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westernviscount

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  1. westernviscount
    So i have come to realise i have a growing obsession with parcels vehicles. 
    I have also been stretching my kit building muscles recently so thought i would combine the two and build the ratio kit of tge SR bogie B. 
     
    Here it is in it's unboxed state. 
     
    I have also just poured a wheat beer so progress of any kind is not guaranteed this evening. 
     
    Happy modelling for now.  
     
  2. westernviscount
    Hi Folks. I thought I would share the results of some recent weathering I did on some kit built vans. The vans have mostly sat around since completion to ex-works condition. I see myself as an all round modeller however the flurry of activity at the beginning stages of a kit and the plodding, drawn out approach I have towards the end stages shows where my enthusiasm mostly lies. In short I love building a kit, kind of enjoy painting it  and often dread weathering. 
     
    Part of the dread of weathering may be in *that I feel I have all the requisite skill, space and tools I need to knock together a kit but I lose confidence in my skill levels when it comes to weathering and lack what I see as essential tools. Weathering is of course an area that demands confidence. Also, I demand that a job is done correctly and without an airbrush I have convinced myself I will not be satisfied with the end result and be confident the end result will remain as i intended after handling the model! 
     
    But, I think I have made peace with the fact I will not own and be able to use an airbrush for a number of years but am not willing to have pristine models ruin the effect I am aiming for. So, the models below are completed as you can tell without an airbrush, instead I use Humbrol smoke pigment, a couple of rust and brakedust pigments by carr's and humbrol decalfix. Also a white pencil for handwritten legends. 

     
    Prior to beginning, these vans have had a coat of humbrol acrylic matt spray from a rattle can. I use this to eliminate the high gloss varnish I hand brushed on prior to the decals going on.
     
    I start by having a small amount of decalfix on one side of a dish and smoke pigment on the other. I pick up a decent amount of the decalfix and mix in a little pigment. The solution is used as an enamel wash would be used and behaves in a similar way, running into grooves and around raised detail. more pigment is added to create a darker tone in corners particularly top corners and around the bottom of the van sides. 
     

     
    The metal corner plates of the van is treated with a tiny amount of decalfix and a clump of rust pigment. The clumps allow for the appearance of thinker rust patches. 

     
    I experimented with doing the hand written shunters messages before the weathering process but the decalfix removed most of it. Of course old messages would be removed by hand or through weathering so no great loss!

     
    A word of caution about the process. The decalfix runs neatly and evenly around matt surfaces but pools and is repelled by gloss surfaces such as ready to run models and high gloss models. This is evident in the the white vertical bands on the shocvan which show areas of pooling. The beauty of decalfix and pigment weathering is that although drying and sealing the weathering, water will reactivate it! 

     
    The underframe is dealt with by applying a brake dust pigment and decalfix solution like a wash. Then areas of build up are treated separately and rust pigment dusted over where appropriate. The dusting will hopefully be sealed by the still wet decalfix but if not, the wagon will usually be handled by the body only so noy a problem really. I think what helps this technique is that I paint the underframes in dark grey as opposed to black. I mix humbrol 32 and 33 to make a very dark grey usually, but in the case of the fruit van I think I used pure humbrol 32 dark grey. 
     
    Another note of caution would be that as a positive, the decalfix does its proper job of reducing silvering of the transfers even further BUT unless they have been sealed prior to this process they may become lose and move. Each of the wagons featured are sprayed with humbrol acrylic matt varnish from a rattle can BEFORE the process. Further protection could be added by a further coat of varnish but the effect may be deadened slightly. 
     
    Its worth saying I heard of this technique from the wonderful humbrol how to vids on youtube. The guy is a scalemodeller and goes by the handle "scalemodel medic". 
     
    One last warning, as I said weathering requires confidence so perhaps practise on a less valuable item first if you so wish to try this technique. 
     
    Happy Modelling folks. 
  3. westernviscount

    Conflat Confab

    By westernviscount,


    Kitbuilding and weathering
    Hi folks,
     
    Have been self isolating yet again so stole some "working from home" time to get nearer to completion a project that has been hanging around for quite a while. 
     
    I bought an old Bachmann conflat wagon with A-type container over a year ago from an exhibition. I had ummed and ahhed about either buying a Bachmann one, which I knew had a detailed container but less refined wagon OR a parkside kit and cambrian container kit plus transfers. 
     
