mabel

Does anyone have a Hornby 4VEP in nse livery that they would like to part with? no crazy prices though Thanks

Or this.....

These are just the kind of thing I’m after. Many thanks.

Thanks for all the replies chaps. Plenty of info there. Thanks to ChrisH for the detail info. John, I tracked down a copy of the NSE handbook at Baterdale books for a bargain price of £2.95. Merry Christmas everyone. Santa will be here soon

Ian, after a 3 year survey of our neighbours (and Mayor), they are more worried that we will voluntarily leave...... taking our British £ with us. I’m sure once the political dust settles, everything will be just fine. I hope so anyway!! Tony

Hi Ian. How’s tricks? We really must catch up next time we are over there... Tony

I am looking for pictures of large NSE station frontages from around 1990 ish if anyone can help please? I have trawled the net and come up with very little (see below) I am specifically looking for details such as ugly 1980’s extensions (a bit like Basingstoke for example), window frame design, privacy blockers in ground floor windows etc etc. This is for a build I am about to start of the Vollmer kit of Baden-Baden Station. Slough Station shares a similar design so it should make Anglicising the kit fairly straight forward. Thanks in advance. Tony

Once again, many thanks chaps. As always, a mine of information! Tony

Many thanks for the informative replies chaps Tony

Found on a YouTube video, a train of cartics and 10 ferry vans heading through Reading station in September 1990. Can anyone tell me what the traffic is and are these vans the same as Hornby VIX van? pictures are ‘borrowed’ stills from the video. Train appears at around 6 mins 20.

Andy, Humbrol is water based acrylic and Tamiya is solvent based acrylic. I could bore you for hours on what manufacturers paint & thinners does or doesnt work with other manufacturers...... T

GWR coach brown I use 70.822 German Cam black brown in the Panzer series. I havent used cream as I only painted a siphon.Hope that helps T

Rich, One of the 6 or so RAL colours the Royal Mail use is RAL3000. Vallejo model color equates to 70947 Red (or dark vermillion on some labels). I also use it for red stripe on original Rfd locos. I don't always use a primer with Vallejo, but the various reds get better depth, especially if you use black. Warning panel yellow (pre '98) also has a number of RAL numbers that meet RSSB standards: RAL1003 - Vallejo Model AIR 71.135 I.J.A chrome yellow. Looks like the deeper yellow of early Rfd loco's RAL 1004 - not available from Vallejo RAL 1018 - Vallejo Model Color 70.952 Lemon Yellow. to my eyes it is plain wrong. Ideal for American CNW though! RAL 1021 - No Vallejo match RAL 1023 - Vallejo Model Color 70.975 Deep Yellow. Great for banger blue loco's... I will cover Rfd greys when I next have half an hour spare. If you are new to spraying Vallejo, you will find that sealing each colour with their varnish saves masking tape peeling your paint off. Look out for their latest polyurethane varnish as it is way better than the old stuff. In over 30 years of spray painting, it is the best paint I have used. I have a couple of Rfd 47s waiting paint. These will be the guinea pigs for pre '98 warning panel yellow, and railfreight grey. I will post my findings back here once I find the time to paint them! Go to the Vallejo website and print off the colour conversion catalogue. Very in depth, cross matches Tamiya, Humbrol, Gunze, Games Workshop, RAL and BS colours. Handy to keep in the reference library. Cheers Tony

A generic enamel thinner is easily bought in bulk too. £15 for 5 litres inc p&p on ebay at mo. Cellulose thinners is similar price. That is a heck of a saving over the grossly overpriced small bottles retailed by the big names, and will last you forever.....almost! Incidentally, the only difference between enamel thinners and celly is that cellulose goes off faster. Depending on temperature of your room, spray booth etc, it can cause dry tip and therefore start clogging your airbrush. But can be used with great success once you are used to it. I am still staggered by the number of people who believe urban myth, social media warriors and youtubers about what to thin paint with. Just check with the manufacturer, it is really that simple. I don't understand what possible benefit there is by using lighter fuel (for example), or window cleaner (for acrylics)...

To resurrect this thread as it may be useful to some.... I use an ikea coffee stirrer. I don't think ikea sell them anymore, but there are lots of resellers churning them out for .99p on ebay...

