled in I'll be making a few changes to help get scan commissions out the door much quicker and also new products designed and in the range quicker. Unfortunately it will mean that I will not be offering my design/print commissions anymore, instead I will be forwarding these onto people that offer these services solely. At present my lead times for design/print are so bad that it is much better all round for me to pass the work onto to people who can turn things around quickly.

The first additions to the range of Loco Shed detailing components are now available from the web shop, these include: 2703 Oil Supply Can (Large) 2704 Loco Oil Supply Cans (2 sizes) 2706 Loco Slide Jack 2710 GWR Standpipe 2711 GWR Fire Hose Cabinet 2720 Loco Brake Block Stack 2722 Oil Drum (Dented) The items are available in 4mm and 7mm scales currently. I'm still working through a backlog of commission work from the Summer exhibitions and events, once that is complete I'll make a start on adding the Edwardian figures into the catalogue. Cheers! Alan

And now for something completely different.... Back in April this year the production company Special Treats commissioned me to 3D scan and print the band XTC for a new documentary on the group. Being from Swindon and with band member Andy Partridge having an interest in figurines and models, they had the idea of filming the band in miniature at Pendon Museum. The finished 4mm scale figures were painted by Paul Marshall-potter and hand delivered for filming at Pendon in May. We had the chance to see the documentary at a screening in Soho last month, with Pendon and the figures featuring regularly throughout the 70 minutes. XTC This is Pop airs this Saturday evening at 9pm on Sky Arts and if you want to see the Vale Scene occupied by 'one of Britian's most influentilal yet unsung bands', then don't miss it! http://www.radiotimes.com/tv-prog…/e/fxhhny/xtc-this-is-pop/ (yes that is graffiti on Pendon Parva signal box!!)

I leave for a few hours and come back and we are talking about underpants? :-D gotta love forums Now you have mentioned Revo's I see them absolutely everywhere, especially in Shrewsbury centre. I'll see about getting the scanner round one at some point

Aha well spotted I printed a commission for David Lane of 6x Manning Wardle wheel centres. These will be added to the range at some point!

Thanks Paul! To add to the mix I'm also moving house and moving workshop over the coming weeks! Once things are settled there should be a steady flow of new products and I can put time into pushing the boundaries a little more, especially with the platform lamps.

Thanks for the positive feedback and thanks to 71H for responding to your question! I'll make this clearer on the website. I've been on 50% output for over a month now, diagnosing and subsequently ordering a replacement projection unit for my second machine. As a result a lot of the items I planned to have ready for Scaleforum will have to be postponed, realistically until November. This includes the first new Edwardian figures, the fitters & cleaners, the Loco shed detailing components and workmen scanned at the GCR in June. Commission work is also taking a hit on timescales so thank you to everyone who has shown such patience waiting on their orders and design work.

Thanks, here they are, I think I'll do this for others in future!

Thanks for this Mikkel, it was a good reminder that I have about 4 horse drawn vehicle drivers in the queue to add to the range! Also with the help of the Mendip group, there will shortly be around 20 Edwardian era figures, including crew, station masters, porters, a few passengers and these drivers.

Yes, cleaners, fitters, foreman, spotters and some general figures in overalls. I will see what I can arrange with some contacts at Didcot for these I'll need a load of fitters for Oswestry Works!