    I went with the Bachmann one for cost reasons but was dissatisfied with the conflat (as I knew I would be) so used a parkside kit thus costing more in the end!

    The issue with the old Bachmann conflat was the moulded brake handle which merges into the chassis. So here is the Bachmann container on top of the parkside conflat. I added lanarkshire vac pipes and coupling hooks. 
     

    The shackles were made up from roxey brass hooks and tensioners and slaters chain. I have done this once before with another container and I must admit I did not enjoy it but I feel they are essential. 
     
    The wood floor of the wagon is dry brush affair, painting the floor black then dry brushing wood colours enamel paints and dark grey. A further dry brushing of gunmetal finishes off the effect. It's the Martyn Welch technique. 
     

     The container is virtually as is. I wash decalfix and humbrol smoke pigment into the details. Rust and brake dust pigment is brushed on and "cleaned" away with a cotton bud. The wagon is treated the same way with brushing of powders. 
     
    It's a small project that had previously stalled but I am happy with the outcome.
     
    Don't tell the boss!!
  4. westernviscount
    Here are some pictures of a spontaneous modelling decision i took recently. 
     
    I am sure i have seen this done here and before i knew it i was tearing off the door and bashing some new ones. 
     
    The doors have a huge gap at the top and oversized hinges to enable an opening action. The roof is also too thick...oh and the decals don't look right to me. 
     

     
    Due to slightly heavy handedness the kit doors were broken to new ones fashioned from plastikard. 
     
    .3mm wire and fuse wire were used to create the locking mechanism. 

     A new roof was made from .3mm plastikard with thin strips cut from the same material for the rainstrips. 

    I also dabbled in a bit of Martin Welch inspired roof degradation. Happy but haven't quite got the great man's finesse!
     
    Decals and further weathering to follow. 
     
    Cheers for now.
     
  5. westernviscount
    I have struggled to find detailing kits for my DMU stock for some time. I had underestimated how hard it would be to make simple updates to affordable models (those were teh days it seems).  I recall using Howes bufferbeam details to upgrade my Lima locos as a teenager back in the 90s. Anyway, it seems craftsman kits and the like are well out of business and being unable to find Heljan sprues from the DPU 128  model i set about making my own.
     
     
     
    I used .8 and .5mm brass wire for the vac pipes etc. The jumper cables were fuse wire as it is more malleable, easier to create the hanging look. The sockets and plugs are made from plastikard rod. 

    Here i used Lanarkshire vac pipes and Smiths screw link coupling. 

    I am pleased with the overall effect but mourn the passing of the days when upgrading seemed so much easier!! 
     
    cheers for now.
     
     
  6. westernviscount
    As described in my previous blog post i have been improving (attempting to) a Dapol meat van kit i previously built as per the instructions. This involved scratch building some new doors. 
     
    The original paint job was phoenix bauxite weathered with powders and decalfix wash. This appeared too dark and was not helped by the oversized decals supplied in the kit. 
     
    I didn't bother stripping the paint, simply scraping away the decals and a layer of halfords grey primer over the top. 
     
    Next, as used by @46444 i painted a layer of tamiya nato brown over the top. Decals from modelmaster were cobbled to make a representation of a sixties livery (no they are no strictly right for this vehicle but are all in the correct position)
     
    Next, i washed over an enamel black diluted in white spirit. I recalled white spirit and acrylic paint are not good bedfellows. 
     
    The wash dried and was then rubbed away with a white spirit soaked cotton bud. This begins to remove the paint also. 
     
    Next, a cocktail stick was used to scratch away some of the paint. 

     
    This stage was sprayed with a matt varnish as it was quite glossy. 
     
    Next I will use powders on the under frame and some rust effects on the corner bracings.
     
    Cheers for now. 
     
    Dave
     
     
  7. westernviscount
    Evening folks, 
     
    Here are the concluding stages of some painting and weathering I have been working on. Again, as with my quick and dirty weathering blogs, I do not own an airbrush and have endeavoured to produce something comparable to the results one can get with an airbrush (but acknowledging the superiority of the airbrush). 

