Iain C Robinson

Me too! cheers, Iain

Thank you, Lee- but if it wasn't for you I would still be using Das, and probably coughing like an old slate miner. Das was good, but messy to apply and to scribe...and the dust! So thanks for releasing me from that cheers, Iain

35 years later and I am still building goods sheds... seen here in bare foamboard after scribing: and another job under construction on the bench, a 1980's distribution/goods shed cheers, Iain

Soooo....early attempts at modelling, eh? Our Lee has put me to shame with his early work in the field of structure modelling. Thankfully, no early examples exist of my modelmaking...they were dire. My two first commissions weren't much better- I had some nerve charging for these. The first two were a locomen's hut and water tank based on Templecombe and tricked out with Pyruma...sorry about the poor quality and damage :-) The next was an outback garage for the same customer. This guy was a kindly but VERY eccentric gentleman in Australia, who used to send me correspondence from his "general manager" on paper headed with the name of his imaginary railway company. Everything had to be done as if it was for real, which thankfully extended to paying me, although in line with prototype practice it was not nearly enough. I was new at the game and I underestimated how long the work would take...I hadn't charged him properly...he loaded me with enough work to last my lifetime (working at 0.03p an hour) and when I told him I couldn't work at that rate, the toys were thrown out of the pram. I heard that he died leaving a massive model railway empire...wonder who built it? The second photo is one of my late 70's commissions for a lovely gent who was back in touch recently...he still has the models I built for him and I am hoping to get some photos. I was always too busy to take photos of my models, at least until the era of blogging and digital photos, so many models have been unrecorded- although perhaps that's no bad thing :-) cheers, Iain

Astonishingly good work...such consistent finish and execution. cheers, Iain

The brickworks is on my list of things I'd like to model one day, but my customers might have something to say about it if I started that now! I'm glad, though, that you have a big commission on the go, I just hope you haven't been poaching my Aberdeen customers...I will find out, you know... I have just heard a report that DIY stores in the North east have experienced an unheard of rocket in sales of Colron wood dye ...I wonder why? cheers, Iain

Great photos, Al- really atmospheric. It reminds me a little of the deserted Porth Wen brickworks on Anglesey. Top work as always, maestro!

Very nice work, Lee. Takes me back to the 1960's... :-) cheers, Iain

Here's a link to Phil Parker's excellent blog: http://philsworkbench.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/fred.html with a review of Duncan model's "Fred"- cheers, Iain

Great to see the street in position- I really like photo 2 cheers, Iain

Show off! Allan, will you please just rest on your laurels and let the rest of us catch up, for goodness sake! Goes without saying that the Crown Hotel is another tour de force from the Downes bench, (or Mount Olympus to give it the proper title). Now stop, please....how is it that you get more accurate and clever as time goes on- I dont!? Seriously, brilliant work, you and Grahame have supplied a mighty good blast of inspiration with these last two superb models, off underground now, away from all the brilliance... cheers, Iain

Grahame, I remember the article in the MRJ and being very impressed with the model. As Allan says, I would think twice about getting Petra to build it ...Really fine modelling of the highest calibre. cheers, Iain

Nice to see the shops in situ- and the lighting adds another dimension! cheers, Iain

Superb work, the craftsmanship shines through. Looking forward to seeing it weathered. I particularly like those little dormers and the very fine work in making the stonework match and work together as a homogenous unit. Tidy! cheers, Iain

Those are fab, as always, so precise and clean! Proper job. cheers, Iain

The "Knees up Muvver Brahn" pub is the best of a brilliant lot, what a cracker! Allan, will you be able to get figures of Chas and Dave though, playing the old ivories inside...? Are you going to weather it a little bit?... it's the sort of place glimpsed in one of those wonderful early Ealing films where everything seemed to be covered in dust from the blitz. That early Desperate Downes stuff at Peco is still genius even today and at the time blew quite a lot of people's socks off. The Railway Modeller was a fascinating but sober mag until the advent of those articles. Yes, eight quid a page, good of you to bring that up...not. Looking forward to seeing the pub finished, cheers Iain

I looked, but there isn't a button on the right for complete exasperation...that bloomin cathedral! cheers, Iain

These pubs. They are amazing! The consistency and cleanness of construction- this is what craftsmanship is all about. I like that 5 panel bay actually. I don't know where all this is going with the pubs, I am just content to look on at a force of nature at work...as they say in Glasgow, "gaun yersel', big man!" yours humbled, Iain (weegiespeak translated as "Keep calm and carry on building pubs...")

Allan I think you are getting the hang of the pub thing now...this is beautiful and the best one. I couldn't build five in a row and retain my sanity, such as it is :-). This one is very like a Cheshire pub...really lovely, I would like to see it in a setting, but I expect you are selling these off to rich dot com millionaires before the paint dries... cheers, Iain

£4.99 from here: https://www.model-railways-live.co.uk/Store/3-26/Books/Scratch_Built_Buildings_-_First_Edition/ slightly better price

Quote: " Ray You might also want to look for Paul Bason's 'Scratch-Built Buildings'. An excellent step-by-step guide to scratchbuilding and published by BRM so it should be available from the website (www.model-railways-live.co.uk) or from Ian Allan bookshops! It even shows you how to set out hip roofs which could potentially save Iain a fortune in card! Regards Bill" I'm on Amazon now buying it ! cheers Iain ACTUALLY...don't buy it from Amazon, they want £22 for it. Has to be cheaper somewhere else...speaks the Scots skinflint.

:D :D :D

"Creating Model Buildings in 4mm and 7mm scales" by Geoff Taylor...punch that into Amazon. He also has another follow up volume. There are several other good titles which will come up on that search, too, but I think Geoff's book is very thorough and readable.I'd better admit that he's a mate, so I have an interest there :-) http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_22?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=making+model+buildings&sprefix=making+model+buildings%2Caps%2C264 There you are, there's even a link to Amazon for you. David Wright's two books are on there and well worth the money as well. cheers Iain

Beautiful job, Al! :good: cheers, Iain

Here's a couple of photos of the work in progress with the 1930's 2mm scale roadhouse and the chippy next door. These are for Paul Churchill's N gauge Tormouth layout. I've still to put these on a base and there's an etched brass inn sign which has yet to arrive plus chimney pots. Construction is a mix of foamex, styrene, card and of course, Cameo-cut windows and quoins. The Roadhouse is a rough copy of the "Boot" in Baldock, converted/scaled down for 2mm low relief, while the hotel is a copy of the Forth View Hotel in Aberlour. The chippy has a detailed interior. cheers, Iain