Spitfire2865

Hello! All afternoon Ive been building this little kit. I had started painting it grey when I first bought it but a very quick google search for a Ford model AA truck found me a nice example in a deep green. Lucky me, I still had a batch of paint from my Sopwith Camel and it looked to be a good match. Almost everything's assembled. I just have to glue the front wheels and the headlights on and touch up where Ive knocked the paint. But it has gone together so nicely. Good to have some more experience with pewter castings. The stakes are surprisingly strong and forgiving. I really want to find more of these kits. They do go together very nicely and make rather nice models. Heres my pair so far.

Well. I recently got a job so modeling time is practically nonexistent. But I am making some money for modeling purposes. Probably kits. I have a few Cambrian and Slaters in mind. I also am thinking of scratchbuilding some LNWR wagons..specifically a diag 17A brake van and a diag 9 open. I want to do those on a parkside and cambrian underframe respectively. I was also thinking of a david geen kit but I cant remember what I was looking at and the website is nonexistent currently. I wouldve liked to try a whitemetal kit from 51L but soldering is my downfall. But. This isnt just a rant. I have done SOMETHING. Remember him? I have given life to his friends. Both were from a Hornby train pack and remained unpainted black for the last 7 years. Also, Ive given my (eventually) Sopwith Camel a pilot. Looks rather nice in his incomplete plane. And finally, I seem to have been bitten by the 1:160th scale bug again and want to try my hand at a shunting plank in American N scale. Im thinking a small inglenook puzzle with my N scale stock. Set in the ending years of the Great Depression of the 1930s somewhere along the route of the New York Central. I want to make it very scenic and I already have a couple buildings and a general idea. I only have one auto though. A small pewter kit of a Ford model A. Im rather proud of this little car. Built about 1 1/2 years ago when I was very new to building actual kits. I had picked up a truck kit as well, which I never actually built. I cut all the bits and started painting but didnt continue. I feel like completing this little truck and seeing how it turns out. Well...seems about it for now.

On the tarps? Only in early pre grouping times. Some tarps were nice with a distinctive colored stripe in a pattern. Unless you go to BR era, then blue plastic I believe.

Im sorry to put you through all this trouble but the others were spot on. Big four era. And more specifically LMS.

Thats my big question. I hear the new ones dont age like the old ones when crumpled. But that doesnt tell me much about the new ones besides how theyre different in one way.

A little off topic, but the website was up a few weeks ago and now just gives a 404 error. Any info?

Although they wouldve been common user, they did have to be returned at a certain date for inspection and reissue.

I have found this page very helpful in this area. http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/gansg/9-loads/9-tarps.htm

I actually tie them down. Im glad I do as the first ones I made looked horrible. It may be because Im a bit OCD when it comes to a few things, but I like the challenge. Corners are a pain though.

For something that was so often used, its far too infrequently modeled or covered(no pun intended). And of all the possible ways to get them, there seems to be just Smiths to offer a finished product. Finding any info, pictures, or reviews of them is hard. I know they used to be made of a material which crumpled and faded very nicely but that implies theres a newer material. Does anyone have any experience with the newer material? No matter what I try, paper just doesnt cut it in 4mm scale. Any help would be appreciated.

What Id be scared of is the layering of brake gear. Any aids for that?

How would you rate the etched bits for a non solderer? Doable without much experience or more advanced?

Maybe its because Im not a big fan of the LNER or A4s but I really dont see whats wrong with it from a modelers perspective. Its an imaginary locomotive. Yes there wouldve been better models to do this too rather than the 3rail dublo, but at least he did something to it rather than it living in a landfill for the rest of eternity.

Does ebay have a file size limit? I know its no reason to forgo posting the actual picture, but some people are tech illiterate.

Yeah I stumbled upon that site last night. I found a few that I would like to try scratchbuilding.m

Hey. That looks nice. And the LNWR brake van. Which version is that? I was thinking of trying my hand at scratchbuilding one.

Hello people. Work has been going slowly. What I have done is removed most of the lettering from the pug. I still have one crest, the front number board, and the builders plates to remove, but its going well. I managed to mask off the handrails on the body. Still have to reblacken the cab handrails... And this morning I was thinking about vac pipes for some reason. So I decided to make some with brass wire and braided string. (Hornby vac pipe in for size) I left the ends long incase I would need to wrap it around the headstock. Still needs a bit of paint but I think they look good. I plan on using magnets on the ends to actually connect the pipes, as well as a magnet on the pipe to hold the end steady when not in use. So that would end up being 4 tiny magnets per fitted wagon...that could get expensive. Oddly enough I don't actually like the look of fitted wagons. I plan on scratchbuilding a few pregrouping wagons to add to my stock. I found some good drawings and references for LNWR wagons and some pictures of them in LMS livery as well. Yay no guessing on livery choices. If anyone has good online references/drawings for LMS wagons or its pregrouping companies wagons, I would be very grateful. What stops me from scratchbuilding isn't a lack of skill or confidence but a lack of information or measurements. Thanks for reading.

I mean of course there will be exceptions. Probably whichever wagon Nile is building was one such exception.

Shouldnt the solebar be body colour? And the inside looks nice. Maybe you could pick out a few planks in a slightly darker brown. Though...that would depend on the wagons history..disregard my suggestions. This looks nice. I miss building kits.

Ok...the title says BOXED like its supposed to improve the value yet in the description, he says he'll remove it from the backing for "secure shipping". Now wouldnt that mean the (un)lucky customer gets a product which is no longer "boxed" as they bought it?Also, the image he posted already shows its been opened. Does boxed not mean in the box anymore?

Well a little tip for next time. Absolutely NEVER assume your scribing tool of choice will follow a straight line. Haha. Even with a ruler, my efforts are crooked at best. Whether or not the inside is pretty, the outside looks fantastic. Everything nice and straight.