    Here is the wagon painted using different tones and modelmaster decals added. I use decalfix by humbrol to silvering as I didn't want to gloss varnish the vehicle as I felt the subtlety of some of the planks would be lost glossing then matting. 

    Next, the wagon is treated with decalfix and weathering powders, flowed around the raised detail. 

    This is the shock open I have also been treating. certain planks were dry brushed with humbrol stone to suggest worn paint and the grain of the wood. 

     
    The metal work on the end of the wagon are treated with heavier amounts of powders to suggest the flaking, rusty metal work. These are dabbed onto wet decalfix and built up using humbrol smoke powder and Carr's rust colours. The underframe is lightly treated with brake dust colour powders. 
     
    The top plank on the wagon was done by dry brushing onto wet tacky paint to maintain the brushstrokes to give the appearance of the grain of bare wood. 
     
    This has been an enjoyable little project.
  8. westernviscount

    Filthy 47

    By westernviscount,

    For a layout set in 1970, Templefield has been sadly lacking my favourite locomotive; the ubiquitous class 47. The hole in my loco stable was recently filled by a Bachmann 47 in the perfect livery for the era, and one that suits these locos superbly, two tone green with full yellow ends. 

    Lovely as it is, there is no way the livery would have been as immaculate as the factory finish and so, some gratuitous "filthying" needed to happen. 
     
    The loco was dismantled, windows removed, metal handrails removed and headcode masked. 
     

     
    The body and underframe was hit with humbrol acrylic matt spray. This is to create a "tooth" for the weathering powders to adhere to. 

    Powders are lightly brushed onto the body with a fine brush areas according to photographs of the class at this time period. The roof was completely covered with humbrol smoke, obliterating the green. 
     
    The whole lot is fixed with a mist of matt spray but great caution is required. Never spray in the cold!!!!
     
  9. westernviscount
    Below are some of the improvements I have attempted on the Lima LMS GUV/CCT. The coach was a chance find item in a chance find model shop on a day trip to Gravesend. 
     
    The model was in "as new" condition before an inital brake fluid bath to remove the paint. The fluid did not manage to shift everything but as I intended to file and sand away alot of tge beading detail I felt removol of the lettering and numbers would be enough. 
     
    Detail was scraped away with a brand new chisel blade. Preaching to the converted I know, but a sharp chisel blade must be used for good results but more importantly to avoid injury!
     
    I removed alot of the beading to match a vehicle photograph by Paul Bartlett in 1968 https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/lmsparcels/h157ec466
     
    Additional beading was added to match the photo. 

     
     
    All the chisselling and sanded was made harder by detail I wanted to keep like hinges and doors bumpers. I decided to just go for it and replace later with door furniture made of comet brass hinges I had in the stores, brass .45 wire for door bumpers and .33 wire for hand grabs and handles. 
     
    Lanarkshire buffers, hooks and torpedo vents were also added. At this stage the the chasis was untouched and I looked around for ideas on how this could be improved. 

     
    I came across a thread by @brossardabout the upgrade of this coach and decided to essentially copy his method. The most obvious fault with the lima model are the bogies, using BR1 type bogies, not the LMS 9ft bogies.
     
    Bogies are in the process of being built and I have opted for the comet welded type as there is a picture of a vehicle fromt he same lot as mine with the welded type.   
     
    I have never scratchbuilt anything in brass so decided to tool up with a piercing saw and .41mm brass sheet to build the truss work underneath. The reason for the amount of work is that the battery box side is a little crude and the trussing is more exposed on the real thing. LMS v hangers, dynamo, vac cylinders, lighting regulator and battery box were used from the comet range. 

     

     

     
    I mounted the vac cyinders so they hang too low but at this stage I felt the butchery required to correct them would be too much. The truss work is cut with a piercing saw and made use, like @brossard of the tatlow book on NPCS vehicles. 

     
    The side trusses were made with 1mm brass L angle and .41mm brass sheet cut witht he saw. 
     

     
    I hope so far that this account shows how modellers influence and inspire the work of others. I have done nothing original here but have enjoyed my first efforts using brass to scratch build with. 
     
    I hope to get further along with the project this weekend! 
  10. westernviscount

    Autocoach tinkering

    By westernviscount,


    Rtr improvement
    I have been working on a couple of Autos for Caia Road. This has included a comet BR(w) auto, an uplifted airfix and a Bachmann example. 

