Bluemonkey presents....

Having been full of great ideas for the day everything seems to have gone 'out the window!' Got a little of what I wanted to finish today done including making a start on the CC2 purchased from the exceptional joint project of @chuffinghell and @MrWolf. As a direct result of their endeavors a set of replacement skylights have also been produced to aid my final attempt at the bogied mess coach roof.

I have something rather fitting, made for me by a very talented and nice man.

Got a little fettling to do this weekend. I tried to keep the cuts neat but will need a lot of work to square off.

Remarked and drilled ready for the reclaimed vents and light pots. Just have to cut out skylight holes - some exciting news regarding these but need a little play first.

Morning Rich, I also have an appetite for consuming 0.5mm drill bits but unable to source a decent supplier of single sized bits. Do you happen to have any recommendations please? Mine tend to snap as I pierce through the metal I am drilling. Cheers Matt

Not sure I much good at real life things. Thank you both a much better fit than my previous effort.

Oh, the reason for the celebration of something so simple is the fact I resisted the temptation to run my hand and fingers along the edges when bending and straightening. Black hands from ink not red hands from wounds.

Well, the iron is still hot so on I strike. After marking out the various locator holes for vents and skylights I figure a little manipulation would be ideal. With the use of some very Specialised tools; Also in use was a metal rule and a file as a straight edge (no filing here) After about an hour of rolling around and flexing everywhere I got close; Using the rule and file I managed to carefully flatten the central part of the roof whilst keeping the sharp curved edges. I am pretty happy with the profile and the fit. Once secured and held with rubber bands whilst adhesive goes off it should work. First though I have to cut, drill add details and paint before. Today's permanent markers are not what they used to be. Started with the cut markes all marked out and ended with blackened hands and a shiny roof! Well better to have a roof that works and dirty hands. Off to make a curry to celebrate.

Reclaim, recycle and rebuild. It has taken months but finally I have the motivation to give the bogie mess coach roof another bash. Not looking forward to remaking those skylights though! From memory 3-4 hours each!

The kits are nice to build although the brake gear and rigging is flush to the W irons so need encouragement to return anywhere near the wheels or complete replacement. I'm not sure which T diagram they are representing as the wagon details seem to be a mix of the shorter 10T and 14T. Not seen any around for a while but they were going at silly price a while ago, especially for essentially a long wheel base 2 planker.

Broke my large flat one. Have to wait for Christmas now 😜

love em

Falcon signal wagons finishing off (finally). Spent a while looking for pictures of the wagon realised it's not 100% accurate so just went for it with the livery. One inaccurate wagon 3 different faces. I even decided to re-arrange some brake gear to suit a picture in the Tourret bible. Just need a little touch up and white for the levers. Rather than wasting the cut off brake gear I doubled this up on the other side in an attempt to make it a little more robust. The V hanger was re-holed and soldered but the rest I just super glued as already painted didn't want to mess the mess' up further.

This is one of the Falcon kits I really enjoyed build and seemingly a decent representation as well! Sometimes I regretting selling some models but at least I have a reserve to build, hopefully as nicely.

Totally agree on both points.

Bagged, nice work guys and thanks for the excellent builds. Wish I had those skills.

I wonder if @railtec-models will be running these as part of his vast selection?

Sadly not really and second best will never really cut it. I need to retreat and evaluate what I can potentially salvage. If not then I have a lot of R-T-R, built kit and unbuilt kits to dispose of! For the time being though I am most certainly enjoying (as always) your research and historical presentations as well as the fine modelling on display, thank you.

This, as always, is fantastic. Seems I will not have my modelling room after all so looking forward to feet up watching the master instead.

Not guilty

Very nice, as yes after painting generally the holes are masked as with Cooper Craft replacement wires I used but a little filler never hurts just to make sure. Certainly better and stronger than gluing direct to the side.

Thank you and yes the single bolster kit as made up is not accurate and is a closure match to 1 plank opens or match trucks. I think the twin mites would have been a better solution to the two kits but sadly I did not research prior to building as I foolishly defaulted to the kit manufacturer having it correct, oops. @kitpw wish I had discovered this before and bashed the two kits to a pair of Mites. Thanks guys for your expert knowledge and input, very much appreciated.

After trying to find pictures of Single Bolster Wagons it appears the falcon Brassworks kit description is incorrect and should be either Match Truck or 1 Plank Open. The bolster wagons appeared to have either no sides or a very thin lip to accommodate the bolster. Very happy to be corrected but these are to go to one side for now, well may make a start on painting the inner planking for now.

Very, 40 tons. not many made and used on the network as 20 ton steel minerals were preferred, so I understand. Yes it is a beast.

An attempt at an N15 Bogie Loco Coal wagon in heavily used condition. Another lovely kit from Cambrian Models, lovely rivet details and crisp parts with little flash and it went together very nicely. Special thanks to @Penrhos1920 and @Darwinian as the N17 thread enabled me to complete the numbering as seemingly this is the only GWR wagon not to use standard number sizing and to weather the inside of the wagon to such a point I am very tempted not to include the coal load. I had previously concluded the load would be made permanent but have serious doubts now, in fact a complete reversal. Livery finished in GWR fright grey and weathered using Deluxe Scenic Rust (the exterior did not work as well as the interior but picked up with dry brushing which also removed the horrible tacky effect left by the rust product the wet looking areas), Citadel Nuln Oil wash, drybrush Ammo Mig Shadow/rust #0043 and Ammo Mig pigment powders; Medium Rust #3005, Black #3001 and Europe earth #3004. The powders appear to be greatly lost once a coat of lacquer is applied to fix and protect everything. First pictures are prior to lacquering; After lacquer applied; Load added; I have tried to make a comparison picture, before and after lacquering. Left is before and right is after; Doesn't really show the difference the naked eye picks up, never mind happy the either result.