Mick Bonwick

Back in 2005, when I was still gainfully employed, I partook of car park attendant duties at a Hope cement works open day. Those of us who were directing traffic and supervising site safety were fed and watered by this vehicle's contents. In light of recent developments elsewhere on this forum I thought that a quick delve through my photograph collection might produce something relevant. It did!

Splendid!

A short while ago I commented on a thread with several followers, that I had an interest in Land Rovers. I backed up this claim with an account of the weathering of an Oxford Diecast example. Imagine my surprise when one of those followers walked into my workshop yesterday holding a box that he then proceeded to empty onto my layout (which currently has lots of empty space) a good few examples of how other folks weather these iconic vehicles. It transpires that some mischievious soul had organised the followers into an army of Land Rover weatherers whose sole aim was to show me how it should be done. I was totally overwhelmed when I was finally capable of looking at them in detail. The level of ingenuity and the skills applied to produce such a variety of realistic-looking working vehicles has astounded me and, with the agreement of the modellers involved (well, most of them, anyway) I show them below. I don't have much scenery in place at the moment, so you'll have to excuse them all appearing to exist in the same 8" sqare of unfinished diorama. I'm inviting the perpetrators to offer explanations for their actions. I'm sure that there's a lot to be learned!

Shall I open one here? https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/forum/164-road-vehicles/ Or would it be better somewhere else?

I think that the track should be nearer to the front because . . . . . You haven't catered for the other 3 seasons. . . . . . . . . . . There isn't enough room for the drag strip . . . . . . How can you now justify the acquisition of a 3D printer?

Leave him alone! He's made his mind up. I think.

You are a master of the understatement!

That's the place. Paddling pool, swingboats, bandstand, outdoor swimming pool, miniature railway and ice cream from the cafe.

What a shame you don't need space for a Land Rover. You might need to leave room for a tractor, though.

How many are we aiming for? Many thanks for finding this and pointing me at it. I grew up in that area and, at the time, was totally unaware of the existence of the island. Probably because from the shoreline on the Gillingham side it was not apparent to a small child that it was not the far side of the river.

Having been pointed this way by @Mikkel I have spent an enjoyable half-hour following your progress. Absolutely marvellous. I grew up in Gillingham and, at the time, never realised that the island was there, although I have to say that the nearest I got to the mud was the swimming pool at The Strand. I am impressed by the way that you have used skills and materials from the military/diorama modelling fraternity. You have another follower!

I was out for a walk earlier, and heard a rather familiar sound coming from the waste ground near the old goods shed. I made my way through the undergrowth and found that something had been left in the siding . . . . . . . . . I wonder where it came from.

I think that some of the newly appropriated space might be needed to store some Land Rovers.

If it doesn't, I have a solution.

I'm having enough trouble making the right sort of progress with Easton, without the distraction of Big Stuff. I was thinking more in terms of gardening tools than garden railway. That doesn't mean I don't like your thinking, though.

Don't go by the greenhouse, then. Go the other way round.

That's the base in place, now just waiting for the shed to go on it. What's this got to do with Easton? Once it's all in place, I'll have somewhere to store stuff that gets in the way in the railway room/workshop. Unless it's claimed for something else in the meantime.

Modelling that roof would be a challenge.

It isn't, until you involve other people! Whose model is it? If you can justify something to yourself then go ahead. Unless somebody else comes up with a better idea . . . . . . .

Not wanting to risk overcrowding this scene, I keep checking the balance from all angles, and thinking about whether to have piles of rubbish or piles of stored stuff. I still haven't made a decision, but am now leaning towards a bit of both. I used to abhor indecision, but now I'm having second thoughts. The fencing has had a layer of matt varnish applied (Testor's Dullcote) and will now be dirtied using pigments. I have found a photograph by https://www.47soton.co.uk/search?q=seaton that shows some old concrete panel fencing and will use that as a guide for colours and texture.

Build a small diorama.

Yes it has. You've just used different tools to do it.

I'm not sure where the cheating comes in. If you have used a tool to create something that you can use for your modelling, how can that involve cheating? Or have you copied something created by somebody else, something that I have never seen as a model? A bit puzzled, I am.

Using a screwdriver to make holes for the panel tabs and a cocktail stick to make holes for the post tabs, a fairly surdy fence can be erected in no time at all. Well, half an hour, anyway. The posts and panels were glued together, as they were installed, using good old Mek-Pak. The emphasis being on the word, "Old", because I've had that bottle for at least 20 years. I don't make many plastic kits.

Meanwhile, outside the modelling area, work continues on the preparations for a new shed. All of the old slabs have been relaid about 4" lower than they were previously. This was to compensate for the larger area required as a base for the replacement. The ground slopes downwards from right to left on this area, so I wanted to avoid building up the previously waste area to the left. All that is left to do (!) is to lay all the new slabs. Rain stopped play today (thankfully) so it will have to wait until tomorrow.