    I have been doing a bit of weathering and have given the airfix one a spray of muck. The roof remains loose as I need to finish some details inside. 
    The sides were kept relatively clean on the airfix coach

    I made a bit of a mess (not in the intended way) of the Bachmann example but have tried to correct this. I have gone quite heavy but don't have pictures as yet. 
  11. westernviscount
    I am of the habit to start a project enthusiastically and then to gradually abandon half completed projects. 
    This time I am determined to complete and have powered on to complete the construction side of things...
    The side pipe was attached (on the wrong side initially as is the custom) and handle attached to the hatches. The catwalk located holes were filled ready for a scratchbuilt replacement. 

    The side pipe is .8mm brass rod. It is linked to the gauge using fuse wire. Barely visable but fun all the same. 
     
    I was unsure of the look of the catwalk as I have no clear pictures of the roof of the prototype. So I went for a best guess based on photos I do jave  the original kit parts and the Ellis Clarke O gauge model. 

    It is built up using styrene. Fiddly, but worth it. 


  12. westernviscount
    Hi All, 
     
    As i continue to be on a very infrequent work rota i have checked off quite of few of those not so glamorous jobs i have been meaning to do for...well years really. One of my lock down foci have been a coupe of my kit-built brake vans. One of these was the very first kit i built on my "pre-return" to the hobby. i say pre-return as i had no layout, no prospect of a layout and to be honest i didn't really get back into the hobby for a further 6 or so years after i built it. 
     
    Anyway, it was looking quite tatty so i took the chance to do a slight make over of this and a couple of other kits. 
     

     
    So here it is prior to a spruce up. The paint has chipped away as this vehicle sees a lot of work on the layout. It has also been battered about in storage no doubt and in my naivety, i don't recall priming the kit before painting and i also think i used acrylic paint. 
     

     
    I kept the lamp irons as per the moulding which are quite bulky. I didn't glaze the windows either. 
     

     
    One of the brackets had broken and the roof appears quite thick. Also, i now realise the roof mouldings is a mirror image of the real thing. soooo....
     

     
    A new roof was made from 0.3mm styrene, styrene strips for rain strips and plastic rod for the chimney. vents are the torpedo type by no-nonsense kits (phoenix). Lamp brackets were cut as one piece from styrene which i know makes them vulnerable but i didn't have any brass ones in the box! Glazing is fitted to the windows using clear plastic from packaging. The underframe was painted humbrol 32 dark grey and weathered with carr's weathering powders. I also replaced the spratt and winkle dropper, previously a staple with 2 three links, the bottom one a magnetic one. 
     
    Similar work was done to my unfitted version...

     
    A later project, a bit more prototypical, is my LNER standard brake van kit bash from the kitmaster kit. I have previously made a scratch roof but it was too small so that was replaced also. This vehicle has some more detailed underframe parts in the form of styrene footboards, styrene strengthening braces, and the end weights have been removed. This vehicle still requires weathering and new lamp irons. 

     
    In addition to these "keeping out of trouble" projects, i have also painted and placed a modelu guard in the veranda of my recent Dapol LMS brakevan face lift. i shy away from figures on the layout but i think this one does bring some life to the model. 

     
    Hope you are all safe and well and making the most of these strangest of times. 
     
    Cheers
    Dave
  13. westernviscount
    Part 2 of my kit bash of an LNER 20t Brake Van. So far the main structure has been built, foot-boards scratch-built and some hand rails fitted. 

     
    Next, a feature quite apparent in it's absence from the kit is the underframe truss assembly. This is more apparent with my finer floor boards allowing more of the underneath to be seen. 

     
    This was built up from 1mm L shaped strip by plastruct. The job is made simpler by placing a small piece of glass over a drawing of the girder to scale. Glass is used as it is none reactive to the plastic weld. 

     
    Along the solebar, a set of triangular supports are put in place. These are represented on the original kit with a slight raised ridge. This was carved away at an earlier stage. The outer two supports are strips of plastikard laid at an angle. 
     
     
     
  14. westernviscount
    This is a follow up thread to my original post on the construction of a Ratio Bogie 'B' van. The original can be found here:
     After a brief hiatus in modelling activity I have returned to this project. We left off with me having solved the ride height problem. Next came the fiddly etches. 
     
