alanbuttler

They are doable with a 3D scanner but require considerable amounts of cleanup. The scanner I use wouldn't be suitable, but I have contacts with the kit who could do it, whether it would be practical compared to designing in CAD is something I will have to ponder!

Just a couple of days until Guildex, where I will have a small stock of the latest release of Pendon Figures. These figures will be stocked in 7mm at the show and will be available via the website in the usual scales soon. The figures depict women shopping and men in conversation. The third batch of figures produced for the Vale scene will be available from the Pendon museum shop and website towards the end of September.

I might be able to help out there

Super work Mark, thanks for sharing the photos!

I've used Halford's grey, white or black with good results and for painting either enamels or acrylics. I prefer acrylics for their fast drying, mainly Lifecolor and Vallejo. Lately I've been experimenting with applying a base layer of Lifecolor black with the airbrush as a primer as you have finer control than a rattle can. Lifecolor paints - https://eileensemporium.com/index.php?option=com_hikashop&ctrl=category&task=listing&cid=1363&name=lifecolor-sets&Itemid=189 Vallejo Paints - https://www.dccsupplies.com/cat-832/vallejo-model-color.htm The Lifecolor Flesh box set I find particularly good! https://eileensemporium.com/index.php?option=com_hikashop&ctrl=product&task=show&cid=2976&name=lifecolor-cs13-flesh-colours-paint-set&Itemid=443&category_pathway=4042 This is a great thread on the use of Vallejo paints and primers - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/96995-vallejo-acrylic-paints/

Hi Stephen, Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate you taking time to give it. The material is methacrylate and I'm in the process of finding a suitable solvent for use with it. Up until now superglue has been the best glue to use.

I'm half way through the design! looking to get samples ready for Scaleforum... hopefully!

Hi Jim, Thank you for the offer but I don't think it would scan too well, probably better done as an etch. What would be good is scanning the ERTMS gear on a 97 if that could be possible? I've moved to Shrewsbury now so am only about 1/2 mile from the Coleham depot! Cheers Alan

I've found a few on street corners in Shrewsbury if anything needs scanning

HI Stephen, Thank you for your positive comments and for your order! The musicians are in the queue to edit, most likely in September as getting them on the website takes a little time. However the figures themselves will likely be ready sooner than that, I can drop you an email when I've finished the editing, which will be before the end of the month. Cheers Alan

They are currently being designed on the back burner, it is taking a time for me to get the twist right!

I'll be experimenting with scanning lamp post bases at Llangollen soon, hopefully this weekend during the 1960's gala, I'll report back on how I get on!

I do have some plans afoot!

Thanks for the info Stephen, I've a few 2mm slide chairs to post your today along with the Adlakes

Hi Gordon, it's on the list along with some more general workers in overalls for generic use. I need some for Oswestry works as well :-)

Thanks Mikkel, I agree about facial hair and am looking at ways of adding some digitally, perhaps transplanted from another scan of someone with a beard!