Boyes in Malton have a great range also Paul. And they have it on sale at the moment @ £1.90 a bottle. Yates' agricultural emporium also in Malton has a bigger range (believe it or not!) if you happen to be in town. Tony

I know this is an old thread, but I come up against this on many military modelling sites. Vallejo paints should be thinned with water, or their own brand thinning agents. Anything with alcohol, or windowlene or whatever concoction the guy on youtube uses, will turn it into goo. I use nothing else but Vallejo model color (colour!). All the hints and tips and guidelines on how to use the paint are on their website. Personally I use model color and not model air. The pigment is way better. To spray it I use their own brand 'flow improver' mixed 50/50 with the paint. I have tried their thinner which also works as it should, but flow improver stops a dry tip on your airbrush. I spray with no problem through a 0.2mm needle/nozzle. For brush painting, I always have a small pot of water with a tiny drop of washing up liquid in it, to loosen the paint or to make a thin wash. An added bonus is cleaning of brushes AND airbrush is done with water!! No smell, no fuss. Just my two penneth worth, hope it helps new users of the paint. Tony

Was in our local ACTION supermarket last week. What a find (for France....). They stock glues, acrylic paints and varnishes (similar to Vallejo), cutting mats, paint brushes, etc etc. All very cheap. Quality varies from excellent to budget, so summat for everyone. Well, everyone who is in France anyway! As an extra bonus, Heinz ketchup was half the price Leclerc sell it for, plus other goodies such as Mars bars etc at UK prices. If you live there, you will understand the relevance of this information

Used them many times. its difficult not to impulse buy when the TFI Fridays email comes in!! Excellent service every time. I wouldn't worry (too much) re the lack of emails. I think our American cousins don't live on the internet as much as we do in the UK. cheers Tony

Im planning a trip to Delft later this year and looking for some information on best places to catch rail movements in and around Botlek. Any help greatly appreciated. Already found Cargo Franks pictures online to whet my appetite.... Thanks in advance Tony

Nick, There is a US seller on ebay (the only way to contact him....) that I now buy all my decals from. He only charges what it would cost to post a Birthday card for Microscale decals. Usually you can get two packs in the same envelope. He gives good discount on retail too. If he doesn't have what you want in stock, he will order it in for you. He stocks lots of different manufacturers stuff. His service is 100% No connection, just a regular and very satisfied customer! maine-linehobbies is his ebay shop. Hope that helps Tony

MICROSCALE DECALS. Just a quick post that is kind of related to this project. I have found a supplier in US that retails microscale decals at a discounted price, (any that aren't in stock, he will source for you). But the really good news is he will post up to two packs for the price of a birthday card. Much cheapness ... So no import charges or the dreaded Royal Mail 8 quid tax! Contact is via Ebay email only through any of his listings............... .maine-linehobbies Hope this helps you guys.

I discovered Vallejo washes fairly recently....., in my local agricultural engineers supply of all places ! They do give quick results. Desert wash is great for easily creating sun bleached UP locomotives. Your results look great by the way.

The same technique applied to Hart ballast hopper. I literally covered this car with both colours dabbed with the wedge of sponge, then using a cotton bud and isopropyl in downward strokes, wiped off the excess until I was happy with the result. Good? Average? Or 'must try harder'? This is a work in progress learning curve so don't be shy if you think it's carp! Any comments on my technique welcome. Tony

Just a quick (and long overdue) update on this project. The inner rivet counter in me has decided to replace the body for one without the dynamic brake bulges (I think that's what they are!) to accurately represent NREX 232. So no decals applied to this model. However, I have used the semi complete paint work to try out rust techniques. Using oil paints (from Ebay) and some cheap make up sponges from superdrug (about £1 a pack). Tear off a wedge, then tear off all the factory cut straight edges from the thick end of the wedge. Squeeze your chosen paints onto a bit of scrap plastic (or a palette, again approx a quid from Ebay), dip your sponge in and dab onto your model. Let it dry a bit and repeat with the lighter colour. If you end up with too much on your subject, either dab it off with a clean bit of sponge and/or a cotton bud soaked in warm water or isopropyl alcohol. Repeat until you are happy. I left mine to dry for a couple of days before sealing with Valejo polyurethane matt varnish through an air brush. As usual, constructive comments welcome