     

    There are separate etches for every door hinge. The added value they bring is not that obvious and a moulding integral to the side would have probably given superior results. However the etches do add the satisfaction value when they are completed. 

     
    Other etches for the chalkboards are also included. I use superglue to attach all of these items these items. 
     

     
    I place a small puddle of glue from which I can pick up a tiny drop on a cocktail stick to apply to the etch or the surface onto which the etch will be placed. 
     
    Sadly, I neglected to photograph the next steps. These included handles for the doors and grab rails for the guard's doors and the ends of the vehicle. 
     

     
    The above picture shows the remaining etches. the the grab rails at the ends are folded to shape an two holes drilled to secure in place. What I think is the buiders plate and the lamp irons were next. The doors have locking handles, small grab handles and T  handles. 
     
    A lesson on egg sucking here; NEVER work with small etches in a room with deep pile carpet!! I lost one of the door hinges which remains in the mythical land all lost items seem to go to. 
     
    Only one side of the vehicle has T handles as frankly they drove me to distraction and the enjoyment levels fell away entirely. I was also still a bit sulky about the missing door hinge and just couldn't focus! A replacement using plastikard was added, with weathering planned to obscure the fact it has no rivets.  
     

     
    Now onto painting. Initially I planned to have a very heavily weathered BR)SR) green livery. However, I decided the vehicle, although plausibly being still in green livery in 1970, would look  little out of place. I also already had Rail blue paint!!
     


    Every picture I can find of the real thing are of heavily weathered vehicles  of which the livery is unclear. So I must confess I am using the Graham farish N guage model as my livery reference. The body and solebar is sprayed using Railmatch BR Blue including the buffer shanks. The roof is Railmatch roof blue/grey. The underframes, vac and air pipes, and buffer heads are hand painted using thinned Humbrol black 33. 
     
    I am now waiting on a delivery of Window bar etches from Roxey Mouldings to place behind the glazing (yet to do). Transfers will follow. 
     
  15. westernviscount
    I haven't used the blog section for a while and thought I would show what I have been up to this weekend. 
     
    I enjoy kitbuilding rolling stock, particularly wagons. Here are a few "improvements" I have made to the Dapol/airfix/kitmaster presflo wagon...

    A few changes include...
    Drilling out the sole bar mounted end steps as they are solid on the model but open on the prototype. 
    Some additional brake rigging detail An object which looks like a tie bar. 
    Lanarkshire.M.S. buffers, vac pipes and eventually hooks. 
    Filled holes in the sides which are for locating the user branding...not required as I am finishing to original condition. 

    A replacement ladder which uses .3mm styrene and .45mm brass rod. 
    The same brass rod is used for the handrails at the top of the steps. 

    A couple of grab handles to be added and pipes from the roof to the underframe will be the next jobs along with the catwalk on the roof. 
     
    A loovely kit with plenty of history. The old airfix branding is still partly in place...
    May these kits live forever...which is the kiss of death I suppose. 
  16. westernviscount

    Ratio Toad kit

    By westernviscount,


    Kit building improvements
    Before moving northward I picked up a bargain couple of kits from John Dutfield in Chelmsford. The subject of this blog is the Ratio toad kit bought for £3. 
     
    It is showing its age and 'requires' some uplifting procedures. I was inspired by Geoff Kent's upgrade of this kit in his 3rd book on the 4mm wagon. 

    The kit has a nice shape to it but the handrails along the body side aare moulded and are fairly thick. Again, this is a matter for taste and their is little value in critiquing what I assume is a 40 odd year old kit. 
    As ever, all handrails are scraped away using the scalpel. 

    I am not very knowledgable about diagrams etc etc but Geoff points us in the right direction to what needs changing. 
    The vertical L section on the sides of the cabin stop short for the type of vehicle being modelled. It is not a fault of the kit. These were extended with pladtikard. 
    The end windows have sloping upper and lower cills so were scraped away and replaced with shaped plastikard. 
    The footboard brackets are replaced with .8mm brass rod at the ends and .5mm brass for the central bits. On closer inspection of the prototype I think these might be made for L section. 