Hi all, It's been a while since I gave an update on new products and where things are in the development queue. I should know by now that trying to get new items developed and on sale during the Spring is not very realistic, so apologies to those that have been awaiting some of the items I listed back in December and January! July and August are my quietest months exhibitions wise, so I'm hoping to catch up on some design work. In the meantime, here is a summary of the products which are now available: BR 1970's - 1990's Crew & Guard Figures During the BRM show at Alexandra Palace I met Paul James who kindly brought his collection of uniforms from his time working for British Rail during the late 1970’s, 1980’s and early 1990’s. Paul’s collection covers the introduction of the BR corporate image uniform right up to the formation of EWS in 1996. According to Paul, many of the early uniforms lasted into early privatisation days. Pendon Vale Scene Figures Last year I was approached by Pendon Museum to assist with creating new figures specifically for the Vale Scene. A day was spent with Pendon volunteers dressed up in 1930’s clothing, in poses depicting farm workers, people shopping and people in conversation. 18 figures were created in total with more planned, including some scans of children from the local primary school in Long Wittenham. The figures are being released in batches throughout the year, with initial releases available exclusively from the Pendon museum shop or via their website. At present 8 figures are available from the Modelu webshop (Farm Workers & Women in Conversation), and 18 figures are available direct from Pendon (Farm Workers, Men & Women in Conversation, Women Shopping). You can access the Pendon webshop here. Porters Porters and station staff are an area I've been looking to revisit for a time, so it was fortunate to have my stand at the Great Central show alongside Jack Shaw's excellent Penrhyn Quarry Railway. ack is a volunteer at the GCR and kindly agreed to brave the hot weather and be scanned in some of his collection of period clothing. Over the weekend we created a number of new figures including: Pre-Grouping locomotive crew, Workmen and Porters. 5 new Porters and a Shunter have been added to the webshop, with rest of the new figures being added to the website over the coming weeks. Scans In the Pipeline! These following screenshots are straight from the scanner before I've done any cleanup, but will give an idea of what is to come over the Summer. I'm aiming to have all of these figures in the range in time for Railwell's in August. New Loco Crew (Thanks to Chris Chewter) Pre-grouping Loco Crew (thanks to Jack Shaw) Workmen (thanks to Jack Shaw) Musicians (Thanks to David Brandreth) Products in the Pipeline Point Rodding LNWR, LMS/BR and L&Y point rodding designs have now been completed and are currently under test. I'm experimenting with not printing the ferrules which retain the rodding, in order to avoid threading the rollers onto the rods. Samples of these will be going out for test in the next week or so and realistically they won't be on sale until the Autumn. Platform Lamps After the initial success with the L&Y lamps, there has been no movement on this project for many months unfortunately. Reason being the time they take to print and the demands on my equipment to keep on top of stock for exhibitions and orders. I have a couple of customer commissions which I'm aiming to finish over the summer, so this project will get some attention finally. The cost of the final products will be completely dependent on how long they take to produce, which I'm hoping to minimise as much as practical without losing any quality. Loco Shed Detailing Last October I spent a day at Didcot with the extremely helpful Loco dept manager Kevin Dare. Kevin helped me scan many items suitable for detailing a loco shed as well as a few other items of interest. These include: loco brake blocks, loco oil cans (3 sizes), loco jack, cosmetic screw link coupling, fire hose cabinet, sand and fire buckets, vacuum pipe, ATC bell. I was also able to clamber up onto Cookham Manor and scan it's BR pattern Chimney! Chairs and Sleepers Successful test prints have been made of GWR slide chairs, Concrete Pot sleepers and a number of pre-grouping chairs including LSWR, GCR and Cambrian. However, the material my equipment uses is a methacrylate and is not compatible with butanone. I'm currently looking into cost effective methods of producing the chairs in ABS and hope to have some answers over the summer. That's it for now, just leaves me to say thank you to everyone who has shared photographs of their work on this thread, it really is a pleasure to see where the figures and lamps end up and how well they are painted. Cheers Alan

From what I can gather from the chap who commissioned them, they appeared to be visible during the last years of steam where the upkeep of locos weren't up to usual standards. I've found a few pictures of 9F's with the outer covers missing and so exposing the cast cylinder covers.

Hi Mark, Sorry for the delay, I'm doing some website maintenance this weekend and have added the cylinder covers here: http://www.modelu3d.co.uk/product/2280-076/ All the best Alan

Hi guys, thanks for the input and feedback. I'm just back from a weekend at Pendon where a figure painting course is being run for the second time by Tim Shackleton. As part of the days course you also get a 3D scan and 2x prints from myself. Priming of the figures can be done as PMP says using a mist of Halford's primer, or as I've also started doing, applying black/white/or grey acrylic via airbrush. I find this is the best way to ensure a nice thin coating which emphasises the details. The colour of the primer depends on the colour of the clothing of the figure in my experience, though I generally prefer to start from a black starting point as when applying thin layers of colour you have a nice base shadow. I use a combination of Lifecolor (primarily the Flesh, Hemp & Tarps, Leather and Blacks sets) and Vallejo Model Colour paints, all applied thinned down with Ultimate Thinners. Course details are here and I can highly recommend it https://www.pendonmuseum.com/shop/view.php?id=164&category=19

Thanks Godfrey - Back in October last year Pendon commissioned me to make around 30 figures for the Vale Scene which they are also now selling in the museum shop. The first batch have been on sale since the beginning of March and another 10 should be added to the range this month. You can see what is in the range so far here - https://www.pendonmuseum.com/shop/index.php?category=24 And here are a few examples of what is still to come, used for a painting guide I've added to the website

Hi Mark, Yes they will be on the website this week, thanks for the positive comments!

Hi Chris, Thanks for taking time to give feedback, I really appreciate it. I agree completely and am in talks about a new range of pre-grouping figures with some builds/heights suitable for the era. It has been almost 2 years since the first scans in the range were created (no's 1052-1060 at least) and I'm giving thought to replacing some of the early scans with updated versions. I've improved the scanning and printing process during that time also so will be worth a refresh I think. I'll keep this thread updated with developments, Cheers Alan

Sounds great, yes please!

Hi Tony, happy new year! Do you have any info on them, photos etc?