    The new handrails are made from .45mm rod mounted on L section brackets made from brass section. 
    The L section is drilled with a .5mm bit and the protusion length marked with pen. Then I fettled the piece to be mounted into the body with a mini cutting disc. 

    The veranda doors or gates are not right and to model them open you need to build your own. This was made from .5mm plastikard cut into the frame shape of rectangle with diagonal brace (see the door on the far siee above) this was laminated with plastikard scribed with planks and .33mm wire used for the handrail. A new step was also built from plastikard. 
    Inside the veranda a new brake handle, sander lever and bench were made. 

     

    Underneath, sanding pipes were made from .8mm and .45mm rod. Brake gear was partially represented in .45mm rod and staples shaped to form the safety loops. 
    Lanarkshire buffers finish things off nicely as usual and brass tube chimney re-sited on the roof. 
    This will be painted unfitted grey and will join the Caia Road roster. 
     
    Cheers for now. 
    David
  17. westernviscount

    Braking With Convention

    By westernviscount,


    Wagon Building
    I have posted bits and bobs of this project elsewhere but it has been a while since I have blogged anything and I wanted record the progress with a "lockdown" project.
     
    Back in January I was given two Dapol LMS brake vans by my Dad. They were missing bits but he thought I might want to do something with them. 

     
    Both were missing roofs and one missing an inner door panel. The plan was to revive at least one which I did, replacing handrails and scratch building a roof.
     
    The second van sat in a draw for much of the year but I felt it could be revived. I decided to have a go at an LMS Stanier reverse version. This came after reading a blogpost by @46444 where after improving the new Hornby LMS Brake, he mentioned the potential for making a stanier reverse. 
     
    This would require some more heavy duty work involving the removal of the rail moulding below the roof line and the "swapping" of the the veranda sides. 
     

    The verand sides were carefully cut out with a scalpel as I wanted to use them in the opposing corners. 

    Here is one side tacked in place. 

    New ends where scratched up from styrene with individual planks laminated on top. 

    Thanks to the knowledge of folk on RMWEB i realised the duckets for the later version are too big so new ones were scratched from styrene. 
     
    Also scratch built is the cabin door panel. Rivets were added and handrails made from .33mm wire. Lamp irons were made from the rungs of an MSE ladder I had spare!

     
    Due to the fact I cannot seem to orientate some of the pictures I shall skip to near completion.
     
    The footboards needed rearranging to match the new positions of the veranda openings. The barackets were carved away and new ones made fro styrene. Part of the sole bar braces needed to be scraped away also. 
     
     
    A roof was made from styrene and a stove pipe made from brass tube. Small brackets above teh veranda openings are added as per the prototype. Transfers are a mixture of modelmaster and railtec, the latter being superb!
     
    End details are added from Lanarkshire Model Supplies icluding buffers, coupling hooks and vac pipes.The veranda were glazed using Humbrol Clearfix. 
     
    Here is a comparison between the two vehicles. Painting involved the priming of the entire vehicle with halfords red primer then humbrol enamel browns and reds. Left to dry, a coat of tamiya Nato brown is painted over the top, left to touch dry then soaked in enamel thinners and wiped with a cotton bud. 
     

     
    Here we see the comparison between the ducket sizes between old and newer vehicles. 

     
    So here is a final Before and after comparison...

     
    Weathering to follow!
     
     
     
     
  18. westernviscount

    Ratio Toad 2

    By westernviscount,


    Kitbuilding and finishinh
    I recently finished the ratio Toad kit. 
     

    The whole thing was sprayed halfords white primer then humbrol 64 light grey. The solebar and below are revell matt black and handrails etc painted white. 

    I wanted to have the van allocated to Croesnewydd although I have no photos of a BR era van with this legend. The areas for black were masked and sprayed. 

    As @Mikkel suggested I used an HMRS sheet to construct the croesnewydd but only had the general wagon sheet so the Y was cut from HYBAR!

    I weathered with a black enamel was and sprayed the solebar and beneath with a mix of revell black and brown. 

     

     
    Lamps and spratt and winkles to follow. 
     
  19. westernviscount
    I have tonight ckmpleted decals on the Presflo kit. The wagon was primed with Halfords red oxide and then I droped the whole thing on the floor. Some detail was losr and a couple of cracks needed to be sorted. The project was very close to being binned! 
    But....
    I persisted and I am rather happy with the decals. The colour is mixed from Mr Hobby brownds which I have never used before and , although not righyt provide a base for an interesting weathering project. 

    I need to pock some bits out in white but am ready to call it finished and will park it on the "to be heavily weathered'road. 

  20. westernviscount

    Lima LMS GUV/CCT reboot part 3

    By westernviscount,


    Modifying rtr
    This project is reaching it's conclusio  and I am pleased with the results. 
     
    I opted for hand painting the body which was achieved using 5 thin coats of Phoenix Precision BR Blue. The Roof was painted humbrol 166 light grey. I failed to spot the cantrail and roof ends are painted br blue so I am currently applying coats in the correct places. 
     
    Transfers are modelmaster, the numbers being applied individually. 
     
    The body was sprayed halfords matt laquer which I impatientpy sprayed on a cold afternoo  after work which did not leave the best finish. There was also a bit of froating on the underframe from humbrol matt spray, again applied in poor conditions. 
     
    Weathering is carr's powders applied by brush and fixed with a vigourous but short shake of a humbrol matt spray varnish. Anymore and the colours become muted. 
     

     

     
    5 amp fuse wire was used to model the safety bars on the windows. Couplings are roxey etched screw links which will be manually coupled and uncoupled. 
     
    Finally, the roof will be completed with light weathering and completion of the blue painting. A spot of white on the brake wheel should draw an end to this most enjoyable project. 
     
    Lima BR GUV and Lima BR CCT next I think. 
  21. westernviscount
    Evening folks,
     
    Completed a couple of Parkside opens recently and took a few pictures of the painting process. 
     
    It has involved a few techniques i have read about and a bit of experimentation. 

     
    The wagon is primed using halfords grey Matt spray, the body brush painted with phoenix precision pre 1964 bauxite, thinned right down. 

    I paint the underframes humrol dark grey 34. 

    I used humbrol stone colour, humbrol light grey and humbrol black to pick out the bare wood planks and a mix of different humbrol browns and reds to vary the plank colours suggesting fading. 
     
    The bare plank mix is dry brushed (more like scrubbed) over some of the planks to suggest flaking paint and ware. 
     
     
  22. westernviscount

    LMS Stanier Reverse Brake Van

    By westernviscount,


    Modifying
    I have a more detailed thread of this over at the modifying RTR forum but thought I would share a brief account of what I am up to. 

    I resurrected an old Dapol LMS van earlier this year and had one which was a bit rougher left over. So, I thought I would have a go at a more in-depth conversion. 

    I intend to create a reverse stanier van by making a few changes. 

    I have cut out the panels on the verandas and intend to fix them in reverse on the opposing sides. 

    The brief start has I think begun to capture the required look. Here the right hand end has been modified and the left remains original. Some more drastic cutting and scratch building will be required to make a complete upgrade. 
     
    This is what I am aiming towards...
    https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/lmsbrakevan/h3be33a94
  23. westernviscount
    A return to an old favourite here. The Dapol kitmaster 20t Brakevan is a firm favourite of mine and is a kit I return to often. It is a good datum for measuring my progress as a modeller as it is the first kit I built upon returning to the hobby and since then I have built a few different representations. It remains one of the best representations of a 20t brake van and at just 5 quid is an absolute bargain. This time round I wanted to make a bigger change to the kit and attempt to represent the earlier LNER brake van upon which the BR version is based. 
     

    This is not a review but it is worth noting the amount of flash on this kit. It is is also worth noting that this is absolutely no consequence to the end product. A sharp knife and fine sanding blog with sort this right out. 
     
     

    This picture is from a different build (same kit) and shows an essential tool for removing raised detail. Handrails will be replaced and it is best to remove them before the kit is constructed. 
     

    The kit is built in the usual way but the floor ends are removed as the LNER brake van did not have the concrete weights which are represented in the kit. The handrails have been scraped away.

    A thin piece of plastikard is used for the end floor replacement. Grab rails which are present on the BR version are not required.
     

     
    The Footboards are shorter on the LNER version. It would be acceptable to cut down the kit steps but instead I decided to scratch build for a slightly finer finish. 

    A thin plastikard strip is added to tidy up the bottom of the veranda.  I have also added  the plate above the lookout ducket which was not present on all examples and I assume was a later addition to perhaps ease corrosion as I would say this was an area where water would run off the rain strips onto.  Holes have also been drilled to receive the .5mm brass wire handrail. 
     

     
    Handrails have been added to this side of the vehicle. for the first time I have also put the handrail brackets on the horizontal grab rail.
     
    NEXT: Solebar strengthening triangles will be added, Underframe detail scratchbuilt and  a roof fabricated (the Dapol one is a bit thick and is a mirror image of the prototype with the vents being in the opposite position to reality. Bed Now though!
     
    Nos da. 
     
     

  24. westernviscount
    Hi folks,
     
    I am nearing the completion of a little project I have been working on. This is a Dapol BR 20t brake van I have tweaked and finished as an air piped example from the 1970's.
     
    The kit is a real favourite as it is very simple to build, captures the essence of the prototype and is very very cheap!!! Tweaks include the removal of handrail mouldings and replacement with brass wire, a scratch built roof, new inner doors, removal and replacement of lamp irons and addition of air brake pipes on the side of the vehicle.
     
    There was an article about the revamping of this kit in one of the big model railway mags I believe which was quite a coincidence. I didn't happen to get a copy but I believe the updates went some way beyond my efforts.
     
    Here are the results so far...
     

     

     

     
    Next time I would consider replacing the footboards with something finer. I believe there is a kit but I will refer you back to one the main reasons I love this kit...cheapness!!
     
    Impatience led to me skipping ahead without adding coupling hooks (as I have run out) so this is one of the last jobs before adding sprat and winkles.
     
    Enjoy the rest of your evening all.
  25. westernviscount
    Hi Folks, 
     
    I've completed another wagon using the decalfix + powders weathering technique. This time around I have gone for a heavier finish. 

     
    The wagon is a parkside 13t Steel Open wagon kit. As before, the wagon is completed to ex-works condition, applying decals by modelmaster. With this wagon, I left it with the gloss varnish finish I applied for the decals to adhere to and attempted to apply the decalfix +powders mix. The solution pooled up and left a powdery residue upon drying which didn't look good at all. So, always work on a matt surface with the decalfix+powders. 
     

     
    So, after spraying the wagon matt varnish I applied decalfix + humbrol smoke weathering powder. The solution is applied all over the body, adding more smoke powder around the raised details. The blackness of the smoke powder naturally build up in random areas and can be made heavier by adding more powder as per the right hand end of the wagon here. 
     

     
    As with most weathering, lighting can change the effects quite drastically. With that in mind, it is worth weathering under the same type of light conditions as your layout is under or checking the look of the vehicle periodically. 
     
    Whilst the decalfix + smoke mix is drying, rust powders are worked over the top, thicker this time so they build up in areas to build up a rust texture as caught here on the right hand end. Again, lighting is everything and I have to say the effect isn't quite as pronounced by eye as it is here. 
     

     
    As before, the underframes were painted dark grey originally then worked over with a decalfix + brake dust mix. areas of fresh rust are dusted further with powder.
     
    This time round I elected to matta varnish the vehicle to dull the sheen of the decalfix which was more apparent on this wagon van the planked van I did previously. Matt varnish spray should be used in thin powder coats as the heavier you go, the more the powders will be dulled. You may wish to dust your vehicle first (note the top lip of the wagon). 
     

     
    Although blurry, note how the texture looks different from this angle and looks a little "dusty" for my liking. The inside planking was done using a technique described in Martyn Welch's the Art of weathering.
     

     
    A palette was prepared of humbrol 121, 64 and gunmetal. The 121 and 64 are stippled onto the planks, not mixing the colours entirely to make an uneven finish. whilst still wet/tacky the gunmetal is drybrushed on to create a weather worn unpainted plank effect. 
     
    I often become impatient and over do certain bits or don't follow instructions. Sometimes, I use the varnish spray in poor conditions (too cold) and over spray also. This leaves a frosty white finish which van ruin your model but in some instances can help create a faded effect like the top of the far side of the wagon. This also helped with the below example. 
     

     
    Again, I am pleased with the results of my recent flurry of modelling which usually comes of a good holiday! Again, if you do try theses techniques, do so on something non-precious!!!
     

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